22. July 2008 by Ria.

In this episode, we find Ginko, but unfortunately he’s lost in a bamboo forest, along with a guy named Kisuke. They have a nice conversation, then split up, and Ginko is able to make his way out of the forest.

A few ladies from a nearby village approach him to say that Kisuke is being held hostage by a monster, which just happens to be a white bamboo tree. This amazes Ginko, and he goes back into the forest to do some research.

He runs into Kisuke again, who tells a story about a couple who couldn’t have a child. Eventually, the woman started sneaking around at night, so her husband followed her to see what was going on.

Meet “the other man”, a white bamboo tree. Not only did this ruin the couple’s relationship, but the lady became pregnant by the tree. Damn, that’s messed up, I hope it at least took her out on a date first.

The lady gave birth to a bamboo chute, but of course there was a real kid inside of it, named Setsu. Several years later Kisuke and some friends went into the forest to see her, then strange things started happening.

Kisuke couldn’t get out of forest, and as long as he was with his friends, they couldn’t get out either. However, when they separated from Kisuke they were able to get out. In other words, Kisuke was stuck inside the forest with the bamboo queen.

Out of boredom and loneliness (I guess), he hooked up with Setsu, and they had a bamboo kid. After the villagers saw this, no one ever visited them again. Ginko realizes that this amazing bamboo tree that’s able to go around knockin’ women up is a mushi called the Magaridake.

This tree lives off of other bamboo roots, but gives back elements that keep the forest green. Now we know the tree is mushi, but Ginko has to find out why Kisuke can’t get out of the forest.

After further probing, he finds out that Setsu gave Kisuke some water from the tree several years ago, so now Ginko is wondering if the water has anything to do with it. He sneaks some, then realizes that he can’t get out of the forest either.

So now we know that the mushi tree can impose it’s will on people through the water. That’s weird. So the tree can make people so stupid, that they can’t find their way out of a paper bag?

“Oh well Ginko, I guess you’re just stuck with Kisuke and the Bamboo Witch, good luck!” Setsu overhears the conversation, and is consumed with guilt because the mushi bamboo tree had to hypnotize a guy to make him stay with her.

Oh well, maybe if she was better lookin’ this wouldn’t be happening. Anyway, later on, Setsu comes back to the tree, and chops it down. Kisuke was able to find his way out of the forest, but his sister won’t open the door for him, calling his daughter “The Thing”.

That’s kind of sad, when your own relatives don’t want to be bothered with you and your bamboo family. It’s okay, ’cause Kisuke still has a home to go to, and we know that Ginko can finally get out, so he can continue his mushi adventures, and I can watch more episodes.

Six months later, Ginko goes back to the forest to check up on things, and he finds out through Kisuke, that Setsu and his daughter died, as a result of cutting down the mushi tree. See, they needed the water inside that tree to survive, but Setsu didn’t know that, or did she? 

Posted in Mushishi Anime | Print | No Comments »

18. July 2008 by Ria.

Ginko is on his way to perform a mushi examination, but he’ll have to cross a bridge in order to get there. Only thing is, the bridge looks like it’s about to collapse, “Hurry up Ginko, and get to the other side before it falls!”

Now the client is Hana. She fell from a bridge three years ago, but now she’s zombified. I mean, she’s walking around and breathing, but that’s about it. She doesn’t talk or crack jokes, so what good is she?

Ginko doesn’t give his mushi diagnosis yet, until he runs into Hana’s ex-boyfriend, Zen. Ginko finds out from him that he and Hana tried to run away, since she was being forced into an arranged marriage with some other guy.

Once on the bridge she changes her mind, but it gave way and she fell off. That was three years ago. And you mean to tell me that they still haven’t fixed it?

Ginko does some investigating on his own and find Nisekazua mushi hanging around in the foothills. This type of mushi need sunlight to live, and they live in the bodies of the living, and the dead in order to escape the valley.

Every twenty years, they migrate, and form a bridge for one night. When this happens, you can cross it, but seriously, why would you want to? That’s okay, I’ll take my chances with the broken down man made bridge that has already claimed a life.

Oh, another thing about the mushi that I forgot to tell you. When they migrate, all the Nisekazua will leave the body of their hosts, and the walking dead will truly die, and this includes Hana.

Ginko finds out that this is the year for the one night bridge, and now there’s a cause for concern. Zen wants to delay it, but Hana’s mom wants Ginko to extract the mushi from her daughter’s body with little regard of what might happen if this is done.

After all, Hana has a marriage to be pushed into. You mean to tell me that the other family is still waiting for Hana after three years? Who is this other guy anyway, why isn’t he in this episode? Well, it doesn’t matter, ’cause Ginko refuses to extract the mushi, especially since there is a great chance that Hana will die, but isn’t she already dead?

Well, Ginko has said everything that he needs to say, and now he’s ready to leave the village, but Zen puts him up for one night. Only thing is, the bridge totally collapses, now Ginko is all pissed off. How in the hell is he gonna get across now?

Wait, there still may be some hope, but not for Hana, who stops breathing as the Nisekazua leaves her body. Because of this, Ginko suspects that the one night bridge may be happening that night, so he tells Zen to come with him since everybody in the village blames him for Hana’s death anyway.

That night, the two of them start to cross the bridge, but Ginko warns him that he can’t turn back, and if he tries to, he will fall. So Zen crosses, and decides to go emo on us. He feels extremely guilty for Hana’s death, so he decides to turn back, and CRASH! No more Zen.

Only thing is, he ran into some mushi on the way down, and now he’s the walking dead. Who in the hell is gonna take care of this guy for the next twenty years?

Posted in Mushishi Anime | Print | No Comments »

14. July 2008 by Ria.

Now for all of you that have millions of questions about Ginko, this episode will give you all the answers you need. Up to this point, I’ve been pretty satisfied with the mini dossier I had on Ginko. I know he’s a mushi master who travels from village to village exterminating mushi that causes other people discomfort, and sometimes claiming their lives.

As the series progressed, I became more focused on the different episodes, and didn’t worry about Ginko, who was just doing his thing. However, there was a time when I did wonder about Ginko’s eye, and why he moved from place to place frequently. Remember episode 2, when Ginko took his glass eye, injected it with mushi, and inserted into this girl’s socket ’cause she was blind in both eyes?

Before the mushi invasion, Ginko looked like any ordinary anime kid, with black hair and brown eyes, isn’t he cute? Now even before the experience that changed his life, he was able to see mushi. So he’s walking along with his mom in the forest, and of course anime writers once again feel the need to kill off another parent, and there you have it.

Next scene, it’s raining, and Yoki is found face down in the mud with a broken leg. Oh, I almost forgot to tell you, Yoki was Ginko’s original name, but we’ll get into that later. This woman named Nui takes him home, but she’s a complete weirdo.

If you take a good look at her (3 pictures up), she looks like adult Ginko with long hair. She’s also kind of rude, and taught Yoki how to smoke, so now I know where he got that bad habit from. Yoki stumbles onto some large pond where fish, and two kinds of mushi live, the Tokoyami, and Ginko.

Now the Ginko is responsible for turning the fish (and people’s hair) white, and eyes green. However, they also love to snatch one of those eyes when they get a chance. The Tokoyami is…………Gee, I’m still not sure, I think it’s an unseen mushi that will take your life if you hang in, or around the pond too long, and bring you to another dimension. 

Nui lived nearby to find out how to save the fish and herself, but eventually she realizes that her number is up, and slowly disappears to hang with the Ginko and Tokyomani. Yoki (I guess in fear of being alone) grabs her, and disappears with Nui into the mushi world, where it’s all black.

Nui tries to escort Yoki back to the real world, but does she know where the exit is? She tells him that he will have to lose an eye to the Ginko in order to escape the Tokoyami, and after a brief sighting of the Ginko (which looks cool if I must say so myself), Yoki is back among the humans, but now he has white hair, and a green eye.

Only thing is, he doesn’t remember anything, a side effect of crossing paths with the Tokoyami. He doesn’t remember his mother, or Nui, or what his name is, but somehow he can remember the Ginko, and that’s what he calls himself now.

We can now go back to calling him Ginko, who finds out that mushi love to hang out with him, so he can’t stay in one place too long. Now you know everything about him, right? Look, just see the episode, and quit whining already!

Posted in Mushishi Anime | Print | No Comments »