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I've decided to do a review series for the less anime-inclined, to try and advertise new and exciting anime that many people on the forum might not have heard of before. These reviews can be good or bad, and they are solely my opinion alone. So if anyone has a differing opinion and feels the urge to vent, hold your egotistical horses because I really couldn't give a crap. 
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This time around I'll be reviewing 'Mushishi', an incredibly original, episodic, and entertaining show following Ginko, the main protagonist, and his encounters on his travels.
There are some shows that have a very straight and obvious story to them. Shows like this can range from 'I'm a ninja, my best friend is also my enemy, protect the village blah blah blah' in the case of Naruto, 'I'm a soul reaper, I fight evil monsters called hollows even though i have one living inside of me' in the case of bleach, and 'AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGHHHHHH' in the case of Dragon Ball Z. It is very rare that you encounter a show that you cannot identify as being like another show. So when I saw the story of Mushishi, I was very intrigued and had to pick it up immediately.
The plot goes something like this: Mushi are the most primitive forms of life. They are too simple to say that they have a physical presence, purpose, morals, conscience, and they just simply exist. They are causes of many strange phenomena such as ghosts, prophecies, miracle cures, strange diseases and the like, which can sometimes be a nuisance for people. Mushishi come in to investigate and solve these problems, and to study Mushi behaviour.
This makes for the single most beautiful story I have ever seen, with each episode giving us a new form of Mushi and a new phenomenon that Ginko comes across. What is more important is that there is no simple perception of Good or Evil in this show, and it is somewhat a mind game when you try and figure out how you would act in a particular situation. I referred to this show once as 'A documentary of something that ISN'T REAL', and you very much see this whilst watching the show. Each episode you learn about something that ISN'T REAL and you get intrigued more and more by it. Because of this it is probably the most relaxing show I've ever seen, as you become completely engrossed in a new and interesting concept of life, with subtle jokes thrown around here and there in order to not bore the crap out of the viewer.
The artwork follows a very simple style in contrast to the complex nature of the anime. The scenery is up in the ranks with Kara no Kyoukai's amazing backdrops. There isn't anything stand-out about the character artwork, and even sometimes it can look quite sloppy. Even some of the characters throughout the series seem to look exactly the same as another character, just with different clothes. But I suppose its better than Ninja's wearing the same headbands with the same green jackets and the same blue jumpsuits and the same black sandals and… well, you get the picture.
The music throughout is very minimalistic, contributing more to the artsy feel of this show. None of the soundtracks are very powerful at all, but the lack of that aspect is what makes the music so… right. The show is very relaxing overall and the music keeps the show at that level.
In terms of characters, there is only one proper main character: Ginko. Ginko is nothing like your standard Annoying blonde haired TWAT, Tsundere TWAT, Emo fangirl TWAT, Pessimistic whiny TWAT or annoying moe girl ABSOLUTE TWAT. Ginko comes across more as… well, incredibly normal. There isn't really anything stand-out about him apart from his interest in studying Mushi, and because of this he is one of the most likeable characters in all of anime. You get the sense that he truly loves what he does, and he is far beyond the concepts of Good or Evil. He doesn't help people for the sake of helping people, but rather because it is his job to study mushi, which just happen to interfere with human lives. He also doesn't perceive things as good or evil, repeatedly telling people that Mushi 'are just trying to live'. He also doesn't force decisions upon people unless it is life threatening, and lets the people he interacts with decide which path they should take, rather than saying DO THIS OR YOU'LL DIE.
If you're looking for an action packed anime with out of this world animation and amazing one liners that could inspire a hermit to become president… go look somewhere else, because you won't find ANY of that here. If you want to lay down after a hard day at work and become completely immersed in a completely different, interesting and amazing world with a new story every episode, then look no further than Mushishi.
Final Score: 10/10
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And there we have my first review. As you can see it isn't fully serious, and YES I know there is a lot of naruto bashing here, but I don't dislike Naruto. I just don't like it as much as other shows. If you want me to do another review of another show, then give me a request and I'll pick one that I like, or sounds interesting. I'll only do shows that have finished airing, however…
SO NO ONE PIECE! GOT IT!?
---------------------------------------
This time around I'll be reviewing 'Mushishi', an incredibly original, episodic, and entertaining show following Ginko, the main protagonist, and his encounters on his travels.
There are some shows that have a very straight and obvious story to them. Shows like this can range from 'I'm a ninja, my best friend is also my enemy, protect the village blah blah blah' in the case of Naruto, 'I'm a soul reaper, I fight evil monsters called hollows even though i have one living inside of me' in the case of bleach, and 'AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGHHHHHH' in the case of Dragon Ball Z. It is very rare that you encounter a show that you cannot identify as being like another show. So when I saw the story of Mushishi, I was very intrigued and had to pick it up immediately.
The plot goes something like this: Mushi are the most primitive forms of life. They are too simple to say that they have a physical presence, purpose, morals, conscience, and they just simply exist. They are causes of many strange phenomena such as ghosts, prophecies, miracle cures, strange diseases and the like, which can sometimes be a nuisance for people. Mushishi come in to investigate and solve these problems, and to study Mushi behaviour.
This makes for the single most beautiful story I have ever seen, with each episode giving us a new form of Mushi and a new phenomenon that Ginko comes across. What is more important is that there is no simple perception of Good or Evil in this show, and it is somewhat a mind game when you try and figure out how you would act in a particular situation. I referred to this show once as 'A documentary of something that ISN'T REAL', and you very much see this whilst watching the show. Each episode you learn about something that ISN'T REAL and you get intrigued more and more by it. Because of this it is probably the most relaxing show I've ever seen, as you become completely engrossed in a new and interesting concept of life, with subtle jokes thrown around here and there in order to not bore the crap out of the viewer.
The artwork follows a very simple style in contrast to the complex nature of the anime. The scenery is up in the ranks with Kara no Kyoukai's amazing backdrops. There isn't anything stand-out about the character artwork, and even sometimes it can look quite sloppy. Even some of the characters throughout the series seem to look exactly the same as another character, just with different clothes. But I suppose its better than Ninja's wearing the same headbands with the same green jackets and the same blue jumpsuits and the same black sandals and… well, you get the picture.
The music throughout is very minimalistic, contributing more to the artsy feel of this show. None of the soundtracks are very powerful at all, but the lack of that aspect is what makes the music so… right. The show is very relaxing overall and the music keeps the show at that level.
In terms of characters, there is only one proper main character: Ginko. Ginko is nothing like your standard Annoying blonde haired TWAT, Tsundere TWAT, Emo fangirl TWAT, Pessimistic whiny TWAT or annoying moe girl ABSOLUTE TWAT. Ginko comes across more as… well, incredibly normal. There isn't really anything stand-out about him apart from his interest in studying Mushi, and because of this he is one of the most likeable characters in all of anime. You get the sense that he truly loves what he does, and he is far beyond the concepts of Good or Evil. He doesn't help people for the sake of helping people, but rather because it is his job to study mushi, which just happen to interfere with human lives. He also doesn't perceive things as good or evil, repeatedly telling people that Mushi 'are just trying to live'. He also doesn't force decisions upon people unless it is life threatening, and lets the people he interacts with decide which path they should take, rather than saying DO THIS OR YOU'LL DIE.
If you're looking for an action packed anime with out of this world animation and amazing one liners that could inspire a hermit to become president… go look somewhere else, because you won't find ANY of that here. If you want to lay down after a hard day at work and become completely immersed in a completely different, interesting and amazing world with a new story every episode, then look no further than Mushishi.
Final Score: 10/10
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And there we have my first review. As you can see it isn't fully serious, and YES I know there is a lot of naruto bashing here, but I don't dislike Naruto. I just don't like it as much as other shows. If you want me to do another review of another show, then give me a request and I'll pick one that I like, or sounds interesting. I'll only do shows that have finished airing, however…
SO NO ONE PIECE! GOT IT!?
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