Collections
Series
Publication
Del Rey (2007), Paperback, 240 pages
Description
Mushi have been around since shortly after life came out of the primordial ooze. They're everywhere; some live behind your eyelids, some eat silence, some kill, and some drive men mad. Ginko is a mushishi, or mushi master, and has the ability to help those who are plagued by mushi.
Language
Original language
Japanese
User reviews
LibraryThing member PhoenixTerran
I no longer remember what first led me to pick up Yuki Urushibara's debut manga Mushishi. It was probably mostly coincidence: the series started being released in English around the same time I started to really get into manga and was trying all sorts of things. I'm grateful for whatever reason it
Mushi--a category of primordial beings fundamental to the living world which may take on many forms. Truly understood by very few people, they are studied by mushishi, or mushi masters. Ginko is one such mushishi, making his living by traveling across the Japanese countryside, learning all that he can about mushi, and attempting to help those unfortunate enough to have come under the creatures' influence. Mushi are often to blame for unusual natural phenomena and strange, otherwise unexplainable illnesses. Ginko is an expert, but even he is faced with circumstances beyond his knowledge and control; where mushi are involved, nothing is ever entirely certain. Sometimes the harm caused by the mushi has already been done and is irreversible, leaving humans to deal with the aftermath. They must learn to coexist or else risk their lives or sanity.
Although there is some continuity between the stories, Mushishi is largely episodic and each chapter in the first volume of the series stands well on its own. "The Green Gathering" introduces the concept of mushi while Ginko investigates a young man with the power to grant life to the things he draws. In "The Soft Horns" Ginko aids the residents of a snowbound village suffering from a peculiar kind of hearing loss. Mushi have invaded the dreams of a man in "The Pillow Path" with devastating and dire consequences. Urushibara's award-winning "The Light in the Eyelids" was actually the very first Mushishi manga. The story follows a young girl whose eyes have become so painfully sensitive to light that she has been blindfolded and shut away by her family in a dark storehouse. The final story in Mushishi, Volume 1 is "The Traveling Bog" in which a swamp disappears and then reappears again and again, drawing ever closer to the sea each time.
Urushibara was influenced tremendously by older Japanese folk stories, but in developing Mushishi she draws on that inspiration to create a world and mythology of her own. Although the tales in Mushishi, Volume 1 are new, they still have a very familiar, traditional feeling to them that I find immensely appealing. I also enjoy the subtle horror present in many of the stories in Mushishi. While occasionally the manga and its imagery is disconcerting or even disturbing, Mushishi isn't overly graphic or violent. Instead its creepiness derives from the fear of the unknown or the unknowable and the close intertwining of life and death. Mushi do not always bring misfortune, they can also be a benevolent force, but they are something beyond the understanding and power of most humans, and that can be frightening. In Mushishi, Volume 1 Ginko is shown trying to bridge the gap that exists between mushi and humans, but he often struggles to find the perfect balance between sharing his knowledge and protecting life.
Experiments in Manga
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was that convinced me to read Mushishi because it became one of my favorite manga series. I love its quiet creepiness and beautiful storytelling. Mushishi was well-received both in Japan and abroad by both fans and critics. Among other recognitions and honors, Mushishi has earned a Japan Media Arts Award as well as a Kodansha Manga Award. Mushishi, Volume 1 was originally published in Japan in 2000. The English-language edition was initially released by Del Rey Manga in 2007 and, sadly, has since gone out of print. Happily, in 2014, Kodansha Comics released a digital edition of Mushishi in English.Mushi--a category of primordial beings fundamental to the living world which may take on many forms. Truly understood by very few people, they are studied by mushishi, or mushi masters. Ginko is one such mushishi, making his living by traveling across the Japanese countryside, learning all that he can about mushi, and attempting to help those unfortunate enough to have come under the creatures' influence. Mushi are often to blame for unusual natural phenomena and strange, otherwise unexplainable illnesses. Ginko is an expert, but even he is faced with circumstances beyond his knowledge and control; where mushi are involved, nothing is ever entirely certain. Sometimes the harm caused by the mushi has already been done and is irreversible, leaving humans to deal with the aftermath. They must learn to coexist or else risk their lives or sanity.
Although there is some continuity between the stories, Mushishi is largely episodic and each chapter in the first volume of the series stands well on its own. "The Green Gathering" introduces the concept of mushi while Ginko investigates a young man with the power to grant life to the things he draws. In "The Soft Horns" Ginko aids the residents of a snowbound village suffering from a peculiar kind of hearing loss. Mushi have invaded the dreams of a man in "The Pillow Path" with devastating and dire consequences. Urushibara's award-winning "The Light in the Eyelids" was actually the very first Mushishi manga. The story follows a young girl whose eyes have become so painfully sensitive to light that she has been blindfolded and shut away by her family in a dark storehouse. The final story in Mushishi, Volume 1 is "The Traveling Bog" in which a swamp disappears and then reappears again and again, drawing ever closer to the sea each time.
Urushibara was influenced tremendously by older Japanese folk stories, but in developing Mushishi she draws on that inspiration to create a world and mythology of her own. Although the tales in Mushishi, Volume 1 are new, they still have a very familiar, traditional feeling to them that I find immensely appealing. I also enjoy the subtle horror present in many of the stories in Mushishi. While occasionally the manga and its imagery is disconcerting or even disturbing, Mushishi isn't overly graphic or violent. Instead its creepiness derives from the fear of the unknown or the unknowable and the close intertwining of life and death. Mushi do not always bring misfortune, they can also be a benevolent force, but they are something beyond the understanding and power of most humans, and that can be frightening. In Mushishi, Volume 1 Ginko is shown trying to bridge the gap that exists between mushi and humans, but he often struggles to find the perfect balance between sharing his knowledge and protecting life.
Experiments in Manga
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LibraryThing member narwhaltortellini
Mushishi is about mushi, bug-like-spirit-like-ghost-like creatures, one of the closest things to the original form of life. Unseen by most, they sometimes make their way into humans' bodies with some strange and for the human unwanted and mildly disturbing results. Mushishi follows Ginko, an
Muhishi is a calm, contemplative, episodic (though the description 'short-story-like' gives more the right feel), mature, vaguely distant sort of read. It is fairly unarguably good at what it does. It's all about it's atmosphere, it's tone, it's stories and descriptions of mushi that are so precise, original, and haunting that if I didn't know better, I would think were real folklore.
In short, being the sometimes shallow reader that I am, I was expecting Mushishi to be an interesting, impressive, and slightly boring read, a nice experience but not one I would knowingly come back to.
So? ...Actually, I really do like Mushishi, as it turns out. This isn't hugely unexpected, as I'm a raving fan of Kino's Journey, which this is in those sorts of ways rather similar to. Kino had two things that took it from being merely respectable toward being a good time, though: 1. A female main character who was actually cool and independent without being some violent tsundere. 2. Despite her being serene and a tad detached, she had AWESOME GUNS which she could pull out every once in a while for self defense and kill us with her awesome gun cool (without giving the moe-girl-with-gun feel). These were really very minor aspects of the series, but these little differences do it for me ^_^; In short, I guess I like calm, contemplative stuff, but I need just a little bit of spice.
What does Mushishi have? The main thing is, as mentioned before, the stories/types of mushishi the author comes up with are impressively original. Usually I would put that in the 'makes it more respectable but not really more engaging' category, but it really is so overwhelmingly creative, it just spills over into the other. ...Feels like rather a lame excuse, but it's really all I can say.
The other thing is, like with Kino, the main character. Ginko may be a little overly serene for some, but honestly I adore this kind of personality in this sort of story. Serene does not, after all, equate to one-dimensional. He has kindness and helpfulness, but he is no bleeding heart. Mysterious and at times even a little snippish or unapologetically selfish. In his body language and expression I see the ghost of something sardonic that never quite pops out onto his surface.
On the other hand... Much as I sense these interesting things about Ginko... Most of the time he goes about being his serene helpful self, and really, it IS a bit dull in that respect. In addition, as I saw another put it, all the supporting characters come off as “calm, vaguely good-natured, and a little sad.” The manga really does want to distance itself from the reader a little too much. With no emotional attachment to Ginko and not much ability to make any with the supporting characters that pass through, how long can someone like me keep interested in this on the basis of creative ideas and the suggestion that Ginko might be an interesting person, without ever getting so much as a hint why?
Still, I wonder if my desire to learn more about Ginko, either his background or beliefs or personality or anything, is wrongly asking this manga to change it's nature? The story really isn't about Ginko. Even so, I do think the story would be better (if not outright needs) just a little bit of something else. For now I'll continue it and probably enjoy it, though. But if the manga doesn't make some small changes in some way, I'm not sure how much longer I will continue.
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wandering expert on mushi, as he goes from one place to another studying mushi and using his knowledge to help those who have come into trouble with the creatures.Muhishi is a calm, contemplative, episodic (though the description 'short-story-like' gives more the right feel), mature, vaguely distant sort of read. It is fairly unarguably good at what it does. It's all about it's atmosphere, it's tone, it's stories and descriptions of mushi that are so precise, original, and haunting that if I didn't know better, I would think were real folklore.
In short, being the sometimes shallow reader that I am, I was expecting Mushishi to be an interesting, impressive, and slightly boring read, a nice experience but not one I would knowingly come back to.
So? ...Actually, I really do like Mushishi, as it turns out. This isn't hugely unexpected, as I'm a raving fan of Kino's Journey, which this is in those sorts of ways rather similar to. Kino had two things that took it from being merely respectable toward being a good time, though: 1. A female main character who was actually cool and independent without being some violent tsundere. 2. Despite her being serene and a tad detached, she had AWESOME GUNS which she could pull out every once in a while for self defense and kill us with her awesome gun cool (without giving the moe-girl-with-gun feel). These were really very minor aspects of the series, but these little differences do it for me ^_^; In short, I guess I like calm, contemplative stuff, but I need just a little bit of spice.
What does Mushishi have? The main thing is, as mentioned before, the stories/types of mushishi the author comes up with are impressively original. Usually I would put that in the 'makes it more respectable but not really more engaging' category, but it really is so overwhelmingly creative, it just spills over into the other. ...Feels like rather a lame excuse, but it's really all I can say.
The other thing is, like with Kino, the main character. Ginko may be a little overly serene for some, but honestly I adore this kind of personality in this sort of story. Serene does not, after all, equate to one-dimensional. He has kindness and helpfulness, but he is no bleeding heart. Mysterious and at times even a little snippish or unapologetically selfish. In his body language and expression I see the ghost of something sardonic that never quite pops out onto his surface.
On the other hand... Much as I sense these interesting things about Ginko... Most of the time he goes about being his serene helpful self, and really, it IS a bit dull in that respect. In addition, as I saw another put it, all the supporting characters come off as “calm, vaguely good-natured, and a little sad.” The manga really does want to distance itself from the reader a little too much. With no emotional attachment to Ginko and not much ability to make any with the supporting characters that pass through, how long can someone like me keep interested in this on the basis of creative ideas and the suggestion that Ginko might be an interesting person, without ever getting so much as a hint why?
Still, I wonder if my desire to learn more about Ginko, either his background or beliefs or personality or anything, is wrongly asking this manga to change it's nature? The story really isn't about Ginko. Even so, I do think the story would be better (if not outright needs) just a little bit of something else. For now I'll continue it and probably enjoy it, though. But if the manga doesn't make some small changes in some way, I'm not sure how much longer I will continue.
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LibraryThing member Crowyhead
I really enjoyed this manga, which was a belated Christmas gift from my younger brother. The basic idea is that there are creatures called Mushi, which are a bit like fairies, a bit like ghosts, and a bit like microscopic organisms. They are unspeakably ancient, and when they come into contact with
I liked that the Mushi are essentially fairly amoral, rather than particularly evil; in many cases, they are as conscious of the effect they have on their human hosts as we might be of the effect we have on a river we live near or a tree whose fruit we harvest carelessly. They can be malignant, but are only rarely malevolent -- they are simply alien. My favorite story in the collection was about a Mushi who was essentially the ancient spirit of a swamp. It was lovely and actually quite moving. I'm looking forward to reading more from this series.
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humans, the results are often tragic. A young man named Ginko is a Mushishi, someone who studies and attempts to assist those who are afflicted by Mushi, and this episodic manga follows several of his "cases." I liked that the Mushi are essentially fairly amoral, rather than particularly evil; in many cases, they are as conscious of the effect they have on their human hosts as we might be of the effect we have on a river we live near or a tree whose fruit we harvest carelessly. They can be malignant, but are only rarely malevolent -- they are simply alien. My favorite story in the collection was about a Mushi who was essentially the ancient spirit of a swamp. It was lovely and actually quite moving. I'm looking forward to reading more from this series.
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LibraryThing member mvrdrk
Not as good, I think as IMA Ichiko's Hyakki Yakoushou 百鬼夜行抄.
The main character is so disconnected from the events and people in the story that there is no emotional connection to the reader. It's like a recitation of events rather than a story that draws you in. It might be a much better
The main character is so disconnected from the events and people in the story that there is no emotional connection to the reader. It's like a recitation of events rather than a story that draws you in. It might be a much better
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story in animated/moving format. Show Less
LibraryThing member GrazianoRonca
Mushi ‘have existed since the dawn of time’ (from the cover)
The Green Gathering or The Green Seat: Ginko investigates the case of a boy whose drawings, because of Mushi, come to life. Since ancient times Mushi have induced fear among humans. Mushi are called Green Things and ‘they’re very
The Soft Horns or Tender Horns: Ginko has to cure a boy with growing horns, otherwise he will die. This time Mushi are called Un, and they eat sounds. ‘When the snow falls at night and the sounds disappear ... you must either talk to someone or cover your ears. If you don’t, your ears will be eaten.’ (p. 63)
But it’s not enough: Mushi called ‘A’ ‘eat the silence that the Un create.’ (p. 72)
In this episode there is the most beautiful drawing in all the volume: a drawing of the deer’s back who is looking at the forest (p. 76). Another beautiful drawing is on page 193: a girl looking at a pool in the mountains.
The Pillow Path or The Pillow Pathway: a farmer’s dreams become reality, so he asks help to Ginko. ‘There are Mushi that live in dreams.’ (p. 102) These Mushi don’t give premonitions, but make dreams come true.
Mushi are hiding inside the pillow, ‘the Japanese word for pillow ‘makura’ is made from combining the words for ‘storage place’ and soul’ (p. 141) So the pillow ‘becomes the path between dreams and reality.’ (p. 142) We have to follow the Pillow Pathway to see the world beyond.
The Light in the Eyelids or The Light of the Eyelid: Ginko is helping a girl because she can’t bear sunlight. ‘Behind your eyelid ... there’s another eyelid. And behind that other eyelid is a place where absolutely no light can get in. That’s where the Mushi are.’ (p. 150)
These Mushi are called Manakonoyamimushi and ‘they use the darkness to breed.’ (p. 164) Only ‘the light of the moon lures the mushi out.’ (p. 168)
‘When humanity managed to enter the light, they forgot how to close their second eyelid.’ (p. 175) In this second eyelid there is the ‘true darkness ... the different kind of light’ (p. 175)
The Traveling Bog or The Traveling Swamp: a mysterious girl is seen in a swamp and Ginko wants to know who she is. A dying swamp is moving toward the sea.
This ‘traveling’ swamp is followed by a girl whose ‘hair was an odd shade of blue-green.’ (p. 186)
Suiko a liquid Mushi are colorless and translucent, although they are alive and can travel. ‘And when this small, life-giving universe nears its end ... it finds its legs and it starts to move.’ (p. 222)
The Green Gathering or The Green Seat: Ginko investigates the case of a boy whose drawings, because of Mushi, come to life. Since ancient times Mushi have induced fear among humans. Mushi are called Green Things and ‘they’re very
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close to the original forms of life ... it was after them that the life we see began to branch out.’ (p. 20)The Soft Horns or Tender Horns: Ginko has to cure a boy with growing horns, otherwise he will die. This time Mushi are called Un, and they eat sounds. ‘When the snow falls at night and the sounds disappear ... you must either talk to someone or cover your ears. If you don’t, your ears will be eaten.’ (p. 63)
But it’s not enough: Mushi called ‘A’ ‘eat the silence that the Un create.’ (p. 72)
In this episode there is the most beautiful drawing in all the volume: a drawing of the deer’s back who is looking at the forest (p. 76). Another beautiful drawing is on page 193: a girl looking at a pool in the mountains.
The Pillow Path or The Pillow Pathway: a farmer’s dreams become reality, so he asks help to Ginko. ‘There are Mushi that live in dreams.’ (p. 102) These Mushi don’t give premonitions, but make dreams come true.
Mushi are hiding inside the pillow, ‘the Japanese word for pillow ‘makura’ is made from combining the words for ‘storage place’ and soul’ (p. 141) So the pillow ‘becomes the path between dreams and reality.’ (p. 142) We have to follow the Pillow Pathway to see the world beyond.
The Light in the Eyelids or The Light of the Eyelid: Ginko is helping a girl because she can’t bear sunlight. ‘Behind your eyelid ... there’s another eyelid. And behind that other eyelid is a place where absolutely no light can get in. That’s where the Mushi are.’ (p. 150)
These Mushi are called Manakonoyamimushi and ‘they use the darkness to breed.’ (p. 164) Only ‘the light of the moon lures the mushi out.’ (p. 168)
‘When humanity managed to enter the light, they forgot how to close their second eyelid.’ (p. 175) In this second eyelid there is the ‘true darkness ... the different kind of light’ (p. 175)
The Traveling Bog or The Traveling Swamp: a mysterious girl is seen in a swamp and Ginko wants to know who she is. A dying swamp is moving toward the sea.
This ‘traveling’ swamp is followed by a girl whose ‘hair was an odd shade of blue-green.’ (p. 186)
Suiko a liquid Mushi are colorless and translucent, although they are alive and can travel. ‘And when this small, life-giving universe nears its end ... it finds its legs and it starts to move.’ (p. 222)
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LibraryThing member aleahmarie
I read this on the recommendation of a good friend. She's an avid manga reader and I wanted to see what all the fuss was about! I don't know if Mushishi is indicative of other manga, but it definitely left me open to the possibility of reading more. Especially now that I've figured out how to read
These stories revolve around the idea that there are ancient spirits that live in the world along side humans, these spirits are called Mushi. Most people can't see them and for the most part the Mushi are harmless, but at times their existence does come to cross purposes with their human neighbors. That's when the Mushishi steps in. A Mushishi is a human whose life purpose is to maintain the balance between humans and Mushi, a Mushi master. The Mushishi in this story is Ginko. Ginko steps in to untangle any Mushi/human encounters, and to offer insights into the world of the Mushi.
This was a very pretty book and much fun to read. I'd recommend it to anyone who is curious about manga!
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them (it's not as simple as reading them backward).These stories revolve around the idea that there are ancient spirits that live in the world along side humans, these spirits are called Mushi. Most people can't see them and for the most part the Mushi are harmless, but at times their existence does come to cross purposes with their human neighbors. That's when the Mushishi steps in. A Mushishi is a human whose life purpose is to maintain the balance between humans and Mushi, a Mushi master. The Mushishi in this story is Ginko. Ginko steps in to untangle any Mushi/human encounters, and to offer insights into the world of the Mushi.
This was a very pretty book and much fun to read. I'd recommend it to anyone who is curious about manga!
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LibraryThing member HadriantheBlind
Excellent atmospheric story. Flowing art style. This is the kind of manga I really enjoy.
LibraryThing member Angelina-Justice
I fell in love with this series just few pages into book 1. The Mushi are magical creatures from the beginning of time, who evolved just like other plants and animals. They also happen to be parasitic and require the skills of a Mushishi to rid the afflicted of their influence or illness.
This blend
This blend
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of science, mythology and pure creepiness makes this a new favorite for me! Show Less
LibraryThing member BakuDreamer
I like mushishi
LibraryThing member Count_Zero
I enjoyed this volume well enough, though with the structure and events of the stories, I think I'll enjoy the anime more.