Mushis are beings that is more basic and pure than any other form of life. They are ubiquitous and ethereal. Some of them are harmless but some may pose negative effects on humans. Most humans cannot see them. However, some can. And some becomes experts of the mushi. They are called MUSHISHI.
The story follows a mushishi named Ginko. He is a mushishi that helps villagers investigate peculiar happenings. He has white hair which cover one of his eyes. It is to hide the fact that the eye is missing. The color of his only eye is green. He has had this bizarre appearance ever since he was engulfed by a dark mushi when he was a child. The mushi also stole his memory and his name. He called himself Ginko since it was the only name he remembered when the mushi swallowed him.
Ginko is a laid back person. However, he performs his job seriously. He solves mysterious cases related to the mushi like a detective solving a murder case. He analyzes the problem, figure out which mushi is responsible, and figure out a way to find out the best solution. He is always travelling since his presence has the tendency to draw mushi. Therefore, he tries not to get too attached to people and leave after staying for several weeks. But he is not without emotion even though most of his emotion is properly constrained. He also one of the mushishis that prefers not to kill the harmful mushis. He always tries to find ways to find win win solution for both mushis and humans.
He always has a wooden back pack with him. Inside he stores many useful things. One of them is a cocoon that can be used to relay messages. He is also a heavy smoker. He use the smoke to get rid of all of the mushis that always appear around him.
Each episode in the anime follows different tales. Most of them contains philosophical insight. One of the most memorable tales was the man who wanted to catch the rainbow. His father caught a rainbow once and became insane. The man hated his father for that until the day his father died. He wanted to catch the rainbow as closure and to forgive himself and his father. Ginko showed him the way to the rainbow mushi. Upon finding it, the man managed to overcome his past and become the great engineer his father knew he would be.
The stories are usually simple and is told in detail. One scene follows another scene gracefully. There is no missing links between the scenes. The visualization is also profound. Every tree, snow, mist, people's expression is depicted so carefully and beautifully.
So overall, this anime has got everything an anime lover wanted. A great story with gist superbly told, a mix of detective and supernatural content, great picture (one of the most important essence for an anime), and strong characterization. The only question remained unanswered is how come Ginko wears modern clothing in old Japan? However, this is a small issue and does not change the fact that this is definately one of my favourites animes.
