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ファイト／ステイナイト 
October 23, 2005 | 
23 Comments
Opening Theme: The Sore Feet Song by Ally Kerr
Ending Theme: 「蟲宴」 - Mushi-Utage by Masuda Toshio
This turns out to be a rather nice adaptation of the manga. The background looks really lush and has that surreal Ukiyo-e paintings that the manga captures quite successfully. There are, however, two things that I dislike about this adaptation. The first one is the opening sequence of this series, which is non-existent at this point in time. The so-called 'opening' only shows water-painting leafy motifs accompanied by The Sore Feet Song, which I'm not too fond of. The other thing that I dislike is the character design of Ginko himself. He kind of lost his youthful appearance from the manga. In addition to this, his hair looks rather badly designed to the point that often it looks like a mop. Other than that, however, this is a solid adaptation of the manga with excellent production values.
This episode begins with a narration explaining that in this world, there are things that are different from normal creatures. These things are collectively feared by men and known as 'Mushi'. Cut to a brief opening sequence. Once the sequence ends, an eerie voice can be heard coming out from a forest wondering about the identity of a person who has entered the forest. A flash of orange kimono is then seen following the person, who now appears to be a young man with a silver hair. The man senses that something has been following him but assumes that it's probably just a monkey. Nevertheless, he makes a comment about how the area looks unusually green. He also said that in nature, green and water are elements that are synonymous with life. However, it is rare to find humans who have these elements.
Elsewhere inside a house, a young boy is seen writing some calligraphy on a piece of paper. He makes a comment about how he doesn't seem to have problem writing with his left hand. However, in the middle of doing so, he realises that some of the kanji characters, notably, 木 (Ki - Tree), and 日 (Hi - Sun, Sunshine, Day) start to morph into the original meaning of the characters which are essentially 'Tree' and 'Sun'. Soon, the kanji for 鳥 (Tori - Bird) becomes alive and lifts itself off the paper, flying around the room. The boy manages to erases the 'Tree' and 'Sun' before they turned into real tree and sun. But unfortunately the 'Bird' has managed to fly out of the house, forcing the boy to go after it. Meanwhile, the silver-haired man who was seen earlier is now seen approaching the house.
The silver-haired man is surprised to see the 'Bird' kanji flying around and in his curiosity, decides to capture it with his left hand. He, however, is astonished when he opens his hand and finds his hand now has black ink marks. The boy is horrified when he realises that the silver-haired man saw the flying kanji but the man calmly asks the boy if he is Ioroi Shinra. The boy confirms that he is indeed called Shinra and that he has received letter from the man, whose name turns out to be Ginko. Shinra eventually tells Ginko that he has actually sent refusal letter to every person who wants to investigate his condition. He basically did this to fulfill his grandma's request, who doesn't want his grandson's condition to be known by others. By 'condition' Shinra refers to his ability to make drawings come to life.
Shinra's grandmother believes that being able to make drawings come to life is not a good thing and may incite the wrath of the Gods. Because of this, she forbade Shinra to use his left hand to write/draw anything. He, however, can use his right hand perfectly well since nothing happens if he uses it. Unfortunately for Shinra, he recently broke one of his right hand's fingers so now he has to temporarily use his left hand. Anyway, Shinra refuses to let Ginko to investigate his condition but allows Ginko to stay overnight since he knows how hard it is to trek through the mountains to get into this house. As the two drink Sake together, Shinra tells Ginko that he's lived alone in the house ever since his grandma died 4 years ago. Ginko thinks that this is a good thing because this way Shinra can live peacefully.
Shinra seems to agree with his grandma's decision. Having said that, he tells Ginko that when he's alone, he often sees these weird creatures parading around him. Shinra thinks they are interesting so he often draws them but when he showed them to his grandma, she's always upset about it and wondered why Shinra always get this kind of horrible vision/dream. Shinra, however, disagree with her and thinks that there's nothing wrong with the creatures. Ginko explains that the thing is called 'Mushi'. He then points out to his chest and tells Shinra that for example, the thing that dwells inside it can be called 'Mushi' or 'Green thing'. So...wouldn't that mean that 'Mushi' is like spirit? Anyway, Ginko also adds that some Mushi can take the form of ghosts while others take the form of humans.
That night after Shinra falls asleep, Ginko decides to explore the house. As he does so, he senses something following him. So he pulls out some kind of a needle as he tells himself that he already suspects that there's a Mushi inside the house. True enough, when he enters a room, he is confronted by a female ghost. The ghost points out that Ginko has a 'Mushi-pin' and proceeds to call him a lowly Mushi handler. Ginko, however, tells the ghost that the comments sounds funny coming from a Mushi as he blows the smoke from his cigarette. Much to the ghost's surprise, the smoke suddenly turns into white shape which proceeds to surround her. The shape then wraps around the ghost, refuses to let her go. As the ghost is being dragged down to the floor, she accidentally drops a green Sakazuki (drinking cup).
Ginko picks up the Sakazuki and tells the ghost that he knows her name is Renzu because he has done some research prior to coming to Shinra's house. The next day, Ginko informs Shinra that the ghost is actually none other than his grandmother who has turned into Mushi. Apparently Mushi often impersonates people and often invite guest to something called 'Mushi-Utage' (Mushi Banquet). In this banquet, Mushi usually offers a Sakazuki containing Sake-like liquid known as Kouki to a human. This human will turn into Mushi if he/she drinks the Kouki. Ginko, however, believes that the banquet was interrupted and as a result, Shinra's grandma only became half-Mushi. He believes that if Shinra uses his power to draw the Sakazuki, she can become a full Mushi.
Ginko tells Shinra that his grandma already agreed to do the ceremony if it means that she can see Shinra again. Because of this, Shinra agrees to participate in the ceremony that Ginko has in mind. When Shinra draws a green Sakazuki on a piece of paper, the Sakazuki becomes real as usual thanks to Shinra's power. The Sakazuki, however, breaks into two pieces so Ginko asks Renzu to give the other half that she owns. Once, Ginko holds the two together, Kouki begins to appear in it. Ginko then asks Renzu to drink from it. Once Renzu drinks it, Shinra can finally see his grandma in her younger form. Ginko also asks Shinra to drink the Kouki to complete the ceremony. As he does this, he gets to see how his grandma was foretold about his birth by the Mushi and how the banquet was interrupted by a crow. Anyway, the next day, Ginko left Shinra's house while Shinra is asleep. He also adds that ever since then, no one ever hears anymore about a boy with God's left hand.
Impression:
I'm sorry if the summary ends up creating confusion instead of being informative. But to be honest, there are many things about the story and the dialogues which I don't understand myself. For example, I'm not sure if Mushi themselves are good or bad creatures. They seem kind of creepy and malicious at times but if the basic idea of Mushi is that of spirits, then I guess that will depend on the spirits themselves. I think this is the biggest problem I have with the series. I still have no clear grasp of what 'Mushi' supposed to represent. But in Eastern mythology, ghosts are often known as wandering/unrest spirits. Speaking of Eastern mythology, I also noticed a couple of Eastern belief such as how using one's left hand is considered a bad form in society, thus Shinra's ability to create life with his left hand brings that wretched connotation. Anyway, the first episode is really good animation-wise. I hope this will continue in future episodes.
eeehh? its an anime too?! *goes to google it*
This title seems to have nice character designs. It sort-of appeals to me. Also, based on the summation, the series probably reeks of metaphors and symbolism. Must check out the pilot then. Although I'm afraid it may be too word-y for my comprehension skills. >_<
Tell me about it. Halfway through the recap, I thought "Oh shoot, I'm way over my head here". So if there are things that I don't mention here, it's not because I'm too lazy to write it down (well, sometimes that's the case :P). But it's more because I don't understand what the hell the characters are talking about.
does that mean that 'mushi' in this anime doesn't have much to do with the literal meaning of the word (i.e. insects/creepy-crawlies?)
Reina, the kanji used for 'Mushi' (Insect) is 虫
However, the 'Mushi' referred to within this series uses this kanji: 蟲. My kanji comprehension is quite limited so I'm not sure if the meaning of that kanji is actually Insect or other thing.
I did notice that the kanji is basically the same kanji for Insect but used 3 times. Some kanji like 木 (Ki - Tree), when used in multiple forms becomes the greater sum of that object. For example 木 when used 3 times becomes 森 (Mori - Woods/Forest). So maybe this 蟲 (Mushi) simply refers to the collective form of Insects?
Okay, what I meant by this is that primordial life essentially starts off as Amoeba (Insect-like creatures) before it evolves into animals, humans, etc. Maybe by using this kanji, the author wants to refer to this 'Mushi' as collective beings/things that form living creatures? This doesn't explain the spirit thing although it fits the way some smaller 'Mushi' have been depicted/drawn within this series.
Oh well, that's my interpretation anyway, which most likely is way off the chart.
Thanks for the summary. :) been waiting for someone to write up about this anime/manga for awhile!
Are you referring 蟲 as a collection of species? Or simply as a 'plural' for one species? Although it could mean both... Sorry, I don't think I'm making sense. I suppose I must watch the episode before making non-sensical questions.
The thing is, I'm not sure if a primordial form itself can be classified as 'species' or consists of different type of 'species' as you said. I'm kind of rusty when it comes to Biology lessons.
But there are indeed different forms of 'Mushi' within the series. Some are basic in their appearance (looking like bacteria, for example) while others have a more evolved form (ie. Humans and Ghosts).
FInally watched the episode itself. While I pretty much got the 'essence' of the narrative, I need lots of help with the subtle nuances. As Kraad suggested, this series really needs a good translator.
From what I discern from this ep, technically, the 'collective' mushi does not only pertain to one class (i.e. not strictly inclusive to insects). Since the Mushi seems to encompass animals to bacteria, this pretty much covers the all living organisms. I guess the mushi in this case connotes entities outside the spectrum of the norm. Argh, I have a point lost somewhere here but I can't find it. I apologize, I just woke up. >_<
In traditional chinese, the character that means 'mushi' is written 蟲 much more often than 虫. In the chinese context, at least, the character covers 'worms' as well as 'insects'. I've heard calligraphic characters described as worm-like. So maybe the anime has something to do with that?
*lol* Though this theory it might be a stretch because of the forms they take. And also because ワーム seems to be the normal way to say 'worm'... though of course Japanese writing derived from Chinese.
I don't know, I'll have to try and get ahold of an episode.
Reina, you're almost there with your theory. In fact, 蟲 means "bug", while 虫 is a generic term for "insects". There is a difference of nuance between "insect" and "bug", the latter being used in a negative context, most of the times. Anyways, I haven't seen this anime yet, therefore I shouldn't be "bugged" by these sorts of questions. :P Thanx Garten for the comprehensive review, as always. I look forward to seeing this one.
As far as I know, in Chinese anyway, it seems like 蟲 is just a more 'elegant' and 'traditional' way of writing 虫...
And a sub is already out?!
蟲 = a mamushi or a pit viper or maggots or the subconscious.
An old Japanese thought that there was an insect that caused the mind the idea and feelings.
(ﾟДﾟ) Does this English correctly tell you the meaning?
JPman, so I take it there are multiple meaning to the kanji of 蟲, right? Interesting. That old Japanese concept about insect that create idea and feelings also sounds familiar to me but after half hour looking for it on the internet with no result, I gave up trying to find out more about it. At any rate, thank you for the info. It's really appreciated.
In China it names 虫师.It means a man whose career is about 虫(bug or microorganism).
@ wao
Yeah, sub is out by C1 Anime
Watched the episode and I liked it it as I haven't seen any other anime similar to this [my list of watched anime is limited ^^]
This anime seems beautiful.
Thanks for the recommendation, now how the heckfire am I going to write it up? I'll find a way.
I loved the respect for nature shown in this episode. The mushi, I think, are pretty cool. The Renzu mushi was supposed to be presented as "evil", but I liked the tragic bent it took.
蟲 is simply an archaic kanji for 虫; the meanings are identical.
As for whether the mushi are good or bad, this is an issue throughout the series that is explored in several episodes. Ginko's opinion seems to be that the mushi are just living creatures acting on instinct, so they are neither "good" nor "bad" -- and his own role in killing the mushi is neither a good nor an evil position either. (In a later chapter it suggests that this is an unusual attitude for a mushishi to take, with other mushishi basically seeing themselves as exterminators and the mushi as pests).
The mushi in this episode are fairly benign (i.e. nobody died) compared to some of the other mushi throughout the series.
As for why the author chose to use "mushi" as a term for her spirits, there seems to be no clear reason. In the notes for volume 1 she says that as a child she liked bugs a lot, and also ghosts, so it may be related to that. It may also be that the mushi are often parasites, which also relates to bugs and the like -- there may be some connection between the strangeness of some insects and the strangeness of the mushi.
As far as I can tell, there is no real cultural basis for her choice of terms.
Today, we usually use " mushi" in the meaning of the Arthropod (and sometimes Annelid etc.).
But, In ancient Japan, the word of "mushi" was used in a wider meaning.
In that age, "mushi" indicated the hatefully and creepy (and sometimes poisonous) creatures (ex. snake, toad, moth, centipede, snail, slug, worm, .... etc.).
In this anime, I think that "mushi" is used in a meaning near ancient "mushi" obviously.
So, Urushibara don't use "虫" and use "蟲" which is the ancient style of "虫".
I really like the way the first episode went... very in depth themes and the coloring of the art is really good..the earlier comment about Ginko's kinda right.. really don't like the way he looks.. is he a villain?
Another great episode and blog. Thank you. Since this anime started I have been wondering what mushishi and Ginko is. I looked up the word mushishi into an encyclopedia and couldn't find the word. So I think there is no such profession existing which is called mushishi. The writer of the anime must have created the word. Judging from the two kanjis composing of the word(I think the first one means insects and the last one is like a professional person), I thought mushishi must be someone who deals with insects in his work. And in some of the episodes already aired I saw some imaginary insects causing troubles or mysteries to the villagers. But in some other episodes the things making us wonder don't look insects any more. They look like more creatures or phenomena rather than insects. So I thought Ginko is a kind of mystery-seeker who is looking for the things which is hard for ordinary people to understand. But when I saw this episode, I learned that I had been wrong. Ginko is not a mistery-seeker at all. He is rather a mystery-magnet, someone who attracts mysteries. But don't you think his existence itself is a kind of mystery. He doesn't belong to the time when all the episode are happening. I have never seen any telephone pole or anyone using any electric appliances in any episode and look at the clothes villagers are wearing. All the episodes are obviously happening in an old time Japan. I don't know how old it is but I guess it must be in the time when Japan was still isolated from any other country except for a small island in Nagasaki. But Ginko looks like a person who lives in this modern days. And the tobacco he often smokes. I don't believe tobacco of that kind existed in those days. Is it hard for you to believe that Ginko used to live in this modern day world but by some unknown reason, he slipped time into an old-day Japan and by that unknown reason, mushis follow him.
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