Mushishi ep.19

May 14, 2006 | 3 Comments

This particular story actually shares a lot of similarity with episode 14. Unlike the other episode, however, this one feels a bit more lighthearted and not as sinister in terms of mood. This, however, means that the storyline is not as ambiguous as the other one. It's quite easy to know which side to root for this time around. There is also an unintentionally funny scene here, one which gave the literal impression of Gone with the Wind. In general, the episode doesn't have the same impact as the others that preceeded it. On the upside, this is one of those rare episodes that actually ends on a happy note. So this will be a pleasant change for those who's been waiting for a happy ending. Anyway, this week marks the return of the series on television. I'll try to finish episode 20 as soon as possible so I can move on to the new weekly episodes.

The episode opens with a guy called Seijirou asking the girl who works for his family, Fuki, if she has any plans after she finished working for his family next year. When Fuki tells him that she hasn't got any, Seijirou wants to ask her another question but hesitates about it. Eventually, he tells her that he'll tell her about it next time. Fuki is confused to hear this but is quickly distracted when she spots a little string which seems to be hanging from the sky. When she touches the string, however, her body gets pulled up all of a sudden. A flashback then shows that Fuki has always been able to see things that other people can't see. In fact, when Seijirou first met her, Fuki claimed to have seen an unusual comet which Seijirou can't see. In the present day, Seijirou and the entire village are see trying to find the now missing Fuki. After a few hours without result, however, Seijirou's father decides to call off the search and assumes that Fuki simply ran away.

Seijirou tries to explain that he saw Fuki got pulled up by a string from the sky but understandably, no one believes him. Fast forward a few days later, Ginko is seen walking through the foggy forest. When got out into an open field, however, he notices that there is a girl sitting on top of a large tree. A few days later, Fuki opens her eyes but she seems to have lost her memories and does not know why she finds herself walking on the mountain with Ginko. Later on that night, however, Ginko gave her a medicine so that she can get better. He explains to Fuki that she currently possesses ambiguous form due to a contact with a strong Mushi and he believes that because of this, not many people can actually see her form. He also thinks that this happened because she touched the white string which now looks as if it grows out of her hand. If not treated quickly, there's the likelihood that Fuki will become less and less human.

The next day, Fuki looks as if she has regained back some of her human forms. Despite this, Ginko emphasises the importance of finding a village where he can leave Fuki behind since it'll be better if she's surrounded by other people. That night, Fuki is awakened when she sees a bright yellow river underneath her. Ginko points out that due to her current status that she can probably see it well. He tells her that this area is what is known as Kyoumyaku Suji (the river of life) and that the glowing creatures are Kouki, the entity that has yet to be born as Mushi. He, however, warns her not to look at them too closely because the light is poisonous for the eyes. There's a likelihood that she could no longer see the sun if she gets used to seeing this particular light. Because of this Ginko tells Fuki that if she's looking for a river of light, he suggests that she directs her attention to the stars constellation high above the sky instead.

The day after, Fuki awakes and mumbling about how she managed to get a good night sleep last night since the young girl she supposed to take care of wasn't crying. This suddenly reminds Fuki of her past and she realises that she must return to her village. Fuki and Ginko eventually made it all the way to her village much to the villagers' surprise. They, however, inform her that unfortunately she came late because someone else has replaced her position. Fuki is sad to hear this but before she can go anywhere else, she is spotted by Seijirou who asks her to go back with him. When she points out that his father has hired a replacement to do her job, he asks her to return with him as his wife. A few hours later, Seijirou is being scolded by his father who refused his son's request to marry Fuki. Seijirou decides to relay this information to Ginko, who sits in the guest room. Having said that, Seijirou admits that he didn't expect his father to accept the idea right away.

Ginko, however, is more interested to know about the time when Fuki disappeared. Because of this Seijirou tells him that back then, Fuki saw a string hanging from the sky and decided to touch it. Upon doing so, however, she got pulled up by a great forced and eventually disappeared up into the sky. Unfortunately, no one believed Seijirou's story and he himself never believed in the things that Fuki claimed to see. Upon hearing this, Ginko realises that the string is known as Tenpengusa, a Mushi that lives high up in the sky. It is obvious that Seijirou doesn't understand the concept so Ginko gives him a quick drill about Mushi and how Fuki is capable of seeing these creatures. Upon finding out that Ginko can see them as well, Seijirou admits that he's jealous, prompting Ginko to give out an overly confident smile. Ginko, however, continues to play his good Mushishi role and tells the other guy that Fuki is a lucky girl to have Seijirou.

Ginko, however, also asks Seijirou to take care of Fuki well because she is still under the influence of the Mushi. He then proceeds to tell Seijirou that Tenpengusa normally takes the shape of a baloon with tail and lives around the area called Kyoumyaku Suji. Tenpengusa lives off by eating weaker Mushi in the sky and at night, it often looks like a falling star. This is why it's other name is 'Wandering Star'. Upon hearing this, Seijirou realises that what Fuki pointed out to him back then was actually a Tenpengusa. Ginko also explains how on a rare occassion that the Mushi runs out of things to eat in the sky, it'll send its tentacle down to the ground like a fishing line. This is what appears like a string to other creatures. When a creature touches the string, the Mushi will pull the creature up into the sky. However, since Tenpengusa can't eat anything other than Mushi, it is likely to drop unwanted catch off the sky. This is why most lost their life from hitting the ground.

The reason Fuki could survive was because she fell into a large tree. Ginko, however, believes that this is why Fuki is now being strongly affected by the Mushi. The reason Seijirou and the others couldn't find Fuki when they searched for her in the mountain was because she could not be seen by normal human's eyes. Ginko then gives Seijirou the medicine that he made for Fuki and tells him that she is still unstable due to the string that grows out of her hand. For Fuki to return to become a complete human, she needs not only the medicine but the will to remain as human. Ginko believes that Seijirou makes her feels that way and therefore asks him to keep an eye on her before he leaves the village. After being persuaded, Ginko agrees to return to the village to attend Seijirou and Fuki's wedding. However, the letter that he received later on instead tells him that Fuki had disappeared after she got flown away by the wind after walking on a particularly windy day.

Ginko eventually finds out from Seijirou that it all started when Seijirou had difficulty getting permission from his father to marry Fuki. During those times, Fuki had rough time and somehow her body got lighter to the point that the slightest wind can lift her off the ground. In order to keep her on the ground, Seijirou decided to tie Fuki down with a rope around her legs and told her not to leave the house. One day, however, Fuki left the house and ever since then, Seijirou has not been able to find her. Upon finding out about this, Ginko tells Seijirou that he did tell the other guy not to 'keep' Fuki here. Seijirou argues that he tried his best and even tried to convince other people to accept her but claims that they can't accept her due to her condition. Ginko, however, believes that of all people, Seijirou is the one who can't accept her condition the most. And because Seijirou denied her presence, Fuki eventually can no longer sustain her human form.

Ginko then reveals that even though Seijirou can't see her, Fuki is actually still in the house and points out his gaze towards the ceiling area. True enough, Fuki is seen sitting sadly in the ceiling area. Ginko then tells Seijirou that if he doesn't want to lose Fuki for good, he has to accept her. In fact, Ginko believes that the only reason Fuki is still here is because of Seijirou. Seijirou is conflicted about this and doesn't know what to do. Later on, however, he remembers the conversation he had with Fuki about how stars don't really disappear during the day even though they can't be seen by humans. Upon remembering his own words, Seijirou decides to marry Fuki despite the fact that no one can actually her form. People start to gossip that Seijirou has also gone insane, forcing the guy to live far from the village. Eventually, however, people start to see Fuki again and ever since then, she never disappears again.

Impression:

With each episode, it becomes apparent that Mushishi tries to underline a few main themes within its story. One of these themes is the chasm between society's expectation and individual differences. In this episode, the series once again emphasises how a society can be intolerant of anything that is remarkably different. Even before Fuki disappeared the villagers already think of her as a strange person because she's capable of seeing something that they can't see. Admittedly, regardless of any time period, people will still see Fuki as someone strange because she doesn't fall within the confine of what society considers as 'normal'. Just like episode 14, this one shows the consequences of not confirming to society's values. In this context, Seijirou ends up being excluded by everyone else in his village because of his decision to marry an invisible bride. To these villagers, Seijirou's decision is not understandable and because of this, they decide to exclude him.

Unfortunately it's hard to ignore societal pressure and as a result, people often resort to drastic measure in order to be accepted back into the society. In the past, parents used to hide children who suffered from mental illness because they are ashamed if such knowledge is found out by their neighbours. In this episode, Seijirou decided to tie down Fuki with a rope probably so that she can remain on the ground. The problem is, by doing this Seijirou indirectly implies that he can't accept her condition. To make things worse, he told Fuki not to go out, suggesting that he, of all people, is ashamed of her existence and therefore wished to hide her in any possible way. It's interesting to compare the rope that binds Fuki with the Mushi that got attached to Fuki's hand. By tying her down with the rope, Seijirou simply takes away the connection that Fuki felt with him and actually makes her body gravitates further towards the Mushi that is embedded in her hand.

© memento 2003