Mushishi ep.26

December 20, 2006 | 13 Comments

Wow, one year later and I finally completed this series. I'm sorry for the long delay but I'm kind of reluctant to watch this because I know that once I watch it, there'd be no more episode left. I suppose there is always the manga but seeing the series animated feels different. I think this is one of those shows which benefits from colors and movements. It's also rare to see a series which can produce interesting discussions after each episode but Mushishi manages to do this on a consistent basis despite its episodic nature. I really hope that there will be a second season somewhere down the line but unfortunately the majority of the stories from the manga have been re-told in the anime. I'm just glad that the anime has been well-produced right through the end. I really should buy the rest of the special edition DVD before they're sold out.

The episode begins with a narration from a man, who claims that when he was a kid, he always noticed people who moved through the fog. These people always appeared before the day started to rain and disappeared after the thunderstorm had subsided. At one point, the man, who was still a young boy back then, noticed another boy starring at him from the fog before continuing his walk with the rest of the group. While the boy was fishing, his maid came to let him know that his father had been looking for him. The boy followed the maid back home and made a comment about how today's clouds are beautiful, purple-coloured ones. The maid became confused and told the boy that she can only see white clouds. She thought that the boy was strange as always. Back home, the boy told his father about the people who came to their mountain and wondered if it's okay to let those people wandered up and down their mountain freely.

His father was amused to hear this, saying that those people won't harm them and have always come here. Besides, they normally just talked with the guards on the mountain. The boy, however, wondered what were these people doing here in the first place. His father admitted that he doesn't know how these people support themselves but they haven't done any begging either. Because of this, he felt that those people are not problematic. His father also believed that these people are quite interesting and yet their origins are still unknown. The boy suggested that maybe those people want water from the waterfall. His father disagreed with the theory, saying that nomadic like them don't have needs for water like the villagers. The boy, however, was still annoyed that people freely wandered around their area. Upon hearing this, his father told the boy, whose name is Taku, that as a family successor, he should not think that way.

He suggested that Taku leave these people alone, let them do whatever they want to do. When Taku was fishing on the same lake, a boy approached him, asking if he's had any luck and pulled out a trap which captured a lot of fish. Taku was angry to see this, asking the boy not to catch fish that way here, pointing that this mountain belongs to his family. The boy was surprised to hear this and decided to return the fish to Taku. However, he asked Taku if he can get some since he needs to eat. Taku grudgingly allowed the boy to have some. The boy returned the remainder of the fish and simply took 2 of them. He then introduced himself as Isaza, and he'll be staying here for a while. Before Isaza left, he told Taku that it's strange that the son of the owner can't catch a fish that well. This statement bothered Taku that he kept thinking about it that evening. A few days later, Taku was on his way to the waterfall but tripped over while walking in the forest.

Isaza then appeared, laughing at Taku and calling him a liar. He apparently asked his grandfather who this area belongs to and his grandfather gave an entirely different answer from what Taku gave him the other day. Taku refuted it, saying that his ancestors have been paying for it little by little over the time. Isaza told Taku that just paying for it does not make a person the owner of the mountain. He pointed out that this is not a mountain that one can manage as they please. In return Taku told Isaza that they are not doing as they please. He argued that this mountain is the reason why the land is so abundant. This is why their family always look after this mountain. He pointed out that it was his father who stopped the villagers from drawing water from the waterfall to the village. Upon hearing this, Isaza asked if a Mushishi was the one who suggested Taku's father to do this. Taku was surprised to hear this but confirmed this.

Taku explained it was the Mushishi who told them to do this otherwise the mountain will become sick. Upon hearing this, Isaza realised that this mountain is important for Taku as well and told Taku that he was going to ask Taku to return the fish from yesterday but it doesn't matter anymore now. Taku, however, asked Isaza to wait because he will return the fish to him. He didn't like the fact that Isaza returned the fish to him because of a misunderstanding. Because of this, Taku took him to the waterfall and tried to catch the fish. However, he couldn't seem to catch any. To pass time, Isaza decided to ask Taku who he thinks is the mountain keeper of this area. Taku believed that it's the big catfish that lives in the waterfall. Upon hearing this, Isaza asked Taku who decided on this so Taku told him that it's the mountain itself. Isaza disagreed with this, saying that for a being to be a mountain keeper, grass must grow on it.

Upon hearing this, Taku told Isaza that he saw it before, a catfish with grass growing on it. He also asked Isaza if he's seen a colourful cloud that does not resemble any life form. Isaza told Taku that is usually known as 'River of Light'. Because the source of life flows underneath this mountain, it mixes with the water and evaporates to form a fog. This means that the fog around here has life. The fog's colour and shape change on different days. Isaza believes that one can tell the state of the mountain by looking at the colour. Taku eventually managed to catch a fish so he gave it to Isaza. Isaza told him that since he's told Taku about many things, next time he wants Taku to tell him about something. Taku pointed out that he doesn't know much but Isaza doesn't mind if Taku just tells him normal things. That night, Taku overhears his father happily chatting with few other people and decides to join them when they offer the opportunity.

Taku then told the story he heard from these guests back to Isaza. The story that interest Taku was the one involving a strange kid in a village beyond the south’s' two mountain. The boy in question was around 19 years old, has white hair and green eyes. Apparently the boy has lost one of his eyes. Isaza told Taku that he might be able to see that kid since that village is not far from his. Taku realised that Isaza will depart from this area soon so he wanted to know when this will happen. Isaza, however, was unsure but his grandfather had been checking the fog to make the decision. If the fog is blue then it means everything is calm and it's good to hurry ahead but if it's red, then the reverse is true. Upon hearing this, Taku told Isaza that sounds like a free lifestyle. In his case, however, everything has been decided. Just like his father, he has to rely on this mountain to live. In a way, he's jealous of Isaza.

A few days later, Taku saw a group of people in the forest talking about how the river of light's changes throughout the year has been recorded in a painting. A person then proceeded to buy the painting from the seller, who later on thanked Isaza for telling him the 'latest' rumour. When Isaza saw Taku, he explained that this is what they do, spreading information about any changes to the 'river of life' to Mushishi. This is the reason why they need to move from one area to another. Taku told Isaza that if that was the case then he should have told him earlier so he could give him more information. Isaza claimed that if he does not understand 'the normal state' of the village it'll be hard to observe the changes. Taku, however, have had enough of Isaza and asked the guy not to follow him. Isaza refused to apologise to Taku, saying that this is just how he live his life. In response, Taku told Isaza that he doesn't want apology either.

That night, thunderstorm came to the area and when Taku woke up the next morning, he felt that the weather has become hot. When he went out, he found a fresh fish left possibly by Isaza and the fog in the mountain now shows golden colour. One year later, the group came back to the village but with an additional member. Isaza explained that they allowed the white hair boy to stay with them. It turned out the rumour that Taku told him the last time around was true. The boy was wandering around as though he had nowhere to go. Although the boy seems kind of strange, he's a nice person and his name is Ginko. Having said that, Isaza believes that Ginko won't stay with them for a long time since his body attracts Mushi. If he stays too long near a river of life, he could endanger that area. Because of this, he'd be entrusted to a Mushishi soon. Their conversation, however, was interrupted when Taku's caretaker told him that something happened to his father.

Apparently Taku's father had passed away and entrusted the entire mountain to Taku. His relatives, however, believed that Taku may not ready for the responsibility. Besides, the village needed more water so they asked the caretaker to let them deal with this. A few days later, Isaza visited Taku, asking him if he's okay since he hasn't come to the mountain lately. Taku explained that he could no longer protect the mountain since his relatives had taken everything away from him. Soon the waterfall will be cut off and the mountain will turn into a wasteland. Isaza informed Taku that the mountain has turned strange lately. The ground has turned warm, animals started to decrease and the river of light also started to move. Because of this, Isaza and his group will have to leave soon and they have no idea when they will return. Upon hearing this, Taku asked Isaza if he can join them, pointing out that he can also see the fog colour.

Isaza explained that even though none of them in the group are family members, decision on who could join is determined by his grandfather so he will asks him about it. He also asked Taku to come to the waterfall tomorrow. The next day, Taku went to the mountain and noticed how the fog has started to turn white. When he arrived in waterfall, however, the only one left there was Ginko. Ginko explained that Isaza has left because the river of light moved last night. Isaza asked Ginko to say "sorry" to Taku but they must follow the river of light. Ginko explained to Taku that the nomadic are people who travels around after being unemployed in their village due to Mushi. He believed that if Taku does the same thing, one day he'll be able to meet them again. Ginko then left the area after telling Taku that Isaza also wanted Taku to leave the area. Despite this, Taku decided to stay around in the area and observed the mountain.

Half a year later, lava burst out of the mountain. Those who can leave the village fled away from it. Because the lava had burnt down everything, the waterfall turned into a simple lake. Sometimes Taku would see the shadow of a large catfish in the lake but the grass in its head is not there anymore. 10 years later, Taku dug up the volcano's ashes and planted significant amount of trees. Little by little the mountain returned to the way it was but it no longer has the richness it once had. Many children who were born in that period have weak bodies. Taku believes that Isaza and the others know about this and he suspects it has to do with the river of light. However, Taku did not know how to save themselves from this condition. Even now, every time he hears the grass rustle, he's hoping one of them will return. Fast forward to the present day, a woman tells Taku that a person who can heal her children has arrived in the village.

Not surprisingly, that person turns out to be an adult Ginko. Taku tells Ginko that he believes that this piece of land used to contain river of light but has now been abandoned and as a result, many Mushi also left with it. The only Mushi that remains are those who live closely to humans. He believes this is the reason why the children have been sick. Ginko confirms this and explains that Taku's generation benefited from the river of light but the newborn children are not. Taku then tells Ginko that he's actually met Ginko before, which surprises Ginko. He asks Ginko if he remembers Isaza and Ginko confirms this. In fact, it was Isaza who informed him about the village and its need for medicine. Taku smiles upon hearing this saying that this is fine and notices that the fog in the mountain has now returned to its original gold colour. When Ginko visits the lake, he remembers that he's been here before and has indeed met Taku before. The true keeper of the village.

Impression:

I'm actually a bit disappointed that the focus of the last episode is not on Ginko but on two kids that I barely know prior to the episode. In addition to this, unlike previous one-off characters, there is something about Taku and Isaza that bothers me. Admittedly, I grow to like Taku as he becomes an adult. Isaza, on the other hand, feels like a con man. He sold off the information that Taku told him behind the guy's back instead of telling his friend first. Later on he also left Taku to fend for himself even though Taku clearly needed help. Anyway, the interesting issue here is the nature's need versus humans' need. It's hard for me to decide whether it was right or wrong for Taku's father to seal off the mountain’s water reserve when the villagers clearly need it. The problem is taking the water away seems to cause the mountain to become warm and eventually lead to a volcanic explosion which caused even bigger problem for everyone.

In the end, I think this is one of those lose-lose situation. If the villagers can't get the water, they may not be able to survive. But if they take the water, then their life will be endangered from the volcano. Unfortunately, this is just how nature works. Sometimes there is no clear cut answer to natural resources' limitation. One of these days humans have to face the fact that fuel won't be available to power up our vehicles. If some parts of the world are in war due to this limited resource, I can't imagine what it would be like if the resource is no longer available. The only solution to this is for humans to come up with better, renewable energy source. This probably why scientists have tried to harness the power of the sun. I can understand why the producer wants to use this story as the last episode. It serves as a reminder that our natural resources are limited.

© memento 2003