# Mushi-Shi (2005)

> A wandering Mushi master travels from village to village studying the spirit-like mushi and easing the afflictions they leave behind.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/24747

## Facts

- Seasons: 2
- Episodes: 46
- Episode runtime: 24 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: animation, fantasy, drama
- Network: Fuji TV, Gunma TV, TOKYO MX, BS11, Tochigi TV
- Cast: Yuto Nakano, Ai Kobayashi, Yuji Ueda, Mika Doi, Miyu Tsuzurahara, Takashi Matsuyama, Miyuki Sawashiro, Satomi Hanamura
- TMDB rating: 8.5/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0807832/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: slow
- Intensity: mild
- Complexity: layered
- Violence: none
- Tone: meditative, melancholic, contemplative, gentle, atmospheric

## What critics say

Viewers broadly acclaim Mushi-Shi as a meditative, beautifully made anime with a memorable score and thoughtful writing, though some find its pacing and episodic mysteries demanding.

## Synopsis

Mushi-Shi (2005-2014) is a Japanese anime series produced by Artland and Aniplex for Fuji TV, adapted from the manga by Yuki Urushibara. Ginko (voiced by Yuto Nakano), a wandering Mushi master, travels from village to village studying the mushi, primitive life-forms that drift between the living and the natural world, and helping people whose lives have been upended by them. Ginko's engine is simple but resonant: he seeks to understand each strange phenomenon and to ease its cost on the people who live near it, often with the help of his companions such as the sharp-tongued Tanyuu Karibusa (Ai Kobayashi) and the steady Adashino (Yuji Ueda). Each episode is a self-contained case of illness, curse, or wonder, so the show unfolds as a series of quiet vignettes across two seasons and forty-six episodes. Set in a loosely Taisho-era rural Japan of forests, rivers, and mountain villages, it carries a meditative, melancholic register, with a painterly sense of nature and an emotional weight that lingers. Fans of Natsume's Book of Friends, Kino's Journey and Kitaro will find resonance in its folkloric wanderings and its patient, contemplative pace.

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