Mushishi Zoku Shou: Suzu no Shizuku

On a warm summer day, a boy heard the sound of bells ringing, as if in celebration, in the mountain near his home. Several years later in that same mountain, the mushishi Ginko encounters a strange girl with weeds growing out of her body. Soon after, Ginko coincidentally runs into the now grown-up boy Yoshiro on his way off the mountain. With Yoshiro's help, Ginko soon begins to uncover who this mysterious girl is and what happened to her.

An adaptation of the last arc in the manga, Mushishi Zoku Shou: Suzu no Shizuku follows Ginko's peculiar journey amidst the occult to unravel the mystery behind the enigmatic girl called Kaya and the mountain that has become her home.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Ginko Main

Nakano, Yuto Japanese

Kaya Supporting

Saito, Tomomi Japanese

Yoshirou Supporting

Abe, Ai Producer

Tsuchiya, Junichirou Producer

Odagiri, Narumi Assistant Producer

Nagahama, Hiroshi Director, Episode Director, Storyboard

Reviews

Aug 9, 2015

Daddy-O

Recommended

So the whole of Mushishi has finally come to a close, unless Urushibara wants to write any more. It’s impressive how nearly exact the full anime has been as an adaptation. Excluding one or two original episodes, they’ve all been incredibly true to the original chapters. This one really gets into that concrete manifestation of the Tao that I’m always raving about Mushishi; bringing in nature’s law as an actual sort of character. It’s really just another Mushishi episode just doubled in length, but I did always think that it was a perfect finale for the manga and so it is a perfect finale for ... the show.

Drops of Bells (the title of the double-episode) basically tells of humanity’s growing more and more separate from nature. The plot is of a human girl chosen from birth to be the next lord of a mountain, yet her human family cannot understand this and strive to keep her from the destiny forced upon her by nature’s law. The primary plot point is that humans aren’t really fit for the task of mountain lord, as humans possess a wisdom unlike other animals that is unfit for becoming one with the mountain, and possess a heart that can be crushed under the weight of the thriving life throughout the mountain. However, Ginko basically says that despite humanity being as separate as it is from nature’s law, it is still a part of the whole.

That’s the Tao for you. Humanity’s a bitch, and balance with nature is dead. However, that doesn’t take the Tao out of the human species. As a human murders a bird for sport, it’s the same life force flowing through each of them, and when the bird falls to the ground as a corpse that life force does not die with it. That’s the way of shit, and that’s what’s so real about Mushishi. It takes that whole concept and makes the whole unexplainability of the Tao explainable through the beings known as mushi. That’s exactly it; Mushishi makes the unexplainable explainable. Ain’t that just the coolest shit? That's what makes Mushishi the pinnacle of Japanese animation and manga.

[Edit: Replace the Chinese "Tao" with the Japanese "Kannagara" and you basically get the same idea. The latter concept is likely what Urushibara was familiar with.]

Reviewer’s Rating: 10

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Aug 23, 2015

aikaflip

Recommended

After a 9-year run, our tour with Ginko through the supernatural draws to a close with a short film adaptation of Suzu no Shizuku (Drops of Bells), the last arc of the acclaimed young adult manga—Mushishi—by Yuki Urushibara.

In the first half of Suzu no Shizuku, a girl leaves her family behind when she’s summoned to be the next lord of a mountain. Thriving lands, called “Rivers of Light”, require the presence of a lord to maintain the balance of the surrounding life. Choosing a human as a lord is an unusual move, however. Such a task is typically delegated to animals since they live with ... fewer emotional attachments.

Several of the introspective themes that were previously explored in the Mushishi world are summarized here—most notably interconnectedness, the indifference of nature, and the necessity of letting go. All life—plants, animals, and humans—are dependent on each other, and are influenced by the ripples of cause and effect. Nature, which is personified in Suzu no Shizuku as the mountain lord, acts as the unbiased mediator. The overarching lesson seems to be that we should appreciate what we have, and not cling when the time comes to move on.

The second half concludes the story without quite concluding the series. The ending leaves some questions unanswered, but it ties up enough to guide your imagination to where the stories and characters could progress into the distant future. I'll refrain from deconstructing this any further. To me, Mushishi is more of a meditation than a conventional story, and is therefore best appreciated without excessive analysis.

The art, animation, and sound design have remained remarkably consistent since its premiere in 2005. The backgrounds in Suzu no Shizuku are just as gorgeous as they were when the first season aired. The character and special effects animation are fluid and precise. And the subdued and ambient melodies that have become a hallmark of this series are present here as well.

When you think about it, it’s kind of a miracle that Mushishi, which is essentially about life experiences and nature, was made with such a substantial budget in today's hungry and impatient climate. I’m grateful that ArtLand was willing to take a chance on such an esoteric and spiritual story, and that it’s been successful enough to adapt in its entirety. It’s been a truly extraordinary experience.

Reviewer’s Rating: 9

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Nov 6, 2021

Resting_Bonfire

Mixed Feelings

Mushishi
Suzu no Shizuku


I still had some hope for a "creative" conclusion or at least a good adaptation, but I didn't find any.


As before, the movie is standalone and has no connection to the anime. It is simply another story like in the anime. Only with the difference that it has been very unspectacular compared to some episodes of the series. In terms of content, it has little to show. Even though I liked that for once here was shown more of the characters and how they have suffered in their lives. And how much effect, the paranormal world had on their lives.

However, this should ... have been another Ova and not a "Movie", can not understand this designation for this, especially since the Hihamukage Ova has been better content and more exciting.

In terms of animation, there was nothing to add here, it was immensely detailed even if once again the atmosphere was lacking. The quality was comparable to the series and no great changes.

Conclusion

And here ended also the plot around the Mushishi - Ginko. It was mostly a reasonably interesting narrative with its strengths and weaknesses. Maybe one day I'll read the manga to get a better comparison. As an anime adaptation, this one didn't overwhelm me. In the realm of creativity and plot, it remained only satisfactory. There was too much-lacking detail regarding the world. Yes, the Mushi were given a very interesting concept and a lot of love was put into the detail. But also only in this there. The whole human world was only half-heartedly built up without a concept. Until the end, I couldn't even tell why Ginko dressed like a 19th century Englishman, why there were no criminals in Japan, let alone lawmen. It felt like a big sandbox with various quests spawned in. In terms of characters, I would have liked to have seen and experienced far more of Ginko. Likewise, more interactions with people he's known longer, as this exposed more of his real personality that had nothing to do with his work. Unfortunately, the doctor was only seen 4-5 times in the whole anime and he only met with the other woman twice.


Mushishi has indeed been a very diverse Show and I can understand why so many like it, I like it as well. But otherwise, too much potential was wasted here. Nevertheless, it was a noteworthy experience and an extension for me.

Enjoyment 5

Reviewer’s Rating: 5

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	Poll: Mushishi Zoku Shou: Suzu no Shizuku Episode 1 Discussion ( 1 2 3 ) _HeroKenzan_ - Jun 12, 2015	144 replies	by lykke_leek »» Nov 10, 2:50 PM
	Is this the last of the anime? AnnaSartin - Dec 28, 2016	2 replies	by Sephir7 »» Jul 23, 2022 4:18 AM
	Ginko´s Appearance Pakumen- - Oct 1, 2019	1 replies	by AntiMoba »» Jul 12, 2020 6:21 AM
	Is this a separate story from Seasons? ExTemplar - Sep 16, 2015	1 replies	by Seyfert »» Sep 22, 2015 2:21 PM
	Would it really only be available this November? (Unconfirmed) Seyfert - Jun 13, 2015	16 replies	by Daddy-O »» Aug 17, 2015 12:44 PM