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Aug 20, 2014 7:50 AM
#1

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Nov 2011
129196
THIS IS AN ANIME ONLY DISCUSSION POST. DO NOT DISCUSS THE MANGA BEYOND THIS EPISODE.
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This was great. It was refreshing seeing Mushishi again with the mushi this chapter. Ah that poor kid this episode but it's inevitable in the Mushishi world.

The journey continues with Ginko in the second half with a similar feel. I like how Ginko is able to bring people together yet once again in this special.
Aug 22, 2014 12:53 AM
#2
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Nov 2013
16
As always, a really good episode. That poor kid got his soul taken.

Also, that teaser for the next season was cool.
Aug 22, 2014 3:02 AM
#3
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Jul 2018
564054
Great episode,no less I expected from Mushishi.

I pitied the man,losing soul over and over again,just to "serve" his clan.

And of course,I am hyped for the next season.
Aug 22, 2014 3:02 AM
#4

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Nov 2010
2047
Sad to see another ghostbusting clan kills off a family member to replace it's soul with an artificial mushi
Kumado's pain and suffering doesn't seem to compensate the hunt on the Sanekui mushi
The revival ritual is so creepy

There's a lot of flashbacks this time and it's nice to see the relation with Tanyuu from the previous appearance
Ginko usually gets these dangerous and special cases, fortunately he got out undamaged
Aug 22, 2014 3:42 AM
#5

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Nov 2013
3841
Really loved the ED music for this :3
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Aug 22, 2014 5:51 AM
#6

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Aug 2013
4759
Can we even consider Kumado as "alive"? He's a zombie with a disposable and replaceable soul :/
"May those who accept their fate be granted happiness."

"May those who defy their fate be granted glory."
Aug 22, 2014 6:56 AM
#7

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Aug 2010
10989
What an amazing episode ^^

I just love the stories with Tanyuu involved. She's really awesome :3

And I'd definitely love to see Ginko on missions with other Mushishi every now and then. His interactions with others are really amusing :)
Aug 22, 2014 7:12 AM
#8

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Oct 2012
214
I loved this episode; it portrays the sense of alienation and loneliness of the characters in a heart-felt way, but there's still a bittersweet feeling of union between them among all the melancholy. The eeriness and poignant beauty of Mushishi is perfectly captured, and some old characters are fleshed out even more. Ginko's dream scene is probably one of the most beautiful Mushishi scenes ever.

What's up with the low score of it though??
Aug 22, 2014 7:56 AM
#9
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Apr 2014
28
@sugerzarop

I know right? Earlier the score was even lower. I haven't seen this special, but there is no way a Mushishi episode could be so bad as to get a score lower than 8.
Aug 22, 2014 8:16 AM

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Jan 2012
1085
Very nice as always :)

The poor family really... it's so sad and cruel :( To lose your soul again and again or more like the replacement for the soul ><
Aug 22, 2014 10:18 AM

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10989
gwang9787 said:
@sugerzarop

I know right? Earlier the score was even lower. I haven't seen this special, but there is no way a Mushishi episode could be so bad as to get a score lower than 8.


There aren't many voters yet. Just wait a bit and it'll definitely go to top200 :3
There r lots of 10s and 9s in the stats so it should be higher than 8.30 at least.
Aug 22, 2014 10:52 AM

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Nov 2007
755
That was sad...but beautiful.

I can't wait for October and the new season.
Aug 22, 2014 11:00 AM

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Feb 2012
2190
so that forbibben mushi was inside of him? That old clan head really did piss me off
Aug 22, 2014 11:39 AM

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Aug 2014
61
Mainly what this did was make me impatient for more haha. This was such a nice thing to wake up to though, first thing in the morning drinking a cup of coffee with an episode of Mushishi...nothing more relaxing.

Was great to see Tanyuu again. With a new set of side characters introduced every episode it's somewhat easy to forget about those from before so an appearance from her or the doctor is always welcome.

Great set of episodes, would like to start seeing more of the stories get two episodes a piece.
Aug 22, 2014 11:46 AM
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Overkilled Red

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Aug 2013
7134
Mushi Trivia


I love how this episode altered back and forth between the experience of kid Kumado with his grandfather and Tanyuu as the current Kumado makes his way to the Path of Overgrowth.

Mushi-shi from the Minai clan are truly unfortunate as their duty is to study the forbidden Mushi and thus, they have to replace their soul with an Artificial Mushi.

Good to see Tanyuu again. Her recollections with kid Kumado were nice, though they weren't as lively.
At some point later on, Tanyuu felt like Kumado was a stanger even though his appearance hadn't changed any. I assume this is due to another replacement of the Artificial Mushi, since the chance of it escaping his body varies.

Loved the scene where Kumado stands still as the Sanekui swarms around him and how he swerved them like a badass!
Looks like he's isn't as a cold-hearted as I thought; using his Artificial Mushi to save Ginko from the Sanekui.

Reunion scene at the end was nice too. Kumado remains cool as usual and discusses the situation about the exit of the Path of Overgrowth and Sanekui.
Tanyuu being forceful about the taste of the tea was hilarious though! XD

Great episode with a little melancholic tone and the correlation to episode 20 of the first season! Looking forward to the second season.

Aug 22, 2014 8:23 PM

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Apr 2008
450
Quite Dark. But happy to see Tanyuu again! :D
Aug 22, 2014 9:57 PM
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Nov 2013
1095
This special was really dark. It reminded me of the episode in the first season with the eyeballs. I really loved the scene inside of the Overgrown Path. Really beautiful, can't wait for Zoku Shou second season!
Aug 23, 2014 2:30 AM

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Oct 2008
4667
What's with all the "not as good as hihamukage"?
hihamukage was so very obviously not on the same level as all other mushishi. particularly from a technical standpoint - lack of detail in art, more static animation than any other episode, etc.

the storytelling and mood and animation in this episode is far superior.
Aug 23, 2014 2:35 AM

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May 2013
23919
Best episode yet. Beautiful story, great worldbuilding and amazing characters.
Aug 23, 2014 8:52 AM

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Aug 2012
3305
Interesting. On one side, this story was highly praised prior to it being animated. I recall a thread while back about the chapters people were most looking forward to see animated & this was the clear consensus. It made this story in particular, something I was very eager about viewing & the delays didn't help lower my anticipation. Unfortunately, I had the episode built up way to highly & it didn't deliver my expectations.

However, it'd be unfair to deride the episode solely for that because I still really enjoyed it but I didn't love it. I don't know how much of that is on the episode itself or my expectations of it but it certainly didn't resonate as strongly with me as say Beneath the Snow die or even A Sea of Writings. The strongest moments of the special for me are the flashbacks with Kamudo & the elder who's name was never stated, those scenes were immaculately directed, acted, paced, etc. It was Mushishi at it's best. The second strongest moments, was the final scene. A lot of that is because of Ginko's & Tanyuu's dialogue, it was hilarious and provided some nice levity after what has been probably the darkest of Mushishi's tales thus far. Course, it wasn't really a happy note but still.

What didn't connect with me, at least as strongly was the content mostly in the present. I can't really explain why properly & there were still striking moments, whether visually (the artificial Mushi eating the soul devouring one) or character-wise ("I want the forbidden Mushi to appear) but it just didn't work nearly as well as the rest.

I don't know, this series once said that it isn't easy to communicate a sensory experience and Mushishi is very much like a sensory experience more so than any other anime I watched. So yeah. I'm not sure how much my rambling has made sense but I did like the special a lot it, it just failed to connect with me all throughout.

& since it was brought up, I did prefer this better than the first special we got.
Aug 23, 2014 9:38 AM
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Apr 2014
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I really liked the story and directing this time. I think it was better than the first special too. My only complaint is that there was too much silence. I wish there had been more music used. More music would probably help this special resonate with me much more.

Anyone else feel like the music in Mushishi Zoku Shou has been much less emotional than the first season?
Aug 23, 2014 5:25 PM

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Dec 2008
4878
Kumado is basically a zombie. I absolutely loathe Tama. She's a sour old, shriveled up bitch!

Anyways, this special was AMAZING! Looking forward to Ginko and more mushi in October.
Aug 23, 2014 6:18 PM

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Oct 2008
4667
gwang9787 said:
I really liked the story and directing this time. I think it was better than the first special too. My only complaint is that there was too much silence. I wish there had been more music used. More music would probably help this special resonate with me much more.

Anyone else feel like the music in Mushishi Zoku Shou has been much less emotional than the first season?

With the second season the music has been used far more sparingly and a greater emphasis has been put on creating a natural atmosphere. After re-watching Mushishi S1 recently, then moving onto S2, I think this decision is for the better. The soundtrack is very beautiful of course, however S1 does rely on some particular tracks a little heavily. Mushishi has always been about the natural world, moreso than anything else. And I feel with this new season, director Hiroshi Nagahama or whoever has the most say in this matter, has gone for a richer atmosphere. Besides the episode-exclusive tracks, there are only a couple new ones that I've noticed, and usually at least one of the old tracks is used each episode.

Anyway what I'm getting as is that in this episode, for example, the emphasis is on the silence and the natural sounds. Much of the episode is spent in the path of overgrowth, and it wouldn't make sense for sound to really exist there. Additionally the lack of sound emphasizes Kumado's isolation and when the old dude visits, the sounds of him shuffling through the passage are amplified to great effect.
But I think the particular payoff of all the silence comes when Kumado is finally able to see Mushi, and suddenly the place is awash with sounds. It's highly effective.
For all other scenes there is always some kind of sound - birds chirping, the sound of the wind, rustle of leaves, etc. Mushishi's sound design has always astounded me, and from where I'm standing it has only improved from S1 to S2.

Of course, looking at it like this isn't going to make it resonate with you more strongly. But anyway, there you have it.
Aug 23, 2014 8:53 PM

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Apr 2014
1022
This was an amazing episode and easily among the best in the entire series, for sure. The extra lenght was a blessing as it gave us not only a few more flashbacks for Tanyuu (who absolutely needs more screentime as her interactions with Ginko are always fun to watch) but it allowed the story to flesh our "character of the week" Kumado a bit more, making his tragic background the more impactful.

Besides the story, what I liked the most was the art direction. This special treated us with a copious amount of gorgeous nature shots, more than in the TV series which is always a plus.

10/10 again, I know I'll be really sad when next season will be over since there won't be any more episodes to look forward to.
Aug 24, 2014 8:57 AM

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Oct 2012
700
Great episode, almost 10 :).
I'm learning English so maybe I make mistakes :)
Aug 26, 2014 2:59 PM
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Aug 2012
8292
Really liked this one. The amount of silence in this episode was really noticeable, yet it also felt natural. Maybe it's only noticeable because I don't encounter the silence much living next to the freeway or having my neighbors giving drum lessons all the time. Although I already like the way Mushishi uses silence and don't mind that there wasn't much bgm, I think it makes more sense after reading BigSimo's comment about how it emphasizes Kumado's isolation. It wasn't difficult to feel how Kumado felt in the flashback, being surrounded by the darkness and silence. Ahh Mushishi always leaves me not wanting to do anything else afterwards and just reflect.
Aug 27, 2014 4:10 AM

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Sep 2013
153
I absolutely loved 1 and 2 season but this special was boring as hell. Worst ep by far.
Aug 27, 2014 11:08 AM

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Yay Tanyuu!
Aug 27, 2014 4:42 PM

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Mar 2012
1853
Not as good as any previous episode, still pretty good though.
9/10, first time I give lower than 10 to Mushishi.

Anxious for the next season =)
Aug 28, 2014 2:12 AM

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1408
Poor guy, he's like a robot, only capable of thought but not of feelings without his soul...
ったく、嫌な世の中だよ。
Aug 28, 2014 7:11 PM
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Jul 2013
57
Great as always. Now we even have Zombie Mushishi running around hehe

Btw, i don't know if i remember correctly, but didn't Ginko obtain something in the last OVA / Special that he wanted to use on that womans black foot to cure it? What happened to that?
Aug 29, 2014 5:13 AM

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Dec 2013
3405
Just an introduction to second cour. Nice to see Tanyuu. 6/10
Aug 29, 2014 6:29 PM

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Mar 2012
5785
Fantastic episode :D Felt pretty bad for the kid, having his soul taken away is just messed up. Looking forward to more Mushishi this fall :)
Aug 29, 2014 8:32 PM

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Jun 2014
523
Loved this Special! I can't wait for the new season to start in October!


Mushishi has always been one of my favorite anime. I've watched season one so many times I've lost count!
So glad that I'm not a huge manga reader, because the manga readers WHINE WAY TOO MUCH and have to RUIN every adapted anime for the ANIME ONLY WATCHERS!
Aug 31, 2014 5:09 AM
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Jul 2018
564054
It was nice to see some returning characters and a bit more revealed about the whole situation with the forbidden mushi.

I feel for Komado...being locked in a dark room and having his soul taken. At least there seems to be hope his rather bleak life will change for the better...if only a bit.

This is not one of my favourite chapters so far animated, but I still really liked it.
Aug 31, 2014 8:55 AM
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Nov 2013
35
Mushishi Zoku Shou Special - Cinematography
yodsanklaiAug 31, 2014 9:16 AM
Sep 1, 2014 4:57 AM
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Feb 2014
326
Hihamukage was not as good as this special, im shocked at those who say it was. You may be entitled to your own opinion but there is a point in where you are just being ridiculous (rage).

This was a nice episode
the ending was also so nice, i'd describe it as charming but i felt bad for ginko at one point as it seemed like tanyuu was about to confess her love to kumado and ginko was just third wheeling.

im looking forward to zoku shou 2nd season in october, i hope they show more of ginko past.
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Sep 1, 2014 8:23 PM

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Dec 2007
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When they asked the question of why the Sanekui had a "massive outbreak" I couldn't help but think that Kumado's clan has a role in this. When they left Kumado as a kid in the path of overgrowth it seemed to have taken awhile before it came to take his soul. Seems to me that they attract it with bait and then it settles down and over time, a span of some years, eats mushi till it gets strong enough to be a problem. Kumado did say he had already given his soul, with the way the subs were wrote, to that particular mushi.
Sep 4, 2014 5:44 PM
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Apr 2008
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What a crazy episode! Great story, Minai clan's methods of "teaching" mushishi are twisted as hell.
Also, is it just me, or the animation and sound design in this episode are WAY high above all others? Particularly the animation, seems full frame through the whole episode.
Sep 5, 2014 12:29 AM
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7280
I could watch Mushishi for hours on end.

That clan is very cruel.

That "preview" yes please!
Sep 10, 2014 10:27 AM

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dior said:
It didn't top Hihamukage but it was pretty good. Another 8+ for MAL :^]

9/10


On the contrary, I felt this was a notch above Hihamukage in terms of story, character exposition, its importance from a world-building/lore aspect, and direction.
eyerokSep 10, 2014 10:32 AM
"...our faces marked by toil, by deceptions, by success, by love; our weary eyes looking still, looking always, looking anxiously for something out of life, that while it is expected is already gone – has passed unseen, in a sigh, in a flash – together with the youth, with the strength, with the romance of illusions.” - Joseph Conrad ('Youth')
Sep 14, 2014 5:18 PM

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"Even if our circumstances don't change, we're not alone .. we're not alone."
Well another piece of art delivered very well, I found it as good as Hihamukage but I personally prefer Hihamukage for its characters.

Anyway, was awesome to see Tanyuu again, and it was quite interesting to know more about the main Clan of Mushi-shi.

Can't wait for October.
Sep 19, 2014 4:49 AM

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Oct 2013
2984
i seriously love the ost. so beutiful
"Urushibara Ruka. The mannerisms and voice of a woman... No... More feminine than any woman. But he's a guy. Taller than Mayuri, but so very thin... But he's a guy. Looks great in a miko outfit... But he's a guy. It's already twilight And yet, it's so hot. The cicadas are crying. But... He's a guy."
Sep 19, 2014 4:08 PM

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Apr 2009
5752
BigSimo said:
What's with all the "not as good as hihamukage"?
hihamukage was so very obviously not on the same level as all other mushishi. particularly from a technical standpoint - lack of detail in art, more static animation than any other episode, etc.

the storytelling and mood and animation in this episode is far superior.


I can only agree, great special.
Steel Ball Run anime when?
Oct 4, 2014 5:27 PM

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Jun 2013
332
Anyone else had trouble keeping their attention to this episode?
Oct 5, 2014 12:39 AM

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Oct 2014
76
Definitely not one of my favourite stories

But still... it was more or less enjoyable

8/10


and yes

It was certainly better than the last one
Oct 13, 2014 3:38 PM

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May 2012
25828
What an impressive episode, once more I can't wait to see what the second part of this season will offer us! This show is just too damn good!
Oct 17, 2014 8:07 AM

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Dec 2012
16144
Ahhhh, I'm so glad I saved this for right before the next part airs. It's so refreshing to see Mushishi again and I can barely wait for Zoku Shou 2 this weekend.

In comparison to other scenarios and adventures, this seemed a bit different. The execution felt less ambiguous and more straightforward. That made it no less entertaining though. I like how this tied in several parts of other episodes (even if only so subtly) such as Ginko's past, Tanyuu, and the kouki. Ginko is a funny man as always, his comedic moments with Tanyuu are priceless.

I guess the false soul that they keep inserting into Kumado explains why Tanyuu thought him to be a stranger at times. I like that bit with the sunrise and at the end. That even if our core circumstances won't change no matter where we go, there are still new things to be seen and experienced at the top of the hill.

A wonderful bridge between Zoku Shou's split parts. 9.5/10
Oct 22, 2014 10:27 AM
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Aug 2011
1165
Man I wanted to see that mushi.
Oct 26, 2014 10:15 AM

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Nov 2011
1903
Oh look it's Akihiko with black hair.

Shit, the creepy vibes were great. Though I was expecting more. The movements of the big black hand didn't make it as scary. Still not as dark as the one where the guy kills people, though the idea of being able to replace a soul with a substitute one is really questionable.

Can't wait to start episode 13. It rated so high even after just 1 episode, even higher than the first part of the second season.
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