Forum SettingsEpisode Information
Forums
Mushishi
Available on Manga Store
New
What did you think of this episode?
DO NOT discuss the source material beyond this episode. If you want to discuss future events or theories, please use separate threads.
DO NOT ask where to watch/download this episode or give links to copyrighted, non-fair use material.
DO NOT troll/bait/harass/abuse other users for liking or disliking the series/characters.
DO read the Anime Discussion Rules and Site & Forum Guidelines.
Pages (3) « 1 [2] 3 »
May 10, 2014 10:30 AM

Offline
Aug 2013
4489
Prochy said:
I love this series, but hate the voice actors, dub was much better.

no.
May 10, 2014 12:03 PM

Offline
Oct 2013
1753
Is it me or the animation quality in this episode was top notch? Probably because of the scenery in this episode, it was beautiful.

So..what was that mushi again? Kodama? I really wonder how Saho was born because of this mushi. But damn, losing one of the five senses. O_o

That gardener was a real sob. Yeah, completely going yandere mode and beheading his customers. Creepy.

Masaku and his generations are to blame too. They did all sorts of evil just to keep Saho alive. Completely Inane.

Ginko at work. Burning the house to stop that insane gardener/doc and saving the woman being killed. Nice job Ginko.

Liked the ending, first sad episode of Mushishi and liked it how Saho and gardener were not seen at all, I guess they are dead.

Can't wait for next episode now. ^^
May 10, 2014 12:48 PM

Offline
Aug 2011
2186
I love the darker episodes of Mushishi. It almost seems like this episode came straight out of a horror story. And wow, how great was the music?
May 10, 2014 2:50 PM

Offline
Apr 2013
3489
Each episode has a different atmosphere and all of them are done masterfully. Ginko the pyromaniac was definitely the best part, especially because for a moment I thought that guy was gonna attack him.

Anyway, is the next episode gonna be double length?
5 main aspects I base my ratings on:
1. Did DramaEnthusiast make a thread about it?
2. Is it better than Breaking Bad?
3. Did MellowJello recommend the shit out of it?
4. Has it caused a (very entertaining) shitstorm on MAL?
5. Is it actually good?

Scratch the fifth point, it's not very relevant...
May 10, 2014 8:27 PM

Offline
Jul 2009
2641
lucky him, he gets saho at her prime.
May 10, 2014 10:57 PM

Offline
Jan 2013
1565
Such a great episode; the best of the season so far! I hope the darker themes will continue on for the rest of the season!
Signature removed. Please follow the signature rules, as defined in the Site & Forum Guidelines.
May 11, 2014 3:21 AM

Offline
Oct 2013
791
I didnt expect the head grafting at the end...
May 11, 2014 10:16 AM

Offline
Jun 2009
693
Just wow. That’s messed up. Beauty is poisonous… Poor Saho ;_;

When the cherry blossom tree bloomed and withered with the fire, I think it was the mushi living in it the one that wilted—Saho’s vitality, imbued by the Kodama, flourished and faded along with it.

And yet the tree came back from the ashes.
Perhaps it never needed sacrifices to begin with. Nature has its own balance—whether humans intercede or not, it would’ve overcome its death one way or another.
Or maybe he did sacrifice himself to keep it alive. He had no place to be without Saho, after all.

Oh, the mystery that is life.
I think, then procrastinate.
Therefore, I am.
May 11, 2014 10:34 AM

Offline
Feb 2013
33
Could the special next week be a 40-minute long The Ragged Road episode? Otherwise, I've got no clue.
May 11, 2014 11:50 AM

Offline
Dec 2012
63
emeraldrosary said:
tingy said:
emeraldrosary said:

Speaking of Saho, that gardener was nuts. He cut peoples head's off? That is like one of the most gruesome things I've seen yet in Mushishi.

And surprise surprise it's actually a human that's the major problem in this episode rather than a mushi. This is why some people say humans can be more terrifying then the worst monster. Not that mushi's are monsters, but you get what I mean.

Yes! Holy crap his family had been cutting people's heads off for generations! So messed up. But I guess the mushi was great at entrancing people. I was suspicious right when he asked if the girl was healthy...Anyways, I liked what you said about how the problem here in this episode was mainly the humans (although of course, influenced by a mushi). Sometimes when humans get incredibly attached to something, they may lose all reason.
This episode shows us what can happen when a human let's themselves get taken over by their emotions and obsessions. The mushishi that was keeping Saho alive managed to live over several centuries. If Ginko hadn't shown up when he did, I bet the gardener's family would've continued this sick tradition.

After thinking about this episode for a while I got a question. You know what I want to know? What kinds of people were sacrificed? Since Saho is a girl does that mean they required female sacrifices? What freaks me out even more is that the generations of gardeners might have actually sacrificed their own mothers/wives to prolong Saho's life. A terrifying thought.


Fabulous points (all of them quoted), but I'd take it one step further on your point about the female relatives of the family in perhaps wondering if even more perverse shit might not of happened....if get what I'm saying. 0_o

I mean, think about....why is it always males of this family that seem to take on this familial obligation to 'care for' Saho?? Why would it have taken such an extreme turn? What I'm wondering is at what point did her body finally 'grow' into a visual adult-aged appearance? I mean, the that younger current gardener of that family was acting it seemed more than taking care of her out of family obligation--it would more so that, at least imho, seem like that of an obsessive lover sort of vibe. His last line definitely seemed disturbing of being 'insane' because of loving her so much and how this has seem to ended like that w/ several generations of males in his family.

I'd go so far as to put it out there that perhaps some of those generations of men may have even had sex feelings/relations w/ Saho (w/ Mansuke and I would assume maybe his son [that gardeners grandfather] probably being the only ones to possibly not have done such a thing). I mean, maybe I'm crazy for thinking it or reading into too hard, but that's the unsettling vibe I get. Awesomely dark episode though, I liked it!

EDIT:
jiraiya_sensei said:
Saho getting older fast reminds me of Mother Gothel. Damn though those gardeners, they're just exploiting Saho.

For all the disturbing thoughts that crossed my mind, the one that bothered me the most is whether the generations of gardeners were having sex with Saho regularly. That's probably why they're so obsessed.


LOL.....I see great minds think alike. Good to see I'm not the only one that caught that vibe, either. ;)
MsDivaMay 11, 2014 12:09 PM
May 11, 2014 2:37 PM

Offline
Jan 2014
332
It felt like the first few moments were leading to nothing interesting, but the conclusion of this episode made this episode so great. Also pumped for the next 'special' episode. I expect an episode maybe something like Ginko's past, but I would really enjoy another 40 minute episode aswell :P
May 11, 2014 2:47 PM
Offline
Mar 2013
16285
MsDiva said:
I'd go so far as to put it out there that perhaps some of those generations of men may have even had sex feelings/relations w/ Saho (w/ Mansuke and I would assume maybe his son [that gardeners grandfather] probably being the only ones to possibly not have done such a thing). I mean, maybe I'm crazy for thinking it or reading into too hard, but that's the unsettling vibe I get. Awesomely dark episode though, I liked it!
A very good yet very unsettling observation. That would explain why we don't wee any female gardeners both in the current time period and in the flashback.

The only girl we do see in both time periods is Saho. A truly dark episode compared to the previous episodes. This might be my favorite episode yet, in terms of creepiness, Ginko's reaction to the gardener, and themes of human madness and obsession.
May 11, 2014 6:27 PM

Offline
May 2012
1998
That's my type of girl.
lol
7/10 for this episode.
Isayama Hajime should be awarded The Manga with The Highest Inconsistencies of Characters' Appearances.
He keeps performing multiple plastic surgeries on those Shingeki No Kyojin characters in a SINGLE chapter.
Yes, I've read up to the latest chapter of Shingeki No Kyojin manga.
Forced myself to read through the kidsketching chapters after the anime's ended. At least from now on, I only have to go through the hell once a month.
Patiently awaiting SNK TV/movie/OVA anime-sequel.
The 2015 SNK live-action movie would probably suck.
May 11, 2014 7:02 PM

Offline
Sep 2012
805
TheSusurrous said:
Could the special next week be a 40-minute long The Ragged Road episode? Otherwise, I've got no clue.

I'm betting it's going to be some sort of live-action "making of" thing.
Somewhere, there is an unplugged toaster sitting on a Coleman stove.

Does it feel lonely?
May 11, 2014 8:46 PM

Offline
Dec 2011
6101
Oh my goodness. The episode this time is the most twisted compared to the previous ones. Still pretty good though.
Signature removed. Please follow the signature rules, as defined in the Site & Forum Guidelines.
May 12, 2014 5:02 AM

Offline
Oct 2013
2984
man that was kidna creepy in the end.

did they kinda hint that the tree would strike again? idk
"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."
May 12, 2014 5:04 AM

Offline
Nov 2011
3473
get firing up to waiting for the next 'special' episode ... :)
"The Slave is the have-not, the oppressed one with nothing to spare.
But because the Slave is in that despairing situation, having nothing, it can kill the Emperor !"
May 12, 2014 10:19 AM
Offline
Feb 2014
31
Did anyone notice similarities between this episode and episodes 5-6 of Aoi Bungaku? They both involved people going crazy when they saw a cherry blossom in bloom, and coincidentally both had the element of decapitating people as well. Do you think they were both based on Sakura no Mori no Mankai no Shita? (it is explicitly stated that episodes 5-6 of Aoi Bungaku were a loose adaptation of this novel).
May 12, 2014 10:56 AM

Offline
Apr 2007
5408
jbeat said:
My question is, why was the cherry blossom tree blooming though Saho is dead?
Maybe when the body fully passed the "spirit" returned to the tree?

Quite a few dark episodes this season (3 in a row?), more so than I remember from the original. But then again, it's been a long time since I watched it. Gotta love the interesting twist the author adds to each story.
May 12, 2014 8:55 PM

Offline
Jan 2011
318
perfect episode. just that
this anime is so wonderfull
Gintama: "The blade is not to cut down your enemies
Nor is it to cut away your own weakness
A sword isnt meant to protect your body
A sword is meant for protecting your soul"
May 12, 2014 10:36 PM

Offline
Jan 2013
11047
Great and tragic episode. Finally a bit creepy.
May 15, 2014 3:33 AM

Offline
Nov 2010
2047
Wow that gardener acting like a quack was terrifying at the end
Getting attached to something for eight centuries, it felt like a cult

Luckily the woman was saved by action hero Ginko

The flower trees were drawn out beautifully throughout this episode
May 15, 2014 6:31 PM
Offline
Apr 2010
529
Can someone explain to me in detail WHY they had to resort to cutting heads off in order to do headswapping? I tried to look through the whole episode but there was nothing that explained the need to headswap. I mean it even said that in actually PROLONGS the life of the creature and even makes her look beautiful, but it didn't really say much about actually harming the body overall besides losing 1 of 5 senses. When the gardener was about to chop the client's head off got me by surprise.



Edit: Nevermind! That one key-phrase there was "..you've been swapping heads like you'd graft trees..."
It all made sense from there..... And a hell lot more gruesome. 3 centuries of killing DIFFERENT-AGED girls/women to keep her alive. OMG I don't even want to see the body pit they've accumulated. O_e
Flipside101May 15, 2014 6:42 PM
May 15, 2014 9:13 PM

Offline
May 2013
223
This is the darkest episode of Mushishi that I've ever seen. The dcotor and his family was sick and twisted. Poor Saho. :(
Armageddon was yesterday, today we have a problem.
May 16, 2014 7:45 PM

Offline
Jul 2008
11199
Holy crap that gardener's family was crazy!
May 16, 2014 9:35 PM

Offline
Aug 2013
4759
Ha...I was right to worry about this episode after seeing the comical ending of the previous one. That was dark and twisted.
"May those who accept their fate be granted happiness."

"May those who defy their fate be granted glory."
May 16, 2014 10:52 PM
noiz cancelling

Offline
Jan 2008
1012
A truly chilling episode. It reminded me somewhat of the French horror movie Eyes Without a Face from the late 1950s.
May 18, 2014 10:16 AM

Offline
Jan 2013
86
emeraldrosary said:
tingy said:
emeraldrosary said:

Speaking of Saho, that gardener was nuts. He cut peoples head's off? That is like one of the most gruesome things I've seen yet in Mushishi.

And surprise surprise it's actually a human that's the major problem in this episode rather than a mushi. This is why some people say humans can be more terrifying then the worst monster. Not that mushi's are monsters, but you get what I mean.

Yes! Holy crap his family had been cutting people's heads off for generations! So messed up. But I guess the mushi was great at entrancing people. I was suspicious right when he asked if the girl was healthy...Anyways, I liked what you said about how the problem here in this episode was mainly the humans (although of course, influenced by a mushi). Sometimes when humans get incredibly attached to something, they may lose all reason.
This episode shows us what can happen when a human let's themselves get taken over by their emotions and obsessions. The mushishi that was keeping Saho alive managed to live over several centuries. If Ginko hadn't shown up when he did, I bet the gardener's family would've continued this sick tradition.

After thinking about this episode for a while I got a question. You know what I want to know? What kinds of people were sacrificed? Since Saho is a girl does that mean they required female sacrifices? What freaks me out even more is that the generations of gardeners might have actually sacrificed their own mothers/wives to prolong Saho's life. A terrifying thought.


Took those words right outta my mouth, there are heavy implications that the men of the household had most likely sacrificed the women, wife, daughter, mother u name it. This can be evident that the gardener is the only one taking care of the household :/. This is oneof the creepiest and disturbing episode thus far this season,two thumbs up.
A piece of my brain just shot out of my weiner!- Onodera Punpun
May 18, 2014 1:29 PM

Offline
Apr 2013
48
Can someone explain why an episode didn't air this week? Or is Crunchyroll just not streaming that "Special Episode"?
May 21, 2014 3:31 AM

Offline
Dec 2012
16156
This reminded me a bit of an arc from Aoi Bungaku series. I thought it was really fascinating how the gardener compared taking care of Saho to tending to a plant. It really helps add insight to his mindset in the sense that he was captivated by her beauty the same way I was captivated by the beautiful scenery throughout the episode (no heads rolling in my house - I swear it!).

Definitely a darker and more disturbing episode in Mushishi, something felt off about the gardener ever since he invited the woman into his home. The subtle atmosphere that doesn't give too much away while still delivering the right mood is brilliant in this series. As others have mentioned, I doubt the sacrifices were limited to travelers and it's really saddening to think about how many daughters, wives, sisters, and mothers were sacrificed just to keep this flower in bloom.

Another interesting idea was the traveling men at the end. I think they were just drawn in by the beauty of the blossoms, but it helped to deliver the point one more time - that beauty is both inspiring and maddening.

This takes me back to the first time I saw episode 5 from season 1. There wasn't any real resolution to what happened but it didn't need one. It was able to invoke emotions and stir up thought. 6 for 6 so far, well done.
ZekkenshinMay 21, 2014 3:34 AM
Jun 1, 2014 11:24 AM

Offline
May 2010
2452
Humans can be monstrous when it comes to extreme obsessions. Tsk.

With how things ended, it left some mysterious feel about it esp. with the ending theme used.
Jul 1, 2014 12:46 AM

Offline
Apr 2013
229
Amazing once again, but pretty dark one ...
Jul 1, 2014 6:21 AM

Offline
Mar 2008
171
X-files vibes
Jul 2, 2014 3:29 PM

Offline
May 2013
1310
That was a scary death given to Saho, decaying and withered away in only a few moments...Damn dude.
Jul 4, 2014 3:49 PM

Offline
Mar 2012
2884
Well damn, that was pretty dark.
Jul 8, 2014 9:14 PM

Offline
Dec 2012
525
Very creepy with the whole head chopping thing, I noticed something was odd about her neck pigment before it was explained. This is turning out to be a really, REALLY good sequel. I may even put it slightly above the original if it keeps this up.
Jul 22, 2014 2:00 AM
Offline
May 2014
130
Pretty dark, interesting to see how Ginko reacted to it though!
Jul 29, 2014 3:55 PM

Offline
May 2012
25828
Very dark backstory I must say, 300 years they have been doing the same thing, sacrificing their own to let some kind of parasite live? Pretty fucked up if you ask me but well that sakura tree sure was lovely!
Sep 4, 2014 8:25 PM

Offline
Aug 2011
7283
^you're stupid

Very disturbing episode.
I was about to start yelling if something had happened to Ginko there.

I kinda ruined the atmosphere for myself at that one part where he kicked the lantern and the house caught on fire.
Ginko's face was totally like "fuck yo house!"
Sep 14, 2014 10:53 AM

Offline
Aug 2014
39
The most disturbing Mushishi episode I've seen. The gardener and his entire family are insane.
Sep 21, 2014 7:39 AM

Offline
Sep 2011
33781
This is defiantly the darkest episode of the series yet, like every episode before it this was absolutely fantastic.

Immahnoob said:
Jizzy, I know you have no idea how to argue for shit,

tokiyashiro said:

Jizzy as you would call yourself because youre a dick The most butthurt award goes to you And clearly you havent watched that many shows thats why you cant determine if a show is unique or not Or maybe you're just a child who likes common stuffs where hero saves the day and guys gets all the girls. Sad taste you have there kid you came up to me in the first place making you look more like a kid who got slapped without me even knowing it and start crying about it to me

Sep 21, 2014 9:07 PM
Offline
Jul 2014
606
Disturbing episode. Especially when you think of how much people had to get their heads cut off to keep Saho alive for 3~4 generations.
Oct 21, 2014 2:25 AM

Offline
Apr 2014
896
That was a creepy episode. Reminded me a bit of Kurozuka.
Signature removed. Please follow the signature rules, as defined in the Site & Forum Guidelines.
Nov 14, 2014 3:35 PM

Offline
Jan 2014
1260
Stark700 said:
I also thought Saho is pretty in this episode.


Yeah, apart from Ginko stating that, they really made it come across quite well.

I've heard several people say that if they have one gripe with Mushishi, it's how all characters look pretty much the same. I personally don't have an issue with that, but do share the observation. However, I found Saho to be the first female character that looked genuinely different (without being/looking alien). Did anyone else notice that too?

It's all the more interesting because it'd mean that most characters looking the same is a deliberate choice of the animators and not some sort of natural result of the style.
"I'm a middle schooler bartender!"
- Mishima Hitomi
Dec 4, 2014 11:02 AM

Offline
Oct 2013
4392
Wow... just... wow. Perhaps the darkest and most creepy Mushishi story yet. Can't even find words for this episode, but it was fantastic.

Qatami said:
I love this series, but hate the voice actors, dub was much better.

I kind of feel you, but the Japanese is perfectly fine also, namely due to the lack of recurring characters aside from Ginko. That said, I prefer Travis for Ginko, but Nakano has his own charm.



Discord: the.path.to.pathos
RateYourMusic
last.fm
Dec 26, 2014 8:03 AM

Offline
Jun 2014
14630
a great episode to watch while eating a midnight snack

Feb 7, 2015 9:58 PM

Offline
Sep 2013
1711
What a creepy family haha. Feel bad for poor Saho.

Nice job, Ginko!
Mar 7, 2015 3:57 PM

Offline
Jan 2014
4581
Creepy cute. Me likey ^__^
Apr 7, 2015 7:26 PM

Offline
Jan 2013
7028
Such a beautiful cherry tree with a dark history.

Burning the house down all of a sudden felt a bit rushed but still great story.
May 30, 2015 7:31 PM

Offline
Feb 2015
2825
Dark episode,Ginko was a boss this episode although it was idiotic for the gardener to do it while Ginko is their.
Signature removed. Please follow the signature rules, as defined in the Site & Forum Guidelines.
Pages (3) « 1 [2] 3 »

More topics from this board

Poll: » Mushishi Zoku Shou Episode 3 Discussion ( 1 2 3 4 )

Stark700 - Apr 18, 2014

152 by tim777 »»
Feb 3, 2:35 PM

Poll: » Mushishi Zoku Shou Episode 8 Discussion ( 1 2 3 )

Stark700 - Jun 6, 2014

127 by menacce »»
Oct 3, 2024 7:40 AM

Poll: » Mushishi Zoku Shou Episode 2 Discussion ( 1 2 3 4 )

Stark700 - Apr 11, 2014

176 by Inudrew »»
Aug 13, 2024 6:09 AM

» Is it just me?

Jundal - Dec 29, 2023

9 by Lockensocke »»
Apr 30, 2024 11:47 PM

Poll: » Mushishi Zoku Shou Episode 10 Discussion ( 1 2 3 4 )

Stark700 - Jun 20, 2014

157 by Pokitaru »»
Mar 15, 2024 5:28 AM

Preview MangaManga Store

It’s time to ditch the text file.
Keep track of your anime easily by creating your own list.
Sign Up Login