Mushi to Uta

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This short story collection by Ichikawa Haruko sensei is an exceptional work of art. It is quiet, unassuming, subtle, and sensitive to its understanding of the world and the human condition. It is within the vein of the Japanese philosophy of 'mono no aware', the beauty and subtle sadness of life's ephemerality, of life's shortness and passing and how people move on or never will.

The short stories here are not conventional stories that we see in the likes of typical manga and novels where people react like people and events are made to occur as they would in the real world, the short stories ... take from magical realism instead. Though the world of the stories here are reminiscent of real-world settings and events, there is always an underlying fantastical element that warps and twists how the characters perceive the world. Perhaps to the initiated, it may be a slight challenge to get used to, but once you find yourself adjusted, this truly is a wealth of great stories that are executed with sensitivity, nuance, and great imagination.

The stories Kusaka Kyoudai and the titular Mushi to Uta are so good that I would recommend reading the whole collection just for them.

My first reaction to this manga was something of a “huh…” but I really do think it’s worth a read. The stories all explore the fragility and transience of life, but at the same time the way life stubbornly appears again and again and strives to remain. This is not a happy manga — there’s sadness and loss and loneliness — but the stories feel good, fulfilling almost.

Visually, the manga is nothing special, but the beauty of the stories themselves more than make up for it. The blending of fantasy and realism is smooth and quickly established, allowing for character and plot focus ... more than worldbuilding (which is a strength with such short stories). The collection as a whole holds together well in the forms of life it addresses, although I feel it could have been better ordered.

As for the individual stories:
1. This one was my least favorite, and honestly felt a little creepy throughout. While it did make an interesting point about women’s roles in society, the less wholesome elements had me a little on edge when it came to female characters in the later stories.
2. The innocence of the characters and the progressive introduction of fantasy elements really made this one stand out. It feels like a child’s first experience playing with something fragile.
3. Plot-wise, this one was definitely the least out-there. It follows a traditional short story structure pretty closely. It also does the best job of representing the themes and mood of the collection as a whole, bringing loneliness, loss, and sacrifice into something that actually feels hopeful.
4. I felt a little thrown around with this story — it felt like a lot of twists for a single story, but it was still very enjoyable. It wrapped itself up well (although I certainly would not choose it for the final story of the collection).

Overall, I think this is one of the better story collections out there, both in terms of individual stories and the collection as a whole. Definitely worth a read.