This review contains no major spoilers. I was beyond thrilled when I had finally got my hands on Mushishi in its entirety. I have to shamelessly admit that I'm pretty dang easily entertained. So typically when there is a show that EVERYONE seems to love, I tend to enjoy it just as much. Unfortunately, once I got around to getting into the series I found a number of issues that others just didn't seem to have. I was entertained on a number of episodes, and definitely compelled to complete it. However, this certainly wasn't the masterpiece I thought I was about to watch.
Aesthetically this anime
...
is among the best of the mid 2000s. Everything in this series just looks so damn good. The quality ranges all the way from the characters, to the many varying environments, and especially the mushi as they are drawn in a seemingly endless variety of colors, forms and sizes. There is really no "rules" when it comes to mushi so the creators can just draw whatever the heck they want. This leads to many off the wall forms, colors, shapes, matter, you get the idea. One of my favorite parts while watching was waiting to see what the next episode's mushi were going to look like. The dub is on par with the animation in that it's completely flawless. This is undoubtedly one of the best dubs out there. The music never really clicked with me, but it never detracted from the quality either, so no complaints from me there.
Now the episodic story design and lack of main characters are where my feelings of this series seems to steer differently from the mass's . As much as I wanted to love this series, I just never got completely sucked in like my favorite shows always seem to have a way of doing. My first complaint is Ginko. He is our protagonist, mushi master, and the only real reoccurring character of the series (save for very brief multi-appearance of another) . Ginko is completely lacking in any trace of charisma. Actually, he lacks just about everything. He really never expresses happiness, sadness, any emotions for that matter. There are a few instances where he verbally exclaims he is concerned with something or another, but it certainly doesn't feel sincere due to his stone face and never changing body language. Even in one instance where his life is in serious danger, he just stoically thinks to himself "oh I'm gonna die, I don't want to....this isn't good" with no feelings of urgency or emotion, as if he were thinking of a chore he had to do or something. He has absolutely zero development through out the series, and even the relationships he forms from episode to episode feel superficial. Every new acquaintance is simply a means of progressing the episodes with no hints of any realistic bonds being formed. Considering every other person in the series only gets 20 minutes of screen time at the absolute max, these flaws with his character are kind of a big deal. I understand they most likely meant his passive presence to allow for the individual stories to take center stage, but it rarely worked well in my opinion. I feel many of the stories would have benefited if Ginko were written in a way that we could relate or feel towards him. You can't have a great vagabond story if you can't feel for the guy ya know?
When it comes to the other characters, most are fine given the little time they do have. They are mostly believable with ranging personalities so it doesn't get bland. But it's hard to really form a solid judgement towards them one way or another due to how little time we actually get to spend with them. As for the stories? To be totally honest here, a number of them can be just flat out boring. It would be inaccurate to say that they're "bad". But many just don't really drag you in as much as I anticipated that they would. The series opens strong, the first DVD is pretty entertaining. As we're introduced to the world of Mushishi, its design and uniqueness ropes you in at the beginning. But as the show progresses it never actually builds on anything. Every episode begins with an inexplicable conflict, and of course every conflict is revealed to be the result of some different kind of mushi. The situation is then analyzed and the mushi are taken care of in some overly convenient new obscure manner. Rinse and repeat. This formula begins to grow stale. Like I said earlier, there are no rules for mushi. This is great for the artist's freedom, but not so great as a plot device. I've never been a huge stickler for realism, but many of the solutions seem waaaayyy overly convenient, because previously unknown mushi traits always pop up at just the right time. For example all of a sudden a hopeless situation will be resolved because moonlight hits a mushi, or in another instance sculpting some pottery on the spot leads to the fix of an otherwise incurable ailment. There are just so many completely random and off the wall solutions to many of the problems that the viewer is expected to just roll with. I feel that it definitely detracts some from some of the show's enjoyment. With such short stories, it's also just really hard to get engrossed in the characters and their problems. The series does have it's highlights of memorable episodes, particularly in the first few episodes and then again towards the end, but these moments of greatness aren't exactly the norm. Many of the stories in the middle are just on the dull side unfortunately. Despite being only 20 minutes a pop, some seem to drag, moving inexcusably slow while not really offering enough excitement to make you actually care whether or not things turn out for the better.
Overall Mushishi is a very chill and relaxing show to watch. The stories are always at least pleasantly humble despite all else. I also never grew tired of the fresh animation in each episode. However, given all the hype I had heard, I found myself disappointed and longing for something more. This is an okay anime, but not the amazing series I had originally thought I was about to watch. 6/10
Dec 5, 2013
This review contains no major spoilers. I was beyond thrilled when I had finally got my hands on Mushishi in its entirety. I have to shamelessly admit that I'm pretty dang easily entertained. So typically when there is a show that EVERYONE seems to love, I tend to enjoy it just as much. Unfortunately, once I got around to getting into the series I found a number of issues that others just didn't seem to have. I was entertained on a number of episodes, and definitely compelled to complete it. However, this certainly wasn't the masterpiece I thought I was about to watch.
Aesthetically this anime ... 
Oct 14, 2013
This review is for the entire series, it contains no major spoilers and is for the anime only. Gantz presents all of the best elements that a series in the mindless gore genre should provide. It's positively chalked full of blood, sex, violence, dark comedy, unpredictably, and absurdity. If you enjoy Robert Rodriquez and the likes of Dusk Till Dawn, Machete, and Planet Terror you WILL enjoy many of things that Gantz has to offer. The most promising trait Gantz has is that it is willing to kill off any character, main or minor, at any time. This creates a very intense suspenseful environment that
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