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Tony K.
 SubscriberModerator  Posts: 12058 Location: Frisco, TX |
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Haha! So much for that update I wanted to do back in June...
Well, I played some Tetris earlier in the evening, which got my mind all flowing with brain juice and electrons, so I decided to get off my cranial ass and watch the next episode to finally add on to this long, yet often delayed discussion. No screen caps or plot summary here, as I'm still a little too lazy to go through the entire tedious process of re-watching the episode again, taking lots of caps, filtering the good ones, then loading each one of them to Photobucket, and fitting each cap description into the summary itself. So you'll just have to do with comments and such until I clear myself over the hump for good. Episode 11: The Mountain Sleeps (clicking this will take you back to the Index) ---------------------------------- Comments So it's been months since I've actually sat down to watch this series, but I'm happy to say it hasn't lost a single bit of its luster in the meantime. Despite the 480p resolution and 2.0 stereo mix at 256kbps, the visuals are as amazing as I remember and the soundtrack still has that awry mystique. As for the episode, I detected three big themes: Sacrifice: Well to be more specific, sacrifice for the sake of selfishness and self-righteousness. The selfish sacrifice is made by Saku, the girl who had fallen for Mujika in his flashback. She killed the Boar Guardian because she obviously liked Mujika and wanted him to stay. And as we all know, people who are in love, infatuated, or adoring someone can do stupid, reckless, and irrational things to prove themselves. So she kills the boar, but dies of the mountain energy. The lesson here? It's great that someone can be so willing, but don't get yourself killed in the process. Then we have Mujika's self-righteous sacrifice. This one is a little more up for interpretation, in that it could either be over his guilt, the fact that he was just getting tired, or maybe both. Surely, a guy who was willing to make a sacrifice by killing the Boar Guardian himself for the sake of a girl he liked would be a noble gesture. I mean, he is a mushi-shi, so things might've worked out between him and Saku, had she not messed things up. But then she died after carrying out the plan he had mentioned. And after all these years of being guardian himself, maybe Mujika finally buckled under the pressure of guilt for allowing the love of his life to die. Then again, he also did manage to raise Kodama to be his heir. So maybe it was a conglomerate of things just falling into place at the right time. But if you look at him around the time the Kuchinawa is summoned, he seems to be acting more on righteousness as opposed to acceptance. As in, the acceptance that he can no longer do his job. And in having been eaten by the Kuchinawa he might've been looking to end his guilt trip for killing Saku (selfish), yet claim that Kodama had then been taught enough to take over (self-righteous). Envy: Envy in the sense of taking things for granted. We see Mujika in the present time saying he's envious of Ginko because he gets to move around all the time, while he (Mujika) is stuck in the mountain. But then Ginko says he envies Mujika because he'd like to settle down for a change. I think this puts a little perspective on the fact that people can sometimes take their own freedom for granted. Before Mujika became guardian, he was just like Ginko; always attracting mushi and not being able to settle anywhere. But because of his decision to stay, he eventually missed the ability of feeling free to move around wherever he wanted. And Ginko.. well, he's a special case, and there's really nothing he can do, so he's basically screwed to wander for the rest of his life anyway. Theoretically, if he didn't have that attraction curse, I'm sure he'd settle for a while, but after becoming so used to his travel routine and even admitting it fits his personality, I doubt it would last long. Futility: This is more of a borderline theme. And when I say futility, I mean more so in the "futility of existence." Last weekend I saw the movie Knowing for the first time and love the heck out of it for putting queries and uncertainty into the general aspects of knowledge and existence. In the beginning of the movie, Nicholas Cage's character is giving this speech about determinism and randomness in the universe and asking: do things happen for a reason, or is it all just a bunch of random occurrence with no ultimate purpose. This is a great question to ask because it condemns our existence in time to be either meaningful or completely frivolous. And in Mujika's death, every single person outside of the mushi-guys (Ginko and Kodoma) had ceased to even know he existed. I know we have history to log these kinds of things, but imagine just how much else hasn't been reported, deeming much of it to be useless because no one knows what really happened. If our efforts eventually go unrecognized or unappreciated, is there any real point to what we or others even do? Death is the only one true absolute in this world, but then why do things happen? If I had never gotten into anime, I would never have discovered this series, then never have made this thread to ask such a thing. But because I did, a small, maybe large, handful of you were able to see these long-winded comments, which in turn might lead you to some other event that makes you wonder: "wow, I'm sure glad Tony mentioned, that, otherwise I'd never have been here today." Yeah, it's confusing as hell and rhetorical out the ass, but that's the greatness of fiction. ---------------------------------- I'll try to keep up with doing these things once a week, Mondays or Wednesday nights, as that's when I'm usually off work. |
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happymoose
 Posts: 62 |
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snip
Last edited by happymoose on Sat Aug 23, 2014 4:07 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Tony K.
Subscriber Moderator Posts: 12058 Location: Frisco, TX |
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happymoose, your join date is the exact day of my birthday...
...What a coincidence. But yeah, enjoy the older posts and feel free to talk up old episodes when you feel the urge. |
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Elfen12
 Posts: 480 Location: Bay Area |
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Good to see you're (Tony K. ) reviving this thread, there certianly was some fantastic discussion here. I think i'm going to follow happymoose and watch 1-10 again to get caught up, and then watch 11 and begin as before.
*As a side note, i saw Knowing the other day too, and I really enjoyed that same scene, when he was giving the lecture about randomness of events and why things happen.* Interestin' movie. -Elfen12- |
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aya_honda
 Posts: 920 Location: Around here |
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Hey, it's good to see this thread back on its tracks since I have waited this for quite a while. Thank you, Tony, for finally posting here again and revive the thread.
Sacrifice Both Tony and happymoose talk a lot about sacrifice related sometimes to selfishness and self-rightousness, but I think I would definitely consider selfishness as another important theme in this episode. In all these 11 episodes discussed here, the theme of sacrifice becomes a little bit redundant, as we have some other episodes which fully or partly deal with this theme (of course the episode of the swamp-girl is definitely the most vivid one). Although usually I think that the sacrifice is a generous act, which should bring some good, here I was struck to see that all the characters that sacrifice themselves are in general having a selfish purpose. Which makes me wonder the rightousness of it and everything.
Uhu, I hate when something like this comes into discussion. I understand a generous sacrifice for the sake of love, I can actually cope with a little bit of selfishness in it, but what really made me mad about this one was the fact that in the end, Saku didn't really care about what Majika truly wanted. I really didn't get the message that he might be that into her and I'm sure that if he had truly loved her, he might have done anything in his powers for the relationship to become possible, like it has been said before me. But no, Saku didn't care about it at all. She only thought that what could keep Majika from leaving again was going after the spirit of the mountain and doing that horrible ritual. Although I have to admit that really takes some guts, I am not sure how in the end served any purpose at all. It only brought more strain on both hers and Majika's lives. It was such a selfish act that I was glad that it was shown at the end of the episode, otherwise I would have been too mad to watch it.  For me love is supposed to be generous, it's supposed to let the person that you love walk away or at least ask for that person's whishes. She doesn't do that; she just goes there, acts on her own and then thinks it's better to ask him to stay. I can understand his selfishness, as he was put in that situation unwillingly, and thus making his sacrifice more humane.
But on the other hand, I agree with you, happymoose, and your views on the relationship between Mujika and Kodama. I think that it might have been really painful for the boy to make such a ritual and not just that, but also Mujika offered him the possibility of choosing, not putting him directly in an dead-end situation.
I think it also shows that we get to see what we lack or have in our lives only through other people's eyes. Usually people don't have insights in their own lives, only in the others. They get to see what they want and envy them for one thing or another. Sometimes it's ironic enough to have the same things, don't appreciate them and only after losing them, starting to feel their disappearance. Majika was a wanderer, since he was a Mushi-shi, and he had been used with travelling, but then he was forced to settle down. I wonder if, when he had been young, if Majika would have been asked what he felt about his travelling, what he might have answered. Porbably he would have given the same answer like Ginko, that he is used with it. But if Ginko would be able to finally settle somewhere, would he start craving for travelling again? It seems to me that human nature is always indecisive: craving for something that it doesn't have and later on craving for something that it lost, but at the time didn't appreciate.
I would be one of the people who would answer negative to this question. It is in human nature to forget and move on. Even after a person dies, oblivion settles in sooner or later, whether we like it or not. Mujika may be forgotten by the people in the village but not by Kodama or by Ginko and I think that is enough after all. |
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Tony K.
Subscriber Moderator Posts: 12058 Location: Frisco, TX |
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Yeah, you're right. How about from now on, let's just say "sacrifice" is a given in human nature, but change its interpretation to an actual theme (i.e. selfishness, self-righteousness, etc.)? There always seems to be a sacrifice made in the name of some outlandish or otherworldly concept that's supposedly beyond the realm of logic anyway, so I think it'd be best if we try tying those events in with comparisons to or examples from within everyday life. Also, I had a Mushi-shi moment this morning in relation to Episode 3. The smoke detector battery in one of the rooms was dying, and the damn thing was beeping every 15 seconds. I was too tired from work to fix it immediately, so I tried sleeping it away, but it actually bothered the hell out of me for about half my sleep cycle. Then, I found some ear plugs and pulled off what I'm now calling a "magma sleep." As in, when that kid put his hands to his ears to hear the flow of his own blood and beating of his own pulse, I had the exact same feeling, minus any other external noises. It was pretty relaxing. I recommend you try this if you prefer quiet sleeps or have general restlessness problems. |
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Tony K.
Subscriber Moderator Posts: 12058 Location: Frisco, TX |
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I haven't had much sleep the last couple of days, but this is probably my best opportunity to do this for the week, so bear with me if I my comments aren't as coherent as usual.
Episode 12: One-Eyed Fish (clicking this will take you back to the Index) ---------------------------------- Comments So here we have the origin story of Ginko. It's a sad one, but like every other episode, still manages to completely fascinate with its presentation and storytelling. I actually didn't pick up on any concrete themes, but if I had to estimate, I'd say fear and compassion would be the closest ones. Fear -- As the old saying goes, "we fear what we don't know." Or in the case of our mushi of the day, the Tokoyami, what we can't see. I don't know about you, but when I was a kid growing up, I had my fair share of night willies. Nothing like pitch black darkness and external noises to keep you scared to death, especially after seeing a scary movie or having the concept of a boogie man or monster in your closet. I think this episode sort of illustrates a general hesitance or uncertainty that makes people apprehensive in general. We see Yoki living with Nui for a while, but the instance he finds out her background and she starts to push him away, he's fearful of being alone. He says that's the longest he's lived anywhere. And with the passing of his mother and obvious empathy of a fellow mushi-seer, his attachment to Nui is only strengthened, making it more difficult for him to leave that life behind. But letting go can be said to be fearful for a good majority of people anyway. Most people who grow accustomed to things don't like change because it messes with their comfort zone, so that's a no-brainer. Compassion -- I had this idea going in my head towards the end of the episode where kid-Ginko decided to leave the village in which he stayed. The Compassion part coincides with the empathy thing I mentioned earlier, as obvious by the eventual bond he had with Nui. Unfortunately, I lost my train of thought while trying to proofread the above statements on Fear. I think I was gonna' say something along the lines of how Compassion has the ability to change people if you apply a good enough amount of it, and therefore acts as a counter-force to Fear. When we get scared, people attempt to comfort themselves or others they care about. And eventually, if the person is not a total wuss, that person will get over their fear and free themselves a little more to live their life (or something like that). I don't know, I can't concentrate anymore. Eh.. I guess that's that, then. |
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aya_honda
Posts: 920 Location: Around here |
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I found this episode to be quite sad, as I wasn't expecting so soon a history of Ginko's past. Before getting into the themes of this episode, I just wanted to say that the almost complete lack of music in this episode was almost suffocating or at least it made the things a little bit more intense than usually. Then at the end of the episode we have that bitter-sweet song with a tinge of melancholy in it, that underlines perfectly the general atmosphere in this episode. I don't know why but it was perhaps one of the few times when I actually became conscious of the intense focus that is on the characters. I don't know if I'm making sense here.
Anways, let me get back to the main themes that Tony underlined. Fear
I think even before Yoki felt lonely, not just because he was constantly travelling with his mother but also because he was able to see the frightful things which his mother considered to be simple illusions. However I observed that his mother wasn't telling him that this is something wrong; it was just a matter of soothing her son's fears by telling him that what he saw where simple illusions. She seemed like a good mother to me. Could it also be fear of the unknown too? After all he is seeing things that geenrally are impossible for others to see. He fears them a lot; remeber the reactions that he has every time he sees a mushi: firstly there's the one in the sky when he was with his mother and then there was the mushi in Nui's house. Every time he looks at them he cringes away and fears them. I would add here stability as well. We talked in the previous episode discussion about how Ginko travels all the time and that maybe he would have liked to settle down someday, how it's impossible for him to do that since we already see what might happen. He has always been travelling but I'm not sure he was in search of a home as long as he was actually having someone by his side. I think this is what he seeks in Nui: more companionship rather than a home in itself. Nui is not just someone who could take care of him, but a fellow mushi-seer like Tony called her and therefore someone who can understand what he's going through. His solution is to leave from there, away from the Tokoyami. Maybe it was loneliness that young Yoki feared the most?
We always crave for some security in our life and any change might take that awy from us; the moment a change disrupts our routines and simple lives in general, the moment we start to feel insecure and thus fear. This is what happens in this episode too: Yoki's life is simple but at least it's secure to a certain extent. He has his mother and for a kid this is perhaps the biggest catalyst of security in the world. The moment his mother dies, the sudden change in his condition is even more hurtful. Not only is he alone, but he is also just a kid, an injured one for that matter. And later on when he's discovered by Nui and taken for shelter and care, he finds a new catalyst of security. This is how things work. While I might think that change is good, whenever it happens in life, there are plenty of people that hate change. And I think I can understand their horror when that happens. I liked your idea of compassion. I've never thought about it before, but you were right. I liked the idea of being so compassionate to see the needs of the others above your own. Compassion is indeed the best way to describe Ginko's act of leaving from there. The kindness of the man who took him in with no questions asked is something seldom and therefore perhaps this was also a way to repay his kindess. Could we also talk a little about guilt? I mean, Nui has been travelling a lot, mainly because she didn't want to put in danger her family, friends, her husband and her child. And yet, it is in her absence that the tragedy strikes, perhaps a tragedy that she might have stopped, had she been there to do that. Or at least this is what she might have thought. perhaps it was also a sort of atonement for this, staying together with the one-eyed fish, thinking that perhaps she might find away to stop everything and then just let go and lose all her hope. And that's a dangerous thing. |
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Tony K.
Subscriber Moderator Posts: 12058 Location: Frisco, TX |
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Stability is another great point. In fact, it's a direct antithesis to fear. Loss of stability is what usually gets people nervous or scared, so it only makes sense to assume that what Ginko/Yoki could've been wanting this whole time as a kid and growing up into an adult was some sort of stability. He traveled with his mother and obviously travels enough in his current role. But rather than just settling, maybe all he needs is a little companionship? He gets along very well with the people he actually sits down and socializes with (Adashino and the villagers of various episodes), yet his "mushi-attraction" keeps him moving all the time.
But if he did have a companion, I think the series would lose its luster in being a fantasy exploration, then become more of a character drama at some point. Not that there isn't any drama in the minor characters of each episode, but to focus on Ginko's "problems" would detract from the overall continuity, in my opinion. As for guilt, I think Nui was feeling guilty, but at the same time trying to justify her loneliness as a sort of self-righteous punishment. But we could also consider that maybe she was feeling nostalgic as well. Didn't she say that things engulfed by the light were turned into Tokoyami? If her husband and child had actually been turned into a form of it, perhaps she was staying in the area hoping she would either find them still alive or that she would eventually meet them in a spiritual sense when engulfed herself? Ah, but now we see hope as a theme. Hope in Yoki when he begins to develop attachment to Nui. Hope in Nui through her persistence in living around that area. Hope in kindness when that villager takes Ginko to his home. I'm a little more on the callous side myself when it comes to hope, faith, and all those other religiously-biased terms, as I'm confident enough in my own self and abilities to live a good life. But there are times when these "hope and faith" things are written into some amazing stories like The Shawshank Redemption. Not to say my views are changed, but it makes for interesting discussion, nonetheless. |
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Stark700
 Posts: 11762 Location: Earth |
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Episode S2E01:
That was lovely. I'm so glad the show is back in full force as Ginko once again gets himself involved with Mushi and a man that seeks the truth. The ED is so smooth to the years tbh and the atmosphere remains the same from what I remember from the special and season 1. |
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FilmCollectsDust
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I liked it a lot too. I'm so glad we get to see more stuff from the manga. Same relaxing tone as always. I also thought the opening song was nice.
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RAmmsoldat
 Posts: 1261 Location: North wales coast |
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oh man, its like it never went away. I always fear that when I've liked something and its been away for a while it will come back and be changed but this has the same vibe as the first series from that first episode
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Tony K.
Subscriber Moderator Posts: 12058 Location: Frisco, TX |
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I think the thing with Mushishi is that its formula is perfect for a very unique kind of storytelling. It's mysterious, mystical, has elements of drama and/or suspense, has an aura of supernatural wonder and amazement, but all at the same time possessing a sense of moral relatability that pretty much anybody can empathize for. You sit there and watch an episode, see the stories unfold, and just kinda' absorb it as a "natural occurrence," of sorts.
I haven't seen this new series, yet. But I've been wanting to finish my thread for the first series for a while, now. Maybe it's time I go back and finish it... EDIT: I took the liberty of updating the Encyc. entry with genres, themes, and a plot summary, then copied and pasted them to the opening post. |
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Tony K.
Subscriber Moderator Posts: 12058 Location: Frisco, TX |
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Ugh, these posts are so over-bloated! My apologies for going off the deep end of text back then.
Just notifying everyone that I'm gonna' bite the bullet and finish what I started. I regret making my earlier posts way too detailed. And it's kinda' too late to redo them, now (and too much trouble to redo the pics) so I guess I'll just use a newer, less cluttered format from here on out and you'll have to live with the old ones. I'll still take pics of the DVDs. I'll make the episode summaries shorter (like a paragraph or 2, depending on what I can muster). And for screencaps, I'll be using some 1080p BD rips I procured (piracy, I know, but I doubt FUNi will ever release it on BD here in the States, so eff them). The discussion format will be free-for-all. Ignore what I said about being organized. It's too much trouble to maintain that kind of linearity. Again, sorry for the overly-detailed presentation. I know, now, that I have to find a balance between too little and too much. |
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Gina Szanboti
 Posts: 12725 |
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Aside from all the wonderful things inherent in Mushi-Shi overall, I think what I found so refreshing in that episode was the moment when Ginko just took the time to listen to the guy's story. So often in anime - or any drama, for that matter, characters in distress get steam-rollered by events or the impatience or obtuseness of other characters when everything could be cleared up so easily if they were just given a chance to explain! And although Ginko is a veteran listener, even he was almost ready to take him back there for a second. So yeah, that scene felt really good to me.
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