Mushishi

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Mushishi

English cover of Mushishi vol. 1 featuring the main character, Ginko
蟲師
Genre Supernatural, Occult detective
Manga
Written by Yuki Urushibara
Published by Kodansha
English publisher
Demographic Seinen
Magazine Afternoon Seasons Zōkan (1999–2002)
Monthly Afternoon (2002–2008)
Original run 1999 – August 25, 2008
Volumes 10
Anime television series
Directed by Hiroshi Nagahama
Music by Toshio Masuda
Studio Artland
Licensed by
Network Fuji Television, BS Fuji, Animax
Original run October 22, 2005 – June 18, 2006
Episodes 26
Live-action film
Directed by Katsuhiro Otomo
Produced by Sunmin Park
Written by Sadayuki Murai
Music by Kuniaki Haishima
Licensed by
Released March 24, 2007
Runtime 131 minutes
Anime television film
Mushishi Tokubetsu-hen: Hihamukage
Directed by Hiroshi Nagahama
Music by Toshio Masuda
Studio Artland
Network Tokyo MX
Released January 4, 2014 (2014-01-04)
Runtime 45 minutes[1]
Anime television series
Mushishi: Zoku-Shō
Directed by Hiroshi Nagahama
Studio Artland
Original run April 2014 – scheduled

Mushishi (蟲師) is a manga series written and illustrated by Yuki Urushibara. It was serialized in Afternoon Seasons Zōkan from 1999 to 2002, and in Monthly Afternoon from December 2002 to August 2008. The individual chapters were collected and released into ten tankōbon volumes by Kodansha. Those volumes were localized to North America by Del Rey between January 2007 and August 2010. The series follows Ginko, a man who dedicates himself to keep people protected from supernatural creatures called Mushi.

Mushishi has been adapted into an anime television series by Artland which aired in Fuji Television between October 2005 and June 2006. Following it, a live-action feature film adaptation, directed by Katsuhiro Otomo, was released in March 2007. Funimation acquired the rights to release the anime and the film in North America. A special was released in January 2014, and a second anime series is set to air from April 2014. It has also spawned a video game and many types of Mushishi-related merchandise.

The Mushishi manga has been well received both by public and critic. In Japan, it frequently ranked in the weekly Top Ten list of best-selling manga, and the seven first volumes have sold over 2.5 million copies. Both the manga and the anime have been received several awards such as Kodansha Manga Award and Tokyo Anime Award, publications for manga and anime have praised it. The film adaptation, has received mixed response from critics. On other hand, it received nominations at film festivals, and was among the 100 best box office in the country in 2007.

Plot

The story features ubiquitous creatures called Mushi (蟲師) that often display supernatural powers. Mushi are described as beings in touch with the essence of life, far more basic and pure than normal living things. Due to their ethereal nature most humans are incapable of perceiving Mushi and are oblivious to their existence, but there are a few who possess the ability to see and interact with Mushi. One such person is Ginko (ギンコ), the main character of the series. He employs himself as a Mushi master (蟲師 mushi-shi), traveling from place to place to research Mushi and aid people suffering from problems caused by them. The series is an episodic anthology in which the only common elements among episodes are Ginko and the various types of Mushi. There is no overarching plotline.

Characters and setting

Ginko, as portrayed in the anime series

Urushibara stated that Mushishi is set in an imaginary time between the Edo and Meiji periods, with technology of the 19th century but with Japan as still a country closed to foreign exchange.[citation needed]

Due to the episodic nature of the series, there are very few recurring characters. The most frequently seen character is an otherworldy-looking man named Ginko, who is voiced by Yuto Nakano in the original version and by Travis Willingham in the English dub.[2][3] Ginko is a rare person who attracts mushi, which inspires a lifestyle of constant wandering. He also smokes constantly in order to keep mushi away. In terms of personality, Ginko is rather laid back. However, he can be very serious when it comes to protecting people from mushi. He also often stresses that the mushi are not evil, but merely trying to survive like everyone else. A majority of the stories do not focus on Ginko, but rely on him as a catalyst to move the story forward by diagnosing or curing mushi-related illnesses and phenomena.

The only two other characters who have repeat appearances are a collector named Adashino (化野), who appears in episodes 5, 10, and briefly in 18, and Nui (ぬい), a Mushi master who appears only in episode 12, but whose voice can be heard narrating some of the opening and closing lines characteristic of each episode. Veteran voice actors Yūji Ueda and Mika Doi voice those characters, while Chuck Huber and Jennifer Seman provide their voices in English, respectively.

Media

Manga

Written and illustrated by Yuki Urushibara, it debuted as an one-shot in Monthly Afternoon on January 25, 1999.[4] Later, it started was serialized in the Kodansha seinen manga magazine Afternoon Seasons Zōkan from 1999 to 2002.[5][6] It moved to Monthly Afternoon on December 25, 2002 and was serialized untill August 25, 2008.[7][8][9] Kodansha collected the chapters into ten bound volumes, and published them under the Afternoon KC line from November 22, 2001, to November 21, 2008.[10][11] In addition, two additional chapters were published in the magazine on November 25, 2012 and December 25, 2013, respectively.[12] On November 21, 2013, Kodansha started to re-release it under the aizōban format in their KC Deluxe line, and as of January 23, 2014 (2014-01-23) four volumes have been published.[13][14]

At the 2006 Comic-Con, Del Rey Manga announced that it had licensed Mushishi for an English-language translation in North America.[15] Del Ray published the first volume on January 30, 2007, and the last volume, a combined edition covering volumes 8 to 10, was released on August 15, 2010.[16][17] The manga was also licensed in some countries such in South Korea by Daewon C.I.,[18] in Italy by Star Comics,[19] in Spain by Norma Editorial,[20] and in France by Kana.[21]

Anime

See also: List of Mushishi episodes

The Mushishi anime adaptation was animated by Artland, directed by Hiroshi Nagahama, and produced by a group called "Mushishi Production Committee".[2] The first 20 episodes of the series originally aired between October 22, 2005 and March 11, 2006 on Fuji Television.[22][23] A digest was broadcast on May 7, 2006 by BS Fuji, which aired the last six episodes from May 14 to June 18 of the same year.[24] Marvelous Entertainment and Avex released the series from January 25 to September 27, 2006 in 5 DVDs for sell, and at the same time in 9 DVDs for rental. On March 28, 2008 a DVD box set containing all episodes was released. It was followed by a Blu-ray box set on March 27, 2009.[25] The series features an opening theme song, "The Sore Feet Song" by Ally Kerr, and each episode features a different ending composed by Toshio Masuda.

The anime series' licensing was announced by Funimation to North American release in January 2007.[26] To promote the series' release, it hosted Nagahama at the Anime Expo 2007 between June 29 and July 2.[27] In addition, Funimation exhibited the first four episodes in New York and Texas' locations such as ImaginAsian Theater, Studio Movie Grill, and Alamo Drafthouse, on July 23 and 24 of that year.[28] The series was released in six DVDs between July 31, 2007 to February 26, 2008 by Funimation,[29][30] which also streamed series on its own channel, Hulu, Joost, Anime News Network, Crackel, as well as distributed it to Comcast cable service.[31][32][33][34][35] Funimation also released four box sets with all episodes: on December 16, 2008, on October 6, 2009, on July 6, 2010, and November 8, 2011.[36][37][38][39] In United Kingdom, the series was released between October 22, 2007 and November 17, 2008 by Revelation Films in six DVD.[40][41] Madman Entertainment acquired the series' distribution rights at AVCon in 2007,[42] releasing it in a six-discs box set on January 14, 2009 in PAL region.[43]

A special titled Mushishi Tokubetsu-hen: Hihamukage was released on January 4, 2014.[44] A second anime television season titled Mushishi: Zoku-Shō is set to air from April 2014.[45]

Feature film

Ginko as portrayed by Joe Odagiri in the movie

A live-action Mushishi feature film, released in 2006, was directed by Katsuhiro Otomo. The world premiere was held at the 2006 Venice Film Festival and it opened as a roadshow theatrical release in Japanese theatres on March 24, 2007.[46]

The plot of the film corresponds to chapters 2, 7, 9, and 15 of the manga. The cast includes Joe Odagiri as Ginko, Makiko Esumi as Nui and Yū Aoi as Tanyū.

Video game

A video game adaptation of the series for the Nintendo DS titled Mushishi: Amefuru Sato (蟲師 〜天降る里〜) was developed by Tenky and published by Marvelous Entertainment in Japan on January 31, 2008.[47]

Reception

The series has won numerous awards; in 2003, the manga was awarded an Excellence Prize for manga at the 7th Japan Media Arts Festival,[48] while in 2006, the series won the Kodansha Manga Award for general manga.[49] At the 10th Japan Media Arts Festival, both the anime and manga series were placed among the top 10 in their respective categories for best manga and anime.[50] The anime series won grand prizes in the categories of television series and best art direction (for Takashi Waki) at the 5th Tokyo Anime Award competition held at the Tokyo International Anime Fair in 2006.[51] Mushishi was placed in 9th on Japan's Agency for Cultural Affairs's list of best manga, as well as ranked in 6th place on its list of best anime.[52][53] Young Adult Library Services Association also listed the manga among 33 titles with "good quality literature and appealing reading for teens" in 2008.[54]

Mushishi was well received by Japanse-language readers. The seven first volumes have sold over 2.5 million copies as of July 2006.[55] Individual volumes frequently appeared on the weekly lists of best-selling manga there.[56][57] Further, the eighth volume was the ninth best-selling manga of Amazon.com in the first half of 2007.[58] A similar feat was achieved by the last volume which was ranked 49th in the Oricon list of best-selling manga of the first half of 2009.[59] In North America, ICv2 has listed the manga among the "Top 300 Graphic Novels" of the mont twice.[60][61]

Long, slow, fairly pedestrian in its visual style, confusing for the newbies, over-familiar for the existing fan, Bugmaster is a significant missed opportunity from Otomo. This world and character could make for a fascinating feature film. Sadly, this film aint it.

“
”
Todd Brown, reviewer for Twitch Film[62]

The Mushishi film ranked eighth place at the box office in its opening weekend on Japanese theathers.[63] In total, it grossed $4,194,890, being the 81th film that most earned in the country in 2007.[64] It was nominated at the 2006 Venice Film Festival for the best film category, and at the 2007 Sitges Film Festival in the best film, best special effects, and best sountrack categories, winning in the two latter.[46][65] Eye for Film said it is "beautifully acted, shot and scored", but cited the lack of oomph as the motif "the movie is rather dull".[66] The Japan Times praised the cast of Odagiri, but criticized the film for being "a text too tangled and murky for the uninitiated to easily penetrate or parse".[67] Cast performance was praised by Variety which declared its "longueurs and narrative obscurities consign this 'Bug' to highly specialized outings."[68] All of the aforementioned reviewers criticized its soundtrack, especially the didgeridoos.[66][67][68]

The series was elected the best anime series' release of 2007 in America by Anime News Network's Carl Kimlinger and ranked seventh on IGN's Ramsey Isler top anime of 2007.[69][70] In Jason Thompson's online appendix to Manga: The Complete Guide, he describes the series as "atmospheric, original and fascinating".[71]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Mushi-shi OVA Episode 1". Crunchyroll. Retrieved 7 January 2014. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "蟲師 [ キャスト&スタッフ ]" (in Japanese). Avex. Retrieved February 3, 2014. 
  3. ↑ "Voice Actor Travis Willingham to Appear at Otakon®". Anime News Network. June 15, 2009. Retrieved February 3, 2014. 
  4. ↑ Urushibara, Yuki (January 25, 1999). "瞼の光". Monthly Afternoon (Kodansha) (March 1999 issue). 
  5. ↑ "「蟲師」新作アニメ 2014年1月4日放送　1時間のスペシャル番組" (in Japanese). Excite. November 21, 2013. Retrieved January 27, 2014. 
  6. ↑ "細かいのいろいろ4・GW情報" (in Japanese). Mandarake Complex. Retrieved January 27, 2014. 
  7. ↑ Urushibara, Yuki (December 25, 2002). "蟲師". Monthly Afternoon (Kodansha) (February 2003 issue). 
  8. ↑ "Mushishi, Neo Angelique Manga Finish in Japan (Updated)". Anime News Network. August 25, 2008. Retrieved January 27, 2014. 
  9. ↑ "アフタヌーン｜最新号" (in Japanese). Kodansha. Retrieved January 27, 2014. 
  10. ↑ "蟲師 (1)" (in Japanese). Kodansha. Retrieved January 27, 2014. 
  11. ↑ "蟲師 (10)" (in Japanese). Kodansha. Retrieved January 27, 2014. 
  12. ↑ "Mushishi Manga Returns With 2-Chapter Special, 'Secret' Project". Anime News Network. October 22, 2013. Retrieved January 27, 2014. 
  13. ↑ "蟲師　愛蔵版 (1)" (in Japanese). Kodansha. Retrieved January 27, 2014. 
  14. ↑ "蟲師　愛蔵版 (4)" (in Japanese). Kodansha. Retrieved January 27, 2014. 
  15. ↑ "Comic-Con: Mushishi and More from Del Rey". Anime News Network. July 20, 2006. Retrieved January 27, 2014. 
  16. ↑ "Mushishi 1". Amazon.com. Retrieved January 28, 2014. 
  17. ↑ "Mushishi 8/9/10". Random House. Retrieved January 28, 2014. 
  18. ↑ "충사 10 - 蟲師" (in Korean). Daewon C.I. Retrieved February 2, 2014. 
  19. ↑ "Fumetti Star Comics, Collana Mushishi (m10)" (in Italian). Star Comics. Retrieved February 2, 2014. 
  20. ↑ "Mushi-shi 10" (in Spanish). Norma Editorial. Retrieved February 2, 2014. 
  21. ↑ "Mushishi tome 10" (in French). Kana. Retrieved February 2, 2014. 
  22. ↑ "蟲師 2005年10月22日放送 ＃1 緑の座" (in Japanese). Fuji Television. Retrieved February 3, 2014. 
  23. ↑ "蟲師 2006年3月11日放送 ＃20 天辺の糸" (in Japanese). Fuji Television. Retrieved February 3, 2014. 
  24. ↑ "蟲師 : : ニュース" (in Japanese). Marvelous AQL. Retrieved February 3, 2014.  Note: Check 06/03/12 for the information.
  25. ↑ "蟲師 : : 商品情報" (in Japanese). Marvelous AQL. Retrieved February 3, 2014. 
  26. ↑ "Funimation Announces Mushishi". Anime News Network. January 26, 2007. Retrieved February 3, 2014. 
  27. ↑ "Funimation Hosts Mushi-Shi Director at Anime Expo". Anime News Network. June 27, 2007. Retrieved February 3, 2014. 
  28. ↑ "Free Mushi-Shi Showings in New York, Texas July 23-24". Anime News Network. July 18, 2007. Retrieved February 3, 2014. 
  29. ↑ Beveridge, Chris (August 2, 2007). "Mushishi Vol. #1 (also w/box)". Mania Entertainment. Retrieved February 3, 2014. 
  30. ↑ Beveridge, Chris (February 29, 2008). "Mushishi Vol. #6". Mania Entertainment. Retrieved February 3, 2014. 
  31. ↑ "Hulu.com Launches Channel for Free, Legal Anime Streams (Update 2)". Anime News Network. September 23, 2008. Retrieved February 3, 2014. 
  32. ↑ "Funimation to Stream Anime Samples on Joost for Free". Anime News Network. October 9, 2008. Retrieved February 3, 2014. 
  33. ↑ "Anime News Network Adds Anime from Funimation". Anime News Network. May 6, 2009. Retrieved February 3, 2014. 
  34. ↑ "Crackle Service Streams Funimation Anime on Xbox Live". Anime News Network. February 6, 2012. Retrieved February 3, 2014. 
  35. ↑ "Funimation Anime on Demand Now on Comcast Nationwide". Anime News Network. May 11, 2009. Retrieved February 3, 2014. 
  36. ↑ "Mushi-shi: The Complete Series". Amazon. Retrieved February 3, 2014. 
  37. ↑ "Mushi-Shi: The Complete Box Set (Viridian Collection)". Amazon. Retrieved February 3, 2014. 
  38. ↑ "Mushi-Shi: The Complete Collection". Amazon. Retrieved February 3, 2014. 
  39. ↑ "Mushi-Shi The Complete Collection - S.A.V.E.". Funimation. Retrieved February 3, 2014. 
  40. ↑ Moure, Dani (November 28, 2007). "Mushishi Vol. #1 (also w/starter set)". Mania Entertainment. Retrieved February 3, 2014. 
  41. ↑ "Mushishi Vol. #6". Mania Entertainment. Retrieved February 3, 2014. 
  42. ↑ "AVcon Madman New Acquisitions". Anime News Network. July 23, 2007. Retrieved February 3, 2014. 
  43. ↑ "Mushishi Collection (Fatpack)". Madman Entertainment. Retrieved February 3, 2014. 
  44. ↑ "Mushishi Manga Gets 1-Hour Anime Special In January". Anime News Network. November 20, 2013. Retrieved 2 December 2013. 
  45. ↑ "Mushishi Anime Gets 2nd Season in April". Anime News Network. January 4, 2013. Retrieved January 4, 2013. 
  46. ↑ 46.0 46.1 "Paprika, Mushishi Compete in Venice". Anime News Network. July 28, 2006. Retrieved July 30, 2006. 
  47. ↑ Gpara staff (November 20, 2007). "「蟲師」の深く静かな世界を体験！DS『蟲師　～天降る里～』" (in Japanese). Gpara. Retrieved April 22, 2012. 
  48. ↑ "2003 [7th] Japan Media Arts Festival – Excellence Prize MUSHISHI". Archived from the original on March 17, 2007. Retrieved May 3, 2007. 
  49. ↑ "過去の受賞者一覧 : 講談社漫画賞 : 講談社「おもしろくて、ためになる」出版を" (in Japanese). Kodansha. Archived from the original on August 23, 2007. Retrieved August 21, 2007. 
  50. ↑ (Japanese) "文化庁メディア芸術祭10周年企画アンケート日本のメディア芸術100選　結果発表". Archived from the original on February 3, 2007. Retrieved May 3, 2007. 
  51. ↑ "東京国際アニメフェア2006" (in Japanese). Tokyo International Anime Fair. Archived from the original on April 10, 2006. Retrieved July 30, 2006. 
  52. ↑ "The Top 50 Manga Series". Japan's Agency for Cultural Affairs. Retrieved January 28, 2014. 
  53. ↑ "Top Anime Rankings". Japan's Agency for Cultural Affairs. Retrieved January 28, 2014. 
  54. ↑ "YALSA Announces Great Graphic Novel List". ICv2. January 17, 2008. Retrieved January 28, 2014. 
  55. ↑ "「蟲師」オダギリ主演で実写映画化". Sponichi. July 26, 2006. Archived from the original on October 21, 2006. Retrieved February 2, 2014. 
  56. ↑ "Japanese Comic Ranking, February 26–March 3". Anime News Network. March 4, 2008. Retrieved January 28, 2014. 
  57. ↑ "Japanese Comic Ranking, November 26-December 2". Anime News Network. December 11, 2008. Retrieved January 28, 2014. 
  58. ↑ "Amazon Japan 2007 First Half Books Ranking". Comipress. July 3, 2007. Retrieved January 28, 2014. 
  59. ↑ "Top-Selling Manga in Japan by Volume: 1st Half of 2009 (Updated)". Anime News Network. June 15, 2009. Retrieved January 28, 2014. 
  60. ↑ "Top 300 Graphic Novels Actual--December 2008". ICv2. Retrieved January 28, 2014. 
  61. ↑ "Top 300 Graphic Novels Actual--June 2009". ICv2. Retrieved January 28, 2014. 
  62. ↑ Brown, Todd (September 17, 2006). "TIFF Report: Bugmaster Review". Twitch Film. Retrieved January 28, 2014. 
  63. ↑ "Japanese Box Office Update". Anime News Network. March 26, 2007. Retrieved January 28, 2014. 
  64. ↑ "2007 Japan Yearly Box Office Results". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved January 28, 2014. 
  65. ↑ "Mushishi, Dororo Adaptations Win at Sitges Film Festival". Anime News Network. October 13, 2007. Retrieved January 28, 2014. 
  66. ↑ 66.0 66.1 Sullivan, Tony. "Bugmaster (2006) Film Review". Eye for Film. Retrieved January 28, 2014. 
  67. ↑ 67.0 67.1 Schilling, Mark (March 23, 2007). "Mushishi". The Japan Times. Retrieved January 28, 2014. 
  68. ↑ 68.0 68.1 Elley, Derek (September 8, 2006). "Review: ‘Bugmaster’". Variety. Retrieved January 28, 2014. 
  69. ↑ Martin, Theron; Kimlinger, Carl. "Anime in America: The Best (And Worst) Of 2007". Anime News Network. Retrieved February 3, 2014. 
  70. ↑ Isler, Ramsey (December 22, 2007). "The Top Ten Anime of 2007". IGN. Ziff Davis Media. Retrieved February 3, 2014. 
  71. ↑ Thompson, Jason (September 29, 2009). "365 Days of Manga, Day 14: Mushishi - Suvudu - Science Fiction and Fantasy Books, Movies, and Games". Suvudu. Retrieved February 5, 2010. 

Further reading

External links

Films directed by Katsuhiro Otomo
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