I’ve got one fundamental problem with the Mushishi OVA. The budget has been increased, in order to be able to display some nifty action-scenes in which Ginko also plays a big role.
NOT. A. GOOD. IDEA. Mushishi’s strength lies in its atmosphere and the heavy drama it introduces. Action doesn’t belong in it, as it also introduces one nasty little bugger: the Deus ex Machina. Why the heck did the storm clear up just in time to save Ginko?! The series at least understood how to put Ginko in at least a bit of a struggle, like letting him drown in quicksand in order to come out of it on his own strength a couple of hours later. Or letting him fall asleep for an entire winter. Ginko’s brilliance lies in the fact that he’s the medium between the Mushi and the real main characters of each story.
That aside, the theme of this episode was once again magnificent. We have this island. Right next to this island, there’s a strange rock formation. Inside that rock lives a Mushi who feeds on the time, lived by creatures. So, let’s say that a dying person gets dumped near that Mushi, the Mushi catches it, and turns it back into the embryo. This way, that person can live his or her life once again.
The people on the island know this. It’s very common to see a person being reborn and people often let family members who are about to die be dumped near the Mushi. Same story with the main character, Mio. She’s given birth of her own mother. She’s probably one of the few people who has troubles with the system on the island. She already said goodbye to her mother, and now she refuses to raise someone who’s already dead. She therefore decided not to see this girl as her mother, but as her daughter.
Still, she’s struggling with this. As she grew up, her daughter began to look more and more as her mother, which really make her think about who she had been raising all this time. Her daughter (she’s too cute, by the way), however, talks about this like it’s nothing at all. When she explains about other cases which happened on the island, you really start to think about what it means to live. After all, you won’t have to be afraid of dying, as you return any time.
But then again, the only thing that remains the same is the embryo. People do get raised differently. People have different memories. The fact that the child looked so much like the mother was just Mio overreacting. She begin to look at every tiny little detail, and then she noticed similarities. So, what if you do get sick, and what if you do decide to go to the Mushi before you die. Can you with 100% certainty say that you will be the one who’s reborn? This is a thing that most of the islanders seem to forget. We even have a guy, who lost his wife in the sea. He then waited for ten years in order to remarry her, and now they’ve been living together for quite a long time. It’s just like Disgaea, in a certain way.
I liked the relationship that the Mio had with her daughter. The daughter was very bright and cheerful. At times, she would be able to talk with her mother on equal level. She was raised very well, as she did seem to understand that she wasn’t the same as her grandmother. The reaction of Mio’s mother when she was about to die also was quite interesting. It seems that she had decided to be reborn again. That she didn’t want to disappear. I wonder, if Mio’s daughter is put in the same situation when she gets old. Would she also react the same way? It totally depends on the things she experienced in her life.
Overall, the theme in this episode was exceptionally well done. Mushishi surely delivers in that aspect. Mio was awesome, her daughter was even more awesome. The only speck on the window was the climax.
Memorable moment: When the daughter jumped recklessly after Mio. It only showed more of her awesomeness. 🙂
