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Mushishi - Blog Posts
I love how Mushi-shi (the anime) depicts chronic illness through the paranormal and abstract. Ginko is literally a medicine man, and his clientele are closer to suffering an affliction than experiencing a haunting. He doesn't "exorcise the demons through prayer;" he treats the condition the person is suffering from, which often involves removing the mushi, but sometimes they need to be lived with, and sometimes even a successful treatment can leave lasting damage from the time the mushi resided in the person's body. It's the best depiction of chronic illness I've seen portrayed through an abstract lense. I'm not even learning anything about myself or my life by watching it; I just understand and appreciate each case the show portrays. Part of what sets it apart is that Mushi-shi is very good at depicting the emotional toll of chronic illness without moralizing it. Sometimes chronically ill people die of depression from their conditions, sometimes after you're cured you miss or take joy in certain elements of the disease, having a friend play with you in quarantine is invaluable for your spirit but comes at the deadly risk of contagion. I'm only 4 episodes in but it's really resonating with me. Teenage chronically ill me definitely couldn't handle this show, but 25 year old me loves it.
Alright, this is really specific but for quite some time, I've been thinking about what media that I've watched falls under which Magnus entity. I couldn't really categorise anything under The Hunt until I watched the 4th episode of the second season of the anime Mushishi. For context, Mushishi is about these strange creatures that exist alongside all earthly life called Mushi and sometimes when they interact with humans, it causes some weird things to happen. To solve Mushi-related problems, there are some people who specialise in dealing with them (kind of like doctors and scientists) called Mushishi. The protagonist is a Mushishi named Ginko.
Now, the synopsis of the episode that I'm talking about (titled 'The Hand That Caresses The Night') is this:
A young man has the power to lure animals to him using a scent issuing from his hand. He inherited this power from his father, and it makes hunting easier. But it makes the meat from his prey taste foul. More serious is the risk of losing his mind to the power and confusing family with prey. There's a cure, but will the boy be willing to give up his power?
That's the plot but it really doesn't tell you about the atmosphere of this entire episode. It starts with Ginko entering this mountain forest in the evening or night and almost getting hunted by this dude. The animation, the lighting, the music, it all builds this eerie, unsettling vibe which isn't uncommon for Mushishi, but it feels different in this episode. Like, there's always this bittersweet aspect to all episodes but this one is just so... Different. There's this whole thing about the hunter also being a part of the mountain and the reversal of roles (hunter turned hunted) but all in all, it really captures the feeling of The Hunt well.
I could go on but I think you need to watch it to truly understand what I'm talking about. I'm pretty sure there are plenty of other movies or shows that capture The Hunt but since I adore Mushishi, it came as a pleasant surprise that there was such an episode. You should go watch it! And while you're at it, just watch the whole show-
Psst, here's the link: https://hianime.to/watch/mushishi-the-next-chapter-38?ep=1123&ep=1123
Also, if you watch it, you are obligated to listen to the opening and ending. No watcher of Mushishi skips that. Ever.
I can't explain why but this genuinely brought tears to my eyes.
