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REVIEW: Mushishi DVD 1


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JackCox



Joined: 22 Jun 2006
Posts: 386
PostPosted: Mon Jul 30, 2007 11:29 pm Reply with quote
Show of the year, by far, It is probably the best show I can think of that will come out this year. In terms of how beautifully drawn it is, how fantastic the story and concepts are. The opening to this show is fantastic, The Sore feet song by Ally Kerr is a really soothing melody that fits well with this show.
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DmonHiro





PostPosted: Mon Jul 30, 2007 11:36 pm Reply with quote
So it has no thrils, no drama and no laughter. SO WHY WOULD I WATCH IT?
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JackCox



Joined: 22 Jun 2006
Posts: 386
PostPosted: Mon Jul 30, 2007 11:41 pm Reply with quote
The reason this show is so popular is because it's finally a breathe of fresh air for anime fans, There are a lot of people who are tired of having generic anime plots rammed down their throats and hearing non-stop about this moe craze. I love Mushi-shi because it feels like a real human story and it feels like something you can relate to at least in some of the episodes, The fact is this show is humanizing and it paints a great stroke of brilliance right across it's canvas. This is a fantastic masterwork and it hasn't been in the top 10 of both Anime and Manga without any reason whatsoever. It is because the plot is something that is not something that is predictable, it is original and it's very difficult to get an original story like this out of thin air.
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Pepperidge



Joined: 13 Sep 2003
Posts: 1106
Location: British Columbia, Canada
PostPosted: Mon Jul 30, 2007 11:45 pm Reply with quote
DmonHiro wrote:
So it has no thrils, no drama and no laughter.


Oh, there is laughter. The show definitely isn't above punctuating a serious scene with a humourous expression or observation.

Definitely the best show FUNimation has ever picked up. Well worth your money.
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DmonHiro





PostPosted: Tue Jul 31, 2007 12:15 am Reply with quote
Well, might as well check out an episode or two, see what all the fuss is about.
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Dargonxtc



Joined: 13 Apr 2006
Posts: 4463
Location: Nc5xd7+ スターダストの海洋
PostPosted: Tue Jul 31, 2007 12:38 am Reply with quote
I have enjoyed volume one immensely. It really is a breath of freash air on many different levels and aspects.

The only problem is the wait till V.2. Anime catgrin
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saini85



Joined: 23 Oct 2005
Posts: 25
PostPosted: Tue Jul 31, 2007 1:04 am Reply with quote
DmonHiro wrote:
So it has no thrils, no drama and no laughter. SO WHY WOULD I WATCH IT?


Well I think the reviewer meant that there are no cheap thrills or contrived drama, which usually results from recycled plots that we have seen in numerous shows. Despite its episodic nature, mushishi is fresh and completely engrossing in each of its stories. The show manages to show fantasy with such realism that you can't help but be pulled in. I would recommend this show to anyone looking for something original.
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bahamut623



Joined: 23 Jun 2005
Posts: 1463
PostPosted: Tue Jul 31, 2007 1:04 am Reply with quote
You didn't really mention one of the best aspects of the show. You mentioned the artistry, but not the actual animation. The first thing that jumps out at you is that the show obviously has a higher frame rate than just about every other series out there; two times as much IIRC.
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CMB



Joined: 12 Sep 2006
Posts: 44
Location: Lock Haven, Pa.
PostPosted: Tue Jul 31, 2007 1:04 am Reply with quote
This is one to own. It's one of the best. If you watch you will agree. Very Happy
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Goodpenguin



Joined: 02 Jul 2007
Posts: 457
Location: Hunt Valley, MD
PostPosted: Tue Jul 31, 2007 1:35 am Reply with quote
If you enjoy anime for its visual composition aspects, this is a high-light series. No major draw-backs to it, though if you're decently familiar with the (literary) fantasy genre you will notice a lot of well-tread material. However, it does avoid the heavy-handed/pompous storytelling traps that other episodic fantasies such as 'Kino's Journey' fell in to (Here and there it gets slightly pretentious, but nothing major).

A strong effort in visual story-telling, even if the fantasy seems a little familiar at times.
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Tony K.
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Joined: 18 Nov 2003
Posts: 11440
Location: Frisco, TX
PostPosted: Tue Jul 31, 2007 1:52 am Reply with quote
Ahem, allow me to shamelessly self-promote my thread for extensive coverage of the entire series. Granted, I've only got the first episode covered, but I think I got overzealous having received the starter set well in advance of the official release date (like a week and half before).

Hopefully, now that it's actually out all over the U.S., my thread will make more sense and will thrive more so than it already has (though 700 views from just 15 posts is amazing in itself, I guess my verbose presentation worked somewhat Anime catgrin + sweatdrop). I'll try to update it with a synopsis and analysis of the remaining four episodes soon.

Great review. I agree this will be series of the year. Please read my thread if you have any general questions or just want some really in-depth coverage.
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daedelus



Joined: 07 Apr 2007
Posts: 743
Location: Texas City, TX (ajd: 6/11/05)
PostPosted: Tue Jul 31, 2007 4:08 am Reply with quote
Well, that settles it.

Before tonight, I only had a passing curiosity about this title. Now, after Carl's positively beaming review and all of this super-positive feedback, I now must buy and watch this show.

I'm a sucker for positive feedback. Anime smile
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belisarius



Joined: 29 Jul 2005
Posts: 203
Location: Concord, NC
PostPosted: Tue Jul 31, 2007 8:45 am Reply with quote
Tony K. wrote:
Great review. I agree this will be series of the year. Please read my thread if you have any general questions or just want some really in-depth coverage.


Series of the Year? Probably not. Most over looked series of the year? Almost certainly. I'm not sure by what criteria you're going on, and I have no problem with saying it's going to be your personal favorite of the year, but the disconnect between critics and your average fan is rather large. While I'm thrilled Funimation took a shot and licensed this show, I wouldn't be surprised at all if they wound up losing money on it. Consider that last year's "American Anime Awards" (Presented by ADV) gave best series to Fullmetal Alchemist, a show that began airing in 2004 and best comedy went to FLCL, a show that had been domestically available for even longer. To be sure, there's a lot to like about Mushishi, especially from an artistic perspective, but I'm relatively certain this isn't a title the mainstream is going to be buying.

That said, I stopped watching the fansubs about 1/2 way through and although I enjoyed the artistic direction of the show and the originality (relatively speaking) of the concept, I felt they made a mistake by making the show strictly episodic. The recurring bits about Ginko's past were interesting, but outside of one episode were never explored to my satisfaction. I have gotten the impression from friends who continued watching the show that the lack of a long term story arc continued to be an issue. It seemed a lot like wasted potential to me, frankly, especially when the plot for almost every episode is "Ginko finds or is found by some people having mushishi related problems. Most times he helps them, sometimes he can't." That's it. The ideas and musing in each episode are indeed intriguing, however, how deeply can one ruminate over the course of 22 minutes of animation? I think that had the anime adaptation tried to develop some sort of unifying theme or some elements of a long term story, the show would have been even better.
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Sokol



Joined: 27 Dec 2006
Posts: 19
Location: Toronto
PostPosted: Tue Jul 31, 2007 8:55 am Reply with quote
I have to agree with Daedelus, the plot and story do look very attractive.

I'll definitely look into in near future.
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Damius



Joined: 06 Jul 2006
Posts: 79
Location: Montreal, Canada
PostPosted: Tue Jul 31, 2007 9:59 am Reply with quote
A wonderful serie, definitely in my top 10 for a long long time.. if not ever
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