Mushishi: The Next Chapter

Episode 15

One of the most notable things about Mushi-Shi's "Next Chapter" over its "first chapter" is how the vignettes have started dovetailing each other where before they seemed more isolated. We were introduced to the "ether of life" that connects human souls to the River of Light (and mushi) last episode, and this time we learn more about exactly how this ether works and why its presence in the human soul needs to be balanced. We learned what could happen to a soul too steeped in ether last time, and in "Thread of Light," we see that consequence firsthand, along with what happens to a soul with too little ether attached.

Gen is a bully, whether he wants to be or not. He's only a child, but he's nearly twice as big and strong as other children his age, and he can't seem to control his anger around them. The other kids say that Gen's mother left because she was afraid of him and is now cowering somewhere off in the mountains. Gen's father assures him that none of that is true, but also refuses to tell him the real reason his mother left when he was a baby. To make matters worse, Gen has begun seeing mushi, which terrifies his father. "Don't tell anyone about this!" he asserts, "You shouldn't be seeing such things." The friendless Gen doesn't like that idea, especially after forming an emotional connection with a jelly-like white mushi he sees drifting over their village night and day. After Gen finds a supernaturally glowing kimono in a back room of his house, his mind starts to wander: "I read once that angels wear clothes without seams in them. This kimono has no seams. Maybe it's an angel, and it's looking for the clothes it lost." We know what happens when humans get too close to mushi, so it seems like Gen is playing with fire.

These people need a Ginko intervention. Of course, the catch is that Ginko already intervened, many years ago! This is basically all his fault, and even the reparative measures he knows don't seem to work on Gen. If he can't solve this problem, who can? The answer is extremely heartwarming, making this one of the mushier episodes of Mushi-Shi in the best kind of way. It's full of twists, turns, sadness, and new visual ideas, but manages to bring it all home to positive effect without feeling cheap. We're back among the series' top shelf material, and I definitely hope we stay there.

Visually, this episode hearkens back to the franchise's more haunting imagery, as Ginko bears witness to something even he's never seen before. Most mushi masters can culture wine (kouki) from the River of Light, but someone interacting with the very ether of life as tiny threads and then spinning cloth out of it is freakish even to the strangest of mushi masters himself. The animators get to show off with the hypnotic movement of these glowing, living threads and how they interact on a loom to form an impossible garment, making "Thread of Light" a beautiful episode from the very first shot.

Thematically, it's hard to say much about the episode without ruining the journey, but it's a hard return to Mushi-Shi's focus on balance, while incorporating the recent themes of "love that transcends time and space" that we've seen communicated throughout the last several episodes. (In this case, the flavor is distinctly "mother's love.") We've seen this idea translated through both dark, curse-like mushi and this new light element of ether, which is fascinating in how "un-mushi" it's been so far. Where mushi are amoral, ether is more directly human in nature, able to be guided and changed by human will for "the power of good," even after mushi have infested it. It is interesting to see Ginko portrayed as "mistaken" or at very least out of his league when it comes to the ether, since its ties to love and family bonds are so alien to Ginko's life. He's an excellent mushi master, but mushi are tiny elements of nature that follow rules reliably. If the ether is more human in its behavior and possibilities, it's way too complicated and unpredictable for Ginko to handle. It's a fascinating, albeit very small, shift in dynamic and it'll be interesting to see if it affects Ginko's methods at all in the future.

Episode 15 is easily the strongest of this fall's Mushi-Shi vignettes since "Cushion of Grass", even if it's simple and sweet in its message. In fact, its message is almost in direct opposition to the POV in "Cushion of Grass," which makes the juxtaposition of mushi against the ether of life (inside of humans specifically) a great surprise turn for the world of Mushi-Shi, and hopefully the character of Ginko as well. We'll see where this goes!

Rating: A

Mushishi: The Next Chapter is currently streaming Crunchyroll.

Hope has been an anime fan since childhood, and likes to chat about cartoons, pop culture, and visual novel dev on Twitter.