Manga Review

Mushishi

Volume 1

Yuki Urushibara

2000, Kodansha, Tokyo

William Flanagan (English Adaptation)

2007, Del Rey, New York

Supernatural/ horror

10 /10 stars

            Ages ago, when the first life forms were crawling from the Primordial soup, all living beings were virtually identical.  But as time moved on and plants, insects and animals began to develop, one life form remained the same – the mushi.

 More bacteria than fungus, the mushi have co-existed with humans for so long that we’ve practically forgotten them.  Yet the forms mushi can take are endless, and it’s not always in our best interest to look the other way.  That’s where Ginko comes in.  A young man who’s less than ordinary himself, Ginko is a Mushishi, a mushi master, who travels from town to town acting as a mediator between humans and mushi.

 When mushi come into contact with man, the result is usually either pestilent or terrifying (or both), causing quandaries such as a man who dreams death upon his village, a young girl whose eyes are eaten by darkness, or a woman who is melting into a living swamp.  Ginko’s advice is usually right, and he’s often the only Mushishi within shouting distance anyway – but just how capable this self-assured mushi master is remains to be tested.  His patients can rest assured of one thing; Ginko is no more on their side than the mushi’s.

 Mushishi is a fantastic, thrilling story that you should read, even if it’s the last thing you ever do.  Even if you must use up your death wish, say, “Bring me Mushishi, Gilberto!”  Not the Mushishi Ginko himself, of course, unless you’re plagued by the semi-existent mushi, but the manga.  Volume 1, to be precise.  I can’t vouch for the rest of the series, unless it’s as good as Volume 1, and in that case, go for it.

 Rarely is a debut manga so perfect.  Yes, Mushishi has its flaws, but in total it’s so great that any score less than 10 would be selling it short.  When I first began reading, the thought struck me that Yuki Urushibara can’t actually draw.  Not so, I realised later.  Her characters are often roughly, simply drawn, but as to capture flawlessly an expression or sentiment.  Yuki pays equal attention to the mushi, plants and animals as she does her characters, and her backgrounds, usually stunning mountain views, snow-clad villages or deep forest, are lush and engaging.  The art allows the story a smoothness all too uncommon in manga and other comics.

 The story itself ranges from exciting to nerve-wracking, chilling to haunting, sorrow to relief.  It’s a bonza story, full of folk lore horror in the fashion of xxxHolic.  There’s ten volumes all told, and they’re fairly fat to look at (230 pages apiece), but this is a series packed to the glass eyeballs with content.

 While the folklore horror/ supernatural genre isn’t for everyone, Yuki’s gentle, resounding story telling is sure to woo the harshest of critics.  Doctor, doctor, I’ve got these chills – give me a prescription for Mushishi Volume 2?