I would call them teasers, but I think it’s a bit late for that. I wanted to let it sit for a bit anyway. Mushi-Shi is, after all, a continuation of not just something very good but of one of the only anime I’ve ever seen that gets the prestige of suggestion without qualification. There’s no part of the first series that makes me go, “This is good except this part.” That’s a lot to live up to.
And, so far, we’re on the right track. Mushi-Shi did, and does I guess, many things very right. There’s a undercurrent of reverence for the little things that make life possible, beautiful, scary, and unique. That comes with a solid atmosphere that that undercurrent wouldn’t work without. The mushi designs are still some of my favorite creature designs. The effect of making most of them look like dust motes or floaters you can’t ever seem to focus on properly hold on in this one, and the inclusion of so many always gives the sense that there’s more to learn. When Ginko is explaining mushi in general while the little white puffs float by, you wonder what they are and what stories there are about them. Some will be simple, some will be beautiful, some will be terrifying, and it’s all so interesting to learn about that you can’t wait for the next story. And if this series can generate the beautiful pathos and catharsis that the last series did, we’re in for more incredible stuff.
Like before, it’s almost like the author, Yuki Urushibara, is creating her own folklore. The mushi are like folklore creature, and the stories they create with people are exactly like old myths and legends. It splits the difference between mysticism and science in a way that creates such a unique world and way of viewing it.
If there’s anything I’m hesitant about, it would be music. Not because it’s bad by any stretch, but because we heard so little of it in this episode. The first series has an amazing soundtrack. Every track is worthwhile and evokes emotion so well. “Bound for Bonfire Field” has such great intensity, “The Dew Consuming Swarm,” despite it’s name, is this very sad track. You can feel the weight of something so bittersweet building inside you as you listen to it. I want to hear more of this season’s music before I can weigh in on it.
Mushi-Shi: Zoku Shou is airing on Fridays. You owe it to yourself to check it out.
One Pixel Jump 