Mushishi: Hihamukage

The entire countryside comes to a halt midday to witness a rare solar eclipse that is rumored to allow the average person to see Mushi. Unable to avert their gaze, the air is full of awe and wonder—but those who know the Mushi are preparing for the eclipse's aftermath.

Based on a prediction from Tanyuu Karibusa, the cursed recorder, Mushishi Ginko finds himself in a very unlucky farming village. Immediately following the solar eclipse, a strange black cloud begins to gather in the sky and blocks the sun once more. Suspecting it to be the work of a Mushi known as Hihami, Ginko seeks to liberate the village from perpetual darkness. However, it seems that not all of the villagers are eager to return to the light.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Ginko Main

Nakano, Yuto Japanese

Hiyori Main

Watanabe, Yuuna Japanese

Karibusa, Tanyuu ing

Kobayashi, Ai Japanese

Adashino ing

Ueda, Yuuji Japanese

Narrator ing

Doi, Mika Japanese

Hinata ing

Sasaki, Rio Japanese

Tama ing

Abe, Ai Producer

Tsuchiya, Junichirou Producer

Odagiri, Narumi Assistant Producer

Nagahama, Hiroshi Director, Episode Director, Storyboard

Reviews

Apr 15, 2014

Veronin

Recommended

Nearly a decade later, the anime industry has seen a sequel to the beloved Mushishi adaptation. It's rare enough for any anime to receive a sequel, but after eight long years? Did anyone expect there to ever be more Ginko on-screen? I certainly did not. But it seems Ginko's absence has not made him any more weary than before.

Mushishi: Hihamukage, the first instalment in a larger second season, details Ginko's experience in a village approaching disaster. The sun in the surrounding area has been been blocked by a Mushi, creating eternal darkness and a scarcity of food. With the winter around the corner, total ... annihilation seems inevitable.

Making matters worse, one of the village's children has run away from home. As her disease makes any source of sunlight hazardous to her skin, she is kept inside by her father for protection. Always. She is not allowed to leave the house-- not even to interact with other villagers. She resents her father for keeping her locked in a personal hell, and she resents her sister, too, for living the life she could not have. When the sun is mysteriously blocked, she takes the opportunity to finally see the outside world. She does not care if her family is worried. She simply wants to live.

Hihamukage is immediately recognisable for its tense and melancholic atmosphere. It is not the story itself that stands out (although it's just fine), but the mood. Mushishi has always been a series about mood. It is less about making you ponder and more about making you feel. It achieves this through subtlety rather than through ghosts and monsters and long walks through abandoned hospitals. Ginko and those he meets behave rationally. They are flawed people, certainly, but their motives are always justified. It does not need axe-wielding murderers and sharp, piercing sounds to unsettle you. Mushishi holds itself to a higher standard than that.

If there is anything to take issue with, it might be the stubbornness of the run-away girl. She is not a likeable character in the least. She treats her father like garbage without ever trying to understand his motives (what else could he do in this situation?) and throws insults upon her sister merely out of childish jealousy. But isn't that how it should be? She's a young, broken child who is afraid of the world around her. She doesn't know how to behave like a normal girl because she was never raised as one. She can't pretend to be happy when she is clearly hurting inside. The characters in Mushishi are designed as humans rather than as plot-devices. If there is any character to be given more than a moment of screen-time, they will become fully developed, three-dimensional characters by the end of the episode. Mushishi does not add anything without meaning. It is focused in its simplicity.

What about Ginko, then? He is as he's always been. He tells people directly when they are being foolish and states the facts without regard for the listener's emotions. He is kind-hearted but not motivated solely out of a kind-heartedness. Dealing with Mushi is Ginko's job-- not an altruistic desire to better the lives of everyone he meets. There is a lot of maturity to Ginko's character, especially when the majority of anime protagonists fall into the dichotomy of either 'selfless saint' or 'anti-hero'.

Hihamukage is visually appealing. It may not have the budget of a big film, but it never really needed such a thing in the first place. The background artwork is beautiful even in the apocalyptic darkness and the eclipse looks absolutely terrifying. The only major problem with the visuals is that there many scenes with the characters' faces drawn blank. It seems very out-of-place for an anime that pays so much attention to detail. There is also a lack of animation, with regular panning shots and still-frames, but perhaps that is simply a way to intensify the mood.

Mushishi is known for its stellar soundtrack, and Hihamukage does not disappoint in that regard. There's a very mystical, perhaps even dream-like quality to the music. It is also only used during the important scenes (with ambient sound or silence occupying the rest), which serves well to make each track effective and meaningful. Many times an anime will have either no noticeable music or too much of it, with loud, turgid orchestral pieces stealing the audience's attention (Shingeki no Kyojin, I'm looking at you). Mushishi strikes a nice balance. It is confident with itself but never pompous.

Any fan of Mushishi will find plenty to enjoy with Hihamukage. But how does it compare to the main series? Is it better? Is it worse? ... Does it even really matter? There's enough satisfaction in simply seeing Ginko's adventures once again. A protagonist so well-written could make even the mediocre seem brilliant. If Hihamukage is any indication, Ginko's return looks to be a strong one.

Reviewer’s Rating: 8

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Jan 4, 2014

Xiaraith

Recommended

Do not take anything for granted, not even life itself. This simple yet profound message is splendidly conveyed by another episode of the calming drug called "Mushishi". What an adventure this series has been; watching Ginko investigating various mushi species in a clever but always comprehensible way, not only curing every human in need of help whatever their origin, but also depicting the essence of life.

An anime not for everyone, to say the least, but certainly for anyone who wants to shed light on human mysteries. Ginko as our protagonist, being the most sincere and suave guy you could probably imagine, doesn't miss a chance ... to research the nature of the mushi. In this special "Hihamukage", he comes into a village which suffers from an unnatural darkness caused by an eternal eclipse. How is this possible and are there any mushi involved in this perilous situation caused by the missing sunlight? Ginko knows that you can't take anything for granted, therefore he has to do two things: convince the people of his earnest actions and restore the state being thought of as granted, where there's enough sunlight for life to flourish. The story is as innovative as it has been the whole series along, and the mystery stays on a level for itself.
It's also a delight to see that the side characters aren't only there for being treated, but in the case of two quite different sisters also illustrate the correlation between humans and mushi and therefore nature itself.

Mushishi takes place inside lush landscapes full of life and bizarre sounds. Upon entering a calm state, the viewer will find themselves immersing right into this vast universe where humans live an uncomplicated yet fierce life. The smooth soundtrack expresses everything it is supposed to and invigorates the general mood in a positive way.

If you are a fan of the series, there's no reason to miss this beautiful special. Ginko hasn't lost anything of his awesomeness and the world is shown as mysterious as ever. Definitely a pleasure for the senses and a formidable way to promote the sequel.

Reviewer’s Rating: 9

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Nov 5, 2021

Resting_Bonfire

Mixed Feelings

Mushishi: Hihamukage

Contrary to my expectations, this season of Mushishi surprised me considerably.

Despite everything, the Ova possessed one of the more interesting approaches in this story. With equally one of the more interesting Mushi.

Honestly, this episode didn't feel like 40 minutes, it flew by relatively quickly. Whereas some normal episodes feel like half a day.


The plot about the eclipse and the two sisters had a certain charm, especially with the allegorical representation of the event. This was also narratively one of the smarter episodes, in of morality and depth as well.
...

Predominantly, however, nothing happened in this Ova, it was only character-driven and the Mushi was already almost trivial. Even if the plot had to do with his influence, this was mostly character drama.

Enjoyment 6

Reviewer’s Rating: 6

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