Print Review: Mushishi volumes 1-3

Review Mushihi volumes 1-3Written by WarpshadowRating very good

Mushishi is an interesting and innovative twist on the horror genre. I liked it and I have the feeling that there are a good share of people who will like this even more than I did.

There are beings which are neither plant or animal, alive nor dead, which are simply called Mushi. Although Mushi are beings that are mysterious and fantastical one trait that many of them share is that Mushi often act as parasites. When they infect humans they can cause all sorts of trouble, ranging from giving their victims afflictions that eat silence to making them die and be reborn daily. As strange as the Mushi are there are those that can alleviate the suffering that they cause, the Mushishi. Ginko is a traveling Mushishi and this manga is the story of his travels.

Mushishi is a collection of stories that defy genre as they often contain elements of horror, traditional folklore, and medical drama. The one thing that the stories aren't is cliché or repetitive as there is a good mix of tragedies and happy endings. Even when the stories lean towards horror it is a very different type of horror as Mushi are more alien and less pointlessly malevolent than your typical horror creepy crawly. While most reviews of anthologies type stories, mine or others that I have read, either are formulaic to the point of killing interest in later stories or are such a mixed bag that the review is almost pointless Mushi is a collection of good and varied stories.