Come as You Are, Be as You Will

 Why do wasps exist on this planet? Of course, I'm well aware there's a long scientific answer to the question that I don't really want to get into right now. And there's also the shorter, more condensed answers about the “circle of life” or “everything is God's precious creation,” but in all honesty, those answers have never never done anything for me. Wasps sting. Often without provocation. They get into your pop while you're trying to have a picnic and get stuck in your mini-blinds in the summer, and cause pain that in my book isn't worth the sweetness of their honey and pollination assisting. Leave that to the more mild mannered honey bees and bumblebees, who are much better at minding their own business.

Do all things really have a place? Do all plants and animals and even people have the right to simply be as they are without interruption?

These are some the questions at the heart of Mushishi, an episodic supernatural story which follows Ginko, and expert on spiritual beings called Mushi, as he travels the world investigating issues caused by the presence of these spirits. Mushi, as described by the show, are creatures in touch with the basic essence of life, who are simple and pure, and simply try to seek out conditions where they can survive. Most humans can't see them, but that doesn't mean they don't influence the lives of humans. In some cases, spiritually aware people such as Ginko attract them like a magnet and cause them to overpopulate an area. In others, humans can simply go on living their human lives and either provide Mushi with a suitable environment to the detriment of their own health (in the case of possessions or infestations), knowingly or unknowingly abuse them, or wander upon their habitat unawares.

Ginko, our resident wise man in regards to Mushi and their potential place in the world

The trouble with Mushi, though they are not inherently malevolent, is that they more often than not negatively affect humans. They can take over their bodies, eat their memories, grant them problematic powers, or harm loved ones. These are several things they are driven to do by their primal need to survive. For example, one Mushi feeds on sounds, and needs to implant itself in the ears of others in order to consume its food, though this in turn steals the hearing of the person hosting it.

Ginko is well aware of the dangers of Mushi, but at the same time does not seek to destroy them as some of the other Mushi-shi do. When they interfere negatively in the lives of humans, he will often stop them and kill them if he has to, but at the same time, he recognizes them for their lack of malevolence and that their actions are simply 'being as they are.' And if that state of being can be monitored and kept in line so people are not hurt by their actions, then he sees no reason to exterminate them as a whole.

One of the forms of Mushi, though they can have various forms depending on their species

That being said, every episode follows Ginko as he deals with a problematic Mushi, and the ones with more adverse influences on humans (one that implants itself into the wombs of mothers, for example) need to be handled with more decisive action than others. There is no overarching plotline, so the episodes can watched in any order, though I recommend at least watching Episode 1 first since it has the clearest description of Mushi as well as Ginko's role in investigating them. Unlike other supernatural stories of a similar kind (xxxHolic, Natsume Yuujinchou, Tactics, etc), the spirits' bodily influence on human can oftentimes be disturbing, so the faint of heart should stay away if the thought of a bodily invasion seems unappealing.

For example, this Mushi lives in eyeballs. And in spite of my CLAMP fetish, I actually think anything odd involving eyeballs is gross.  Luckily, I know when to avert my own.

There are also very few repeated characters (though the character design for younger boys is generally recycled), and we spend most of our time with Ginko and whoever his latest client is. Ginko himself is fairly quiet and sometimes emotionally distant, but his actions provide clues to his personality, which favors neither humans nor Mushi, but sees the purpose, flaws, and desires of both. He realizes humans often make foolish mistakes and underestimate the power of Mushi when they seek to abuse them (such as one who uses a Mushi to make his daughter into a living God), but at the same time wants them to be able to live in peace and happiness. In one episode, he discovers a village where a Mushi makes it possible to turn dying people into embryos so that they can be reborn, and does not exterminate the Mushi against his better judgment because he wants the people to realize for themselves whether or not rebirth will make their loved ones happy. In a similar vein, he also does not destroy certain Mushi who possess dead bodies in order to travel to the habitat they cannot reach on their own, because the Mushi do not defile the dead bodies as much as the living humans who try to chain the dead to their new life after their possessions.

Ginko is a strongly internal character, but still easy to like, which makes traveling with him throughout the whole series enjoyable. As stated earlier, he is not someone who forces his ideals down other people's throats, but shows his thoughts through his actions and the choices he makes in regards to human and Mushi.

Ginko's in your village, glaring at your bratty children.

As a supernatural fan, I enjoyed the message, simplicity, and artistry of the show, which much more thought-provoking and interesting than some of the more moe or heavily action packed shows that leave little room for intense thought. On the other hand, after watching more quickly-paced shows, it can often be hard to maintain patience through the slower-paced Mushishi, which unfolds gradually, oftentimes with little physical action or dialogue. Its pace and episodic nature makes it a great show to sprinkle in between episodes of other series', but it will require greater patience than shows where one thing happens right after the other.

Mushishi also has a unique soundtrack. The opening theme is English language, the closing theme switches instrumentals with every episode, and rather than traditional score, most of the compositions played during the episodes are inspired by the slow and gradual clanging of bells. This would never work in other series, but in Mushishi, where the world's silence and slowness of life is emphasized, it works to optimum effect, and the OST is actually a great listen.

If you love folklore and supernatural stories, Mushishi is a must. It's beautifully directed and written, and each story will give you something to chew over at its conclusion. While it may not be an edge-of-your-seat show, it is an excellent piece of spiritualism, philosophy, and speculation on the nature of how humans relate to what exists around them. Not all the stories have happy endings, but each does its best to provide hope for the future where people (and Mushi) will be able to get along with their environment without disturbing or harming it through the ways they 'be as they are'.

The natural world has its dangers, but is a rather beautiful place, after all.

I exist in this world. And as much as I dislike them, so too do wasps. I am as I am, and wasps are as they are, and although they sting me, I also bring harm them and their environment through my actions. Is one of us more purposeful or worthy than the other? The fact remains that I am stronger, so when it comes down to a conflict between us, chances are I will win. But that does not mean wasps should not exist for being weaker and I should abuse the fact that I am stronger. As Ginko says, “Don't let yourself be blinded by fear or anger. Everything is only as it is.”