“The award winning manga series ‘MUSHI-SHI THE MOVIE’ gets its live film adaptation directed by “AKIRA” and “STEAMBOY” creator Katsuhiro Otomo! Visually, the film is absolutely beautiful and also at times eery, but its also one of those films that requires your full attention because you can easily get lost. If you are fan of the manga or anime series, definitely give this film a try!”
DVD TITLE: MUSHI-SHI THE MOVIE
DURATION: 131 Minutes
DVD INFORMATION: 16:9, Dolby Digital, Japanese 5.1 Dolby Surround, English 5.1 Dolby Surround
COMPANY: FUNimation Entertainment
RATED: TV 14
RELEASE DATE:Â August 18, 2009
Directed by Katsuhiro Otomo
Screenplay by Sadayuki Murai, Katsuhiro Otomo
Executive Produced by Sunmin Park
Co-Produced by Kiyoshi Inoue
Music by Kuniaki Haishima
Cinematography by Takahide Shibanushi
Edited by Soichi Ueno
Art Direction by Noriyoshi Ikeya
Costume Design by Keisuke Chiyoda
Sound Department – Yoshiya Obara
Special Effects – Nobuaki Koga
Starring:
Jo Odagiri as Ginko
Makiko Esumi as Nui
Nao Omori as Nijirou
Yu Aoi as Tanyu
Lily – Inn Owner (Riri)
Makiko Kuno – Maho’s mother
Reia Moriyama as Maho
Hideyuki Inada as Yoki
Baku Numata as Nui’s Husband
Set in turn-of-the-century Japan, the film tells the story of Gunko, a Mushi Master who studies strange strange, tridescent creatures called “Mushi” that can’t be seen by ordinary men. Having lost his memory in a childhood incident he wanders the countryside protecting humans from the illnesses Mushi inflict. He’s summoned to the bedside of a dear friend, who became infected by a Mushi called “Tokoyama”, which lived at the bottom of a pond, and an eyeless fish which lived at the bottom of the Tokoyama called “Ginko”.
Magical, whimsical and eery…Â the award winning manga series “MUSHI-SHI” gets its live film adaptation!
For a decade, manga writer/artist Yuki Urusihibara is known for the award winning series “Mushishi” which was publicized in Kodansha’s “Afternoon” magazine (1999-2008). The manga was eventually adapted into a Japanese animated series and later adapted to a live film by “AKIRA” and “STEAMBOY” creator Katsuhiro Otomo.
The film would star Jo Odagiri (“Shinobi”, “Azumi” and “Kamen Rider Cougar”), Makiko Esumi (“Shomuni” series, “Over Time” and “Love Revolution”), Yu Aoi (“Tokyo!”, “Hachimitsu to Clover” and “Tekkon Kinkreet”) and Nao Omori (“Tokyo!”, “Tekkon Kinkreet” and “Prisoner”).
The film revolves a man named Ginko (Joe Odagiri) who is a Mushi Master (aka Mushi-shi).  He goes around villages and helping cure people who have illnesses caused by “mushi”.  Mushi’s aren’t ghosts but are insect-like creatures that can’t be seen by human eye and are are pure creatures that are part of human life but happen to feed on humans and thus humans unfortunately, are inflicted by blindness, hearing loss and other things that may seem as if the person is possessed. And for Ginko, his job is to protect the people and eliminate their inflictions of mushi.
But Ginko is unusual in terms of a young person’s typical look. Â He has white hair and he happens to attract mushi. Â But each time he visits a village, those who are skeptical are shocked by how he is able to heal people.
So, throughout the film we see Gingko helping a household that has lost their hearing in one ear to a girl who has been haunted by noises that won’t stop and has horns that have grown on her forehead. Â But this is the duty of the mushi-shi and as we get to see Gingko helping various people, we also get to see a bit about his past.
In his past, Ginko was a young boy named Yoki (Hideyuki Inada) and after a tragic incident killed his mother, he is left alone and somewhat raised by a woman named Nui (Makiko Esumi), who is seen as a young woman with white hair and lives in the middle of nowhere by a pond. Â Since Yoki was born with the ability to see mushi, Nui explains to Yoki about the concept of mushi and also Tokoyami. Â Explaining to him of why he should not be around and should leave. Â But Yoki, decides that he wants to be with Nui. Â We are then given many flashbacks which helps give us an understanding of how Yoki became Ginko.
We also get to meet other characters such as Koro (Nao Omori) who is a bridge carpenter that Ginko meets. Â Ginko goal is to find a rainbow that moves around and figuring that they are going towards the same direction, Koro eventually aids Ginko who is planning to visit fellow Mushi-shi named Tanyu (Yu Aoi), who is somehow being weakened by the mushi.
Tanyu is known for her abilities to document via a scroll of how generations of mushi-shi were able to classify various types of mushi and how to eliminated them. Â Tanyu also uses the mushi as the ink for the scrolls (she has the ability to generate mushi as ink) and sealing them and sealing them in the scroll.
But for both men who are going to visit her, what lies ahead is a powerful mushi known as Tokoyami that is so dangerous that it can possibly kill both Ginko and Tanyu.
VIDEO & AUDIO:
“MUSHI-SHI THE MOVIE” definitely deserves high marks for its visual appeal. Â The positive aspects of the film are its breathtaking locations and just overall look. Â Traditional Japan is captured with its lush greenery and its hills along the countryside. Â The DVD captures the film’s grainy appearance at times but the negative aspect is the amount of dust, scratches and film warping. Â There was not a tremendous amount of it but it was visible throughout the film.
The film tends to use lighting effectively. Â From the darkness of its deep blacks and blues to the aged and sometimes burned-like hues, the film seems to have its beautiful and incredible moments, its eery and dark moments and also its vibrant and colorful moments. Â Also, seasons are captured…with Ginko walking through the snow or through a village full of grass. Â But the cinematography by Takahide Shibanushi is absolutely beautiful.
As for audio, the film is presented in Japanese 5.1 Dolby Surround and English 5.1 Dolby Surround. Â I primarily watched the film in Japanese and for the most part, the film is a dialogue-driven film. Â Front and center channel speakers play the dominant role. Â There are some scenes that utilize some bit of action and of course the music by Kuniaki Haishima definitely sets the tone for the film. Â Surround is best utilized during the scenes that feature mushi and are effectively used during the eery scenes. Â As for the English 5.1 Dolby Surround dub, personally it’s more of a preference to watch Japanese live action films in Japanese but I did watch some of the film in English dub and for the most part, FUNimation Entertainment has been good by casting quality voice talent for their anime and the same for their live action films but personally, Its just my preference to watch this film in Japanese.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
“MUSHI-SHI THE MOVIE” comes with the following special features:
- Deleted/Extended Scenes – (9:45) The following deleted and extended scenes are played with the original scenes and those that were removed is featured with the time stamp. Â In Japanese with English subtitles.
- Mushi-Shi Premiere – (5:03) Interviews with the cast and clips of the cast at the premiere of the film. Â In Japanese with English subtitles.
- Original Trailer – (1:50) The theatrical trailer in Japanese with English subtitles.
- Coming Attractions – FUNimation Entertainment trailers
There are major positives and major negatives about “MUSHI-SHI THE MOVIE”.
First, the negatives.  One of the problems that a film like “MUSHI-SHI” would have  is that the film is adapted from a lengthy manga series.  There is a lot of story to tell.  At least with the anime series, there are 26 episodes that can help introduce the various characters and through the many storylines, you can see how those characters are developed.  With the live-film adaption, “MUSHI-SHI THE MOVIE” requires your full attention.  It’s a 131-minute film that is easy for your mind to stray, because for the first hour, you watch this mysterious character named Ginko helping villagers with their problems.
Many Japanese fans of the manga and anime series were quick to post on the Internet that if you know the backstory of “MUSHI-SHI” you would be fine but if you didn’t, you’re going to be lost or even bored. Â I absolutely agree. Â There’s only so much you can do in trying to get so much story into a 131-minute film and there were times during the film that I’m waiting for Ginko to help more villagers but it doesn’t happen. Â We are treated with flashbacks and dialogue about mushi and tokoyami and it is easy to get lost.
As for the positives, the film looks absolutely beautiful. Â The scenery is absolutely breathtaking, the CG is not overdone and works quite well with this film. Â Also, the costume department deserves recognition in order to create that old Japanese style (despite not knowing what time period of Japan the film takes place), everything seems to work just right in terms of achieving the look and feel of “MUSHI-SHI”.
“MUSHI-SHI THE MOVIE” is absolutely breathtaking in visuals and there are moments that may be near borderline horror or too eery for some people.  As one scene depicts a knife going through a person’s arm in order to use the blood of a person to drive away mushi.  It’s a very bloody scene. And in one scene, for one consumed by mushi, seeing their bodies so black that you feel they are covered in tar. Very eery ! So, I wouldn’t necessarily watch this film with young children.
But another positive that one can find in the film is the amount of talent that are in the movie and those behind-the-scenes of the film. Â Joe Odagi, Yu Aoi, Makiko Esumi and Nao Omori are just awesome talents that are quite common to see in Japanese films and dramas and personally, it was great to see “Shomuni” actress Makiko Esumi in such a role. Â And of course, knowing that Katsuhiro Otomo is directing is another major plus for the film.
“MUSHI-SHI THE MOVIE” is one of those films that you want to recommend but at the same time, it all depends on the viewer and if they are the type that can put their entire focus into the intricate details of the film for 131-minutes.  In fact, it’s a film that can easily lose people right at the end.  Even for myself, as I paid close attention to the film, the final 15 minutes of the film, I felt it went over my head and I realized, maybe if I read the manga series or watched the entire anime series, it would all make sense to me or I have to watch it all over again. I guess you can say that at the end of the film, I felt may I have missed something inportant.
“MUSHI-SHI THE MOVIE” does have its share of cool and eery moments (and I emphasize this film does feature beautiful cinematography throughout the film) but I think that “MUSHI-SHI” is a storyline that is best suited for a manga or anime series or even a live action television drama series in which its intricate storyline is deserving of stories that emphasize on the character’s development and could be told in many hours than just 131-minutes.  There’s too much storyline involved with “MUSHI-SHI THE MOVIE” that 131-minutes is clearly, not enough (although I also felt the film was a bit too long) to effectively showcase the storyline and explanation of mushi, tokoyami and even Ginko’s role as Mushi-shi.
Overall, “MUSHI-SHI THE MOVIE” was entertaining and visually wonderful but unfortunately, the storyline may be too difficult for some viewers to comprehend. If you were a big fan of the anime series or the manga series, then “MUSHI-SHI” will definitely worth checking out but for those not familiar with the storyline, it’s a film that will require your full attention.