Otakuism

Story:

This volume continues the adventures of the wandering mushishi Ginko as he further deals with even weirder mushi. He searches for a lost mushishi who is also the master of a mushi-infested mountain. A girl with a forbidden mushi sealed inside her body objects to killing mushi. A village girl is called a god after a mushi enables her to die and be reborn everyday. A man goes in hunt of a living rainbow in the memory of his father. And, a woman expecting to have a healthy child instead gives birth to a deadly mushi with hostile intentions toward humans.

Impressions:

Volume two has just made me love mushishi more. The tales this time are even more varied and fantastical. Mushi are still at the center of the story, but are mixed with tales of human tragedy and love which makes the stories all the more poignant. The final story, about the woman that gives birth to mushi, is the best yet. It turns into a classic horror tale that examines both the nature of love and self-preservation. The mushi in this story is the best example yet of mushi as living beings akin to any other animal. The artwork continues to be gorgeous and I greatly enjoy the medieval Japan presentation. Still wondering why Ginko wears turtle necks, though. The only complaint I have with Mushishi is I can’t read more of it right away. According to Rightstuf, the next volume doesn’t come out ’till January! That just won’t do. I’m really starting to regret I didn’t watch Mushishi when it first aired. It seemed promising, but I didn’t have enough time to keep up with it. Looks like my best chance now is to wait till the boxset comes out. Anything for more Mushishi, I guess.