WYSW: Mushishi

**why you should watch**

I’ve put Mushishi on plenty of my anime/manga rec lists on this blog but have never made a whole post about the anime, and I definitely think it deserves one. (Also, fun fact, this anime is where my profile picture is from! Art is by @leahdrawsstuff​)

Mushishi is the story of Ginko, a mushi master (or mushishi). Mushi are small, magical beings sort of like yokai, except they are not conscious and have no intentions or motivations for anything they do. Therefore, mushi end up being a nuisance some of the time, or even a complete disaster that can lead to death and tragedy. Ginko has been studying mushi for many years, and spends his days traveling around looking for people to help who have been inconvenienced by mushi.

Mushishi is a slice of life seinen anime based on the manga of the same name that takes place around the Edo/Meiji periods of Japan. The show provides a unique look into the historical setting by introducing a ‘magic’ element through the mushi. Also, much of Mushishi’s plot involves historical Japanese cultural elements and circumstances which is a really cool learning opportunity. The show is generally very calm and low-key, however at times the story can get dark and will introduce heavy themes or a sad storyline.

The show is episodic, and because Ginko travels to a new location every episode, the characters besides Ginko rarely ever make a reappearance. There are a few characters here and there that pop up once in a while, but generally Ginko is the only one you’ll see, which is actually pretty great because he’s a very interesting character. There is no overarching plot, but the story keeps you on your toes because each new mushi you meet is different from any other you’ve seen before.

I would highly recommend Mushishi if you’re looking for a low-key, slice of life story. It has two seasons and a movie but is fairly quick to get through in my opinion.

Thanks for reading!

-threecheersforinking

Underrated Manga

Number 3/3: Chichikogusa

Chichikogusa is a manga about a young, single father who is a traveling medicine salesman in the Edo period of Japan. The genre is Slice of Life, and it’s such a beautiful story with very little recognition.

WYSW: The Disastrous Life of Saiki K

Gonna start a new series called Why You Should Watch! Figured I’d start with my favorite underrated comedy, Saiki K!

Reason 1: the humor

Saiki K has such absurd, ridiculous humor that can honestly appeal to anyone! It can be sarcastic, there’s some physical comedy, Saiki is very deadpan as you can see above, etc.

Reason 2: the characters

Every character is an extreme exaggeration of a popular anime trope, or a subversion of a popular media trope, and they are all hilarious. The gif above features Saiki’s parents, who love each other so much that they are competitive with their love for each other.

Reason 3: Saiki is a nice wholesome boi

He can act a bit disinterested and can be focused on himself too much sometimes, but overall Saiki uses his powers for good and is willing to lend a helping hand/embarrass himself in order to help out one of his friends.

Definitely check out Saiki K! It’s on Netflix, but can likely be found elsewhere if you look!

Thanks for reading!

-threecheersforinking

Underrated Manga

Number 2/3: Our Relationship Is(Something About Us)

Our Relationship Is (aka Something About Us, the alternate English title that I actually prefer) is technically a Manhwa, meaning it is by a Korean author (Yunji Lee), and it’s also originally a webcomic, so it’s illustrated in full color.

Underrated Anime Movies 2/?

2/?: Only Yesterday

(this review is SPOILER FREE!!!)

Only Yesterday is a Studio Ghibli movie directed by Isao Takahata, the director of Grave of the Fireflies and Princess Kaguya. Many people are familiar with Studio Ghibli movies such as Spirited Away, Howl’s Moving Castle, and My Neighbor Totoro, but haven’t seen or even heard of Only Yesterday. I am here to change that!

This movie is a slice of life about an adult woman (Taeko) reminiscing about her childhood in flashbacks while she takes a summer job at a safflower farm to take a break from hectic city life.

I don’t know about you, but I’m a sucker for “city person moves to a farm to get a new perspective” stories. I know those narratives tend to over romanticize farm life, but this film actually touches upon that romanticization which is refreshing.

One thing that I really loved about this film is that it’s the first anime I’ve seen that mentions periods/menstruation. I can’t speak for other AFAB people but in my experience, periods were kind of a taboo subject until high school, when most people had already gotten their period and were more mature. This movie explores that specific set of time when you know what menstruation is but haven’t started it yet.

This movie is not at all sad, it’s just extremely wistful and nostalgic. I was able to relate to almost every single situation that Taeko reflects on; in fact I sobbed at so many instances because I was thinking about the comparisons to my own childhood (even though I am a bit younger than adult Taeko is).

Surprisingly, This movie did well at the box office, and maybe it’s well known and liked in Japan but I haven’t heard a word about it from western anime fans.

One thing I’m not a super big fan of is the art style; it’s that typical old-style Ghibli that most people are familiar with, but it’s kind of hard to describe what specifically feels weird to me, besides the fact that the aesthetics are so late 80s/early 90s that it hurts.

Anyway, please consider checking out Only Yesterday! It’s a really beautiful simple film full of nostalgia. Thanks for reading!

-threecheersforinking

Underrated Anime Movies 1/?

1/?: Patema Inverted

(this review is SPOILER FREE!!!)

I first heard about Patema Inverted (or Sakasama no Patema) when some friends invited me to watch it with them a few years ago. I really enjoyed watching it, but I haven’t heard about it once since. I thought this movie was a really unique and cool concept, and want more people to know about it!

This movie has some really awesome twists so I’m not going to talk too much about the plot, but it’s essentially about a girl from an underground civilization who escapes to the surface only to find that she... is upside down.

Patema Inverted was made by Studio Rikka and Purple Cow Studio Japan, neither of which have made anime that I’ve heard of besides this one. There’s also a manga, but it’s a side story to the film and didn’t do very well.

In my opinion, the character designs are kind of meh, but the backgrounds are great and the story is absolutely mind blowing. Like, you have to take a second to think about it when it’s over.

If you get a chance to watch this movie, definitely take it! It’s a great example of anime sci-fi, as well as sci-fi in general. Thanks for reading!

-threecheersforinking

Underrated Manga

Although I still really enjoy reading the manga of my favorite anime and discovering new plot points or noting the differences between both versions, it’s great to discover a new story for the first time through manga instead of through anime.

These three manga either have an anime that I haven’t seen/didn’t do well critically, or it doesn’t have an adaptation at all. I would highly recommend reading them!

Number 1/3: Mokke

Mokke is a slice of life about two sisters who are a Kenki (someone who has the ability to see the supernatural) and a Yorimashi (someone who is easily possessed) respectively. I really enjoy stories about Yokai so this one caught my attention immediately, especially because it focused on two characters with complementary abilities.

It’s comparable to Mushishi, another manga about Yokai that I really love, but it isn’t as dark or serious. The sisters are trying to navigate a normal adolescent life while also dealing with these inconvenient monsters who end up disturbing their day.

(also, this panel alone should convince you)

One of my favorite chapters was about some monsters occupying the bridge that the girls must cross to get to school. The younger one was advised not to cross the bridge because she was pretty much guaranteed to get possessed, but it was becoming so inconvenient for her to go the long way that she just decided to just cross it. You can imagine how that went.

This manga has its silly moments, but it also has some extremely beautiful illustrated pages:

I haven’t finished Mokke yet but I highly highly recommend it! Stay tuned for the next Underrated Manga post.

Thanks for reading!

-threecheersforinking