Mushi-Shi DVD

They are neither plant nor animal. They predate the division of living things into categories, existing at the boundary between life and non-life, between the visible world and something older and stranger. They are called Mushi. Most people cannot see them. Ginko can — a wandering Mushi-shi, a specialist who travels from village to village across a preindustrial Japan of misty mountains and isolated communities, investigating cases where Mushi have intersected with human life. A child who can see the future in her drawings. A man whose shadow has detached and begun living separately. A woman who cannot stop hearing a sound no one else can perceive. A boy who is slowly being consumed by light. Each episode is its own contained encounter, its own small tragedy or small grace, and Ginko moves through them without accumulating the weight of a conventional protagonist — only the weight of someone who has seen what he has seen and keeps moving anyway.

Mushi-shi is a 26-episode anthology drama produced by Artland — the studio behind Macross — directed by Hiroshi Nagahama, and based on Yuki Urushibara's manga serialized in Kodansha's Monthly Afternoon from 1999 to 2008, winner of the Afternoon Four Seasons Award for Winter 1998 and the 2006 Kodansha Manga Award for General Manga. It aired on Fuji TV from October 2005 to June 2006 and is consistently cited as one of the greatest anime ever made — notable for its almost complete absence of conventional narrative tension, its extraordinary visual atmosphere, and the precision of its emotional writing.

The live-action film adaptation by Katsuhiro Otomo (Akira, Steamboy, Spriggan supervision) was released at the 2006 Venice International Film Festival.

A second anime season, Mushishi: Zoku-Shō, was produced in 2014. Originally released in North America by FUNimation on six individual DVD volumes from April 24, 2007 to January 22, 2008, with artbox included with Vol. 1. Special features across the set include an interview with director Hiroshi Nagahama, actor/director commentary, a production studio tour, Mushi-shi manga pages, textless opening song, original TV spots, and trailers. 

Notable Staff & Voice Talent

Director: Hiroshi Nagahama (Mushi-shi Zoku-Shō, Detroit Metal City)
Original Manga: Yuki Urushibara (serialized in Monthly Afternoon, Kodansha, 1999–2008, 10 volumes; 2006 Kodansha Manga Award winner; English license: Del Rey Manga / Kodansha Comics)
Character Design: Yoshihiko Umakoshi 
Studio: Artland (Macross, Gunbuster additional animation)
Music: Toshio Masuda (Naruto)
Opening Theme: "The Sore Feet Song" by Ally Kerr

DVD Volume Breakdown (FUNimation, 6 Volumes)
• Vol. 1 — The Green Seat (Eps 1–5, April 24, 2007): artbox included; Interview with Director Nagahama, Textless Opening, Original TV Spots
• Vol. 2 — One-Eyed Fish (Eps 6–9, June 26, 2007): Actor / Director Commentary, Production Studio Tour
• Vol. 3 — The Light of the Eyelid (Eps 10–13, August 21, 2007): Mushi-shi Manga Pages
• Vol. 4 — Inside the Cage (Eps 14–17, October 23, 2007): Trailers
• Vol. 5 — Lightning's End (Eps 18–21, November 27, 2007): Trailers
• Vol. 6 — Tender Horns (Eps 22–26, January 22, 2008): Trailers

DVD Features (All Volumes)

• English & Japanese Audio, English Subtitles
• Vol. 1 artbox holds complete 6-volume series; Complete Collection 4-disc set also available (December 16, 2008, $69.98); S.A.V.E. budget edition also available

Spoken Languages: English & Japanese Audio, English Subtitles

Edition Details

Japanese Title: 蟲師 (Mushishi / Mushi Master)
Runtime: ~650 Minutes (Complete Series, 26 Episodes, 6 Volumes)
Director: Hiroshi Nagahama
DVD Release Year: 2007–2008 
Original Broadcast Date (Japan): October 23, 2005 – June 19, 2006 (Fuji TV)
Publisher: FUNimation Entertainment
Rating: 14+
Region: Region 1 (U.S. / Canada)
Vol. 1 artbox holds complete 6-volume series. 2006 Kodansha Manga Award winner. Live-action film by Katsuhiro Otomo screened at Venice 2006. Second anime season Mushishi: Zoku-Shō (2014) is a separate release.
Genre: Drama, Fantasy, Mystery
Themes: Anthology, Contemplation, Countryside, Edo Period, Folklore, Iyashikei, Medicine, Mysticism, Mythology, Nature, Redemption, Spirits, Tragedy

Media assumed VG+ unless otherwise noted.