30 Days of Anime – #29 the Anime That I Wish Was Real

The anime that I wish was real, or the fictional world that I would most like to step inside of and immerse myself in, would have to be Mushishi. Mushishi is a lesser-known masterpiece that first aired during 2005. The show is about a man named Ginko who travels the world studying these strange creatures known as mushi. Mushi are, ordinarily, invisible to the eye, but are, nevertheless, responsible for various phenomena, some natural, like rainbows, others, supernatural, like immortality, the ability to sense impending disaster, and the ability to communicate with animals.

Whilst the mushi often cause mischief, or even disaster, for the humans whose lives they come into contact with, I would still love to immerse myself within their world. It’s not clear if Mushishi is set in our world, during some ancient, bygone era, or another, entirely fictional, one, but, at any rate, the land which Ginko traverses is stunning and, most importantly, unspoiled by man. There are no cities, crawling with people, no borders, which you are forbidden from crossing, and no roadways, coursing across the land like an ugly scar… Just rolling hills, dense forests, as ancient as they are beautiful, and sweeping mountain ranges, covered in a thick mantle of pure white snow. That, and the tiny clusters of humans and animals doing their best to survive off of their bounty. Sounds heavenly, no?

However, Mushishi isn’t the only anime to be set in a comparatively ancient and uncivilised (in the best sense) world, so why choose it over those other shows? Because the world in which it’s set is just as mysterious as it is beautiful! Thanks to advances in science and technology, there’s not much of our world that’s still a mystery. For instance, as a result of satellite imagery, there’s not really anywhere (on land) that has yet to be “discovered”. By contrast, almost everything about the world of Mushishi, particularly the mushi themselves, is still wrapped in a thick veil of mystery.

What are the mushi? And where did they come from? Are they of the world in which they inhabit? Or are they spirits? They could even be alien lifeforms that, somehow, found their way to Earth… Are the mushi good? Or are they evil? Oftentimes, the humans who come into contact with them face disaster. But is that purely coincidental? Do they even have a will of their own? Mushishi never answers these questions in a black and white kind of way, leaving the viewer to draw their own conclusions. Whilst some, desperate for clear-cut answers, may find this frustrating, I find it oh-so-enticing. What I’d give to step into the world of Mushishi, accompany Ginko on his journey, and learn more about these strange creatures called mushi…

What about you, dear reader? Which anime do you wish was real? Is there a world which, like me, you’d like to explore or, perhaps, a cast of characters who you’d love to hang out with? Let me know in the comments section below!