Anime discussion: Spooky Season
Oct. 29th, 2023 04:01 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jennariaCrunchyroll has noticed that it's almost Halloween, and so has provided thematically appropriate rec lists for its viewers. Sometimes this works (the Junji Ito Collection), and sometimes it...doesn't (I don't care what the title is, Skull-Face Bookseller Honda-san is not actually Halloween material). Also they toss in Every Single Anime With A Talking Skeleton, which as we just discussed above is not actually always appropriate to the season, and Every Single Anime That Claims To Be About Witches, which honestly any list that includes both PUELLA MAGI MADOKA MAGICA and FLYING WITCH needs a tone check.
They also included MUSHI-SHI. It's been long enough since I saw MUSHI-SHI that I'm not comfortable writing up a proper review. Let's just say that it would absolutely score stupid high on the Weeb side of things, because Mushi are absolutely supernatural, but the Japanese view of the supernatural is not the same as the American view of the supernatural. Mushi are possibly a threat, but in the same way that a wild animal is possibly a threat, and the main character - the only recurring character in the show - is a zoologist who specializes in Mushi.
It's eerie. But it's not terrifying, not in the way of, well, Junji Ito. Only in the way of there being a larger world than we see, and that world not necessarily being friendly. Each episode is its own mini-story, some of which end happily, some unhappily.
My memory is that it's also beautiful - the art style is amazing. Honestly, worth giving a try regardless of the season.
They also included MUSHI-SHI. It's been long enough since I saw MUSHI-SHI that I'm not comfortable writing up a proper review. Let's just say that it would absolutely score stupid high on the Weeb side of things, because Mushi are absolutely supernatural, but the Japanese view of the supernatural is not the same as the American view of the supernatural. Mushi are possibly a threat, but in the same way that a wild animal is possibly a threat, and the main character - the only recurring character in the show - is a zoologist who specializes in Mushi.
It's eerie. But it's not terrifying, not in the way of, well, Junji Ito. Only in the way of there being a larger world than we see, and that world not necessarily being friendly. Each episode is its own mini-story, some of which end happily, some unhappily.
My memory is that it's also beautiful - the art style is amazing. Honestly, worth giving a try regardless of the season.