Watch Mushi-shi for Free on Nihon ScopePast: Mushishi is a manga series written and illustrated by Yuki Urushibara. It was serialized in Afternoon Seasons Zōkan from 1999 to 2002, and in Monthly Afternoon from December 2002 to August 2008. The individual chapters were collected and released into ten tankōbon volumes by Kodansha.
About: “Mushi”: the most basic forms of life in the world. They exist without any goals or purposes aside from simply “being.” They are beyond the shackles of the words “good” and “evil.” Mushi can exist in countless forms and are capable of mimicking things from the natural world such as plants, diseases, and even phenomena like rainbows.
This is, however, just a vague definition of these entities that inhabit the vibrant world of Mushishi, as to even call them a form of life would be an oversimplification. Detailed information on Mushi is scarce because the majority of humans are unaware of their existence.
So what are Mushi and why do they exist? This is the question that a “Mushishi,” Ginko, ponders constantly. Mushishi are those who research Mushi in hopes of understanding their place in the world’s hierarchy of life.
Ginko chases rumors of occurrences that could be tied to Mushi, all for the sake of finding an answer.
My thoughts: When I first saw Mushi-shi it was apart of a pack of anime I purchased from a dropshipper that was on super discount. I ended up with tons of random first few episodes of anime series. One was actually also Speed Grapher and xxxHolic and there was a Mushi-shi DVD as well. I quickly fell in love with the idea of mushi-shi and the short stories behind these tiny energetic type creatures. I highly recommend watching this series if you’re serious about Japanese culture as this ties in well with the youkai (ghosts/spirits) and there are tons of references to popular and not so popular folk stories of the past.
It will give you a great idea about the world of Japan through a beautifully created series.
You can see more Anime here.
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The anime series xxxHolic and its sequels are based on Clamp’s manga series with the same name and were developed by Production I.G. It revolves around Kimihiro Watanuki, a high-school student disturbed by his ability to see the supernatural. He meets Yūko Ichihara, a powerful witch, who owns a wish-granting shop. Watanuki requests to have his ability to see spirits removed and as payment, Yūko hires him to work in the shop, resulting in his encounter with various supernatural adventures.
When I first stumbled upon this Anime I was pulled in by so many different qualities of the story. Between the real life examples of mystical rules of life to the humor, I quickly burned through a couple episodes everyday until sadly there was no more. BUT, there is another xxxholic I just couldn’t get into it. This version is my favorite and I’m sticking with it.
Enjoy xxxHolic,
You can see more Anime here.
1st Season of XXXHolic on DVD
Omnibus 1 XXXHolic Manga
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Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga unveils the name of new era “Reiwa” at the prime minister’s office in Tokyo, Monday, April 1, 2019. Japan says next emperor Naruhito’s era name is Reiwa, effective May 1 when he takes the throne from his father.(AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
By Mari Yamaguchi
The name of the era of Japan’s soon-to-be-emperor Naruhito will be Reiwa, the government announced Monday.
Emperor Akihito is stepping down on April 30, in the first abdication in 200 years, bringing his era of Heisei to an end. The new era takes effect May 1.
The name draws from the 7th century poetry collection “Manyoshu,” Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said after the announcement by the chief cabinet secretary, Yoshihide Suga.
Abe said the name means that culture is born and grows when people come together and “care for each other beautifully.”
“With this selection of a new era name, I renew my commitment to pioneer a new era that will be filled with hope,” Abe said.
The Manyoshu is Japan’s oldest poetry collection and symbolizes Japan’s rich culture and long tradition, he said.
The choice was a break from more than 1,300 years of drawing era names, or gengo from using Chinese classics. It was kept strictly secret ahead of Monday’s announcement.
“We hope (the era name) will be widely accepted by the people and deeply rooted as part of their daily lives,” Suga told reporters in first announcing the name, written in two Chinese characters in black ink calligraphy on a white background.
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