Mushi-Shi: The Movie (2006)

A wandering mystical doctor passes through remote regions of Japan uncovering supernatural creatures called the Mushi and curing people of their effects.

Director:

Katsuhiro Ôtomo

Writers:

Yuki Urushibara (comic), Sadayuki Murai (screenplay)

Stars:

Joe Odagiri, Nao Ohmori, Yû Aoi

2 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Joe Odagiri	...	Ginko
Nao Ohmori	...	Nijirou (as Nao Ômori)
Yû Aoi	...	Tanyu
Lily	...	Inn owner
Makiko Kuno	...	Maho's mother
Reia Moriyama	...	Maho
Hideyuki Inada	...	Yoki
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Aaron Dismuke	...	Yoki / Young Ginko (voice)
Greg Dulcie	...	(voice)
Juli Erickson	...	Tama (voice)
Makiko Esumi	...	Nui
Todd Haberkorn	...	Inagu (voice)
Grant James	...	(voice)
Mike McFarland	...	Koro (voice)
Rô Naruse

Storyline

Ginko, a Mushi-shi has always been attuned to the Mushi, creatures close to life itself and able to affect and alter their surroundings. He cannot stay in one place for too long so he wanders, helping the inhabitants of rural Japan understand the Mushi around them and how to coexist peacefully.

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Plot Keywords:

live action remake of anime | doctor | healer | bugs | wanderer | 

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Genres:

Fantasy

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Did You Know?

Trivia

Director Katsuhiro Ôtomo describes the film as a fable: "The film doesn't have a real climax, it calmly moves toward its end. But that too is very much like our lives as human beings. If you look back at your life, maybe you can point to moments that you feel were a climax or a turning point, but when they actually happened you didn't experience them the same way. Life moves ahead quite calmly and gradually, and I wanted to bring that same feeling to Mushishi."

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Connections

Remake of Mushi-Shi: Yawarakai kado (2005)

User Reviews

For manga fans...

I have noticed that the positive comments so far have mostly said 1. "I'm a big fan of the original manga" and 2. "It was beautifully shot". Together, these phrases sum up exactly what's wrong with Mushishi. It is a high production value film that is content to appeal solely to a relatively small subset of its potential audience.

I was terribly disappointed by this film. It's not that it was simply slow, leaden, plodding, etc. I can fully enjoy a film that does all those things if there's a payoff, if it ultimately makes sense and gives you a sense of there being a complete wholeness to the underlying concepts.

This did not happen.

Clearly I don't live up to point #1 - I am not a manga fan.

OK, so let me say something positive - point #2 is true. It was beautifully shot and the production values are excellent. A very nice film to look at.

My ultimate impression - if you are not already a fan of the manga, avoid, avoid, avoid.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [Japan]

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Release Date:

24 March 2007 (Japan)

Also Known As:

Mushi-Shi: The Movie

Box Office

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$4,254,482

Company Credits

Production Co:

Tohokushinsha Film Corporation (TFC)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

131 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color