Mushishi

, also known in English as Mushi-Shi: The Movie and Bugmaster, is a 2006 Japanese fantasy film directed by Katsuhiro Otomo, based on the manga of the same name. It stars Joe Odagiri as Ginko, a traveler who dedicates himself to protecting the populace from supernatural creatures called Mushi. Otomo began work on the film in 2005 after declining a jidaigeki project. He was interested in creating a mix of live action and animation and felt the manga gave him an appropriate creative vehicle. The film debuted at the Venice International Film Festival in 2006 and was screened at several other festivals prior to its theatrical release on March 24, 2007, in Japan. The DVD was released in Japan in 2007, in the United Kingdom in 2008, and in North America in 2009. The film has received a mixed response from film critics. Many praised Odagiri's performance and its visual but critiqued the plot and mythology as confusing. Mushishi received nominations and awards at film festivals and was among the 100 highest-grossing films of 2007 in Japan. Plot Mushishi opens with Yoki and his mother walking along a mountain when a cliff suddenly collapses. This is followed by a nonlinear narrative that moves between the past and the present. A series of flashbacks reveal that only Yoki survived, coming under the care of Nui, who is a Mushishi (or Bugmaster)—an expert in Mushi, which are supernatural bug-like creatures that are invisible to most humans. She lives near a pond where there are two types of Mushi: a fish-like Ginko who swims in the darkness-like Tokoyami. Because Nui spent too long looking at the Ginko, one of her eyes and the color of her hair were altered by the shadow of Tokoyami. Eventually, Nui is swallowed by the Tokoyami. When Yoki tries to help her, he is also swallowed. Only by sacrificing one of his eyes and his memories is Yoki able to survive. He then renames himself Ginko because it is the only name he can remember. In the present, Ginko, to escape a blizzard, finds a village inn. After revealing himself as a Mushishi, he is asked to help several locals suffering from hearing loss. After he helps the locals, Ginko is asked by the innkeeper to look at her granddaughter, Maho, who is deaf, has horns on her forehead, and hears strange noises. Maho's mother had the same symptoms and was cremated after her death. Maho, however, kept her mother's horns, which turned out to be a disguised Mushi and the cause of her illness.