5. Mushishi

Anime is a very specific medium, if you think about it. When anime fans get together to talk shop, words like “shounen” and “bishoujo” fill our conversations. We have exact descriptions for most anything. It’s all compartmentalized.

Because of this, it’s easy to find the things we like. Like angsty mecha shows? I’ve got this season’s Gundam clone right here, my friend! Like bishoujo game adaptations? Check this month’s issue of Megami! Looking for a psychological thriller? Let’s see what Satoshi Kon is up to!

And it’s just as easy to avoid the things we don’t like. “Super Ninja Fighter Revolution Zwei? Screw that!” There’s convenience in knowing one’s preferences, of course, but should we become prisoner to our preferences…

I almost missed out on Mushishi. From the very beginning, I at least recognized it as a show worth watching. But fantasy? Not my bag, really. Artsy? I appreciate anime as art, but I’m plenty happy watching pedestrian dreck. Period piece? Sorry, but I don’t have a fetish for that sort of thing.

Of course, Mushishi is none of these. Or perhaps it is. Fantasy? In it’s own way. Artsy? In it’s own way. Period piece? In it’s own way. And it’s because Mushishi does things in its “own way” that it’s such a fascinating piece of work. It really only takes one episode to discover this. But you still have to sit down and watch that episode. Dismiss the show out of hand, and you might miss out on something wonderful. Dismiss any show out of hand, and you might miss out on something wonderful.

Mushishi clearly belongs in the “something wonderful” category.