Mushi-Shi Zoku Shou: Suzu no Shizuku

Although a man can dream, it seems pretty definitive that "Suzu no Shizuku" will remain the final "Mushi-shi" adaptation to come from this team. Fortunately, it is a more than fitting farewell to the series, as understated and visually poetic as we have come to expect.

In his final recorded case, Ginko is called upon by a family whose daughter keeps running off into the forest. Ginko traces the girl and discovers she has been chosen by nature to serve as the new 'mountain lord', a being tasked to look after a mountain's well-being. This produces the two-fold complication that Kaya can no longer live with her family, whilst the mountain's vegetable, animal, and mineral inhabitants aren't sure how to respond to a human overseer.

To put the success of "Suzu no Shizuku" into perspective, let's compare it to the series' other double episode, "Hihamukage". Fine though that special was, its story focussed more on external conflict, a grand event that could impact all life on Earth, whilst offering relatively little thematic depth. "Suzu no Shizuku", on the other hand, has only the life of one little girl at stake, but manages to explore man's relationship with nature through her story.

It is with such craft that "Mushi-shi" has given us some of the finest miniatures in anime. Reflecting on its two seasons, I am reminded of how Yasujirô Ozu used to call himself a tofu-maker. 'I can make fried tofu, boiled tofu, stuffed tofu. Cutlets and other fancy stuff, that's for other directors,' he supposedly said. The creators of "Mushi-shi" have likewise carved themselves a beautiful little niche with these miniature marvels. "Suzu no Shizuku" is not a grand finale, nor should it be. It is a gentle coda to a body of work that anime fans will keep revisiting for decades to come.