Mushishi shows its origins as a manga / anime clearly, and for me this is where its strengths and its weaknesses lie. Its strengths? It's visually appealing in both its portrayal of the natural world and its stylised elements. Its weaknesses? It has trouble adjusting to its new format. More about that below.

The story of Mushishi follows a central character - a bugmaster. However, he's not the kind of bugmaster who battles with horned beetles, but rather the kind that deals with some kind of mystical bug, unseen denizens of a spiritual world. More squeamish viewers will be pleased to hear that this means actual beetle-y, maggot-y or otherwise creepy bugs aren't involved at all. What the movie offers instead is a significant chunk of the life-story of this wandering bugmaster, and a struggle against a nemesis that has haunted him since he was a small spooky child. It's all good plot fodder, but unfortunately the movie dallies in delivering on this promise.

The film kicks off with what feels like a TV episode: introducing the central character and his skills. This is interesting and involving but disconnected from the main storyline of the film. Then, once the attached movie kicks in, it takes a relaxed pace, it didn't quite quite hold my attention. Anime fans will be well aware of the Japanese tendency to end a movie without establishing the ending in concrete terms. Mushishi draws upon this tradition, a bit too heavily for this reviewer's Western tastes, and its ending felt rather unsatisfying.

However, as noted above, Mushishi saves itself somewhat with its visual beauty. Its treatment of the Japanese landscape is loving, and part of the blame for the relaxed pace can be placed at the feet of some stunning camera work of a 'mist and mountains' variety. Mushishi isn't riddled with special effects, but when they are used in an exciting mystical battle with a twist halfway through, they are subtle and elegant.

The verdict? Mushishi is perhaps more of a visual experience than a story crying out to be absorbed. Shrinking an anime or manga down to film length is always a challenge, and despite the 131 minute run-time, there just didn't seem time for me to appreciate the characters and their adventures in depth. As so often happens in movie conversions, this is perhaps one for the fans, and as someone unfamiliar with the series, it is really only possible to sit back and enjoy the view.