Mushishi, Volume 6 Paperback – November 25, 2008

The book was in good condition and arrived quickly.

Mushishi is one of my favorite manga series. I love how each chapter is a different short story. Some are sad, some joyful, and others bittersweet. Volume 6 contains two of my top five favorite stories, Heaven's Thread and the Chirping Shell. I know this volume in particular tends to be pricey (which I heard was due to a limited print release), but to me it was definitely worth it.

My wife had been searching for this book to complete her collection, so I bought it for her. And, except for a small crease in the one corner, it looks just as good as the rest of the set - which was bought brand new. Thanks!

I've read all the volumes of "Mushishi" up to this point, and I think volume 6 contains some of the stronger stories in the series. It opens with..."Heaven's Thread"- A young girl, while stargazing, touches a mysterious string hanging from the sky. She flies into the sky and disappears from her village. She's later rescued by Ginko, but finding her place again might not be so easy. Can she still find happiness with the person she cares for most? This story is simple yet imaginitive, probably my favorite in the volume. Good themes about people's need for acceptance. The next story is..."The Chirping Shell"- Near a village by the sea, a girl lives with her father on a secluded crag. She wants to make friends, but her father, for some reason, doesn't want her associating with the village people. When Ginko arrives, he finds a mushi that's an omen of disaster. Will the girl's father able to forgive past events and help the village? I liked the setting and the art in this story. There's also more going on with the father than there seems at first, a fact which I appreciated. The theme of getting past differences is a little cliche, but it's still a very enjoyable story. This leads us to the third story..."The Hand That Pets the Night"- A young man has the power to lure animals to him using a scent issuing from his hand. He inherited this power from his father, and it makes hunting easier. But it makes the meat from his prey taste fowl. More serious is the risk of losing his mind to the power and confusing family with prey. There's a cure, but will the boy be willing to give up his power? Again, the theme here is kind of cliche, but I still enjoyed the story. I really liked the relationship between the boy and his younger brother. I thought this was weaker than some of the other stories in the volume, but it was still good. Next there's..."Under the Snow"- Ginko visits a village where it snows most of the year to study snow mushi. There's a boy there who's been infected by a mushi that causes snow to fall on him perpetually. He's become insensitive to the cold, and warmth is painful for him. It's dangerous for him to expose himself to the cold so much, but he doesn't even seem to care. Loved the poetic imagery in this story. It might be tied with "Heaven's Thread" for my favorite story of the volume. The final story is..."Banquet in the Farthest Field"- A sake brewer once lost his way home and chanced upon a strange ceremony. There, he tasted a sweet, glowing sake that he's never been able to forget. Years later, his son has followed in his footsteps and is trying to brew a sake to match his dad's. When he, too, encounters a late-night ceremony, he pretends to be part of it... This story wasn't as serious as the others, but I liked the ideas it expressed, especially near the end. Also, I enjoyed finding out more about mushishi.Yuki Urubayashi's art has improved a lot since the beginning of the series, and it's strong here. The scenery is as beautiful as always, but the characters are better drawn than in some earlier volumes. They're less sketchy. Urubayashi has always had a talent for making readers care about characters with brief appearances, and that hasn't changed. As always, it's a thoughtful, moving manga.

So glad I have bought this even though it was very expensive. It completed my set of the series and I couldn't be happier.Recommended!