Episode 12 was an exception (loved that one and this ep too) as we got to see his origins, and in this one we get to see Ginko forming a deeper connection and emotional attachment to another character (something that’s only hinted at with other characters, such as Aya in the teleporting cocoon epo and the collector guy with the monocle, and there was that girl from ep 15 who seemed a bit clingy toward Ginko but he didn’t seem to return her affection and only wanted to help her brother and move on again).

Tanuya seems like the perfect complement for Ginko; despite her tragic destiny of having to be burdened with the sealed mushi and subsequent handicap, she’s accepted the hand that fate has dealt her much like Ginko has (with his missing eye).

They mirror one another too very well; where Ginko is forced to be a transient, moving from one place to another lest he attract too many mushi toward him, Tanuya is forced to be sedentary and bound to her library due to both her responsibility and handicap. I also like how Ginko favors his crinkly ol’ grifter cigarettes while Tanuya has her very elegant smoke pipe. Subtle touches like this add very much to their characters.

Plus Tanuya’s abilities regarding the power of the written word is very powerful emotionally and neat to see visually (it reminded me of the word-based spells used in Le Chevalier D’eon). Grabbing inked words in which an evil spirit is trapped using glue and chopsticks; brilliant!

I’m about to marathon the last few eps of Mushishi after writing this. I really do hope Ginko and Tanuya end up together somehow despite the tragic destinies thrust upon them.