An unfortunate twist of fate…
Mushi-shi Episode 7 Recap – “Cloudless Rain”
An unfortunate twist of fate sums up pretty much almost everything that happens to people in Mushi-shi, whether it is for good, bad or worse. In this episode it’s for the worse, in the most heartbreaking manner possible.
Two farmers overlook a dry field as we open. They wonder when it will finally rain and end the dry spell. A passing woman asks them if they want her to check for rain. She says that a blessing of rain will come in two days. Two days later, the rain becomes to come pouring down…
Later, Ginko comes upon an different village embroiled in seasonal drought. He crosses paths with the woman who divined the rain, and as she steps by he catches the scent of rain. This woman is Teru, and she travels from town to town predicting the rainfall. She never stops in one place for too long, as once the rain comes to a village she moves onto the next one. She is known well in this village, and is very close to a man named Yasu. According to him, she has never been wrong in her forecasts. When Ginko inquires, Teru answers “if anyone could do it [bring forth the rain], they would no longer be human.”
But with this blessing of rain comes a horrific side effect, that has affected Teru’s life in tragic ways. In many ways it is also a curse, and a heartbreaking one at that. (No more spoilers on that front) Yet something is wrong this time, as the rain isn’t coming. The town is running out of water and the threat of heat stroke increases…
If this episode wasn’t a metaphor for someone suffering from depression than I don’t know what is. This is possibly the saddest episode so far of this sequel series, at least in my eyes. There is a small light of hope at the end, but it seems so far away. Even with all this, I still believe this episode is not one to skip by. As Mushi-shi is wont to do, it will bring forth the tears, especially in the case of this episode.
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