So I just finished Mushishi and just wondered......Did Ginko turn into a master at the end I mean, the last image that the mangaka left us with was that of a trail that Ginko left through the grass....

However, in the beginning of the chapter when Ginko was chasing the girl master, he followed a trail through the tall grass, what he called "a master's trail." Judging from the images of the trail that Ginko left and the one the girl master made, they look remarkably similar....Along with the images of the mountain that were presented, and the fact that Ginko wouldn't stay and chat with the previous master's brother, saying that he was just "making his rounds", and to "call him if something goes wrong"....

I know that the ring of light said that it was likely that no more humans would be made master, but isn't Ginko "not quite human"?

Any thoughts anyone?

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Finished reading the last chapter just now. Ahhh how I love this manga! It's my all-time favourite!

Anyway, about your question;
It really is puzzling. The ending is left heavily ambiguous -- sometimes it seems quite obvious that Ginko couldn't be the new master....and at other times...it's not quite so obvious.

The main reason I don't think he is, is because of what Ginko said in chapter 49; masters are born, not made, and they all have those grass-like projections growing from their bodies (which he did not have, even at the end). Another thing is that the mushi in the ring of light were saying "Who is he? He is no master!" when Ginko went to them hoping to rescue the girl. If he had had the potential for being one, they would've said so, right? Maybe something like "Then you must become master in her place"?

Also, he hadn't changed form at all. He still looks the same as always -- backpack, clothing, hair, missing eye, face, behaviour. You'd expect something to be different if he'd become 'one with the mountain'.
And we know that his physiology draws mushi to it (which is why he was forced to become a traveler when he was just a kid); so it can't be too good if he's stuck in one place. I'm fairly certain a master has to stay on his mountain, and can't leave like Ginko did.

Personally, I think the stag (?) in the last panel on page 249 might be the new master. It looked hazy and whitish, unlike the other animals on pages 248-249 (the girl looked very white too, right?)

Of course, I only cited these 'against' points because you'd listed all the 'for' points. I'm actually on the fence about it too, but as of now I'd lean more towards thinking Ginko didn't change into one, and simple remained a traveling mushishi.

Last edited by calstine at 3:10 pm, May 15 2011

indeed, its the stag. the girl, her ego vanishes.
its quite easy though.

i just a bit disappointed when the ending has nothing to do with abomination mushi, or tanyu, or minai mushishis. that would made a shocking and very conclusive ending. oh, well, having ginko being the only mushishi speaks up at nature's senate must be pretty good too. senate? well, that's only my wording.

Last edited by yuno19 at 8:29 pm, May 25 2011

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Well, if it is the stag, then that would be great! I didn't really want Ginko to become the master, because then he'd wouldn't be able to return to his wanderings. But it would be quite fitting if he did turn out to be a master. Can't really give any evidence here, but it just feels right.

It really did irk me that they didn't quite conclude the mystery of the abomination mushi. However, my opinion is that the mangaka intended for there to be some mysteries, since mysteries always exist in life, and what is this manga but a slice-of-life manga? I also really wanted to learn more about Ginko's past, but as the author said, there are some things that are better left unsaid.

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Yeah, I'm glad too. Masters are interesting, but that kind of lifestyle doesn't suit Ginko.

Actually, I never got the feeling that the mangaka intended to write another story on the abomination mushi; so I wasn't expecting it. Imo,we got just the right amount of info on Ginko's past. I don't think anything very significant happened to him after he left the house of that mushishi.

Yeah I'd have to agree. I was hoping the last volume would give some more information about the forbidden mushi and tie in the 2 clans tied by the fate of it as it did with the the final chapters in Volume 7. I still liked the last arc though, just would have wished to see Tanyuu again, I liked her character. We need an anime sequel now covering the 24 chapters not animated.

^I agree with this. Not all mysteries are meant to be solved, and the mysterious, dreamlike atmosphere is definitely one of Mushishi's charm- no need to go about ruining that. (i can't see how the abomination mushi arc will happen without action; the sleepy feeling of Mushishi will no doubt be ruined by this)
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I also personally would think that the stag would be the new master (if you look closely at the stag's whiteish glow, you can see the grass on top of his back), but didn't they say that "masters can only be born, not created"? I'm sure that they're not born with those antlers...