Mushi-uta Vol 1 - Rina and Shiika! This brings me back to those times...

Mushi-Uta (ムシウタ) is a light novel series written by Kyouhei Iwai and illustrated by Llo that ran from 2003 to 2014 for a total of 16 volumes (with an additional 8 volumes in a spin-off) and received a 12-episode anime adaptation in 2007 that covered the first volume of the story. Be aware, this post will contain spoilers, so proceed at your own risk.

It's been a long time since I watched the anime, and I always wanted to give the novel a try because of how much of a cliffhanger the ending of the anime was. Back then I didn't fully realize it, but apparently the anime managed to adapt a single volume into 12 episodes, which is something I've only seen in Rokka no Yuusha in the past.

The setting of the story is the near future where strange insect-like creatures called "mushi" have started to appear and infect humans. Little is known about them except that they all originate from three original "mushi" that are still alive and active in the world. These mushi attach to a host and grant special powers in exchange for the host's dreams.

Shiika is the cover of the first volume, but I'm sure every heroine will get her own cover in the future.

Shiika didn't really realize that Kakkou = Daisuke, and I'm sure that'll be an interesting development later on.

As soon as the dreams are consumed, the mushi "evolves" and the host dies. If the mushi is killed before the evolution can happen, the host loses their dreams and falls into a state that makes them unable to take any action without a direct order; even simple tasks like eating need to be enforced.

The story follows Daisuke Kusuriya, a high school student who also happens to be one of the most powerful "Mushitsuki" and a member of the government organization that tries to curtail the information the public receives about the whole Mushi situation, especially because these seem to be appearing only in Japan.

The first volume serves as a setting introduction where we get to know all the mechanics surrounding the infection and are introduced to the protagonist, Daisuke, and the main heroine, Shiika Anmoto. The latter is an interesting case because she is the only individual who lost their mushi and yet managed to recover their personality. It isn't known why yet, but it's key because everyone wants a cure for this infection.

Will we get an happy ending for all the characters of the story or will it end on a sad note? That's one thing I really want to know.

Another heroine named Rina Tachibana also appears, but she's somewhat of a throwaway character used to explain the "cruel reality" of the infection. She "dies" at the end of the first volume, but I'm not convinced it's the last time we'll see her. I don't know precisely where, but I remember reading something a decade ago about her appearing again in the future, so I'm still clinging to that hope as I really liked her character much more than the main heroine.

Shiika is powerful (even more so than the protagonist, apparently), but at the same time silent, timid, and in general very fragile. This made it hard for me to fully appreciate her character, while Rina was outgoing, smart, and passionate, which made her easier to relate to.

An important detail is that everyone, when using their mushi power, dons a mask of some kind, which helps keep their identities unknown, making the transition between school moments and battle moments smooth. I'm not sure if the school setting will continue, though, because Daisuke infiltrated the school purely to track Rina, so he has no reason to stay there. Oh, and they also use code names: Daisuke is "Kakkou," Rina is "Lady," and Shiika is "Fuyuhotaru."

Just look at how cool she looks here. I don't fully understand the obsession with insects and japanese schoolboys, but...

Just look at her reactions. Adorable isn't she? Needs a better ending for sure.

There are plenty of interesting plot hooks that the volume reveals which need to be explained in future volumes. For example, why is Haji's sister living by eating Haji's dreams? Who are the three individuals who host the initial mushi, and how did the whole infection start? There was some speculation in the volume about an experiment, but nothing is certain.

Overall, I enjoyed the first volume, even knowing how the story was going to diverge from the anime, but the real test will be once I read the next volume. Will the author manage to keep the story fresh and interesting over the long run? Will we manage to see Rina again?

I'm going to keep reading this and make posts about it for each volume; hopefully, the story will live up to the hype I've been building over the last decade. There are a few of these old series on the back of my mind, so you may see me starting some other older gems in the future.