Mushishi Watch Order: Both Series, the Two Specials and the Film
The 2005 series, the Hihamukage special, The Next Chapter in two halves with Odoro no Michi between them, then the Suzu no Shizuku film.
Watch in broadcast order: the 26-episode first series, the special Hihamukage, the first ten episodes of The Next Chapter (Zoku-Shō), the special Odoro no Michi, the last ten episodes of The Next Chapter, and finally the film Suzu no Shizuku. Every entry comes from director Hiroshi Nagahama and studio Artland, according to Anime News Network's encyclopedia.
Everything, in order
| Order | Entry | Length | Aired in Japan |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mushishi (first series) | 26 episodes | October 22, 2005 to June 18, 2006 |
| 2 | Hihamukage (special) | One hour | January 4, 2014 |
| 3 | The Next Chapter, first half | 10 episodes | April 4 to June 20, 2014 |
| 4 | Odoro no Michi (special) | One hour | August 20, 2014 |
| 5 | The Next Chapter, second half | 10 episodes (11 to 20) | October 18 to December 20, 2014 |
| 6 | Suzu no Shizuku (film) | Film | May 16, 2015 |
The first series
ANN's episode list starts with "Green Seat" on October 22, 2005. The broadcast paused after episode 20 in March 2006; episodes 21 to 26 are dated May 14 to June 18, 2006, ending with "Sound of Stepping Grass." That gap is a scheduling detail, not a second season.
Hihamukage
Yuki Urushibara had finished the manga in 2008, then returned with a two-chapter story. ANN reported that it was "getting a one-hour anime adaptation on January 4," 2014, with Nagahama directing at Artland. ANN's entry gives the English title Sun-Eating Shade. The premiere broadcast announced the second season.
The Next Chapter and Odoro no Michi
Mushishi: Zoku-Shō, released in English as The Next Chapter, aired in two halves. ANN's episode list runs from "Banquet at the Forest's Edge" on April 4, 2014 to "Depths of Winter" on June 20. ANN then reported that the one-hour special Odoro no Michi (Path of Thorns) would air on BS11 on August 20 and that the "second half" would follow in the fall. The second half ran from October 18 to December 20, 2014, ending with episode 20, "Tree of Eternity."
Suzu no Shizuku
The series ends in theaters. When the television broadcast ended, ANN reported that the film would adapt "Suzu no Shizuku," "the last two-chapter arc in the main manga series." ANN's encyclopedia dates the Japanese premiere to May 16, 2015. Watch it last.
Not part of the anime
Katsuhiro Ōtomo directed a live-action Mushishi film, which ANN mentions alongside the anime; it is a separate adaptation, not a chapter of this order.
Reading on
Kodansha publishes the manga in English in a Collector's Edition; the Mushishi catalog notes that its fifth volume also includes Hihamukage. For Ginko himself, see our piece on the limits of his expertise.