The "Bake Neko" part dedicated to the infamous Medicine Seller in the anime Ayakashi-Japanese Horror Stories was such a hit that the animators decided to produce a series solely focusing on the mysterious wanderer Medicine Seller. And they did well, even perfect.

The art style of the anime is captivating. The backgrounds, the Japanese motives/patterns that are used, the textured feel of the scenes are unique. I've only seen something like this in the anime Gankutsuou in a more contemporary sense. But unlike Gankutsuou, the texture and patterns used here do not tire your eyes. Every caption you might make of the anime looks like a digital painting. And this works so well with the authentic stories that the plot employs.

Medicine Seller is voiced by Sakurai Takahiro, and his voice makes the character look even more mysterious, powerful and somehow gentle at the same time.

Every story takes you in with a nice blend of horror, originality and leaves you awed. The Medicine Seller is both an observer of the human fallacy and is the one who never comments on them. He shows the results of what kind of atrocies humans can cause, his motivation is never to save the humans, never to judge them either. He simply destroys what should not be in the world as we see, meaning ayakashi. And I think his neutrality on the subject helps the message go across better and more brutally.

Music is nice, nothing exceptional. Dialogue is easy to follow since the subbers of this show really did a fine job in relaying the cultural tidbits about the stories to the viewer.

This show is one of its kind and has earned many praises. You must watch it. And I recommend downloading the last 3 episodes of Ayakashi Japanese Horror Stories, too, since it's Medicine Seller's debut and that Bake Neko Arc is a hair rising and tragic tale worth watching. (show less)

This is the best fantasy / horror / supernatural series I have ever watched, in any medium (and being the horror-fan that I am, I've watched scores of them). It is simply splendid in terms of the artwork & animation, the script, the psychological analysis of its characters, the incredibly charming and mysterious protagonist, the sound effects and the voice acting.

This is an episodic tale, dealing with the exorcism of different 'mononoke' that one very unique Medicine Seller /Mononoke exorcist encounters on his journeys. As such, some of the supporting characters may come across as being rather one-dimensional. Still, their emotions and desires (which are the root cause of the mononoke's creation and continued existence) are portrayed quite effectively and realistically. These are 'ghost stories' the likes of which you have never seen (or heard of) before.

There's little else to be said. If you are a fan of the aforementioned genre (or at least have a passing interest in them), "Mononoke" is a must-see. (show less)

Mononoke is a collection of stories revolving around the nameless Medicine Seller. Though nameless, you cannot be helped but be drawn to this character. Exactly who is he and what is his mission?

The animation is done in a very different style as opposed to cell shading animation. Mononoke relies on texture and a Japanese block-print like style using bright colors. The animation is very detailed in depicting setting and decorations like painted shoji screens.

Throughout the anime, there is heavy use of symbolism through the imagery which requires some notes to help the viewer understand. I highly recommend you read the notes after you watch the anime. The entertainment level is high especially those who are not familiar with the concept. Mononoke is not simply about exorcism but delving into the morality of humanity in each story. There is a lot of suspense and mystery in each tale and the soundtrack does a great job in portraying it.

For those who are into a supernatural psychological mystery, this is one of the animes to check out. (show less)