Natsume Yuujinchou
Japanese Title: Natsume Yuujinchou
English Title: Natsume and the Book of Friends
Length: 13 eps & 13 eps
AniDB Listing: Season 1 - Season 2
AnimeNewsNetwork: Season 1 - Season 2
Production Studio: Brains Base
MEYDAY Rating: Rewatchable
Sexual Rating: E for oh wow you could show this to your mom
Violence Rating: E for spiritual fighting ... sometimes.
Genre: Drama, Action
Setting: Current
Themes: Supernatural, Slice-of-life
Character Age: High school
Target Audience Shounen
Production Vintage: 2008, 2009
First Viewed Vintage: June 2011
Number of Rewatches: 0
Review:
I have an unreasonably strong love for this series. Which is hilarious because watching it was, initially, kind of an accident. I spotted the main character's voice actor (Hiroshi Kamiya - same guy from Bakemonogatari and Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei) and assumed that the series was SHAFT.
It isn't.
But!
It's so cute. And fun. And unusual, for all that it's the story of a high school boy with special powers who spends his non-school time fighting for his life. You've got Natsume, a high school boy who has been an outcast his entire life because he can see spirits, shuffled from relative to relative after his parents died. He's got a guardian spirit who usually takes the form of a maneki neko, who takes on the usual role of the worthless teacher who drinks too much and has no manners, then shows up and saves the day at the last minute. The whole thing is very monster-of-the-week - quite literally, in fact.
But despite all of that, it is so very good.
I think what separates this from other series of its kind is the characterization. The spirits who serve the monster-of-the-week function aren't all evil - some are actually very kind. Some are quirky. Some are really stupid. Some are mysterious. Some are sad. And some are more than one, mixed together. The human characters act their ages - you've got the doting, slightly overbearing mother-figure aunt; the shy male friend who doesn't quite know how to reach out and be friendly with others; the spiritual equivalent of a fag-hag (who is so ridiculous and harmless that she brings laughter to every single scene she's in); the girl who's a friend without being a love-interest; and the two idiot friends who show up as a reminder of what "normal" people are like, in contrast with Natsume.
And it is delightful.
Yeah some of the stories (okay, most of them) are kind of predictable. Yes, the theme of "I'm so alone in the world" gets old after the third or fourth repetition (and continues repeating forEVER). And sure, it's a tame series that won't satisfy those who are looking for horror, romance, comedy, or drama in their purer forms. But for me, the mix of those themes combined with good characterizations and the uniqueness of the author's approach to Japanese spiritual mythology came together into something that is very watchable, rewatchable, enjoyable, and beautiful. I would recommend this as a good introductory anime. As a learning tool for someone teaching about Japanese spirits and legends. As a good series to watch if you don't want to think too hard, be grossed out, or cry like a little girl with a skinned knee.
... except that I did cry. Once or twice. Over the sad stuff. BUT IT WAS A GOOD CRY.
In short (too late for that): good series. Watch it. Enjoy it. I, for one, am eagerly awaiting the release of season 3, which airs starting this week (as of this posting).
List of all series I've watched can be found here.
The guide to my rating system can be found here.