Review of Natsume's Book of Friends

Natsume Yuujinchou (I'm speaking about the overall series, not this one season), has SUPER cute and likable characters and a great plot that kept me watching more and more. There is a reason there are so many seasons. It has a really peaceful atmosphere, while still having meaningful content. It's not a comedy or anything, but the interactions between characters often had me smiling. It's a good anime to chill with when you have extra time. And kept me coming back for more from genuine enjoyment and not just to resolve cliffhangers like many series. It doesn't have many cliffhangers since its slice of life.It's big selling point though, is that it's unlike most shoujo stories. It's clearly targeted towards girls, with its cute, fluffy atmosphere, but it's completely unique. For one thing, the main character is a boy. But its not one of those series that has a bunch of handsome boys purely for fan service. (though I absolutely love Natsume's character design, I can't call him an ikemen, he's like an actual human being). But also more than anything else, this story is unique because it does not concentrate on romance. It has an ACTUAL PLOT. I'm not saying romance is bad, in fact, I quite enjoy romance, but I prefer it not be a focal point that everything revolves around. The show isn't completely devoid of romance; side characters get together sometimes, but the main character does not have a love interest so far, and I imagine it'll stay that way, at least for a while. The story mainly focuses on friendship, rather than romance, especially since many of the characters are not even human. If the story added some romance now, I would be happy, but I'm also grateful they have not so far.

I do have one complaint that you might want to keep in mind if you are wanting to watch it. It's a slice of life story with little mini plots in each episode as Natsume meets new characters. There is an overarching plot though, and it's really good, but its SUPER SLOW. If you stick with it purely for the main plot, you're likely to get annoyed. I was pretty sad when I got to the end of, like, the seventh season and still didn't have the answers I wanted. You develop more mysteries concerning the main plot than you get answers as you watch (Its a bit hard to explain without spoiling, I hope I'm getting my point across).

I'm also sad that its not English dubbed. WHY.