I can't' find all the light novels on MAL so I will just review all of them on this page. For those interested there are three Natsume Yuujinchou light novels as of right now. As far as I can tell there are no official translations so you will need to understand Japanese. The first two light novels have one big story and then are followed up by some supporting minor stories. The final light novel is just one long story and it was eventually adpated into an Anime movie. I just finished reading all the manga and light novels, and I absolutely loved them. Ifeel like the light novels aren’t as well known, so I wanted to take a moment to talk about them a bit. Everything about the light novels felt so well done, and I think a big part of that is thanks to Murai Sadayuki, who did an amazing job capturing the atmosphere of the manga.

The stories feel like true extensions of the original work, and the characters are just as authentic and consistent. Another thing I think they really nailed is the passage of time, which is a major theme across all adaptations of Natsume. I think the first story in the first book, the one about the lamp and the antique shop, does an excellent job of portraying this. The story weaves back and forth between the present and the past, creating an world that feels truly alive. We see characters at different points in their lives, and through them we can feel the passage of time. It explores mortality and how quickly life moves. Although the stories are generally very positive, there is something deeply somber beneath the surface. In some ways, I think the book expresses these ideas better than the manga or anime, because we are able to experience the world directly through Natsume’s own thoughts and feelings.

If you like Natsume Yuujinchou than I really recommend these light novels as well.