Review of Natsume's Book of Friends

This is one of those animes which just somehow makes its way into your heart and makes such a deep imprint that you would probably never be able to forget it. Natsume Yuujinchou (I watched all 4 seasons, and reviewing them in one go as they are more like a single entity anyway) is a beautiful rare gem in the anime world that often goes unnoticed, yet each and every person I know who have watched it have been touched so deeply by it. Story: The highlight of this anime is the storyline, and how its delivered. It has a very laidback pace, allowing the storyto gently bloom; the exact opposite of an intense high speed story. But it manages to do that with a grace that is never dull or boring, and just mesmerizes so you are pulled along gently by the story. The anime is episodic in nature, so every episode has a different story, but the 2nd season onwards do build upon previous stories and characters, so there is a sense of continuity.The main theme is about the conflict between the supernatural world of the youkais and humans, and Natsume's struggle to find his place in between these conflicting worlds. The theme of self discovery and companionship, as well as kindness and acceptance are the main focus of the anime, and well written and developed.

Art: I love the gentle vignette style of the art, with soft colours and landscapes, rather than details and sharp contrasts, this seems to suit the characters and the story better anyway. It reminds me a bit of Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli's art style (Totoro especially).

Sound: Absolutely LOVED all the openings and endings for all 4 seasons, they all fit the story so well, and the atmosphere and mood of the anime. The seiyuus were also brilliant, especially Nyanko sensei (Kazuhiko Inoue, who is also the voice behind loads of famous roles like Kakashi from Naruto)

Character:
I fell utterly in love with Natsume within the first season, and fell deeper with every episode since then. The character development for Natsume and Nyanko-sensei especially were done very well, and I love how the 2nd season onwards had more regular characters who stayed on for more of the series (the first season usually had characters come on just for one ep). Even with characters who didn't stay long, they still managed to give a solid impression and a fully fleshed character setting. Every character was realistic and relatable, and managed to engage my emotions well. Natsume will always have a special place in my heart