Review of Natsume's Book of Friends

After reading the summary for Natsume Yuujinchou I braced myself for a creepy ride. Much to my surprise though, this anime gave me more "awww"s than "ahhh!"s. No disappointment there though. STORY: IX The first few episodes are dedicated to introducing the characters and the impetus that sets the story into motion so there wasn't really anything to look forward to. As the story progresses, however, the plot and the characters become more interesting. It isn't because of an intense climax or an unfolding of a much bigger story. In fact, the whole anime is pretty much about the Natsume's everyday ordinary life, with the addedexception of a youkai for a bodyguard. It is because it becomes so easy to empathize with the characters. Each episode makes you understand Natsume, the boy who tries to make his already extraordinary life more extraordinary by making the most of everything that he experiences.

ART: VIII
The visual presentation is pretty decent. I especially loved it when some scenes would be paused for a moment to look much like a painting. These short pauses attract attention and empathizes a particular touching moment.

SOUND: IX
The background music compliments the emotion being roused by a scene in the anime. My favorite would be how the instrumental of the ending theme plays on the background during the last few seconds of an episode when Natsume reflects on what just happened.

CHARACTERS: XIII
The personality of the main characters compliments each other. Although the cool&mean-cute&kind duo where the kind guy is dominated by the mean guy is a usual sight in many animes, I liked how the less domineering Natsume won't budge to the whimpers and whines of the more domineering Madara. This creates a balance in their relationship. There were a few annoying supporting characters though. But they pretty much become more bearable at the end of every episode.

ENJOYMENT: IX
For me, enjoyment is a lot of laughter and more laughter. Natsume Yuujinchou doesn't deliver much in the laughter category. It's delight, however, is a passive-looking character called Natsume and how his views about life and the world would sometimes be the same with mine even if I don't live an unusual life like he does.

OVERALL: IX
Natsume Yuujinchou is a must see for those who are bloated by the dense environment of action/gore animes or the superficial atmosphere of some romance animes. This makes a light Sunday afternoon movie - with the exception of the sudden appearance of creepy youkais.