Review of Natsume's Book of Friends
tl;dr Natsume's Book of Friends is a slow-paced episodic character drama with supernatural elements. The specific style and comfy atmosphere of the show may not be for everyone, but I personally loved it and think people should give it a chance. As opposed to a review, these are more along the lines of personal thoughts I wanted to jot down and look back on occasionally. I try to avoid spoilers and prefer brevity in my overviews. Story and Characters 10 - Typically, each mini story is confined to a single episode with the occasional double episode plot line. The cast of main characters is relatively small withthe primary focus being on Natsume and Nyanko sensei. As with any episodic series plotlines vary in quality, however many episodes are great at displaying a wide range of emotions despite their limited timeframe. The protagonist grows and matures slowly over the whole series and there are many heartwarming moments that have stood out to me to the point where I will occasionally think about them.
Art 9 - The show originally aired in 2008 and the age is noticeable, however visually it still looks very nice and as the series goes along it becomes better looking. The art is inviting and perfectly encapsulates the comfy atmosphere of a good home with a happy family and good friends.
Sound 9 - The same music is used throughout the show and it is very noticeable, however it is not repetitive to the point of annoyance. The openings and endings for all seasons are nice songs and I am particularly fond of the ending song for season 2.
Enjoyment and mild critiques 10 - I personally think that this show is excellent, however it is mildly repetitive in the sense that episode plotlines usually revolve around the protagonist helping a youkai and then that youkai moving on or thanking him. Not to say that is a bad thing, but not everyone is a fan of slow slice of life shows with may episodes resembling one another is one way or another. Aside from this point I am not terribly fond of Nyanko sensei's cat voice.