Review of Natsume's Book of Friends

I've watched the four seasons more than once and read most of the manga, and I can fairly say that Natsume Yuujinchou is by far one of the nicest anime I've come across. It's one of my alltimes favorites and I would recomend it to everybody. Actually the story is quite simple: boy can see yokai and that prevents him from having a normal life. However it's not the plot what makes Natsume such an special manga/anime, but the way the story is told. It's a slice of life show following the developement of the main character, who needs to learn how to dealwith humans and ayakashi in his everyday life. During this process he learns to forgive the wrong doings he has suffered from both sides and gets to appreciate his gift thanks to his interaction with the many supporting characters, which are all very cleverly developed. They all have good reasons to be what they are like, and they evolve, and forgive, and learn and grow... But the most important is that they are all incredibly lovable and sweet. Not in a cheesy way, but in a deep-human way. Many of them appear just in one chapter, but they are so skilfully introduced that you feel you can really understand them and want them to be happy forever.

Besides, the animation is great. The artwork is beautiful in it's simplicity. It's amazing to be able to create such a soothing dreamlike atmosphere with so little. Plus the soundtrack fits so well with the whole.

The only... let's say "negative" side, is that many of the most intriguing aspects concerning the story of some of the main characters remain unclear in the anime, and you will need to read the manga for further details.

However as I said, it's not what we are told but the way it is told. So while we may not get all the answers we'd like to have, the anime still provides a full experience, because at the end the purpose of this anime is not to be intriguing but to be simply beautiful. Every aspect of the story is so nice and heartwarming, even the sad things are so beautifully elaborated that at the end of each chapter you feel like life is really worth it even when things do not exactly have a happy ending.

So, why someone should watch this anime? Easy answer: Because it will make you feel so good.