Review of Natsume's Book of Friends

One of the most boring shows I've ever had the misfortune of seeing. It could have been a lot better but at this point it put me to sleep more than Mr. Roger's Neighborhood when I was a child. A lot of promise but it quickly becomes one-note. Repetitive, slow, boring, and die cast characters that show absolutely zero growth. Dear God, don't get me started on the "music" and sound. The few times they tried to use sound to build tension were totally lost on me, because there never seemed to be anything really at stake. It's serialized slice of yokai with characters fitting neatlyinto their predetermined tropes with no room to move or grow. The voice acting was really good but the rest of the sound department was asleep at the wheel, and after hearing the OP, so was I.

The art is fine, especially for its era, my biggest complaint being how there seems to be a layer of fog over every scene. It just looks...dusty. The only good characters in the show are unironically the Yokai of the Week one and done characters. It's too bad we didn't get to see more of them and less of MC and the "cat".

If exciting anime is like a trip down some river rapids, then this is a safe and slow float in a blow up ring at a public pool, but no one else is there because they all got bored and went home to take their metamucil and go to bed early. Really disappointing because the show DID have its moments but the vast majority of the time spent was rehashed one-liners and excessively slow-walked episodes that seemed to be of no actual consequence because the week after it would be totally forgotten about.

In the end what are we left with? An overarching goal, outcome, message?
"humans and yokai CAN get along guys!"
How inspiring, I've fired up to do a marathon of watching paint dry now and doing some crappy post modern armchair philosophy over it.