Review of Natsume's Book of Friends
I watched this anime basically on a whim. I read the name somewhere and just started watching it. I have to say that I wasn’t too impressed by this series by the first episode, but that certainly changed later on. Please note that this is a review of all four seasons of Natsume Yuujinchou. However, my feelings towards this show have changed significantly over the course of watching this. So here is the rough draft of my experience: Season One: Wow, this is totally above my expectations. Pretty good. 7/10. Season Two: Well shit, I accidently marathoned this. I fear that I’m falling in love with this show.8/10.
Season Three: I love this show. Please don’t let it end. 9/10.
Season Four: I LOVE THIS SHOW. SHIT IT’S ENDING NO SHIT SHIT SHIT NOOO– 9/10.
Honestly. This show is amazing. With brilliant bittersweet episodic plotlines, likable and well-developed characters and just an extraordinary overall feeling of atmosphere, this show excels in almost everything it tries to do. This show is one of the most heartwarming anime that I have ever seen, and as it kept going, it only got better and better. A must-watch for everybody, unless you have a brick for a heart or can’t stomach anything without explosions.
STORY
Natsume Yuujinchou doesn’t have an ‘overarching plot’ or anything, and mostly relies on various episodic stories to keep itself going. Most episodes follow the following structure:
1. A youkai gets introduced.
2. The youkai either has a problem or causes a problem.
3. Natsume solves this problem and learns something about himself in the process.
As you can see, Natsume’s Book of Friends is a very simple show. But its beauty lies in how much it managed to do with such a simplistic concept. Every story is heartwarming and unique in its own way, and even if the episodes follow the same general formula, it never seems to get old. The episodes in season one and season two mainly focused on various one-off characters, while the third and fourth season began to focus more on Natsume himself. Regardless of what story they’re telling, they manage to make it beautiful. Every episode I left with a small smile on my face, even if I sometimes had a knot in my stomach from the emotional moments. This anime just contains so much heart: it’s very clear that the people behind the show had a certain passion for it and it shines brilliantly.
It also helps that the entire atmosphere for this show is brilliant. The world, in and off itself, isn’t really anything special. But it has this feeling to it that’s very hard to pin down and describe: a feeling that is almost bittersweet, but not quite. Heartwarming, yet, at the same time, it also carries this air of melancholy. It’s a very calm show, and the perfect thing to watch when you are anxious or depressed.
If I really had to nitpick I’d say that the first episode was bad. And yeah, it is. But in the grand scheme of things, I don’t feel like it really matters all that much.
All in all the story, despite (or maybe because of) its simplicity managed to create a beauty that is very rare to find among any form of media.
CHARACTERS
The characters, just like the rest of the show, only get better and better as the seasons go on. One of this anime’s strongest points, in my opinion, is Natsume’s character development.
Natsume Takashi is the main character of this show. At a young age he lost both his parents and has since been passed down his relatives, none of whom wanted to keep him because of his ability to see youkai. Those relatives ranged from distant to downright abusive. Finally, about a month before the show starts, the Fujiwaras took him in and he finally got a stable life.
At the beginning of the show, we see him as a lonely and somewhat depressed teenager. He has an air of sadness and maturity to him, which isn’t surprising, considering his childhood has been very tough. And this shows. He is mature beyond his age, has some obvious trust issues and is very quiet. He is also very nice and genuinely cares about everything and everyone around him. He is not a saint however; he sometimes gets angry and frustrated. He has emotions like all of us and they can be hurt, but, at the beginning of the show, he is sure to suppress them and not let it show.
As the anime progresses we see him grow from a self-conscious boy into one who is much more secure about himself and has more trust in the world around him. His development is so subtle that you don’t even notice it until you start comparing scenes from the first few episodes to scenes in the later ones. It’s brilliantly done.
Apart from that he, like the show, grows on you without you even noticing it. I initially didn’t think that I cared much about him; I never noticed any sense of particular attachment. However, during an arc in season two, some youkai hurt him and I just found myself immensely furious. I wanted that thing dead, and right now. I think I might have actually started yelling at my screen. That’s when I realized that I actually cared about him to the point of having my protective urges roused, something that almost never happens to me.
As the seasons progressed, I only found myself getting more and more attached to him, until I came to the point that I was probably sadder than him when he got into a bad situation. I think that this might just be the strongest I’ve ever felt about a character.
Another main character that I wanted to note was Nyanko-sensei/Madara. Even though he is largely played for comic relief, he is also a really good character in himself. His interactions with Natsume are especially precious. Even though they argue most of the time and Nyanko-sensei will deny that he cares for Takashi, it is very clear that he does. The way they show this is great, with small gestures meaning a lot and moments of silence often speaking louder than words. If I had the time, I could point out the many scenes I believe illustrate this the best, but it’s best if you just go and watch yourself.
Other than him, the other reoccurring important side characters are noteworthy too. Although their development is littler than that of Natsume, it’s still pretty amazing what they managed to do with relatively little screen time. The differences between the characters are so noticeable when watching the episodes from season one and four back to back, yet so unnoticeable when you’re actually watching the show chronologically, the youkai characters maybe excepted. Even so, I once again have to applaud this anime for their subtlety.
Even the episodic characters are good. Even though they only get one arc to establish themselves, they are still good enough that you actually care what happens to them. Their stories are often heart wrenching and you can’t help but want the best for them, even if they aren’t particularly memorable.
The characters of Natsume Yuujinchou shine in their quietest moments, and the subtlety of their development makes them all the more believable. Like the rest of the show, you will find yourself unknowingly getting attached to them and not regretting a single thing.
ANIMATION/SOUND
The animation and sound are the only parts where the show isn’t doing exceptionally well. The first season in particular fell short on both of these things, with bad animation and a terrible opening. The animation in the fight scenes (as short and limited as they were) was especially cringe worthy. The camera-angles were also off. I first blamed this on bad directing, but after watching the rest of the show, I know that I was wrong. I don’t know what it is, though, but the choices they make are just really weird. Hiding your main character behind an umbrella while he is talking for more than a minute is very distracting, guys.
As the second season began, however, there was a very noticeable increase in animation budget, leading to a drastic change in animation quality. While it still wasn’t the best, it didn’t need to be. It managed to accentuate the tone of the show rather nicely, and the backgrounds in particular were great (they already were in the first season, for the record). I also liked the design for several of the youkai, even if I did notice a rather lack of distinction later on in the series (all ‘good’ spirits began to look a lot like humans).
Like I already mentioned, I dislike the opening for the first season. I just can’t stand it. I think it somehow sounds like a bad cover of a good song, and it bothers me. The second opening, however, is great. I love the visuals for it, and the song is very catchy. It was a joy to listen to. I thought the third opening was kind of meh again, but the fourth was pretty good. The ending to season one was slightly better than its opening, but I still didn’t like it. I love all the other endings equally, though. And the art style they use in them is great.
The background music is simple, using very few instruments (a lot of which are commonly used in traditional Japanese music) and manages to set the tone for this show perfectly. At first, I wasn’t too fond of it on its own, but it grew on me, like the rest of the show.
In short, even though the animation and the soundtrack aren’t the greatest things ever, they still hold up pretty well and complement the show rather nicely.
CONCLUSION
Natsume’s Book of Friends is a show that has grown very close to my heart. Before watching this, I never understood how people could want a show to go on forever. I have always wanted my shows to end, and I was always happy when I reached those endings. But with Natsume Yuujinchou, I actually found myself stalling, restricting myself to watching only so many episodes a day so that I could enjoy this as long as I could. That is the single biggest complement that I can give a show.
This anime is brilliant in almost every way; the characters are well-developed, the plotlines are heartwarming and the music and animation create the brilliant atmosphere that makes this show what it is. I honestly have no idea how anyone can dislike this anime, unless you just really dislike shows without action or are just plain heartless. Not to say that you're a bad person if you didn't like this but just... how?
It’s flaws are minor, and its pros are huge. Honestly, there is no reason for anyone to skip this masterpiece, so go forth and watch it. Now.