There’s something about youkai and their constant need for Natsume’s attention that get Justin and Kuuki talking about how they must be lonely, kind souls. Or just anti-social.
Justin: Kuuki!
Kuuki: Yes?
Justin: I’m finally watching Natsume Yujinchou. Note the finally part, since I’ve heard nothing but good things about it.
Kuuki: You should have done so sooner, Natsume Yujinchou is a favorite of mine!
Justin: Wait, when did you watch this show, and er, why did you watch it?
Kuuki: I think that was something like 2 or 3 years ago, probably 3? I clearly remember watching this in the summer though. As for why, will I surprise you if I say it’s because Kamiya Hiroshi was playing the lead role?
Justin:…I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I’m shocked you would watch a show involving a kid who is the only one that can see youkai because of a seiyuu. I actually am.
Kuuki: Well, I love youkai stuff too but the first thing that brought me to Natsume Yujinchou is Kamiya Hiroshi. I did weirder stuff for my love of a seiyuu, watching Natsume Yuujinchou is pretty tame.
Justin: I heard about Natsume Yujinchou about two years ago as well. I knew someone who liked the show a lot, and she was praising the third and fourth seasons of the show. I then actually checked out Vol 1 of the manga, called Natsume: Book of Friends in the US by Yuki Midorikawa, and this must have been last year because I didn’t remember much about it.
Well, that is until I watched the first episode, and there sure was a lot to take in, at least because there’s two perspectives to consider: the past and the present. Takashi Natsume is the only one who can actually see youkai, and for that, he’s had to deal with people not believing in him and being alone.
Kuuki: I think that’s why I ended up loving Natsume Yujinchou so much. I mean, it is incredibly easy to relate to Natsume. We might not see youkai but we have all been alone and we are all struggling not to be alone anymore. More than the youkai and the little stories I think that Natsume’s character is the one thing that drew me in. I just couldn’t leave him alone, kind of like a little brother.
Justin: You know what? It’s actually the opposite for me: Reiko’s past is what’s interested me a lot, and I like how the show so far has tied her story in with the present and Takashi’s current state. From seeing how she seems to act around the youkai compared to Takashi’s current personality around them has been an interesting contrast that’s gotten me invested in what she had been doing, the youkai with their name in the Book of Friends, and how Takashi’s gonna be dealing with the youkai. Especially since currently he doesn’t have the stamina to return every youkai’s name back.
Well, at least he has the confusing Nyanko by his side. Um, we do get more into Nyanko’s past later in the series right?
Kuuki: You’re sure you want to know? Because the answer is no. I have watched all four seasons and am currently at book 14 of the manga and no, nothing about Nyanko’s past. There definitely is character development but nothing about his past. I can understand a bit, he is a youkai, his existence is out of this world and the author probably wants to keep the focus on things we can more easily understand. It’s a bit sad though because I think it would be pretty interesting. In many ways I think Nyanko is a lot like Natsume and Reiko, he might have lived for centuries all alone.
Justin: Ah, that’s kind of disappointing! The only reason I say that is because, as far as I can tell at the moment, you’d think Nyanko would have the advantage in getting the Book of Friends from Takashi right? Yes, he’s totally a fat…ok, a lucky cat but he’s a powerful youkai in disguise. Takashi said that he would give him the Book of Friends once he’s dead. So is Nyanko really so honorable to wait until Takashi dies? It makes me wonder how he’s interacted with Reiko then, and how was his past life.
But whatever the case, I have to admit: I wasn’t exactly sure how much I’d get into Natsume Yujinchou, but as it turns out, it seems to be a show I’ve been wanting to watch, and yet haven’t watched before: a meaningful, somewhat haunting look into the past, what makes us continue to keep going on despite the isolation and feelings of stress, and in three episodes, it’s done a good job so far. I only have a few criticisms of it so far: the first issue I have with it is so far, the music presence is poor. I haven’t heard anything that would make me want to actually listen to it again. One more issue so far also is how will Takashi be able to properly deal with youkai since he currently can’t fight any of them or he just loses stamina quickly. But that’s just me being picky.
…And also thinking that this could totally pass as a shounen…but wait, this is based off a shoujo manga!
Kuuki: Well, I can address a few issues, I believe the music composer was a bad choice, his style is more “urban”, I don’t remember his name but he’s done the music for Durarara!! and Hamatora, he has a very distinctive style and definitely had to downplay it for Natsume Yujinchou, hence why it isn’t very present, it wouldn’t fit the atmosphere of the anime.
I can also reassure you about Takashi. He learns to deal with youkai, he learns some exorcism techniques. He’s still weak but he can fight. He’d rather not, because Takashi is a pacifist, but he will fight.
Aaand yes, that’s indeed a shoujo manga. A shoujo manga without any love story but a shoujo manga anyway, but I wouldn’t say it’s a shounen either. For me, Natsume Yujinchou is a show that doesn’t fit in any box, a kind of mix between all the standard styles and that’s probably one of the reason why it’s so successful.
Justin: Right. And I think that’s why anyone can watch it. Though I should note, if you do watch it on Crunchyroll, prepare your eyes for yellow subs. Ah, yellow, yellow subs. Oh, and for now, you can only watch it in 480p. I guess for a show in 2008, that makes perfect sense!
But yeah, I see why it’s one of your favorites. The more I watch it, it’ll probably be a favorite of mine.
…Maybe.
Kuuki: I haven’t even tried watching on CR. It’s definitely not available on the French version (and if it did, it wouldn’t be yellow) and I don’t want to run into yet another region lock.
Either way, I am a firm believer that Natsume Yujinchou has the potential to become anyone’s favorite and I sure hope it becomes yours.
- Bio
- Latest Posts
Kuuki
Here is Kuuki, French 20-something anime-baka speaking. I watch too many things, read too much, eat too much and work too much. I'm writing Go for Broke and sometimes more for the Organization. Nice to meet you!
Latest posts by Kuuki (see all)
- Anime Extended: Natsume Yujinchou (Ep 1-3) - September 26, 2014
- Go for Broke: Chuunibyou demo koi ga shitai ren - September 16, 2014
- Go for Broke: Mahou Sensou - September 9, 2014
- Go for Broke: Nourin - September 2, 2014
- Go for Broke: Wake Up Girls! - August 26, 2014
