Anime & Manga Suggestions!

Natsume Yuujinchou

ANIME



Name: Natsume Yuujinchou/ Natsume's Book of Friends

Genre(s): Iyashikei*, Mystery, Supernatural, Slice-of -life

Source: Manga

Produced by: Brain's Base/ Shuka

Author: Yuki Midorikawa

Number of episodes: 74 (6 seasons) + OVAs and 2 films

Subbed: Yes

Dubbed: Yes

Status: Ongoing ( season 7 confirmed to be in production)

Synopsis: The series follow Takashi Natsume, an orphan boy in his late teens who can perceive yokai. One day, Takashi finds a very old notebook that his late maternal grandmother, Reiko, an exorcist who possessed strong spiritual powers, used to bind dozens of powerful demonic spirits, both good and evil, that she defeated to follow her very whim and desire if called upon. Takashi resolves to give back all the names in the age-old notebook, Book of Friends.

Therefore, he makes a deal with Madara, a feline, wolf-like spirit: he will hand him the book once his time is up, and in turn, Madara will act as Natsume's unofficial bodyguard, nicknamed Nyanko-sensei. With his newfound goal of freeing those Reiko had sealed, Natsume's relationship with both youkai and humans slowly begins to improve.

Memorable Quotes

" As I encountered kindness, I wanted to be kind myself. I wanted to be able to do something, just as others had done for me. " ~ Natsume Takashi

" They come without asking, and then leave just the same. But once you meet them, even if nobody ever knows it, that encounter will change your life for the better. " ~ Natsume Takashi

" The person who did that must have been a very gentle person. Because after I entered that circle and saw a humans eyes for the first time...After I saw that young lady's eyes...For some reason, I felt like I didn't want to leave this place. " ~ Ancient Tree Yokai

Review Section

HelenaVWG

" I've always loved supernatural themes of anime, especially ones revolving yokais/ ayakashi. Actually, the first reson I ended up watching Natsume Yuujinchou was personally because the main character, Natsume, is being voiced by Hiroshi Kamiya ( I was on my phase of loving his voice haha ).

All in all, every episode seem to be that relating except for the fact that apparently Natsume is being mistaken for his deceased grandmother and for having the said Book of Friends. But even so, those episodes of daily life of Natsume is endearing and I crave for more ( yay for season 7!!).

Then I also like the dynamic between Natsume and Nyanko-sensei, also the differences between Natsume's interactions with humans and yokais too. You can also see how differently he acts between friends and enemies too.

If you read and watch both anime and manga, you'll also find some differences in timeline and scenes. It's also fun to do so, so I'd like to advise to do both if you have time! 6 seasons seems to be a lot of episodes but not gonna lie for me it seems so short. Also, sometimes it's fun to just press a random episode to watch. "

blaziken01trainer

" Natsume Yuujinchou being an iyashikei anime, fulfills its role of "healing" the viewer so I'd reccomend watching it when you want a break or feel like taking it slow. One of the pros of this show is that most episodes are stand-alones with few 2 to 3 partners sprinkled in there. Yet, the episodes never fail to feel like a continuation of the other or have a specified link between them which nicely brings everything together. Both the score and mostly nature backgrounds add  effect of this anime.

One of the most attractive points of this anime is the relationships. Of course, nothing beats the fun interactions between Natsume and Nyanko-sensei but then you get to see how this particular bond blossoms slowly across the seasons. Moreover, it's also nice to see how Natsume treasures everything he currently has. Be it the relationships with family, friends or his usual not-so-monotonous life. Across the seasons and episodes, the viewer will of course get to see multiple facets of Natsume and sometimes the lives of other important characters in the anime and that's one of the nice things about this anime. Seeing Natsume's evolution from this lonely soul to making friends with whom he can open up to and rely on; seeing his extremely small group of friends slowly expand towards both fellow humans and yokais is endearing.

Natsume's growth is highlighted by his encounters with yokais and other humans and through them brings out a very important aspect of his character: his kindness. It's perhaps what sets him apart from (most) of the other humans shown in this anime. Natsume has this innate kindness still present despite all the tragic events he's been through. The thing about it is that, with Natsume, it feels natural, like a second nature, to help others whether it's a human or yokai.

The show also has multiple layers, showcasing not only the good but also the bad of the world with "the bad" being depicted by the exorcists adhering to there cutthroat methods or some yokais who serve to show that the world that Natsume can see is also dangerous. Overall, my take on the anime is that it tries to fall mostly in the gray area with thought-provoking episodes that with time, make this anime hold a special place in your heart."

Opening

Issei no Sei



Ending

Natsu Yuuzora



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The newest chapter is finally out! A big thanks and shout out to HelenaVWG for helping with this anime reccomendation.

Apologies for posting it a week later than scheduled as well. I've been having a lot of trouble typing and inserting videos and photos in my chapters because Wattpad keeps glitchibg. I don't really understand what's going on but I hope this issue will be fixed soon. But in the meantime, it's been driving me crazy!!

That's all for today though. The next update shall feature ' Dead Mount Death Play'

Iyashikei*- Iyashikei (癒し系) is a genre specific to Japanese works, primarily manga and anime. It is a sub-genre of slice of life, portraying characters living out peaceful lives in calming environments, and is intended to have a healing effect on the audience.