The sixth season of Natsume Yuujinchou.
My first impressions for this show after watching the first two episodes, I felt that the season would focus on motifs of Natsume growing up with unique capabilities and what life was like for him during these difficult times. It turns out that I wasn’t too far off on my hypothesis! Woot.Very much like the previous season, this new addition has been quite reflective in regards to Natsume’s past, mostly in relation to the obstacles that he faced as a child. We get to experience more concrete glimpses into the core facets via contemplative thoughts that our protagonist has about the person he used to be and the person that he’s become. This breathtakingly puts into perspective the character growth that he’s undergone over the span of the past 72-episodes. Every single aspect about Natsume’s Book of Friends is a stunning masterpiece and a subtle ode to Japanese culture and spiritual beliefs. It’s presented in glorious animation, infused with the aesthetics of tradition and history. From the mannerisms and etiquette, to the way that everyone interacts with another-supernatural or otherwise-to the common dilemmas involving dysfunctional and complicated familial bonds, friendships steeped in misunderstanding, and the simple emotions of loneliness that’s blossomed from a deep loss–all of these come together in a marvellous, fluid way to create a story that’s highly engaging and compassionate. Visually, the anime is just as lovely, if not more, as its predecessors. The natural surroundings of the forests, neighbourhoods, and mountainous regions are depicted with great detail while retaining an air of ordinary beauty. The characters are all natural and easy to differentiate from one to the next. Whenever it calls for it, the suspense, laced with ethereal affects, conjures just the right amount of tension without feeling heavy, forced, or insufficient. The soundtrack continues to be wholeheartedly magical with melodies composed of piano, shamisen, and wood instruments that work together to instil warm-hearted emotions and empathetic responses. It’s tasteful, sophisticated, and so easy to listen to, making it the absolute perfect accompaniment to the classic aura of Japanese culture. Regardless of all of these things to love and appreciate, the best parts of the season were the themes of friendship and family, the bonds that tie people together, which is inherent in every new instalment to the serial. It’s a show that really peels away all of the layers that make humans such complex creatures and reveals us for the simpletons that we are: individuals who fight our own realm of loneliness; people who just want to love and be loved and accepted, whether it’s romantic, familial, etc. In conclusion, Natsume’s Book of Friends was one of the best shows out there for the Spring 2017 Anime line-up, and it will always be a masterpiece for me. It’s the kind of genuine feel-good series to pick up when you need it the most. I highly recommend this to all fans of anime, especially if you’re new to the medium. It can be enjoyed by anyone who loves a beautiful story. __10 maple leaves outta 10!__
I'm not really one to watch really long anime. and i only really started this series out of boredom.And it turned out really good. It is one of those plots that could really fall into a repetitive pit and it gets boring. but it didn't, well it did, but it wasn't boring to me at least. I watched the whole series being attentive and not turning to do something WHILE watching. My favorite season is season 5 it was way more interesting than the other seasons for some reason. Of course my favorite episode would be from the same season which is episode 11. It really put into perspective how Natsume is loved also by his youkai friends and not just Natsume being way to understanding on his own. And of course because my Chuukyuu-tachi being my favorite characters in the series. There are a lot of things they haven't talked about yet. like, the reason Reiko made Yuujinchou, of course there's a connection to her being not so accepted by humans. But is that really the only reason? Also, who is Reiko's husband? Takashi's grandfather? They've never talked about how Reiko established a family despite how people were weirded out about her and she never really had friends during back flashes. But obviously she did since She has a grandson. However that is something I think they cant really not tell us. And they've only recently revealed that there is something more to Takashi's grandfather. I assume he also has spiritual power and has had his own journey. So I hope they talk about that too. Another thing that's so weird to me is Natsume hasn't really had much character development in the powers and abilities department. All he can do at the moment is punch and remove contracts. He's sensing for which is youkai and which is not hasn't really improved. Natori Shuuichi is still doing all of exorcism. The way he still cant hold his own without Madara saving him and getting scared out of his wit the same way he did at the first season. The only character development he had was communication and having friends, but that's it? I think? It's good, don't get me wrong, but in 6 seasons that's all that happens? If you think otherwise feel free to say whatever. FINALLY, they haven't officially said anything on who Natsume will end up with, they proooobably wont. But I definitely ship Kaname x Takashi. And I feel like that's also the Fujoshi and Fudanshi fandom is heading towards that direction. Normal fans will probably head towards Takashi x Takki. Some are also shipping Natori x Takashi, but I don't really see them other than having a sibling-like relationship. But if they dont plan on doing Kaname x Takashi then Ill be fine with Natori x Natsume, senpai kouhai/ age gap will forever be hawt.
Man, I really shouldn't have put this off for so long. I mentioned in my previous Natsume review that during 2016-2020, I was neck deep in anime burnout, to the point where I couldn't bring myself to watch more than an episode of anything at least once in a blue moon. During that time, seasons 5 and 6 of _Natsume Yuujinchou_ aired in 2016 and 2017, and since it had been four years since season 4 ended, I wasn't sure if I'd be able to jump back in since the series is fairly strict with its continuity. I was able to get out of my burnout, and to my surprise, Natsume began receiving English dubs starting in 2022, which proved to be the perfect way for me to jump back into the series. I decided then and there that as soon as season 4 got a dub, I'd finally get off my ass and watch seasons 5 and 6. As you can tell by the review, I finally made good on my promise and finished both, OVAs included. It still surprises me just how amazing this series manages to be, not just in its overall quality, but the fact that since that time, the series switched production companies while maintaining its core staff. Like with my first review of Natsume, I'm going to have this review talk about seasons 5 and 6 together, as talking about them separately would be kind of redundant. The series still focuses on Takashi Natsume's adventures helping various youkai and people with their problems, while continuing to build on everything previous seasons established. That aspect of the series hasn't changed one bit, and its all the better for it, keeping the subtle touch that made the previous seasons so good. It helps that even with the animation production company changing from Brains Base to Shuka (Why is that, I wonder?), all of the staff from previous seasons were kept on; the director, scriptwriters, music composer, and of course the voice cast. Consistency is really important when maintaining a long running series, and often times, shows that go on for a long time, especially the more prominent series, tend to either meander or become very different from how they started. _Natsume Yuujinchou_ is one of those few series that manages to stay consistently good in both its animation, characterization, and writing quality in the years since its first airing and, other than a few minor foibles, never lost sight of what it's mean to be. That's a feat not many series can boast, and I'm so glad the change in animation companies didn't hurt the series any, as some shows that change animation companies tend to look quite different than their previous seasons, and the resulting changes can really hurt a series if done poorly. Take note, _Laid-Back Camp_ season 3 and your weird photographic backgrounds with bad filters. Remember how I mentioned in my review for seasons 1-4 that every season focused on different themes and goals? Seasons 5 and 6 are similar in that while they continue to flesh out Natsume and the cast around him, more focus is given to the adult characters this time around, with season 6 finally taking the time to expand on one character in particular: Natori. While Natori has always been a presence in the show, seasons 1-4 never really went deep into his background. These two seasons do just that, really going into detail as to how seeing youkai affected his life, how he came to know Matoba, why he became an exorcist and how, and the affect his job has on his relationships with others. We also get some more backstory on Reiko, Touko, and Shigeru throughout both seasons. Season 6 even has one episode that fleshes out, of all people, Natsume's two male classmates Nishimura and Kitamoto. They were fun characters in seasons 1-5, sure, but I really liked the revelations it presented with them in season 6, as it really recontextualizes their friendship with Natsume. Season 6 even brings back a character introduced in season 3, Shibata, Natsume's former bully and gives him another episode that shows how he's changed since his initially awkward reunion with Natsume prior. Another theme seasons 5 and 6 have in common is showing Natsume expanding his social circle, with more people learning that he can see youkai outside of just Tanuma and Taki. Like I mentioned before, this isn't a series where you can just jump into a season and understand what's going on right off. Seasons 5 and 6, while still having a laid-back atmosphere, do expect you to have watched the previous four seasons and keep track of what previously happened, especially when it comes to characters like Matoba and what they've been up to. The finale of season 6 even drops a pretty huge revelation about Natsume's heritage, and I'm betting season 7 will probably elaborate on this, though I could be wrong. One thing that did confuse me is that both seasons 5 and 6 have eleven episodes as opposed to the usual 12-13 previous seasons had, though they did get some extra episodes in the form of OVAs. A warning for anyone planning to watch any of the OVAs for these two seasons: Don't watch the one about Nyanko-sensei being made to babysit a couple of kids. That OVA is cliche, boring, annoying, the premise relies too much on the characters being idiots, and the kid characters are so whiny and insufferable that I wanted to smack them every time they opened their mouths. Natsume normally never has bad episodes, though I think this OVA might be the first. Its only saving grace is that it's a standalone OVA that is pretty disconnected from the series itself, so you can skip it and not miss anything. I've already gone in detail my feelings about the series as a whole in my previous review, so I won't belabor the point here. It took me way too long to get around to watching seasons 5 and 6, but better late than never, right? Natsume's Book of Friends is still a great anime in my book, and the fact that we're getting another season has me hyped as hell. No way am I gonna miss out on more of one of my favorite anime of all time! Since I actually own the blu-ray for the movie Ephemeral Bond, now I have an excuse to finally get around to watching that. But yeah, seasons 5 and 6 are an excellent follow-up to the previous four and it's quite honestly a modern miracle how its continued to maintain its level of quality over several decades on every level. Fans of _Natsume's Book of Friends_ owe it to themselves to watch these seasons. Though again, don't watch that OVA I mentioned above unless you have a tolerance for crying kids.
~~~__Introduction__ img220(https://static1.cbrimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Book-of-Friends.jpg) I went into this expecting a relaxing series that I could just play an episode or two of, whenever I'm feeling down, and not once was I able to stop myself from clicking on the next episode, until I found myself done with a season, holding myself back from starting the next szn Everything from the characters, to the sound and animation, to the story itself, had me captured and I couldn't let it go, and I ended up binging about 85 episodes of it in about a week, where half the days I was coming home late from uni or work and other days I had assignments~~~ # __~~~Story~~~__ ~~~To start off, I had seen so many ppl claim that the story and episodes were repetitive and boring, and oh boy where they wrong. Each episode from start to finish, had an almost completely unique exploration of the Youkais, with captivating stories, touching moments, and different personalities and attitudes, and with every episode, there's a bigger feel of attachment to the main cast, especially (obviously) Natsume and Nyanko Even with the slightly repetitive drive behind a lot of the episodes, you leave it with a new sense of accomplishment and more refreshing look at a lot of cast. Alongside that it helps in creating the peaceful world, that feels like the perfect escape from reality and gives you that nice warm hug to your heart The consistent recalls to past interactions and characters are the perfect reminder that this is in fact still the very same world that we've been in from the very beginning of the series, and I'll come back to this a lot. Some episodes will have you jumping around in joy, while others will have you emotionally drained, and with each new episode, you get a fresh start, and that is the beauty of this anime. img220(https://external-preview.redd.it/jowBoMfkW2JHL9vlB7U1EjfWZJXxGbWXYycqHfogY4s.jpg?width=640&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=93c99161c36dcbb893ffdafa712951e5f6de9168) __10/10__~~~ # __~~~Visuals and Sound~~~__ ~~~ To start this off, there has not been a single opening or ending that I skipped for all 80+ episodes. With almost all he endings, having the similarity of feeling like a slow lullaby to end the day that we just experienced in that episode, whether it was a happy episode or a sad one. Then, to greet the next episode, the next day, and the next adventure, we had almost all openings being an uplifting and cheerful song that would have you smiling and awaiting the next story to unfold. [All the openings and endings up to season 6 ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6BdmcIEMgBw&list=PL3qxtv84jjUtwAFKq0CYxqT6VyHdondB3) Not to mention the OST, being one of my favourites in all of anime, the beautiful piano that would consistently play throughout the episode, and that would clearly set the tone for each scene, and just one you could never not notice while watching the series. To match that beautiful soundtrack, was the amazing quality of the animation, that was a perfect mix of pleasing to the eyes and matched the aesthetic of the anime. __10/10__~~~ # __~~~ Characters ~~~__ ~~~Next, probably my favourite part of this anime, The Characters I want to preface this by saying, that already by the 3rd season I was starting to consider this cast as the best in anime for me First of all, the main character, and star of the show, Takashi Natsume img220(https://i.pinimg.com/originals/6b/ed/33/6bed33b2c9a324e03978418d65863b09.gif) Where do I even begin, the beauty of natsumes character is one that you could know all about it, but you wouldn't actually get to appreciate it until actually watching the series The awkward, strange, weirdo, loner is what Natsume was for almost all his life to others, and caused him to get abused, bullied, and thrown around like trash for a majority of his life, and has had every reason to turn his back on both humans and youkai, and despite all that, the kind-natured, soft spoken and polite kid never gave up on either. From early we see how he has always tried to keep a distance from other people, as a coping mechanism from all the suffering he endured as a child, but as the story goes on, we see him slowly being able to open up and realising that there are a equally kind people around him. The development of going from a closed up independent introvert, to slowly being able to depend on others, whether it be Nyanko, Natori, Tanuma & Taki, the Fujiwaras, his school friends, or even the dog's circle and the other Youkai, is one that made every episode feel like a refreshing new adventure, as with each episode there was a new closeness between Natsume and the others, and in turn us and the cast Him also being able to, and continously does, go back and revisits earlier youkai and people that he has dealt with during the beginning, while he was more closed up and pretty much depressed, and then seeing the surroundings in a newer positive light, enhanced the fact that everything is still connected in the exact same world I would go on about almost any of the characters but the thread is getting a bit too long already, so quickly about the Fujiwaras img220(https://cdn.myanimelist.net/images/anime/3/84887.jpg) If there was ever any debate about the best parental figures in anime, then it was over with the introduction of Touko and Shigeru Them being a big reason to why the story is even in the state that it is, and natsume being able to a kind hearted saviour, can not be understated. At first we were told that they were just the current family that Natsume is freeloading at, gives the impression that they were just like any of the others who would get scared and/or tired of him, and/or straight up hate him, but throughout we are shown how that is not the case, will never be the case. Their kindness to adopting him out of free choice, as we see in one of the episodes, and their continuous understanding when it comes to dealing with the child that has been abandoned all his life, and just the sweetness of whenever they or Natsume acknowledge that from now on they are in fact family, is one of my favourite things in this anime by far. Even for the rest of the cast, every episode that even includes anyone, continues to build this feeling of found family, not just for the actual family, but for all of the cast. As we see how not only they help Natsume, but also how he's unknowingly helped them in some kind of way. __10/10 cast__ And overall, the easiest __100__ for an anime I've ever given ~~~