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Yes_Cantaloupe
Feb 28, 2005


Natsume Yuujinchou or Natsume's Book of Friends is a shoujo manga/anime that's been running since 2005/2008. It follows Natsume Takashi, an orphaned young man who can see spirits, as he attempts to help them with verious problems and return the names stolen from them by his grandmother, Reiko. Along the way, he makes friends with humans and ayakashi, he learns about family, and he begins to grow into the man he wants to be.

I love this show because Natsume, though quite powerful, only resorts to violence as a last resort. He tries (and generally succeeds!) to solve his problems though listening, understanding, and kindness. Life's been hard on him, but even when hurt, he responds with compassion. All the friends he makes are adorable (especially Nyanko-sensei :3:), and everything is just so chill. Chill, melancholic, and kind. It's a joy to watch, even when it makes me cry (it will make you cry too).

The sixth season of the anime is airing this spring! What a wonderful excuse to begin watching it if you haven't already! The first five seasons are on crunchyroll (with the 4th and 5th listed separately for some reason), and, though nothing has been announced yet, I imagine they'll get the 6th too here's the 6th! It begins airing April 12th, on Wednesdays early early JST and therefore on Tuesdays in real people time!

For manga folks, Natsume's is quite good! It's different in small ways from the anime (most notably, a secondary character who transfers away early on in the manga sticks around in the anime), and I personally feel that the music and voice acting add a lot, but they're both fine ways to experience the story. The manga's ahead right now, of course, but it should be less so in a few months. It's licensed by Viz and is available both in hard copy and digitally on kindle/comixology.

I know we've got folks 'round these parts catching up on the anime; feel free to talk about it here. Likewise, if you're a manga reader, feel free to talk about it here. And of course, let's all talk about the sixth season that I'm REALLY EXCITED ABOUT!!!!!



e: updated for the sixth season! I never imagined we'd get a fifth, much less a sixth! Sometimes the world is a very cool place!

Yes_Cantaloupe fucked around with this message at 20:54 on Apr 11, 2017

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Knorth
Aug 19, 2014

Buglord
Yeah!

I'm going to post the first ED later because its fantastic and because Natsume is also fantastic

Cephas
May 11, 2009

Humanity's real enemy is me!
Hya hya foowah!
This show is really sweet and lovely. The animation is a bit rough in the first few episodes, but you adjust to it pretty quickly. The mood is so tender and sad. It's a great show to watch at the end of a long day. :)

Also
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MYsdWd1y8s0

Yaoi Gagarin
Feb 20, 2014

This show owns because it has both the best grandmother and the best cat in all of anime

The OP is really good too: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fST-KSaA7vE

grrarg
Feb 14, 2011

Don't lose your head over it.
The soundtrack in general is really good and a big part of why the show is so chill.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xrbfAU2UZqI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jf6UyeKVE50

gimme the GOD DAMN candy
Jul 1, 2007
i forget a bunch of the details, but i really liked the girl who showed up in a later season who would go nuts and start cuddling nyanko every time she saw him. i'm surprised she is the only one, actually.

Knorth
Aug 19, 2014

Buglord
https://u.pomf.is/hpqwiq.webm

The best ED

https://a.pomf.cat/jmsnvq.webm

Strange Quark
Oct 15, 2012

I Failed At Anime 2022
My favorite EDs are 2 and 4, because I apparently like winter best.

Cephas
May 11, 2009

Humanity's real enemy is me!
Hya hya foowah!
Does the little fox have a confirmed gender? They refer to themselves as "boku" but that doesn't mean much in animes. I was really surprised to see them referred to as "he" consistently online because I thought they were just a kawaii kitsune girl. I'm only on season 2 though so maybe it becomes more clear over time? :iiam:

Everything Burrito
Jun 2, 2011

I Failed At Anime 2022
I rewatched episode 1 last night, think I'm gonna do 1/night and see if I can keep that pace vs watching a bunch and burning out. I started it a long time ago but it wasn't what I was in the mood for at the time so I never got very far, but I've been meaning to get back to it.

Knorth
Aug 19, 2014

Buglord
https://a.pomf.cat/wbknkk.webm

https://a.pomf.cat/zemyla.webm

:kimchi:

https://a.pomf.cat/cnavue.webm

Taki is good

say tan
Sep 25, 2016

by WE B Bourgeois
.

Knorth
Aug 19, 2014

Buglord
More~ Natsume clips

https://a.pomf.cat/xdsvmk.webm

https://a.pomf.cat/nhllsj.webm

https://a.pomf.cat/oekyec.webm

Good spirits :3:

Hawke
May 1, 2008
I started watching this about a week ago and I'm loving it, it's super chilled out and relaxing to watch.

Nyanko's the best anime cat, period.

Argona
Feb 16, 2009

I don't want to go on living the boring life of a celestial forever.

I started watching it as well, almost done with the first season now.

The firefly youkai episode almost made me cry...

StandardVC10
Feb 6, 2007

This avatar now 50% more dark mode compliant
Well, this didn't take long to make me almost cry. Not sure I'll be able to watch it all before the new episodes start but it seems pretty good.

Daedalus1134
Sep 14, 2005

They see me rollin'


Also trying to catch up before I start the new season. It's wonderful in it's own right, but it really makes me want (even more) Mushishi.

Knorth
Aug 19, 2014

Buglord
What a nice episode to start the new Natsume season with. Some more bittersweet insight into Reiko's life, I'm so glad she's found another human that seems like they might accept her as she is :kimchi:, and some very cute spirits.

]

Love this little sprite :3:

devtesla
Jan 2, 2012


Grimey Drawer
I jumped from about ten episodes into the first season to now. It's still exactly the same show but also really good.

StandardVC10
Feb 6, 2007

This avatar now 50% more dark mode compliant

devtesla posted:

I jumped from about ten episodes into the first season to now. It's still exactly the same show but also really good.

Good to know, because that's about where I am in S1. Thank you.

Knorth
Aug 19, 2014

Buglord


https://u.pomf.is/vvgewu.webm

:kimchi:

TenWren
Jan 22, 2012

Oh no, this show. I kinda remember crying through watching the first season. So glad it's still going! I'll try and catch up, even though I'm way behind.

Yes_Cantaloupe
Feb 28, 2005
I've watched the first two episodes of the season! The first was alright, but had some weird pacing, and it felt really awkward when it shoehorned in Reiko talking about the man she met. The second was a fine return to form, and was cute as heck to boot.

While watching it, I had some thoughts:

Ayakashi in Natsume live long lives, but they seem to be fairly empty lives. Day-to-day, they maybe chat with a friend, play small tricks on humans, or passively enjoy the world around them. Only very rarely does anything of note happen to them, so when it does, it consumes their attention. Just from these two episodes: the pot lady stole and lost a doll, so she spends a couple generations looking for it, and our cute little bird youkai is treated with kindness and given a towel, so she obsesses over the man for half a century. Natsume is full of stuff like this - heck, it's pretty much the basis for the show, what with everyone still obsessing over Reiko. I think this also colors their perception of humans and social interactions. In this episode, the girl is just crushed when Natsume is called a liar, and I don't think this is just a Western-Japanese cultural thing; if someone an ayakashi just met called them a liar, it might become their everything for the rest of their existence. Ayakashi are so shocked when Natsume is casual about helping them wtih small favors because for them, such a decision would be life-altering.

oh nuts, I had the thought halfway through the ep and wrote it down, but then the episode addressed this directly. Now I don't feel so cool and insightful.

but oh my gosh she was so happy to get the new towel :3::kimchi::3:

psyer
Mar 26, 2013
The animation seems to be getting worse as each episode comes out this season. Hopefully we don't get an episode like the infamous Durarara S2 episode.

Strange Quark
Oct 15, 2012

I Failed At Anime 2022
I haven't noticed anything but the occasional eh looking distance model, but they're distance models.

StandardVC10
Feb 6, 2007

This avatar now 50% more dark mode compliant
New episode has been up since Tuesday. Reminds me of a murder mystery - there's a big gathering of people in a fancy house, and one of them Did It. Don't have a lot else to say about it though.

Yes_Cantaloupe
Feb 28, 2005
Just watched eps 3 & 4. Plot! An awful lot of plot, for Natsume. In 3, it was super cute how Natori was so flustered and excited for Natsume coming over.

Matoba is a dick. I have this thought every time he appears, and the viewers are supposed to think just that, but that doesn't make it less true.

Yes_Cantaloupe
Feb 28, 2005
What a sweet episode. Taki eps are almost always adorable, but having a youkai fall for her? :kimchi::3::kimchi::3:

Her reaction to Reiko Nyanko-sensei was great, too.

StandardVC10
Feb 6, 2007

This avatar now 50% more dark mode compliant
That was a really good episode.

Knorth
Aug 19, 2014

Buglord


Peek Peek

What a sweet episode

https://u.pomf.is/muworz.webm

:3:

StandardVC10
Feb 6, 2007

This avatar now 50% more dark mode compliant
Oh, I like this week's youkai. :3:

Yes_Cantaloupe
Feb 28, 2005
Watching this week's ep would have been a better use of my evening that being gloomy on the discord...

Yes_Cantaloupe
Feb 28, 2005
We streamed the ep! It was good and cute and chill.

devtesla
Jan 2, 2012


Grimey Drawer
I'm binging through old episodes of this show, it feels good tonight.

Yaoi Gagarin
Feb 20, 2014

It was cool to get a preview of things to come by watching the latest episode last night. I'm in season 2 so it's still a long road

Knorth
Aug 19, 2014

Buglord


I love spacey giant bird youkai :kimchi:

psyer
Mar 26, 2013
The special Natsume OAD that was just released instead of episode 7 is probably the weakest story for the entire series.

Also, the difference in animation of this that was from 2-3 years ago compared to what we had this season is miles better than what they have been outputting. It is a shame that it seems Shuka always seems to struggle animation and having either to delay or rush episodes like Durarara S2.

I have also been watching the old episodes and it is still great.

Yaoi Gagarin
Feb 20, 2014

Knorth posted:



I love spacey giant bird youkai :kimchi:

wait does bird yokai show up again or is this from the season 2 episode

psyer
Mar 26, 2013

VostokProgram posted:

wait does bird yokai show up again or is this from the season 2 episode

The bird youkai in the screenshot is from season 5 episode 6. Not sure about a bird youkai from season 2 epsiode though. Pretty sure it is different.

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Strange Quark
Oct 15, 2012

I Failed At Anime 2022

psyer posted:

The special Natsume OAD that was just released instead of episode 7 is probably the weakest story for the entire series.

It's actually a rebroadcast of an old ova from years ago.

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