I realized I'd better get started reviewing some things, as this blog purports to include reviews of various anime and K-dramas. Since I just got two new tankobon of Natsume Yuujinchou in the mail, I thought I'd start there.
The Premise:
"I've seen weird things since I was little. Things other people can't see. Weird creatures called yokai." Every volume of Natsume Yuujinchou begins with some variation on this introduction, and it's essentially the basic plot. Natsume Takashi is an orphan who has been passed around to more relatives than one could count. He never stays in one place long - people think he's a problem child, a liar, a vandal and just plain creepy, so he always gets sent away to become someone else's problem before too long. But the truth is, most of these problems are caused by that fact that Natsume can see yokai and no one else can.
That's the back story. When the first volume begins, Natsume is living with the kindly Fujiwaras, way out in the country. His grandmother, who could also see yokai, lived there as a child and she left something behind - the Book of Friends. Turns out, grandma Reiko had a habit of fighting and defeating practically every yokai she met, taking their names - which essentially put them under her control. A lot of yokai are out to get their appendages ("hands" doesn't always apply) on the book, and Natsume and his new life with the Fujiwaras are constantly in danger from them. However, Natsume has decided not to give up. He's going to make friends with humans and yokai, and return as many names from the book as he can. Fortunately, an old friend of Reiko's is willing to act as Natsume's bodygaurd - in exchange for eventual possession of the book.
My Opinion:
The first thing that appealed to me about Natsume Yuujinchou was the charm and beauty of the animation. The plot starts off like a series of short stories, one story per episode, so it wasn't precisely gripping. I wasn't desperate to know what would happen next. But I did want to see more of that lovely animation, and the soundtrack matches perfectly. It has a pleasant, gentle feel to it.
However, the characters are carefully and thoroughly developed, and the plot is built solidly one step at a time. It never feels rushed. I'd go so far as to call the pace elegant. But before you know it, a number of mysteries and plot points have developed that you do want to know more about. Reiko's past, the mysteries of the Matoba clan, and what exactly Natsume's future will hold are all intriguing - in a very large part because the people involved are all characters you know and can love or hate, like or be aggravated by.
There is actually quite a bit of action, but it's wrapped so thoroughly into the stories that it never overwhelms the plot.
And if you like mythology and folklore (which I do), you'll probably enjoy this. The yokai aren't modernized or brought up to date with pop culture references. Every story feels like it could have come straight from a traditional folk tale. Author Yuki Midorikawa specifically wanted to capture the feeling she had as a child, hearing local folktales of the rural area where she grew up. I'd say she succeeded. Tragically for those of us who don't read Japanese, Midorikawa's other works are not readily available and Natsume Yuujinchou is probably not popular enough in English speaking countries to entice the publishers to print official translations.
I would put Natsume Yuujinchou in my top five anime/manga list.
Anime vs. Manga:
This is one of those rare examples where the anime and manga are in perfect harmony with each other. The anime does expand some of the stories, to make them fill in the full time but it does a very good job of keeping the added material in the same style as the manga. This is probably due to the excellent coordination between the animation team and the author - apparently they made several trips to Midorikawa's home town with her, in order to sketch and absorb the feel of the area. Nice job, animation team! It really paid off. The plot arcs are also rearranged in the anime, so they occur in a different order than the manga, but due to the episodic nature of the stories it doesn't really matter that much. I love both the manga and the anime. The anime appears to have ended, which is sad because there's a lot more material left to cover. However, there was a two year hiatus between the second and third seasons, so there's still hope.
One odd point - Natsume's eye and hair color is changed from silver in the manga to gold in the anime. I don't have a problem with it, but it does seem like an unnecessary change.
Warnings:
As I've already said, I love Natsume Yuujinchou - the gentle pacing, the traditional folklore, the lovely art style and definitely the characters.
That said, there are plenty of people who loathe this story and find it gooey, sentimental and annoying. And Natsume himself has plenty of anti-fans, who think the kid is a pathetic Mary Sue who doesn't deserve to be the protagonist of a corn flakes commercial.
I disagree - I have no problem with sentimentality as long as it isn't a forced play for emotion (and I don't feel this is), and I've also got no problems with a protagonist who is shy and unsure of himself. But hey, if you don't like that kind of thing, or if you want something with bright colors, snappy one-liners and lots of fight scenes, this probably isn't the anime or manga for you. (Unless you're like me, and like lots of different genres and styles, in which case it will probably depend on your mood.)
If you are a fan, you will find it difficult to get any news on this series (unless you can read Japanese, in which case more power to you). It's not a popular big-name series, so there's not much information available and what there is, isn't updated often.
The Premise:
"I've seen weird things since I was little. Things other people can't see. Weird creatures called yokai." Every volume of Natsume Yuujinchou begins with some variation on this introduction, and it's essentially the basic plot. Natsume Takashi is an orphan who has been passed around to more relatives than one could count. He never stays in one place long - people think he's a problem child, a liar, a vandal and just plain creepy, so he always gets sent away to become someone else's problem before too long. But the truth is, most of these problems are caused by that fact that Natsume can see yokai and no one else can.
That's the back story. When the first volume begins, Natsume is living with the kindly Fujiwaras, way out in the country. His grandmother, who could also see yokai, lived there as a child and she left something behind - the Book of Friends. Turns out, grandma Reiko had a habit of fighting and defeating practically every yokai she met, taking their names - which essentially put them under her control. A lot of yokai are out to get their appendages ("hands" doesn't always apply) on the book, and Natsume and his new life with the Fujiwaras are constantly in danger from them. However, Natsume has decided not to give up. He's going to make friends with humans and yokai, and return as many names from the book as he can. Fortunately, an old friend of Reiko's is willing to act as Natsume's bodygaurd - in exchange for eventual possession of the book.
 |
| A boy and his cat/fox/yokai/bodyguard thing. |
My Opinion:
The first thing that appealed to me about Natsume Yuujinchou was the charm and beauty of the animation. The plot starts off like a series of short stories, one story per episode, so it wasn't precisely gripping. I wasn't desperate to know what would happen next. But I did want to see more of that lovely animation, and the soundtrack matches perfectly. It has a pleasant, gentle feel to it.
However, the characters are carefully and thoroughly developed, and the plot is built solidly one step at a time. It never feels rushed. I'd go so far as to call the pace elegant. But before you know it, a number of mysteries and plot points have developed that you do want to know more about. Reiko's past, the mysteries of the Matoba clan, and what exactly Natsume's future will hold are all intriguing - in a very large part because the people involved are all characters you know and can love or hate, like or be aggravated by.
There is actually quite a bit of action, but it's wrapped so thoroughly into the stories that it never overwhelms the plot.
And if you like mythology and folklore (which I do), you'll probably enjoy this. The yokai aren't modernized or brought up to date with pop culture references. Every story feels like it could have come straight from a traditional folk tale. Author Yuki Midorikawa specifically wanted to capture the feeling she had as a child, hearing local folktales of the rural area where she grew up. I'd say she succeeded. Tragically for those of us who don't read Japanese, Midorikawa's other works are not readily available and Natsume Yuujinchou is probably not popular enough in English speaking countries to entice the publishers to print official translations.
I would put Natsume Yuujinchou in my top five anime/manga list.
Anime vs. Manga:
This is one of those rare examples where the anime and manga are in perfect harmony with each other. The anime does expand some of the stories, to make them fill in the full time but it does a very good job of keeping the added material in the same style as the manga. This is probably due to the excellent coordination between the animation team and the author - apparently they made several trips to Midorikawa's home town with her, in order to sketch and absorb the feel of the area. Nice job, animation team! It really paid off. The plot arcs are also rearranged in the anime, so they occur in a different order than the manga, but due to the episodic nature of the stories it doesn't really matter that much. I love both the manga and the anime. The anime appears to have ended, which is sad because there's a lot more material left to cover. However, there was a two year hiatus between the second and third seasons, so there's still hope.
One odd point - Natsume's eye and hair color is changed from silver in the manga to gold in the anime. I don't have a problem with it, but it does seem like an unnecessary change.
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Warnings:
As I've already said, I love Natsume Yuujinchou - the gentle pacing, the traditional folklore, the lovely art style and definitely the characters.
That said, there are plenty of people who loathe this story and find it gooey, sentimental and annoying. And Natsume himself has plenty of anti-fans, who think the kid is a pathetic Mary Sue who doesn't deserve to be the protagonist of a corn flakes commercial.
I disagree - I have no problem with sentimentality as long as it isn't a forced play for emotion (and I don't feel this is), and I've also got no problems with a protagonist who is shy and unsure of himself. But hey, if you don't like that kind of thing, or if you want something with bright colors, snappy one-liners and lots of fight scenes, this probably isn't the anime or manga for you. (Unless you're like me, and like lots of different genres and styles, in which case it will probably depend on your mood.)
If you are a fan, you will find it difficult to get any news on this series (unless you can read Japanese, in which case more power to you). It's not a popular big-name series, so there's not much information available and what there is, isn't updated often.
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