[Anime Reviews]

Natsume Yuujinchou end: except it isn’t. Great

Posted by Martin  [Tags: Natsume Yuujinchou]

The summer season turned out to be quite a good one, assuming you don’t mind watching two or three excellent series while ignoring countless others because you’re such an elitist you think that most of it was made of Fail. I know I’m being a bit harsh but I actually welcomed this because it’s easier to keep up with a minority I enjoy rather than fall behind with a larger number. I’m sure I missed out on too much (the subbing of x365 was out of my control since Spoonsubs seemed to run into problems, which was my biggest disappointment since I was loving it in widescreen) but as some form of compensation for having a rubbish summer IRL with only one or two memorable highlights, there were a few great shows this summer, such as this one. I enjoyed Natsume Yuujinchou. A lot.

Drunkcat is DRUNK

The best news of all is that in the new year a second season is planned - just as I was lamenting on how the characterisation and the premise in general had so much mileage, it appears that the story will indeed continue. It’s heartening to think that this show was popular enough with domestic audiences to warrant it, because I wasn’t sure that its subtle charms would be picked up by a wider audience. In any case, we have more of Natsume and his spiritual lolcat Nyanko-sensei to look forward to in January. Excellent.

[4 Comments]

[Anime Reviews]

Natsume Yuujinchou 3-6: when Mushishi-lite is a good thing

Posted by Martin  [Tags: Natsume Yuujinchou]

Comparisons can be as misleading as they are helpful. I sometimes fall back on them because they sound succinct and are easy to write when I’m feeling lazy but can be counter-productive when comparing the likes of Natsume Yuujinchou to Mushishi. You have a restful and picturesque rural Japanese setting, weird supernatural creatures, a protagonist who has the ability to see said supernatural creatures and uses his insight to solve problems associated with them; Natsume Yuujinchu does give off some of the same vibes but saying it’s some sort of Mushishi-lite is implying that it’s somehow lacking. It might not be as profound or ethereal but it has a charm and atmosphere of its own.

The episodic structure is similar but instead of a succession of self-contained tales there is an over-arching plot that allows the main character to develop and grow. The only criticism I can ever level at Mushishi is that its protagonist is as much a lens we view the worldview through as anything; while he plays an integral part in the outcome of many of the stories, he is the same lonely and mysterious individual in the last episode as he was in the first. For sure, we learn a lot about his early life but that show isn’t really about character development. The same cannot be said of Natsume Yuujinchou, however. Oh yeah, he’s funny too.

[8 Comments]

[Anime Reviews]

Battle of the Backlog: summer 2008 edition

Posted by Martin  [Tags: First Impressions and Retrospectives, Hidamari Sketch, Natsume Yuujinchou]

So far I’ve found only two new shows for the summer season that have really caught my attention and even then one of them, Eve no Jikan, isn’t following a weekly schedule. I quickly realised how I need to really pull my finger out in sifting through the newest offerings before they’re swamped by the Autumn titles so here are the latest updates to my watchlist: Himitsu: the Revelation, Natsume Yuujinchou, Yakushiji Ryouko Kaiki Jikenbo and of course Hidamari Sketch x365.

[7 Comments]