Ranked #20

Zoku Natsume Yuujinchou

Ahahaha~ I rated everything a ten. No. I'm not some mindless idiot who thought this series was the best thing since sliced bread. I'm a fellow reviewer who KNOWS this series is the best thing since sliced bread. Anyway, on with the review!

Story: 10/10
If you loved Natsume Yuujinchou's storyline, then you'll love Zoku Natsume Yuujinchou just the same. I honestly have a thing for 'characters who are shunned by others because of their special abilities' when it comes to anime. And I loved how they developed the story throughout the series. Makes it more enjoyable to watch.

Art: 10/10
The art . . . The art's amazing. It fitted every single moment perfectly. Plus, what I loved about this anime? No awkward animation. At all. Even with creepy Youkai.

Sound: 10/10
The same goes with the sound. They chose the best music for each situation: A battle against the Youkai, times when it's peaceful, the episode breaks . . . Well, you get the point. ;P I especially loved the theme song, which, again, sets the mood for the series

Character: 10/10
There was not one character whom I detested/hated/was disgusted with at all. And even if I was, I got over it quickly. I'm not saying you have to like all the characters, though. What I'm trying to get at is that this anime's characters didn't undergo any moment where they weren't acting like themselves. Each and every character kept with their personalities straight through and didn't alter it because of what somebody said, like many anime characters tend to do.

Enjoyment: 10/10
Geez. If I didn't have so many anime on my planned to watch list, I would re-watch this over and over and over again. I enjoyed each and every episode thoroughly. I never laughed so hard at an anime like this either.

Overall: 10/10
Zoku Natsume Yuujinchou. Simply the best of its kind. I'd recommend it to anyone who likes anime with the ghostly aspect with splashes of humor thrown into it. read more

~~Show completed as of March 30, 2009.

Story - 8.8/10 (B+)
At first glance, i thought the whole "defeating spirits" element was overused, but the way Natsume Yuujinchou does it is much different. Natsume's grandmother, Reiko collected the names of spirits she defeated in battles until the day she died, and Natsume wants to return all the names, even though he could risk his life in the process. It really flows well, especially how Natsume punches the spirits like it's no big deal, kinda funny there. Then we have Madara, or as we know him as Nyanko-sensei, the spirit who seeks the Book of Friends only to be told by Natsume that he will get it when Natsume dies. I'm surprised that Nyanko-sensei hasn't came up with a plan to kill Natsume, but then again, the pacing of this show is different. When i watched the first episode, i felt like it was Winter, and i was warm from a fireplace (weird, i know), but this show really makes you feel calm, collected and just mellow. Perhaps all the mecha animes and the shounen animes took a toll on me, and Natsume Yuujinchou is the cure to my pain.

Animation - 10/10 (A+!)
The art is spectacular! I can't believe it's so well animated, just blew me away. From the opening sequence, to the ending sequence, and all in between, i really am fond of this show even more. It's so simple that it's perfect, in every way.

Sound -10/10 (A+)
i love the OP, and the ED is the most soft, teary, and beautiful song i've ever heard. The voice acting is really tremendous, with Kamiya Hiroshi as Natsume Takashi (Who also voices Tieria Erde in Gundam 00 btw). The voice actors all do a really marvelous job, it makes you feel like you're a part of this as well.

Characters - 10/10 (A+)
Many people think of people like Natsume as the "gay-ish", femine person. Well, it's better than hearing macho, tough, know-it-all's (Naruto, Ichigo, Black Star) say the same s**t all the time. Natsume is the kind of anime guy i really like, not too femine and not too masculine. Then we have Nyanko-sensei, the lovable kitten who's real form is somewhat dragon-like. Reminds me of Yoruichi's cat form from Bleach, only more enjoyable. Nyanko-sensei always has to say something smart, or pick at Natsume for being weak or too much of a pushover. I can just have these two characters and no other characters appear, and i'd still love this show.

Enjoyment - 10/10 (A+)
Something so excellent as Natsume Yuujinchou is easily overlooked by redundant shounen anime, or money-wasting ecchi. Everyone needs to watch this show, whether you're feeling down, feeling stressed or just plain you. This show will not disappoint. Some might view this as too boring, but those people are the ones who survive off of (redundant) animes such as Naruto and Bleach and Soul Eater. As a former Bleach fan, this show really got me off the shounen animes, and i'm thankful. Give this show a try, because you'll be glad you did.
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The Good: Animation, Characters, OP/ED, Basically Everything

The Bad: Use of spirits (not so much a big deal) as a plot element.
Sometimes it can get too boring. read more