The anime has a lot of fun and humour in it, but also tragedy and sadness at the same time. Each episode left me wanting to see more of the anime just to see how Natsume would treat a new situation. Initially, I found this anime under Kamiya, Hiroshi's name before it was aired and the synopsis was kind of promising. And as each episode was aired, I found out that I really could not wait for the next episode; It was a long wait for the four seasons to finish but well worth it. Now I wish there was more for me to enjoy.
This anime is full of bittersweet moments that should generally leave a person feeling angry or upset but it is not the case here. Oddly enough, where Natsume should have ended up hating people, he ends up loving them more. The strength of his character is something that is awe worthy.
Story and Plot - 10/10
Most people who watch this anime will not see a plot in the start of the anime, but there is one. This anime follows the day to day life of Natsume, Takashi and his youkai "guardian" Madara(who Natsume affectionately calls Nyanko-sensei). Natsume is not your ordinary teenage boy like in other anime; he has the ability to see youkai and this has earned him a hard childhood. Orphaned at a young age, he was passed around his extended family due to his strange nature. As a child no one believed him about the things that only he could see and everyone either thought that he wanted attention or was insane. Due to this, Natsume slowly closed himself off from other people and dealt with his pain silently.
One day, he accidently meets a youkai named Madara who mistakes Natsume for his deceased grandmother, who also could see youkai. Madara tells Natsume about a book that his grandmother kept called The Book of Friends, which contains the names of all the youkai she "defeated". This is where the story of Natsume Yuujinchou begins, as Natsume is determined to return all the names while Madara tries to stop him since he wants the book for himself. As Natsume returns the names of the youkai, he slowly learns more about his deceased grandmother and the differences in their lives.
The overall story comes together in the four seasons of the anime. Each episode, though may seem stand alone, actually bring forth the main plot of the story which is Natsume's understanding of the world around him and his place in it. Through his many adventures, he changes his views and learns to trust other people. For the first time, Natsume makes true friends who he feels he can depend on and will not shun him due to his weird nature.
Art and Character Design - 10/10
Simple art to follow a simple anime; some people say that the art is nothing big or that it's not beautiful like other anime. Natsume Yuujinchou is not a flashy anime with a flashy story, the story is very simple and thus the art flows with it. I personally feel the art is amazing, simple and unique yet with a lot of detail.
Soundtrack - 10/10
Again, simple and yet beautiful music to compliment the anime. The soundtrack is as amazing as the anime, from the opening to the ending.
Character Development - 10/10
Best part of the anime is not the story but rather the characters. The main characters are Natsume, Takashi and Madara but Natsume, Reiko can also be seen as somewhat of a main character. There is a lot of character development for most of the characters in the series but mostly centered on Natsume, Takashi and Madara. Natsume, Reiko's character is used as an eye opener for Natsume, Takashi; where Reiko isolated herself from the rest of the world, Takashi learns to open up slowly to his friends and leave his loneliness behind. Also, each of the youkai that Natsume encounters helps Natsume understand his youkai friends, gaining more respect and understanding towards youkai in general. The youkai in the anime are shown to have the same human tendencies and are not so different from humans in reality.
Natsume, Takashi: I guess some people may see him as a sissy or something along those lines, but can you really call him a sissy? It takes one to know one really. In society today, people who are compassionate and understanding are viewed as a sissy and this is why society does not progress much. I feel Natsume's personality is very rare to come across amongst people and quite refreshing. Regardless of the amount of torment he has gone through, Natsume still holds a lot of respect for people and shows no hatred towards anyone. He is kind and gentle but cautious at the same time with people due to his childhood experience.
Madara or Nyanko-sensie: A powerful youkai with a lot of influence, Madara at first shows that his sole purpose of being with Natsume is to use him in order to get the Book of Friends. But slowly you see that Madara does in fact care about Natsume and a bond is formed between the two. Madara appears to understand Natsume more than most of the other characters and surprising shows a more gentler side towards Natsume in contrast to his regular boastful, selfish and kind of mean personality.
Viewer Enjoyment - 10/10
This is the first anime where I could not wait for the next season to air. The re-watch value of this anime for me is very high as I have already re-watched all four seasons twice already, going on third. This anime is amongst the few that I have re-watched so many times. Don't feel ashamed if you watch this anime and find yourself in tears. Unique in its own way, Natsume Yuujinchou is a story about a journey, a journey of understanding.
Overall Rating - 100/10 can I?
