It’s never too late to try something new, and I thought this would be a good time to experiment with my end-of-season reviews. Usually, I bundle up all of the final thoughts into one or two gigantic posts. This means that the posts include shows that finished two or even three weeks apart in the season. Because of that, and the ridiculous length of some of the season wraps, I thought I’d try a weekly approach with, at most, three or four titles. Please let me know what you think of this format, along with your thoughts on the shows discussed in my posts!
Tag: Natsume Yuujinchou
Natsume Yuujinchou Roku and a Place to Call Home
“To tell you the truth, I want to stay here forever. I’m sure that’s impossible, but I don’t want to go anywhere. I love this place. I want to stay here forever” (Natsume, “Nishimura and Kitamoto”).
“I found myself smiling at others, and seeing them smile in return….Reiko-san…did you ever really get to exchange smiles with someone? With the people you cared about?” (“What Matters”).
It’s not much of an exaggeration to say that true friends are difficult to find–you can spend your whole life never making more than a handful even if you’re lucky. Natsume Yuujinchou frequently circles on the topic of friendship, touching on humans and youkai alike. While the previous series in the franchise loosely hold their own themes, season six digs deeper into the nature of Natsume Takashi’s relationships with his human friends and family, as well as the spirits who surround him. Natsume has always walked a shaky line between the two worlds, learning stories of Reiko’s past and creating new ones of his own every day, though this may be the first time where we see through the eyes of his school friends. Their version of events provides further substance to an already fleshed-out world. Surrounded by friends and family like he is, Natsume finally has a home he can call his own and, perhaps, a purpose to pursue.
Spring 2017 Set Menu
What have I gotten myself into? Don’t, just don’t, count the number of new shows I’ve picked up. It’s a bit ridiculous. It’s a lot ridiculous.
There are many wonderful sequels airing this spring, and I am also pleased with the amount of interesting new series. Below are my choices four weeks into the season. Let me know what you think of these shows, and to what you’re most looking forward!
- Alice to Zouroku
- Atom: The Beginning
- Boku no Hero Academia Season 2
- Boruto: Naruto Next Generations
- Dungeon in Deai wo Motomeru no wa Machigatteiru Darou ka Gaiden: Sword Oratoria
- Eromanga-sensei
- Fukumenkei Noise
- Granblue Fantasy The Animation
- Hinako Note
- Kabukibu!
- Kenka Banchou Otome: Girl Beats Boys
- Love Kome: We Love Rice
- Natsume Yuujinchou Roku
- Oushitsu Kyoushi Haine
- Re:Creators
- Sakura Quest
- Seikaisuru Kado
- Shingeki no Bahamut: Virgin Soul
- Shingeki no Kyojin Season 2
- Shuumatsu Nani Shitemasu ka? Isogashii desu ka? Sukutte Moratte Ii desu ka?
- Tsuki ga Kirei
- Uchouten Kazoku 2
- Zero kara Hajimeru Mahou no Sho
Fall 2016 Season Wrap
Let us all breathe a sigh of relief that I have finally finished the fall anime! Thanks to my three-week honeymoon and a terrible throat infection/fever, I had a lot of catching up to do after returning home. There were a ton of wonderful shows this past fall that I was almost sorry to complete. 2016 as a whole was actually a great year for anime, and the fall season capped it beautifully. I hope you enjoyed the season and year as much as I did, and that you’ll share with me your thoughts and personal favorites!
- Bungou Stray Dogs 2nd Season
- Days (TV)
- Fune wo Amu
- Gi(a)rlish Number
- Haikyuu!!: Karasuno Koukou VS Shiratorizawa Gakuen Koukou
- Hibike! Euphonium 2
- Keijo!!!!!!!!
- Magic-Kyun! Renaissance
- Natsume Yuujinchou Go
- Shakunetsu no Takkyuu Musume
- Shuumatsu no Izetta
- Udon no Kuni no Kiniro Kemari
- ViVid Strike!
- Watashi ga Motete Dousunda
- WWW.Working!!
- YURI!!! on ICE
12 Days of Anime – #8 Huggable Witches and Youkai
One of my preferred types of anime are iyashikei, otherwise known as “healing anime.” Notable favorites include Aria, Mushishi, Kamichu!, and Amaama to Inazuma. The two discussed here aired this past year and share similar environments that overlap a world very much like our own with the spirit world. Instead of treating the otherworldly as something to be completely avoided, they meet it on its own terms and respect the rules, spoken or not.
Fall 2016 Set Menu
Here comes my favorite season, with its cooler weather perfect for cozy hats, mittens, and scarves and its turning colors of purple, red, and yellow. This season is also when I start craving soups and stews, and my hot beverage intake skyrockets. We also have our fair share of rainy weekends leading up to the winter months, so that hopefully means plenty of time for anime and gaming.
Right now, KWoo and I are working our way through the final portions of the PS3 version of Tales of Graces F. I had played it several years ago, but never finished it. He’s liking it much more than Tales of Symphonia, which we completed earlier this year. I actually found a rough draft for my initial review of Graces F, so I’m hoping that I’ll have the time this second play through to actually write about it.
But back to this season’s choices in anime. As usual, this “set menu” is subject to change as the weeks progress. For now, this is what I have chosen:
- 3-gatsu no Lion
- All Out!!
- Bungou Stray Dogs 2nd Season
- ClassicaLoid
- Gi(a)rlish Number
- Haikyuu!!: Karasuno Koukou VS Shiratorizawa Gakuen Koukou
- Hibike! Euphonium 2
- Keijo!!!!!!!!
- Long Riders!
- Magic-Kyun! Renaissance
- Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans 2nd Season
- Natsume Yuujinchou Go
- Occultic;Nine
- Shakunetsu no Takkyuu Musume
- Shuumatsu no Izetta
- Stella no Mahou
- Udon no Kuni no Kiniro Kemari
- Watashi ga Motete Dousunda
- WWW.Working!!
- Yuri!! on Ice
Winter 2012 Season Wrap
This winter review includes thoughts and ratings on Ano Natsu de Matteru, Another, Bakuman 2, Black Rock Shooter, Brave 10, Chihayafuru, Danshi Koukousek no Nichijou, Inu x Boku SS, Last Exile: Fam, the Silver Wing, Mirai Nikki, Natsume Yuujinchou Shi, Persona 4 The Animation, Phi Brain: Kami no Puzzle, Rinne no Lagrange, Senki Zesshou Symphogear, and Zero no Tsukaima F. Spoilers are included for many of them, so tread carefully.
Princess Natsume and the Moon-Splitting Festival
As the end of the winter season draws near, I’m still no closer to finding any sort of closure in this fourth addition to the Natsume Yuujinchou story. Some seasons chose to go the route with which NY became well known–that of the healing, episodic slice-of-life. Then, there were moments where the usual bittersweet encounters made way for more drama-driven plots, such as Natsume’s struggles with separating the youkai from his family and friends, as well as his clashes with exorcists of a more sinister mind frame, like the Matoba family.
I had assumed that this 4th season would be our last, and that it would choose to follow a more overarching plot. As with the seasons before, NY has bounced back and forth in its pacing and focus. Unlike before, however, I find the transitions this time around much smoother. The last two episodes in particular, 9-10, meld the two together almost perfectly in a story reminiscent of Ghibli’s Mononoke Hime.
Initial Impressions: Natsume Yuujinchou Shi, Mouretsu Pirates, Nisemonogatari
This is probably my first, or one of very few, initial impressions post that has the green light for all the discussed shows. Quality and creativity are looking up this season!
Summer 2011 Final Thoughts (a.k.a. How the heck did I manage to watch all of these?)
So I’m late crossing the finish line, but at least I finished, right? There were a ton of series to make it through this season, and I wasn’t sure if I’d make it through writing this entry. But, here we are, and I’m now wading through a rush of newly airing fall anime.
Final thoughts include: Bunny Drop, Tiger & Bunny, NO.6, Sacred Seven, Ikoku Meiro no Croisee, Kamisama no Memochou, Hanasaku Iroha, Natsume Yuujinchou San, Blood-C, Dantalian no Shoka, Ao no Exorcist, Kamisama Dolls, Nekogami Yaoyorozu, Uta no Prince-sama, Baka to Test 2, and Nichijou. These thoughts are fairly brief, given the large number of anime covered in this season review, and are usually about two paragraphs long. If I like the show enough, I’ll most likely return to it sometime for a re-watch and write a more detailed review!
Anime B&B 