When a filler becomes the finale—natsume yuujinchou 13

¿ǝposıdǝ ʍǝıʌǝɹ ɐ ʇsnɾ 'ʍouʞ ʇ,uop ı 'ɥo

This is the first time I’ve seen a series ends with a review episode. It has a bit of everything in which we have been so fond of this show: things like Nyanko’s ranting of being abandoned, Sasada’s obsession with Natsume and thereafter Tanuma’s way of distracting her, the bullying of the little fox-boy, even Natsume’s classmates’ airhead goofiness. Every major character also makes a short appearance, rather or not they have a part in the story of the episode or not. It’s like they’re trying to tell us everyone will go on to live happily ever after.

day in the life of a stray cat—Natsume Yuujinchou 11

Cute and creepy

The most light-hearted episode in the series, NatsuYuu 11 switches focus onto the enigmatic Madara a.k.a. Nyanko-sensei in a day of rebellion and self-discovery.

Natsume Yuujinchou 10: song of silence

You know an anime series is special when it can give you nothing but yet you feel like you’ve gotten everything. That’s what NatsuYuu 10 has achieved.

The long stretch of anticipation of a melody was so deafening that I found myself holding my breath still and hearing the background sound of crickets and river streams drowning out under the tranquil moonlights into complete silence.

Natsume Yuujinchou 9: bondage

The hat, that shirt color, and a cat on a leash outdoor; yep, this is NatsuYuu

Not as strong as the prior episodes but still better than most other shows this season, NatsuYuu 9 explores the theme of bondage.

The symbolisms are everywhere from the very beginning where Natsume has a leash on Nyanko-sensei who needs to walk off some weights before causing an earthquake, to the yet-another-cyclops youkai who has a rope tied around her neck to keep her obligated in haunting some warehouse. Even her hand being bandaged is a symbol of her eventual almost-fatal encounter with Natori, the fabulous movie star moonlighting as an exorcist, who had bandaged not only her hand but also her heart long ago.

Natsume Yuujinchou 8: unequally yoked

So close yet so far away

The title of the post is from a biblical reference where christians are warned not to marry non-christians, based on the assumption that two unlike beings cannot possibly find a good ending together. Strangely enough though, a book supposedly about the highest form of love could not embrace such relationships where, often, the brightest moment of true love shines, such as in most memorable love stories and in particular NatsuYuu 8.

Natsume Yuujinchou 7: the first step is the hardest

Couldn't you just adopt him like you adopted Nyanko-sensei?

I can’t explain this show. It’s nothing different in terms of theme, but damn it, it has a way of keeping me watching and wanting the payoff scene to come, and when it does come, it feels so damn good and satisfying. However, if you think about it, it has nothing deep or original.

And it’s not like it was the artwork, or the music, not even the plot, since the show, so far, has followed a pretty predictable formula. So, what is it? Why does the message seem to resonate so deeply in my chest?

Ah, but that is exactly it. The writers understand our generation of youth well, all our anguish and troubles, and have created an alternative universe, with all of the anime elements to keep us interested, that shows us how our own lives could’ve been different.

Natsume Yuujinchou 6: too unreal even for Disney

Because this is anime.

As much as I felt warm and fuzzy with the positive message of living your best no matter how rough life gets, I couldn’t help but snickered at the unbelievable characterizations in NatsuYuu 6.

Boys and girls, if some shady adult were to lead you by your hand and promise you fun and excitement, do NOT follow them! No amount of your great character will convince them to let you go—much less, in contrary, to help you later—for they will EAT you live and spit out your bones dry.

Natsume Yuujinchou 4: Still an enigma

Trippy

Basically the same plot as the previous episodes, you have an ayakashi having some self-deprecating issue that prevented himself from connecting with another being—another girl again, why do the pretty ones always fall for the weirdos?—which reflected somewhat a similar trait in our hero Natsume who then went out of his way, in the name of even if they treat me like shit I’ll still play nice with them, to rectify the situation by an yet inexplicable mean of giving the ayakashi back his name, which, in this episode’s case, the ayakashi didn’t even want back.

Not to mention that the whole name whiffing process feels a lot like a fatality move to end the youkai’s existence by overloading it with emotional epiphanies. So, was Natsume trying to help the ayakashi Shigure or to get rid of him?

Natsume Yuujinchou 3: Where are the sharks with the frickin’ lasers?

After watching this scene, I could not get myself
near a window for a good few nights.

Maipeisu at THAT animeblog summed it up best in the post that

For an anime (or anything, really) to be successfully episodic, each episode must be a world unto itself, unique and engaging, and carve another purposeful notch into the overall story (character development, backstory, etc.)

Natsume Yuujinchou 2: Halfway Bridges

Meeting is by chance, but making the connection is by will.

If each person is an island and each relationship we build is a bridge, then the whole world is probably filled with halfway bridges. Sometimes, some of these bridges are meant to connect the same two islands, but somehow they would always fail to connect at the right spot.

Natsume Yuujinchou 1: Loneliness Can Be a Bitch

Her name is Hishigaki.

After all the hostile chasing, Hishigaki ended up only wanting to ask Reiko, “are you okay by yourself now?” That was the moment when a one-dimensional youkai turned into a deep, complex character and an ordinary action sequence turned into a multilayered story with genuinely felt, internal turmoil.