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Digital
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Monday, 24 October 2011 00:00 |
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Natsume Yujinchou is due to get its fourth season in early 2012, so it's clearly doing something right. For this review, we're skipping back to the first incarnation, though, for what's essentially a slice-of-life story with a twist...
Natsume has long had the ability to see spirits, an ability that he's tried hard to keep to himself. It seems, though, that it's not an ability that's unique in his family, when he discovers that the heirloom "Book of Friends" that his grandmother, Reiko, gave him possesses the names of spirits she had defeated and bound to her will - and they'd quite like their names back, thank you. The ones that don't just want to take the book for the power it represents, at least. With a little help from cat-spirit Nyanko-sensei, Natsume sets to work dealing with the spirits around him...
If a youkai gives their name to a human, you see, that human becomes their master and gains the power to control them as they see fit. Reiko, it seems, was a rather flighty girl and never really used the power that the book gave her (it seems she had a hard enough time even remembering the youkai she encountered from one day to the next, to be honest), but if someone else were to gain possession of the book - well, the power is there for the taking. So on the one hand, the spirits named within it want their names "back" - essentially a short ritual that sets them free again - while others who realise what the book represents want its power.
Nyanko falls into the latter category, but spirits are long-lived, and accompanying Natsume through life while waiting for the Book of Friends to fall into his paws - through Natsume's death by old age or some other reason - simply seems to him to be an curious and enjoyable way to pass the time. While he spends most of his time in the form of a cat who'd give Garfield a run for his money in the weight department, he can also take on other forms, including rather cuke high-school girl and a huge demon - a handy form for protecting Natsume and the Book from others who wants the book's power.
With the relationship between the two established, the series essentially slips into youkai-of-the-week mode. Natsume meets a youkai - some are friendly, some less so - and shares in a portion of their life, helping them or getting to know them in some way, and often giving them their name back somewhere along the way. There are also a few human characters that are introduced along the way - classmate Sasada, who has an interest in him that may go beyond just friendship (despite Natsume's best efforts to keep his distance); exorcist Shuuichi, who takes a rather different approach to the spirits around him; and a few more besides. The whole thing has a very leisurely, laid-back pace, as suits its countryside setting, and quickly becomes one of those shows that you put on to unwind to. A little like ARIA in that respect - it's a "healing" anime, one that helps smooth over ruffled feathers at the end of the day.
Which does mean that you need to be a particular sort of mood to get the most out of it, and people with a low tolerance for slow pacing aren't going to last long. But, while there's not a lot to it that will stick in your mind for long - the stories tend to more wash over you - it is quite enjoyable, if a little bit of a chore to watch if you're not in the mood. Worth a look.
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