This Month's Selected Anime ~ Natsume Yuujinchou + First EP Review.

After almost 8 years of following this series, and after finally getting the long awaited fifth season, I'm going to be dedicating the rest of this month to all things Natsume Yuujincou, otherwise known as Natsume's Book of Friends.

Even though, it seems like your typical orphan boy who got some special power/powerful friends who help him, type of story, when you actually start watching, you end up realizing just how beautiful the series really is.

The story revolves around Takashi Natsume, an orphan boy who has the ability to see that which others cannot, namely, Ayakashi, otherwise known as Spirits or monsters. As a child he was passed around between his relatives and treated quite horribly because the people who couldn't see anything always thought he was making things up for attention

. Natsume now lives at the house of Shigeru and Touko Fujiwara, the kind. distant relative couple that have finally adopted him. He lives in the same town where his grandmother once used to live. Natsume Reiko, who was also able to see Ayakashi and was isolated because of that.

In the first episode, Natsume finds, when being chased by an Ayakashi,

a cat youkai who had been sealed.

 He accidentally breaks the seal and finds out the cat ayakashi once knew his grandmother. He tells Natsume about Reiko and asks him about the Yuujincou (Book of Friends).

Natsume goes home and finds it in Reiko's old stuff that had been passed down to him. The cat youkai chases him home and demands he hand over the book. More Youkai come chasing after him for the book

but the cat youkai, who asks Natsume to call him Nyanko Sensei,

helps him and teaches him how to return the yokai's name to them. In the end Natsume returns the name of the youkai

and in doing so, sees a vision of Reiko with the youkai.

In the end Nyanko Sensei and Natsume come to the conclusion that Natsume will return the names of the youkai that are written in the book and if he dies while doing so, Nyanko sensei will inherit the remaining book.

The story itself might feel quite plain in the beginning, but, once you start watching, the background music, the simple art style, the soft more on the pastel side colours and most of all, the heartwarming depth of the story really gets to you. I love how they selected the voice cast, none of them are loud or annoying sounding. The opening and ending songs

match beautifully with the theme of the series. You get to see the main close people to Natsume, and the youkai that will be appearing all through the season

. The subtle light hearted humor, the just right slice of life feel and the perfectly paced episodes leave you wanting more. You don't feel rushed and you don't feel like the episode is dragging on, everything perfectly connects. Be prepared with a box of tissues, this series have a tendency of tugging at your heartstrings when you least expect it. I've had people walk in on me when I'm watching and sobbing non stop, and then giving me weird looks for it ._.

Coming from the creator of Hotarobi no Mori e/Into the Forest of the Fireflies, if you guys have watched that, you'd understand what I mean when I say Natsume Yuujinchou is a lot more deeper and full of feels than that.

On a scale of 1-10 this is one series I'd give a 10/10 every single time. To me, this anime is something everyone should watch at least once in your life. It shows what true strength, true kindness is like.



Bonus : Here's the Opening video~