(L) Natsume Yuujinchou / Zoku Natsume Yuujinchou

[Deathkillz]

ep 10

Spoiler:

Quite a lovely episode that finally focuses on the other member of the household
The irony here is that the exact same situation happened to Shigeru when he was a child so naturally he was understanding when it came to Natsume blowing his room up to kingdomcome.

One thing I really love about this series is the subtlety in which they develop character feelings and bonds. Things don't happen overnight which is a more realist approach to how such feelings develop overnight, it being a gradual but "seeable" process is more that enough to warm up your heart.

Having more flashbacks to Reiko, I can't help but feel sorry for her (like a certain other character I know of) but surely for Reiko that isn't the case if I were to tell her.

Natsume is beginning to realise his own flaws and feels guilty about keeping things from his parents. I think given time he will begin to open up to their warmth a bit more but again the whole process is slow and takes time, but that makes it wonderful to watch

[Sorrow-K]

Ep 10

The plot itself (ie, yokai threatens the Fujiwara household) wasn't terribly new, but the highlights were yet again the themes this ep explored and the character/relationship development, which went along with a big dollop of backstory. They explored Reiko's past a bit which was good, and they also gave some focus to Shigure, who has previously been the more passive in the pair of Natsume's surrogate parents. Overall, another good episode.

[signorRossi]

Originally Posted by Sorrow-K

Ep 10

The plot itself (ie, yokai threatens the Fujiwara household) wasn't terribly new,...

LOL, right on the mark. There hasn't been anything new for a long time, but I liked the last 4 episodes immensely and they showed how many good stories are still possible. I will buy this if it ever gets licensed for my part of the world.

[NickelXenon]

I really enjoyed the flashbacks with Reiko and Shigure. I thought it was really cute.

[vspirit]

The transition from manga to animation is satisfactorily done. More than satisfactory, in fact. I even love the way the lines in the artwork and the animation aren't as smooth as usual, giving it a feel that's nearer to the original style of the manga than ever before. My only gripe would be Shigeru-kun's voice. I found both the pitch and the way the lines are spoken with it really grating for some reason. Like nails to chalkboard grating. As if the kid's on a perpetual sugar rush or something. I'm glad he grew up and left it behind. His smooth ojisan voice is the polar opposite, soothing and lulling.

[FlareKnight]

Spoiler for Ep11:

I might have to question the choice of an axe wielding youkai creepily appearing right before the peaceful ending starts . Usually the ending works well with it, but in this case there is kind of a gap that exists. Oh well it does set up for a tough trial.

Besides the preview was so worth it. Taki's coming back ! It's party time .

About that actual episode... This was a good one in teaching Natsume a lesson. Just because people can see what you can doesn't mean they feel the way you do. He should have picked this up from Natori. He's not a bad guy, but at the same time he doesn't rank youaki as highly as Natsume does. His own past has shaped him. Other people have very little respect for youkai and just see them as tools. See Madara as a servant of Natsume's when neither see it like that at all.

Those people are just as dangerous as the worst youkai when it comes to the Book of Friends. It's not a secret he can share easily. But has to remember that rumours get around. If people know about Reiko they may know about the Book of Friends as well. Has to be very cautious. Still there are people he can trust out there and the tricky thing is figuring out which is which.

Hopefully one day Natsume will understand that he has given Shigeru and Touko something important. Really does depreciate himself and doesn't see some things. He's given those two a son and a member of their family. Shouldn't underestimate the value of that.

Definitely important to remember how powerful Natsume is. He can pull these spells off on the first try with excellent skill. Plus he has one heck of a punch .

[Shiroth]

Originally Posted by FlareKnight

Spoiler for Ep11:

Besides the preview was so worth it. Taki's coming back ! It's party time .

Spoiler for Episode 12 preview:

Yeah it's good to see that Taki will appear again, plus the boy is rather adorable. Hoping for a touching episode --- looks to be going by the preview.

[FireChick]

yes, shigeru was voiced by katou nanae who voices miki in shugo chara.

ha!!! I knew it!!!

[NickelXenon]

I really liked episode 11. I hope we see more of the other spirit seers. It's nice seeing Natsume interact with them. Seeing as how they were impressed by his actions, it's very clear Natsume is really strong even among people that have similar powers to him. It makes me wonder about Reiko and Natsume and their bloodline.

[Wuster]

Natsume punch!

[SuperKnuckles]

So apparently, in Shigeru's childhood, he was Miki of Shugo Chara.

I kept getting distracted when I heard that kid's voice.

Very nice episode, but still a bit frustrating that Natsume didn't open up.

[Deathkillz]

ep 11

Spoiler:

Crap that was a scary end

Lets hope that those children didn't end up as someone's lunch...if only the preview doesn't hint something of that long haired boy being saved by Natsume (where are the other two ).

Takiiiiii!

About this episode, it is still clear that even now Natsume has a lot to learn and grow since he is constantly bombarded with feelings and emotions. Just when he thinks that he will be able to meet with people of the same "kind", he is betrayed again by the ugly side of being humans. Frankly a lot of people in this world isn't as innocent and pure as him which does make him look rather naive for thinking so.

And understandingly this is a slow and gradual process for Natsume I am willing to give him time to become more emotionally stable.

It was a shame that Natori didn't jump to protect Hiiragi which makes me wonder how much "love" he holds for her, if any at all...

[Shiroth]

Oh yes, oh yes oh yes. Listening to the Zoku Natsume Yuujinchou soundtrack now, and it features all the pieces i absolutely adore from the first season that didn't appear on the first soundtrack, along with the new pieces that's appeared in this season. This has made me happy happy happy.

Also finally found the perfect Taki image for Taki avatar material.

[qmeister]

Originally Posted by Shiroth

Oh yes, oh yes oh yes. Listening to the Zoku Natsume Yuujinchou soundtrack now, and it features all the pieces i absolutely adore from the first season that didn't appear on the first soundtrack, along with the new pieces that's appeared in this season. This has made me happy happy happy.

Also finally found the perfect Taki image for Taki avatar material.

Garr, Shiroth, garr... For both of the statements you made, I am envious. Very much so.

[Blaat]

Originally Posted by Wuster

Natsume punch!

I was thinking this when he punched the big head youkai. I must say though Hiiragi was really eager with undressing Natsume.

[NickelXenon]

Originally Posted by Blaat

I was thinking this when he punched the big head youkai. I must say though Hiiragi was really eager with undressing Natsume.

I thought it was cute how he freaked out.

[Shiroth]

Originally Posted by NickelXenon

I thought it was cute how he freaked out.

Yeah. Was quite the adorable reaction from Natsume.

I know it's been said before, though seriously after each episode passes i'm more surprised at how strong Natsume is at throwing punches around.

[NickelXenon]

Originally Posted by Shiroth

Yeah. Was quite the adorable reaction from Natsume.

I know it's been said before, though seriously after each episode passes i'm more surprised at how strong Natsume is at throwing punches around.

Everyone else at the meeting was surprised too. I don't think being able to defeat someone with a punch is something anyone but Natsume and Reiko can do. Natsume was even able to do those spells on his first try. He's quite an impressive guy.

[FlareKnight]

Originally Posted by NickelXenon

I thought it was cute how he freaked out.

That was a great reaction. Though really considering how she went about it there was quite a lot of room for misunderstandings . Plus it's not like it's the first time he's punched someone out of surprise. That's one nice ability Reiko passed through the bloodlines. The invincible anti-youkai punch!

[zzeroparticle]

Can't really add much more to the conversations on episode 10 beyond to add that the last few minutes of that episode was a strong tear-jerker as Shigeru's statement to Natsume affirmed the fact that he now has a place he can call home. And for someone who's been tossed around like an unwanted child, this declaration is so packed with meaning because it quells his fears of being pushed out back to a life rotating from family. The immensity of stability just cannot be emphasized enough.

Originally Posted by Shiroth

Oh yes, oh yes oh yes. Listening to the Zoku Natsume Yuujinchou soundtrack now, and it features all the pieces i absolutely adore from the first season that didn't appear on the first soundtrack, along with the new pieces that's appeared in this season. This has made me happy happy happy.

Also finally found the perfect Taki image for Taki avatar material.

The soundtrack is looking really promising though at this point, I've only flipped through and listened to about 5 seconds of each track. But from even this brief moment, I'm fairly certain I can declare this OST to be even better than the one that came before it. Knowing how I work, I'll probably turn this album over and over for the next few days and review it for my blog site like I did with the first Natsume OST. Definitely looking forwards to giving this one a critical listen.