(L) Natsume Yuujinchou / Zoku Natsume Yuujinchou

[Shiroth]

Originally Posted by signorRossi

Spoiler:

I remember Natsume met a human looking youkai earlier as child too (seen in a flashback)

Spoiler for Episode 12 related:

This is very different though --- this time everyday people can see Kai.

[White Manju Bun]

Originally Posted by qmeister

I checked ANN, Kai is voiced by Junko Takeuchi (Of course...).

Been too long since I heard Naruto No wonder I didnt connect the two.

[signorRossi]

Originally Posted by Shiroth

Spoiler for Episode 12 related:

This is very different though --- this time everyday people can see Kai.

You are right, I forgot about that.

[White Manju Bun]

Excellent, excellent epi

Spoiler for epi 12:

I kinda had a feeling Kai wasnt what he appeared to be when we saw the outline of Natori after Natsume let him out. Interesting that Nyanko-sensei said Kai wasnt a youkai, I wonder why he cant sense him. TANUMA!!! Only for 1/2 and epi though...sigh. Taki is so adorable

[LunaNeko]

Originally Posted by White Manju Bun

Been too long since I heard Naruto No wonder I didnt connect the two.

GAH! Me too!!! And I love Junko too. Her Lambo in Reborn is friggen epic! And I didn't recognize her in that at first either.

[Deathkillz]

ep 12

Spoiler:

I don't know why they keep calling Taki's cat hugging actions "creepy" since I find it extremely cute (and I am sure that Nyanko sensei don't mind it at all XD).
So this seems like another two part episode arc, leading onto the final episode and judging from the preview, it seems like Natsume will have to make a choice on where he stands in the world of humans and Youkais. But knowing Natsume, he would probably end up choosing both and end the series on a high and maybe sometime later we will get another season of this *cross fingers*.

Kai being a suspected Youkai was unexpected since not even Nyanko sensei thought he was. I like fict_ticious's theory in saying that he might be possessed as that seems more likely than him being simple Youkai. Or maybe he is an insanely strong youkai who is unaware that he is one (memory loss?) so he can be seen by humans, just like Nyanko. It would also explain why his parents haven't been seen yet if he never had any, and that excuse of them returning late might be some sort of paradox lie.

But Taki sure made the episode for me

[bran]

any site i can find good fanart for this anime?

[LKK]

Originally Posted by Deathkillz

Or maybe he is an insanely strong youkai who is unaware that he is one (memory loss?) so he can be seen by humans, just like Nyanko.

It's not because Nyanko is extremely powerful that he can be seen by humans. It's the fact that he's inhabiting the human-made cat statue he was sealed in all those years ago. It's true the Nyanko / Madara is a powerful youkai, but that's not why humans can see him in his cat form. It's because his cat form is a human world shell he wears.

Even if Kai were are youkai who's unaware that he is a youkai, wouldn't Nyanko been able to sense that Kai was a youkai? Natori said that Kai was a youkai. But I'm more inclined to think that Nyanko was right and that Natori was wrong about that. Nyanko is more of an expert on youkai than Natori. I do think Kai is something other than an ordinary human. But I believe Nyanko when he says that Kai's not youkai. Maybe Kai's a god like Gen was??

[Deathkillz]

So how would you explain his female form from season 1?

And naturally, that isn't the only theory but there is a chance that Nyanko might be wrong. Though Natori's actions in general are rather suspicious...

[LKK]

Originally Posted by Deathkillz

So how would you explain his female form from season 1?

I had forgotten about that. I based my comments on chapter 10 which I recently read where Natsume says that when Madara assumes the cat form people can see him. I still believe that it's Madara's ability to transform his appearance that allows him to be seen, not his inherent power. True, it takes power to be able to transform into something humans can see. But I don't think being powerful should automatically mean a youkai can transform.

And naturally, that isn't the only theory but there is a chance that Nyanko might be wrong. Though Natori's actions in general are rather suspicious...

True, Nyanko could be wrong. But I doubt Natori much more than I doubt Nyanko on general principle. In this case, I don't think Natori is lying. I think he believes Kai is a youkai. I suspect Natori's been misinformed (intentionally or unintentionally) by whomever hired him.

[Shiroth]

Originally Posted by Deathkillz

And naturally, that isn't the only theory but there is a chance that Nyanko might be wrong. Though Natori's actions in general are rather suspicious...

Indeed. There's still the reason why he had placed Kai in the coffin. His actions are far to shady --- especially the way he appeared behind the window at the start of the episode. That's always a bad sign, and i believe his "i didn't want you to know Natsume" isn't the 100% truth.

[SuperKnuckles]

Yeah, I had a feeling the guy just was making 'friends' with Natsume since he's such an easy target to lure in. At least Natsume isn't stupid enough to reveal everything to people. Finally his people-phobia actually served him this time. I guess that's the final intrigue of the final arc. Though I think it'd be sorta funny for it all to backfire on him. heh

[vspirit]

oh wow...they're actually animating this story. great! cos i thought they wouldn't. brains base just keeps on surprising me. in a good way. =DD with this, the entire vol 6 is animated. though i must say I'm a little worried with how they'll squeeze two chapters into one final episode, since this story's three chapters altogether, and judging by what some of you have said, I'm assuming episode 12 ended exactly where the first chapter ended:

Spoiler for manga and perhaps episode 12:

with natori's revelation of kai being a very strong ayakashi, strong enough as to appear visible even to the average human, and the reason for him (natori) being here is to exorcise it/him.

still, they've done right by the series so far so I guess I should be assured that BB will handle this just as spectacularly.

EDIT: oh yeah,

Spoiler:

some ayakashi are powerful enough (usually a god-level one) that they can disguise themselves as humans to trick other humans. remember the story of that ayakashi that was the guardian of an area who got sealed into a black maneki which resembled Nyanko-sensei? the one who loved humans and used to turn into a little boy to go mingle with the village people? and there was also that ayakashi that haunted the old school building who turned out to be a luck god or youth god or something, who also turned into a little boy to play with the kids in a nearby village or something along those lines...my memory's pretty sketchy on the details but I'm pretty sure they disguised themselves as humans and were visible to the everyday joe, so it's not that rare an occurence.

someone's already mentioned this but there's also madara's "*poof* hiya there human, i'm someone who just happen to resemble this kid's grandma >=)"...oh and, if a youkai's powerful enough, it can even fool other youkai into thinking it's not one. mysterious things, these youkai creatures are. just thought that you should, yanno, know.

[vspirit]

*blinks* Sorry for the double post but I've just realized something. It's both good news and bad.

First, the bad: There won't be a season 3. Not this year at least. With the completion of Zoku, six out of the seven manga volumes released have already been fully covered (though each season carries one episode that isn't originally from the manga)--with the exception of *one* bangaihen. And it's my favorite of all the bangaihen, too, since you get a prolonged exposure to chibi!Natsume, who's both pitiful and cute at the same time. Figures...

Next, the good: But there may be one next year (possibly summer or fall), or the one after, when volume 8 and 9 of the manga have been released into the market (if there indeed will be a volume 9).

...unless they choose to do an OVA of the first 3 chapters of vol 7, that is.

Either way, fingers crossed!

[Shiroth]

If there's not enough manga material for a third season, then OVA's seems like a good idea. You know the type that are released with manga volumes. We'll see anyway.

[Kirarakim]

Oh wow episode 12 is another favorite of mine. I know people earlier were discussing whether the 2nd season lived up to the 1st and I have to actually say I think it is better. At least if I go by the number of favorite episodes. Not to mention while I think the 1st season finale was cute I am glad they are going with a manga story this time for the finale. And if the first part was any indication it looks like it will be a great one.

On another note I do think another season is possible eventually. I guess they will probably just wait for sufficient material from the manga. But now I am just happy the manga is coming to the states.

[karumofin]

Originally Posted by vspirit

*blinks* Sorry for the double post but I've just realized something. It's both good news and bad.

First, the bad: There won't be a season 3. Not this year at least. With the completion of Zoku, six out of the seven manga volumes released have already been fully covered (though each season carries one episode that isn't originally from the manga)--with the exception of *one* bangaihen. And it's my favorite of all the bangaihen, too, since you get a prolonged exposure to chibi!Natsume, who's both pitiful and cute at the same time. Figures...

Next, the good: But there may be one next year (possibly summer or fall), or the one after, when volume 8 and 9 of the manga have been released into the market (if there indeed will be a volume 9).

...unless they choose to do an OVA of the first 3 chapters of vol 7, that is.

Either way, fingers crossed!

did they skip some stories in the manga they can still animate? because if not, i did some math and it seems like you could expect another season until at least 2 years have pased.

[vspirit]

Originally Posted by karumofin

did they skip some stories in the manga they can still animate? because if not, i did some math and it seems like you could expect another season until at least 2 years have pased.

Nope. They didn't follow the exact same order, of course, but none have been skipped. Well, none except for the short bangaihen I mentioned earlier which they couldn't fit anywhere else since it's too short to have an episode all of its own and doesn't fit with any of the other episodes (tho I think if they had tried, they could've expanded on it and made it a single episode on its own...it wouldn't have needed too much expansion anyway). The rest have all been animated. Every chapter of every volume until volume 6. I flipped through the manga to check chapter by chapter, volume by volume and came to this realization...which was why I made that announcement. Rather amazing of BB, don't you think? They even added a couple of originals (the one with the fuzzy youkai at the train station in s1 and the one with the youkai whose name got tied up a tree 50 years ago by Reiko in Zoku).

Volume 7's still too new to be animated though, since it only came out in winter (January, I believe) so none of it is animated yet. Volume 8 will be released in summer this year. I'm optimistic that there will be a volume 9 in winter again. =))

[karumofin]

Originally Posted by vspirit

(the one with the fuzzy youkai at the train station in s1 and the one with the youkai whose name got tied up a tree 50 years ago by Reiko in Zoku).

ehhh??? those two eps are my favorites in the series... funny...

[cleo]

Originally Posted by bran

any site i can find good fanart for this anime?

These come from This site.
This one has a lot as well, but you've got to sign up.