(L) Natsume Yuujinchou / Zoku Natsume Yuujinchou

[ThoHell]

Even though this series is like...eh, I'm enjoying it. So is this our last season and ep 13 was our final episode? Kind of a rather opened ending..... ~_~ Dramatic with undramatic conclusion. Season 3 anyone?

[ZippyDSM]

Originally Posted by ThoHell

Even though this series is like...eh, I'm enjoying it. So is this our last season and ep 13 was our final episode? Kind of a rather opened ending..... ~_~ Dramatic or undramatic conclusion. Season 3 anyone?

Its deep and subtle and funny that makes it better than most shows ever made.

[Shiroth]

Originally Posted by ThoHell

Even though this series is like...eh

Eh? What's eh? This show is a beautiful experience for all of us. No eh's about it.

Spoiler for Episode 13:

That was a beautiful conclusion, as expected from this show. Yet again the theme of loneliness played a huge part with Kai --- seeing him break down knowing that he can't do against to upset Natsume was quite the scene/ Very touching, and moving as we'd expect from this show.

The one think that worries me about this episode is how the the last scene plays has one of those "we can end it here" kind of endings. Pretty sure a few of you will know what i'm on about, speaking from experience with past shows. I hope i'm 100% wrong though, and that we see a third season sometime soon. This year hopefully.

My final thoughts for this series are going to be what i say every week about this series, and what i said about the first season --- i love it to pieces. Each episode is a fresh, beautiful experience that i wouldn't change for the world. I just hope we can carry on this experience with a third season.

[ZippyDSM]

Originally Posted by Shiroth

Eh? What's eh? This show is a beautiful experience for all of us. No eh's about it.

Spoiler for Episode 13:

That was a beautiful conclusion, as expected from this show. Yet again the theme of loneliness played a huge part with Kai --- seeing him break down knowing that he can't do against to upset Natsume was quite the scene/ Very touching, and moving as we'd expect from this show.

The one think that worries me about this episode is how the the last scene plays has one of those "we can end it here" kind of endings. Pretty sure a few of you will know what i'm on about, speaking from experience with past shows. I hope i'm 100% wrong though, and that we see a third season sometime soon. This year hopefully.

My final thoughts for this series are going to be what i say every week about this series, and what i said about the first season --- i love it to pieces. Each episode is a fresh, beautiful experience that i wouldn't change for the world. I just hope we can carry on this experience with a third season.

If you are not a fan of subtle(yaoi or otherwise ) you'll find the series slow and un eventful.

[FlareKnight]

Spoiler for Ep13:

Think this was an important reminder about Natsume growing as a friend. Have to agree with Nyanko that Natsume tosses everything onto his own shoulders and doesn't let his friends in. Touko and Shigeru ask if something is wrong and he gives those denials that is impossible to believe. Wouldn't let Taki know that Kai was a youkai and instead had her search for the well without any info. Shrugs off Tanuma's offer to help look for Kai also. You can see it as not wanting to get his friends into danger and yet its also not trusting them enough.

Think by the end of this episode he is moving forward a bit. Voicing the idea of going with Taki to find the mountain Kai is on. It's a small thing but its important that Natsume reaches out to his friends. Humans and youkai are important to him and hopefully he can rely on others a little more. Good that Taki had Tanuma help the search or they might not have made it.

Near the end all I could think was Kai should stop ruining the book of friends by crying on it . I mean seriously it's a waste of good paper.

Was looking bad for Natori. Nyanko was right that in a head on fight that guy is doomed. Hiiragi and the others just can't take on something like that since their power isn't high enough. Should probably take Hiiragi's advice of not doing jobs in Natsume's area. No point intentionally creating conflict like that.

I like how they went to end the series this time around. It was a good couple of episodes. Besides they managed to again tie in quite a few characters. The introduction of Taki made this second season that much better .

[SageGaiGar]

Originally Posted by Shiroth

Eh? What's eh? This show is a beautiful experience for all of us. No eh's about it.

Spoiler for Episode 13:

That was a beautiful conclusion, as expected from this show. Yet again the theme of loneliness played a huge part with Kai --- seeing him break down knowing that he can't do against to upset Natsume was quite the scene/ Very touching, and moving as we'd expect from this show.

The one think that worries me about this episode is how the the last scene plays has one of those "we can end it here" kind of endings. Pretty sure a few of you will know what i'm on about, speaking from experience with past shows. I hope i'm 100% wrong though, and that we see a third season sometime soon. This year hopefully.

My final thoughts for this series are going to be what i say every week about this series, and what i said about the first season --- i love it to pieces. Each episode is a fresh, beautiful experience that i wouldn't change for the world. I just hope we can carry on this experience with a third season.

Loving the evolution of Natsume from the first season. (subtle 'yaoi' or not. )

Spoiler for ep 13:

It's nice to see him turn into a walking talking 'befriending beam'. Neat twist with Kai, would be nice if he does pop up again perhaps.

I kind of also got the vibe that it could end at this point, though I saw (deluded myself?) a couple hints for a third season. Wishful thinking? It's just that delightful of a series, I'll really miss it.

[Ultenth]

I really hope there is a 3rd season, I was overjoyed when they announced the 2nd. One of my fav shows in quite a while.

[CWW]

It was a great ride and one of the most consistently entertaining anime I've had the pleasure to watch. I'll be sad if this marks the end of Natsume's journey. C'mon Brains Base don't let us down!

[Guardian Enzo]

Originally Posted by qmeister

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

WAKKUN! Finally, the official link to match the spiritual link between NY and Zettai Shounen...

[Guardian Enzo]

12 really was another absolutely fantastic episode. This was about as introspective as I've seen Natsume, which is a growing theme as the season progresses and appears to tie into the finale. It's a show that really has the adorable shouta characters down pat - Kai was right up there with Fox-boy (also a demon, of course). I don't think this show has all that much in common with Petopeto-san other than the Shinto elements, but like that show this is one where in less skilled hands the sweetness might just become saccharine. But because the material is so intricate and handled so deftly, it serves the story rather than detracting from it.

I normally hate to watch final eps of series I love on work nights - I like to save them for an evening where I can really enjoy them. But this cliffhanger probably isn't going to allow me to sit still for four days, dammit.

[fleng]

Spoiler for episode 13:

Ah the end, when the chimes was ringing... Reiko sitting down on the parapet.. seems like Reiko is one of those youkai watching over Natsume too.. or something or rather lol..

[White Manju Bun]

Great epi, fab ending to another great season

Spoiler for epi 13:

So Kai is a god, makes sense why most of the others could see him. During the confrontation btwn Natori and Kai I was starting to wonder where his other youkai were
The ending was bitter sweet, obviously one being the ending of the series but seeing Kai alone in the tree with the cookies was just a bit heartbreaking though you know Natsume and Taki will find him.
Reiko at the end was fitting.

I still agree with Nyanko-sensei from a previous epi, that lizard is just creepy

[Guardian Enzo]

Spoiler:

Magnificent finish to a great series. Just the perfect bittersweet note at the end with the estrangement from Kai, with the hope of a future meeting. The one strand I would have liked to seen tied up was having Natsume tell his guardians the truth - but I expect they know anyway (the stepfather certainly) and it does leave fertile ground for a new season.

Unfortunately the conclusion did have the feeling of a benediction - as if we won't be seeing these characters again. If that's the case I can't complain - it was a great ending. But rarely of late has a series rung so emotionally true from start to finish, and I'll really miss it a lot. Indeed, no real weaknesses here - beautifully understated art style and animation, wonderful plotlines, solid and occasionally spectacular supporting characters to go with one of the best leads in years. About the only guy I didn't much care for was Natori - but then I don't know that we were supposed to. It wasn't just his lizard face that creeped me out - I never felt he had Natsume's interests at heart.

Taki, Kai, Fox-boy, Nyanko-sensei - hard to imagine not seeing any of them again. I'll even miss the eyecatches. Maybe there's an OVA in our future, who knows - we can always hope.

[Shiroth]

Originally Posted by White Manju Bun

I still agree with Nyanko-sensei from a previous epi, that lizard is just creepy

Sometimes i have to rewatch some of Natori's scenes because i'm so focused on the lizard moving around. I have such an urge to find out what the lizard is all about, though i'm guessing that's going to be told when his backstory arc eventually begins in the manga.

[vspirit]

Wow, I'm so happy to read all the positive impressions of the series in here, and that so many of you enjoyed it as much as I did, if not more so.

As to where to turn to after this...there's always the manga? Eh heh...heh...

[Shiroth]

Originally Posted by vspirit

As to where to turn to after this...there's always the manga? Eh heh...heh...

It's true we also have the manga, though that doesn't mean we can't wish more then anything for a third season to happen.

[vspirit]

Nope. But what I meant was, while waiting for it to happen, we don't actually have to pine. Not overly much anyway.

[King Lycan]

Sure gonna miss this series..
Can't get enough of the OST addicted

[Kirarakim]

Very nice final episode my favorite parts were

Spoiler:

When Natsume was resolute in claiming he liked both humans and youkai. There are good and evil in both groups. I also loved when he told Taki the truth about Kai, she had a right to know so I am glad he didn't keep it from her.

I am sorry that we couldn't see Natsume tell his guardians the truth, but I guess that will come later in the manga series.

Anyways I am depressed that the series is over. It was such a nice and relaxing series to watch. It just really made me feel happy to watch. It's the type of series that makes you forget your troubles at least for that 1/2 hour.

Well I guess there is the upcoming spring season and the hope for an eventual 3rd season.

[Sorrow-K]

Ep 12 was excellent again, and they found another avenue to explore the theme of loneliness and again subtly showed how Natsume behaves towards people and yokai slightly differently (and he's not good with children, another interesting little idiosyncrasy). There was so much to like about this episode, and a good deal of the theme-driven storytelling and character development that we've seen in pretty much every episode, but I have to admit that I was particularly taken by something much more superficial: screentime for Taki and Jun. I like this idea of "natural moe" (mostly because I coined the term... although, knowing my luck, there's probably already an established term to describe it which has been in circulation for years), where the moe characteristics aren't so blatantly forced down the audience's throat and the characters are cute just because of how they are. I think it's something which tends to appear in more subtle anime, particularly slice-of-life titles (I'd call both ARIA's Akari and Sketchbook's Sora cases of natural moe), and, after this episode, I'd certainly say Taki especially and Jun (to a slightly lesser extent) are both examples of natural moe.

Anyway, I remember Ascaloth talking about Clannad and how it's hard not to think of "family" whenever we see one of the more child-like characters like Fuko or Mei standing between Tomoya and Nagisa. I think the same goes for this scene as well:



I know there's very little romance in this anime, and I generally don't like shipping, but I really wish there were time in this anime for Taki and Natsume to become a couple. Very few couples in anime strike me as deserving each other for the right reasons, but these two do. And, I realize full well that it's probably never going to happen.