I went into this expecting a relaxing series that I could just play an episode or two of, whenever I'm feeling down, and not once was I able to stop myself from clicking on the next episode, until I found myself done with a season, holding myself back from starting the next szn
Everything from the characters, to the sound and animation, to the story itself, had me captured and I couldn't let it go, and I ended up binging about 85 episodes of it in about a week, where half the days I was coming home late from uni or work and other days I had assignments
Story
Even with the slightly repetitive drive behind a lot of the episodes, you leave it with a new sense of accomplishment and more refreshing look at a lot of cast. Alongside that it helps in creating the peaceful world, that feels like the perfect escape from reality and gives you that nice warm hug to your heart
The consistent recalls to past interactions and characters are the perfect reminder that this is in fact still the very same world that we've been in from the very beginning of the series, and I'll come back to this a lot.
Some episodes will have you jumping around in joy, while others will have you emotionally drained, and with each new episode, you get a fresh start, and that is the beauty of this anime.
10/10
Visuals and Sound
All the openings and endings up to season 6
Not to mention the OST, being one of my favourites in all of anime, the beautiful piano that would consistently play throughout the episode, and that would clearly set the tone for each scene, and just one you could never not notice while watching the series.
To match that beautiful soundtrack, was the amazing quality of the animation, that was a perfect mix of pleasing to the eyes and matched the aesthetic of the anime.
10/10
Characters
I want to preface this by saying, that already by the 3rd season I was starting to consider this cast as the best in anime for me
First of all, the main character, and star of the show, Takashi Natsume
Where do I even begin, the beauty of natsumes character is one that you could know all about it, but you wouldn't actually get to appreciate it until actually watching the series
The awkward, strange, weirdo, loner is what Natsume was for almost all his life to others, and caused him to get abused, bullied, and thrown around like trash for a majority of his life, and has had every reason to turn his back on both humans and youkai, and despite all that, the kind-natured, soft spoken and polite kid never gave up on either. From early we see how he has always tried to keep a distance from other people, as a coping mechanism from all the suffering he endured as a child, but as the story goes on, we see him slowly being able to open up and realising that there are a equally kind people around him.
The development of going from a closed up independent introvert, to slowly being able to depend on others, whether it be Nyanko, Natori, Tanuma & Taki, the Fujiwaras, his school friends, or even the dog's circle and the other Youkai, is one that made every episode feel like a refreshing new adventure, as with each episode there was a new closeness between Natsume and the others, and in turn us and the cast
Him also being able to, and continously does, go back and revisits earlier youkai and people that he has dealt with during the beginning, while he was more closed up and pretty much depressed, and then seeing the surroundings in a newer positive light, enhanced the fact that everything is still connected in the exact same world
I would go on about almost any of the characters but the thread is getting a bit too long already, so quickly about the Fujiwaras
If there was ever any debate about the best parental figures in anime, then it was over with the introduction of Touko and Shigeru
Them being a big reason to why the story is even in the state that it is, and natsume being able to a kind hearted saviour, can not be understated.
At first we were told that they were just the current family that Natsume is freeloading at, gives the impression that they were just like any of the others who would get scared and/or tired of him, and/or straight up hate him, but throughout we are shown how that is not the case, will never be the case. Their kindness to adopting him out of free choice, as we see in one of the episodes, and their continuous understanding when it comes to dealing with the child that has been abandoned all his life, and just the sweetness of whenever they or Natsume acknowledge that from now on they are in fact family, is one of my favourite things in this anime by far.
Even for the rest of the cast, every episode that even includes anyone, continues to build this feeling of found family, not just for the actual family, but for all of the cast. As we see how not only they help Natsume, but also how he's unknowingly helped them in some kind of way.
10/10 cast
And overall, the easiest 100 for an anime I've ever given