When I watched the first episode of this series, it was because I thought the poster looked really entrancing. A boy is sitting on a branch barefoot with a flowered robe draped over his shoulder. He looked so peaceful and deep in thought as he is staring at his own reflection in the water below him. It is nighttime and a partial moon is lighting the dark sky amidst the dotted pin-pricks of stars; the entrance of a shrine can be seen in the background.The only thing out of place was the "Fortune Cat" hanging on the branch right next to him, but that didn't really bother me.
Natsume Yuujinchou, I guess roughly translates to "Natsume Book of Friends" or something of the like -- everytime the cat says "yuujinchou" the subtitle reads "Book of Friends."
The first episode introduces the boy, Natsume Takashi and immediately allows us to know that he can see spirits and has been able to see spirits ever since he was a child. No one else around him has this same ability, and because of that, he very nearly freaked out his parents -- or guardians, or what have you -- when he pointed at spirits in corners claiming that someone is there. We learn later on that his grandmother, Natsume Reiko was also able to see spirits and that she possessed some form of power. All of these spirits that appear in the series are after the title item, "Book of Friends" or "yuujinchou" of which contains binding contracts between Reiko and the spirits -- basically by contracting their true names, the owner of the book has total control over that spirit. By the end of the first episode, Natsume becomes entangled in his grandmother's past mischiefs among the spirit world, and just as well, he is determined to free all of the spirits by dissolving the contracts. At his side is Nyanko-sensie, the Fortune Cat who could be on Natsume's side, or out to get the "Book of Friends" like every other evil spirit out there.
My impression of the beginning of the episode had been slightly on the serious side. A somewhat fantastical telling of a young boy bound to a mission brought upon him by a spirit, passed onto him by an ancestor or a family member no longer living. It sounded very adventurous. It sounded very magical. I figured it would be a wonderful watch.
And then the cat showed up and we are given some fairly forced comedic scatterings.
The boy himself is quite sardonic, though I'm sure it's not in his nature to try to be funny as he seems quite reserved and monotonous (when not faced with one-eyed hostile spirits chasing him across fields). His sarcastic nature comes out readily, however, as we can see when he points out that Nyanko-sensei is indeed a cat no matter how great of a spirit he claims to be. Overall, Natsume is not a joker -- and how can he be since he's been chased by spirits his whole life?
The comedic timing of this episode overall was rather one-sided, but I had a good laugh at the "cat-and-fuzz-on-a-stick" bit. The story and concept I rather enjoyed.
Instead of taking on some duty passed to him by someone, Natsume decides for himself what he will do with the "Book of Friends" and thus gives himself a mission to carry out for the sake of his own sanity, for the sake of the cat, and for the sake of other spirits' freedoms. In doing so, Natsume presents to us as viewers the side of him that I know we'll learn to love: mercy. Instead of trying to control the spirits by using the book, he is intent on helping them.
Natsume Takashi, I find, is somewhat different from some of the other male protagonists I've seen in anime lately. While most are a mysteriously quiet type with a hidden arrogance, or maybe a cheery, teasing, loud type, Natsume is quiet, reserved, and just... well, natural. He's not excessively moody or dark, he's not excessively melancholic. He's just the right dose of quiet. And on top of that, he's a good kid.
Anyway, by this point of the series, I began to wonder what kind of a woman Natsume Reiko had been during her time. She created these binding contracts to control so many spirits and her reasons seem rather inconclusive. For example, the first spirit to have her contract dissolved flashes back to show us that Reiko had created this contract for the sake of appeasing her own loneliness. But Reiko never called upon this spirit at all and thus the spirit was left lonely and confused. Were all the contracts all for fun, to shake her loneliness, or for other more significant reasons? Were some of the spirits at least evil enough to need to remain bound under Reiko's control?
And then, will this series delve into the past repeatedly to address Reiko's situation? For some reason, I don't see this series focusing mainly on Natsume and the cat. Reiko's youthful past is something of interest that I wouldn't mind learning about as a viewer. How did she cope with being able to see spirits and having such a power to overcome them? And how did she get this power? And why a "Book of Friends?"
With an almost slight "Wagaya no Oinari-sama" twist, the series almost gives off the same feel. Except, I have a feeling that this one may fair a bit better than the former as it has a more likeable protagonist and a less scattered plot device. I intend to keep watching.
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