thoughts: Seishun no Tamago (manga)

Creator: Nakahara Aya
Genre: comedy, drama, romance, slice of life, shoujo
Volumes/Chapters: 5 oneshot stories


Story 1: Spring Egg
Chika-chan's mother owns a lodging house for college students. The first to come live with them was a boy named Fujimori Tomohiro and since then, it has been love for Chika-chan. Unfortunately, Chika had to learn early on that Tomohiro had no interest in her at all when her mother makes him sign a contract saying that he'll never go after Chika. Not only did he sign the contract, but he also commented that it would never happen.

It has been a year since Tomohiro moved in and three other college students also are lodging with Chika's family. While their relationship is quite close, Tomohiro consistently treats Chika like she's just a little child; even though he knows that she has feelings for him, he openly rejects her time and time again, always calling her "just the lodging house's little brat," in front of others.

After openly offering herself to Tomohiro one night when they are alone at home, he doesn't even show any sign of being moved. Chika is finally set on giving up this one-sided relationship.


Story2: Sunflower Girl
Misaki has a crush on Kurita Kenji and in order to see him all the time, she purposefully eats sweets and junk food to give herself cavities. Kuri's family owns a dental office and upon going in, Kuri is always there hitting on the young girls jokingly or teasing Misaki. Due to summer break approaching, all the girls have the same idea of confessing to the guy they like before they separate and Misaki is encouraged to do the same by writing a letter. Unfortunately, a junior student is also interested in Kuri and has the same idea, beating Misaki to her confession.

In a fit of frustration, Misaki exclaims that she does not like Kuri and even refuses to go to his dental office even though her tooth aches. Realizing that she has been cowardly, the next time she sees Kuri, she breaks down into tears because of her toothache only to learn that Kuri has also liked her as well.


Story 3: Happiness Faces South!
Bon-chan is the type of guy who everyone adores because of a "magic" he creates when socializing. Bon-chan wears untrendy clothes and is extremely cheerful almost all of the time. And Bon-chan fell in love with Sakura at first sight after watching her hit an outstanding homerun even though she was dizzy with sickness from a cold. He later learns that Sakura is the younger sister of a renown beauty at his college.

Sakura had been in love with her sensei from softball and had recently learned that he got himself a girlfriend. Because of this, she got sick and while nursing herself back to health learns that her sister had just gotten a boyfriend. And then Bon-chan shows up and immediately attaches himself to Sakura, claiming that he likes Sakura the most.

But as Sakura begins to fall for Bon-chan's charms after his efforts to chase after her, she knows that she is no beauty compared to her sister. She overhears a few of their mutual friends gossiping that Bon-chan couldn't possible like Sakura and that he might be using her to get to the older sister instead. This occurs not too long after Sakura learns that her sensei and her sister were dating and she is not surprised because in the end, everyone falls for her sister anyway.

But Bon-chan gave his word that he would only look at Sakura and that it was Sakura whom he liked.


Story 4: Prince and I
Mari-chan's neighbor is a boy named Kaoru who is a year younger than her and he does not know how to ride a bike. Ever since she'd met him, she has liked him, and the two are always together, but not as a dating couple. Feeling depressed because even the elementary school kid has a girlfriend, Mari is ecstatic when Kaoru asks her to go to the planetarium with him after she mentions wanting to see it.

But when Kawase-senpai tells Mari that he likes her and wants to go out with her, jealousy takes over and Kaoru tells Mari to go with Kawase instead. After all, Mari had just twisted her ankle and Kaoru wouldn't be able to transport her home on a bike, so it was only right, right? But because of this, Mari has lost hope that Kaoru might care about her.


Story 5: 2 Block Honey
Satoshi and Micchan have been dating for at least a year, but back then, the two matched like such a nice couple. A year into the present, Micchan towers over her boyfriend by at least six centimeters and when she puts on another six centimeters worth of high heels, she is twelve centimeters much taller. And sadly, this affects Satoshi's thinking because he doesn't like that he's so much shorter than his "use to be cute" girlfriend.

Because of this, Satoshi has become irritated to the point that he wants to break up with her if she ever goes out with him in high heels again. But during the date to determine their status, all of the fates are against them when Micchan shows up in the only pair of shoes she can find, the six centimeter heels. They go on their date anyway, but when someone mistakens them for older sister and younger brother, Satoshi decides to end their relationship because of his pride.


Story 6: Spring, Air, Sunday
Sumito died not shortly after getting an agreement from his crush Risa to go on a date with him. At his funeral, his ghost sees Risa who is crying. And then he sees Haruno, his friend who can see him for some reason. Uncaring and cold, Haruno tells Sumito to leave and quit bothering her so he leaves just to find Risa; in doing so, he learns that Risa never really liked him and found it bothersome for him to chase after her. She only agreed to go on a date with him to shut him up.

Depressed, Sumito returns to Haruno's only to find out that she had been in love with him since the beginning even though she acted so cold about his death. And now, Haruno is on the roof ready to join Sumito as a ghost.

***

I really like oneshots, and even though I write a lot for the summaries, I really hope I don't give too much away.

Seishun no Tamago encompasses the greatness that is Nakahara Aya with her interesting characters, her wit and humor, and fun plot devices. This is a collection I enjoyed a lot, though I must say that nothing quite compares to Lovely Complex, not even the fifth story which was almost a direct knock off of Lovely Complex's idea, but with different types of characters and a different storyline.

Of the six stories, I enjoyed the first, third, and fourth ones the most. The third one, Happiness Faces South had one of the most interesting characters in the form of Bon-chan. I enjoyed his presence a lot and wouldn't have minded if the story was a little longer.

Again, Nakahara-sensei's witticisms do not cease to amaze me.

thoughts: Himitsu Kichi (manga)

Creator: Nakahara Aya
Genre: comedy, drama, romance, school life, shoujo
Volumes/Chapters: 4 oneshot stories



File 1: Boyfriend's Secret
Ikeuchi Kana is a first year high school student who can't stand childish boys. At a coffee shop near her house, she met the mature and good-looking Kaneda Kyouichi who, according to her investigations from the shop owner, is a twenty year old college student. She confesses to him not soon afterwards and he unhesitatingly agrees to go out with her.

Of course, after learning that Kana is a high school student, Kyouichi displays strange behavior, expressing that he thought she was the same age as him. The matter is, there is a secret about Kyouichi that the shop owner lied about, and when Kana finds out, it is a matter of whether or not she still wants to date him and if so, whether or not she wants her friends to find out. Also, Kyouichi has the nickname of Kanegon?


File 2: My Own Secret
Haruka Hiroko was walking home one day and by chance saves a boy being bullied. "I want to be a strong guy like you!" the boy exclaims, and by doing so, Hiro-chan angrily tells him that she's a girl-- although she has always been mistaken for a guy since young. Even though she dislikes that, at school it seems she has a reputation to keep as a cool judo club member and so keeps a secret about having a crush on the school idol, Yoshinaga-kun.

At school, she meets the weak boy she saved earlier, learning that his name is Kotake Jun and that he's in the handicrafts club-- he is quite girly as well. Meeting him afterschool at a convenience store, Jun unexpectedly learns that Hiro-chan has a crush on Yoshinaga and agrees to help her become girlier so that she can confess her feelings. In return, Hiro agrees to train Jun in judo so that he can become stronger.

An unexpected twist in the end has Hiro reevaluating her crush for Yoshinaga and her relationship with Jun.


File 3: Girlfriend's Secret
Seiji is the main vocalist to a local band and he is also in love with Eri, the girlfriend of one of his band members, Katagiri. But when he fell for her, it was because she told him she was moved by his singing. He had no idea that she was the girlfriend of Katagiri. By chance, Seiji learns something about Eri-chan and ends up in a complicated mess of secrets in order to help Eri-chan stay with her boyfriend.

But as time goes by with Seiji being the only person who knows this secret, it seems to draw the two closer, causing Seiji to become more and more jealous of Katagiri and his relationship with Eri-chan. In the process, Seiji is also told something revealingly shocking about himself.


File 4: My Secret
Afro Kawashima is thirty-four years old, has twelve years of experience as a performer, and is stuck on doing uninteresting and stupid gags and so he is not a famous actor. He is also the father of Kawashima Emi who is tired of being the lame actor's son. As this is the situation, Emi keeps his relation with the well-known Afro Kawashima a secret, and no matter how dotingly his father acts towards him, Emi can only return indifference.

And then one day, Afro Kawashima shows up to school revealing all the lies Emi had been telling about his family background. Not only that, but now everyone knows that the two are father and son.

***

There's something unique about the way Nakahara-sensei details her stories, even in oneshots. Each oneshot in this collection details a particular secret that each of the main characters has. As the readers, we learn about these secrets pretty early on, but the secret is still kept going up to the end of the short story.

The unexpected twists, especially in the first three oneshots are fun when found out. The second story may not seem to have a secret other than Hiro-chan's obsession with the school idol, but the surprise at the very end will have you rolling in your seat with laughter.

Between her witticisms, her surprises, and the facial expressions and whatnot, Nakahara Aya does not cease to amaze in her delivery of storytelling.

I like her work a lot for these reasons, as there has not been a story in which some part did not make me want to laugh out loud. These are especially found throughout Lovely Complex, but that will be for a different post in the future.

Himitsu Kichi is a fun and cute oneshot collection full of laughs, if not romance. Nakahara-sensei displays her awesomeness yet again.

first impression: Zoku Natsume Yuujinchou (anime)

Natsume Takashi is a young boy who can see ayakashi-- a trait that other humans do not have. He inherited from his grandmother, Natsume Reiko, this ability to see ayakashi as well as the all-powerful Book of Friends. With the Book of Friends, Natsume Takashi is constantly being attacked and seeked out by various demons and spirits who either wish to have their names returned, or who just want to own the book for their own evil purposes.

This is a continuation-- the second season-- of Natsume Yuujinchou which ended on thirteen episodes during the 2008 fall season.

To be exact, this particular post is more for my own opinionated thoughts rather than for a first impression. As a first impression, it is more a way for me to compare the first season with the second season's beginning. In a way, Natsume Yuujinchou fans of the world will be given a chance to compare Natsume Yuujinchou's second season with the glory of its first season.

When I first picked out Natsume Yuujinchou from various other broadcasting anime in the fall, it was because I had been drawn to the advertised poster. This is all explained in first impression: Natsume Yuujinchou.

As the first season drew to a close and the anime loving community was informed of a second season, I was extremely ecstatic. After all, the first season was rather short and left much to be desired. While I had intended to draw up some hype on the soon-to-be-aired Zoku Natsume Yuujinchou, my busy schedule and loss of motivation sort of threw all of that into the dumpster.

But lo and behold, having finally gotten my hands on the first episode of the second season of Natsume Yuujinchou, I am thoroughly revived and ready to tackle my almost abandoned anime blogging once again.

And now back to the anime.

I remember why I liked this series so much. It's relaxing and it makes you really think about every situation and every scene and every dilemma. As I had described it in the end of series thoughts, instead of being an action packed, supernatural and fantasy adventure, Natsume Yuujinchou borders more on a serene, slice of life, drama-esque type of genre. Supernatural elements just happen to be its basis, used to better distinguish Natsume Takashi's growth and development and how he learns to deal with the world around him.

The second season starts off in very much a bit of a bang compared to how the first season had started. Of course, once again, our beloved hero is being chased by some greedy ayakashi out to get him for the Book of Friends, and again, Takashi-kun meets up with a danger to himself involving more dangerous ayakashi. The second season has Takashi tripping over yet another barrier and releasing yet another high level ayakashi from its seal. And then the story goes from there.

It feels less of a sequel and more like a continuation from the first season, exactly where it had left off. Little seems to have changed save for Takashi-kun's level up in emotional and mental quotients.

The anime is still aiming for the same feel and wonder as the first season.

The only difference I can filter out of it is that Natsume Takashi seems a bit livelier than he did from the first season. It could be because of a plethora of things, such as all the friends he had made from season one, and how much more secure he is feeling in his own home now. His sense of duty from accepting the presence of youkai has been amped up a few levels-- its as if he feels that, since he has the power to do so, he needs to play mediator between youkai and humans.

Otherwise, his personality still remains quite the same: he is a good kid with nice qualities and a penchant to think for other people's sakes. He's just a little less monotonous, more active, and less depressing-- not that he had been depressing in the first season at all.

The second season seems to be trying to bring up the comedy just a little more, but hopefully it will incorporate that element as the first season had done-- the first season had the perfect dosage of every genre it portrayed and hopefully the second season will remain as such.

I have to admit though that the first hit of comedy which involved Takashi-kun being smashed in the face with a soccer ball unawares as he is reminiscing was very classic. I jumped and then I gasped and then I laughed. The bit with Natsume Takashi's overpowering strength towards ayakashi is quite admirable-- and amusing-- when he is pissed off enough to take action instead of just relying on his unreliable feline/high-level ayakashi bodyguard.

On top of everything else, I think that I have become mesmerized everytime Takashi-kun does his little clap and blow bit when returning a name to the present ayakashi. Something about how he does it and the fact that he has proven to be quite the bishie and kind-hearted boy... it just makes me unhesitatingly add him onto my list of favorite bishounen males.


Natsume Takashi has become one of my favorite main anime characters. Hands down, he's great!

The theme song is more upbeat than the first season's, but I like it. It kind of synchronizes with Takashi-kun's personality as he continues through this serial anime journey. It took me two watches, but I had noticed that the first half of the theme song shows scenes without ayakashi and the second half shows those exact same scenes with the ayakashi. I feel like it's really significant in showing just how natural the presence of youkai are in the Natsume Yuujinchou world.

Overall, I will continue to look forward to watching the rest of Zoku Natsume Yuujinchou, although I know I'll be hard pressed not to compare it to its first season.

On an end note, the ending theme is not only animated beautifully with Takashi walking through snow and his friends joining him one by one, but it is also catchy and pretty. I will wait patiently for the full version of this song.

spotlight: Natsume Yuujinchou (anime)

It's a wonder that I've even been trying to show my enthusiasm for blogging. I've been slacking off extremely for the past couple weeks-- past month, actually-- and had even disregarded the December spotlight.

However, with the coming of the new winter season in anime as well as my continued love for shoujo manga, I think I can manage to post a few things here and there for the sake of keeping this blog alive somehow.

To start the year off, my first order of business happens to be the first spotlight of the year. The Januaray spotlight goes to none other than one of the best anime series of fall 2008 and hopefully of the winter season in 2009.

***




I'm hooked on this particular anime for many, many different reasons. I truly do believe that Natsume Yuujinchou can easily be called a "diamond in the rough." It's also one of those surprising pleasures that you would have never thought you'd fall in love with.


As explained many times before, I picked up this anime series purely because I thought the poster was gorgeous. The summary seemed cliched, just like any other supernatural series, and I hadn't had much high hopes for it in the first place. But then, after watching the first and second episode, ditching it for a while and then picking it back up, I found how refreshing and mellow the series made me feel.

I fell in love with it and then I basked in the moment of knowing that a second season would be airing soon after.

This is a true episodic series in which every episode has a story of its own, which also pertains to the rest of the running story line. And everything just kind of falls into place neatly and nothing seems forced. If a filler had been interjected, I don't think I would have noticed. Because even as the series progressed in a nonlinear fashion, our main hero, Natsume Takashi continues to develop and continues to grow and continues to learn new things about hisself, about the world around him, and about his special ability.


I fell in love with Natsume Yuujinchou, despite my main genre being romantic comedies based around shoujo manga. Comedy meshes naturally with the drama, the melodrama, the supernatural, and the everyday slice of life elements.

Instead of being a supernatural series with a side of drama, comedy and adventure, Natsume Yuujinchou prides itself on the drama and slice of life areas, which just so happen to have supernatural, comedy, with a side of adventure and sprinkles of action. Natsume Yuujinchou is not flashy or fast-paced, and Natsume Yuujinchou does not force action or comedy.

In a sense, it depicts one specific kind of subject: "This is what your natural life would be like if you could interact with ayakashi." And then, "This is what Natsume Takashi's natural life is like, having always been able to interact with ayakashi." There is nothing thoroughly exciting and funny about being able to see these things, and we are shown this through the flashbacks and the emotional stress that Takashi-kun exhibits throughout the series. He is in contact with ayakashi every day of his life, every hour of every day, and everything is suddenly second nature to him. Like interacting with various people, Takashi simply ignores what he doesn't care to see and deals with what he thinks should be dealt with.

This life is not an adventure for Takashi, this is just how life is for him. And the series does well to depict how he comes to accept his abilities and the constant presence of ayakashi around him. Yes, he is different from others and because of this, he has been shunned and thrown from household to household. But somehow, Natsume Takashi has been able to manage himself quite well.

In other comments and posts around the anime-internet community, it has been mentioned that Natsume Takashi's personality is quite different from manga to anime. In the manga, I've read, he is more melancholic and less kind than he is in the anime. Frankly, I really do prefer to see a serene and good-natured Natsume Takashi over one who will brood and hate because of his lonely and tortured history. Somehow, it adds onto the wonder and amazement that is the anime of Natsume Yuujinchou; the character of Natsume Takashi makes the series such a hit.


Everything from his past history, his flashbacks, his insecurity, his sense of needing to know where he belongs, and his consistent state of kindness and serenity towards the world and the people around him despite all that has happened to him make him a very unique person.

And it is this part of the series that makes for an awesome beauty. The characterization of Natsume Takashi. He can be melancholic, but in a rather subtle way, and he can be a bit terse. But he is depicted overall as a very nice boy who cares about the people around him and cares about the welfare of any perfect stranger, be that stranger ayakashi or human. He is simply lonely and full of concern about what will happen to him and about all the people he may or may not trouble because of his ability to see and communicate with ayakashi.

In a perfect world, one would be hard pressed to find such an optimistic person who has gone through what Natsume Takashi has gone through. But it is this type of person who allows the viewer a sense mysterious hope that not all views of life are filled with drawbacks and malicious evil. There is always a silver lining.

Natsume Yuujinchou is a wonderful and lovely series. And if you think I haven't boasted enough about it, then you haven't read my thoughts on the first season. Another written post for the second season may enter into this blog as well as soon as I finish watching it.


Throughout this post I have mentioned only the series itself and the main hero. I have made no mention of the fat cat, which is also a significant factor to the series. Of course, I feel like the anime really fluorishes because of its tone and it's slow paced storytelling. The characterization of Natsume Takashi is wonderful, and the supporting role of Madara/Nyanko-sensei is a must as the cat actually gives Takashi the hope that there is somewhere he belongs and someone who will always be with him. The introduction of each ayakashi and their episodic storyline can be touching or amusing, and they all add onto the greatness of Natsume Yuujinchou.

Natsume Yuujinchou is probably not for those who seek shounen adventures and the like. But I definitely recommend this series to anyone and everyone who just wants to sit back and relax with a good series. It is a series that needs to be felt rather than rushed through, and I enjoy watching the entire series slowly by episode as it seems only right to feel at ease when watching such a serene series.


Indeed, as the first spotlight of 2009, there is no other who could take the place of Natsume Yuujinchou, the unexpected treasure of 2008's fall season and the looked forward to love of 2009's winter season.

thoughts: Special A

This is slightly overdue only because I had wanted to post it first thing in the morning. Unfortunately, last thing at night will have to do because of all the work hours I've been getting. And because of all the work hours to come, posting this month may be postponed.

Oh well...



It was a long and hard decision as to what I wanted to do with this anime. When I first set eyes on it, I was gleeful. I'm a hopeless romantic after all and the series was clearly labled as "romance" and "comedy" and also had the word "shoujo" following it. Granted this was before I really understood what "shoujo" truly meant in terms of anime and manga, I wanted to watch S. A. anyway.

The beginning of the series was quite the fun ride. There was humor, there were bishounen, and Hikari-chan was pretty adorable. Akira was absolutely wonderful with her violent tendencies, her high-class behavior and her creepy doting on Hikari. Tadashi wasn't bad. The twins were a little odd and Ryuu was kind of hot. Sadly, Takishima Kei was rather arrogant and that sort of annoyed me. I don't care that he's rich, talented, and good-looking. He was arrogant and he was annoying.

All-in-all, I'd enjoyed those first few episodes of Special A.

But as the series progressed -- and I scouted out the manga to get a second view of the series -- I began to become irritated with it.

Why did I come close to dropping the series altogether? It was quite simple. I had never, ever been so irritated with the two main leads of a romantic comedy like I was with Hikari and Kei. (We shall make no mention of Peach Girl at the moment since I prefer to think I never watched it, though since Suzuken was cast in it, I may make mention of the series some other time.)

Basically, it was sufferable to watch as each episode, Kei shows absolute obviousness on just how much in love he is with Hikari, and the stupid girl just assumes that he's trying to pick a fight or challenge her or look down on her. And as for Kei, maybe if he understood just how thick-headed Hikari was, he should have just come straight out about his feelings for her instead of waiting for her to figure it out on his own. I'm quite certain that everyone and their mothers and uncles and distant cousins are quite aware that Hikari is not going to figure anything out on her own about Kei's feelings or even her own.


As far as the storyline goes, it had quite a bit of potential. But sadly, it would have had more potential had it been shortened into maybe a four OVA series. Or maybe if the episodic feature were more interesting. Instead, each episode only added onto the stupidity that was Hanazono Hikari -- only God knows how she managed to get into S.A. with that missing brain of hers -- and the arrogance that was Takishima Kei.

Needless to say, I got bored of it very easily.

The series is simply just a story of the everyday lives and few not so dramatic events surrounding the seven members of S.A.

The members compete with jealous students in their high school. The members compete with each other to decide on where to go for a vacation. The members go on a vacation in Hawaii. The members work on the school festival. Hikari gets recruited as a tutor for Kei's little brother Sui.

The members meet and play "family" with Yahiro's little brother Chitose-- and I must say, this episode was actually quite fun. There was the all too rare fan service shot that shoujo manga usually doesn't have, but in anime, it's a must. Observe this when watching the part where Hikari must pick an Hibiscus flower for Chitose and Kei comes to her aid.

Other plots include Hikari dressing up to attend Yahiro's birthday party as Kei partner. Hikari has gotten a cold and must be taken care of by her S.A. friends because Mama and Papa are off on a trip. In the same episode was crammed the Megami and Yahiro dating episode where Megami speaks for the first time and even sings for Yahiro.

If this scene weren't preceded by Hikari-chan making a moron of herself, pyon. It'd actually look cute... pyon.
Basically, lots and lots of things occur with no definite destination like any typical episodic storyline. The only thing that the series plays off of is the idea of an excellent group of students called the S.A. and their daily lives, and Takishima Kei's undying love for Hikari as well as their eternal rivalry.

All else are just inclusive factors in the storyline that could be done without if necessary, but add to all the fun that should have been a decent shoujo manga to anime adaptation.

So why did I pick up this series again?

It's hard to say. For one, even after wanting to drop the anime, I continued to follow the manga and some of the details pertaining to future plot devices were rather satisfying for my hopeless romantic, shoujo manga obsessive mind. No matter what, S.A. is a shoujo manga romance first and foremost. I've probably sat through worse series/movies/etc...

And the manga boasted a very interesting "passionate kiss" scene between Hikari and Kei that made the fangirl moe-ness in me squeal with pleasure. I was curious to see just how much of the manga that the anime would adapt.

So with that in mind, I picked up Special A once again after getting ahold of every episode up to the end, and then watched it without prior biases and some things to look forward to.

As expected, the personalities of those in S.A. continued to annoy me. When the series changed themesongs, it did nothing for its own welfare and I was starting to have my doubts. But I persevered.

I think of the four couples advertised in this series, Tadashi and Akira have the best story, even though it's quite short. I love them the most.
I must say that I rather enjoyed the relationship development between Akira and Tadashi. Between the two of them, they probably have the loveliest romance in the whole anime series. A few things were altered in comparison to the manga and I feel like I like the anime version quite well. This is not to say that I don't like the manga version, because either way, Akira and Tadashi make a rather adoring, if not lovable, romantic couple.

Boy twin, Jun-kun was given a pairing with Hikari's personality twin Ushikubo Sakura who had to go through pains to win the young prince's heart. Megami was paired up with Saiga Yahiro -- an odd combination that was brought about due to Megami's need to protect Akira and Tadashi by giving Yahiro something else to focus on, like a girlfriend. They were quite cute and I liked how Megami could bring out a different, kinder side to Yahiro and saw Yahiro for the good person he was. Ryuu, of course, as hot and mature as he is, has those rare bestial-doting tendencies and so was left with his animals and without a love interest.

Left for the ending was the final pairing of Hikari and Kei -- who were both together from the start. With a little twist of manga plot around anime plot and we give Hikari a reason as to why she needs Kei in her life. And thus she realizes that she needs to be more honest with herself. So, using the Grandpa Takishima wants to take Kei away from Japan plot device, our remaining six S.A. heroes fly to England to find their Number One and bring him back to school with them.

For every hopeless romantic fangirl in the world, this is the Special A moment we all await.
Surprisingly, I am quite pleased with the ending. Even though it took twenty-four painstaking episodes to arrive at that point, I like what I saw and I saw what I liked. While there was no "passionate manga kiss" placed into the anime, there were various endearing moments between Hikari and Kei towards the ending few episodes that make up for the stupidity, arrogance, and annoyance from the first half of the series. There were enough "huggles" moments to make the shoujo fangirl in me grin whole heartedly, and I still stand that Ryuu is quite hot and needs to find himself a girl.


All in all, I was very pleased with what came of picking up S.A. once again. To tell the truth, I rather enjoyed those last few episodes of S.A. and when Hikari finally realized her feelings for Kei, it was a weight off of my shoulders -- and probably off of every other fan/viewer's shoulders. It's a little unnerving watching the clueless Hikari go through life only thinking of challenging Takishima Kei until she could catch up to his undeniably impossible level.

I will admit. Hanazono Hikari has heart. At least she's not one to give up just because things look too difficult and she's a hard worker and does everything with the utmost fullest of her extent. She's a very idealistic girl. Sadly, she's also a very stupid girl as well who probably only gets to her high academic level through sheer luck and determination.

I can't help but to think that maybe Kei could give slack just a little and lose to Hikari for once. But then again, doing that would just be an insult to Hikari's willpower and he probably knows that as well which is why he never lets up on his skills.

"You're special," is what Hikari tells Kei, and for the first time in the entire series, I actually thought she was extremely cute.

The ending is good. I liked it. Even if the beginning was beyond rocky, the ending is quite worth the arduous journey-- that is if one can be patient enough to withstand the entire journey to get to the ending. And so there is little good to say about Special A because all that is good about it would be the bishies, the romances, sometimes the comedy, and the final good ending.

Although, I have to point out that this series boasted some of the most eerie set of people within a group of seven. Between the inhuman physical abilities, beyond high intelligence, and strange personalities, its hard to say that people like this truly exist in real life. Hikari, Sakura, and Akira alone could team up and beat the living snot out of a war-trained muscle man. Ryuu could easily be the smartest person in the entire series without all his obstacles. And Takishima Kei is just impossible in existence.

Special A... watch it or leave it. I would say, leave it for a rainy day and watch it while you're waiting for something better to come along.

thoughts: Miss Prince (manga)

Creator: Kurahashi Erika
Genre: romance, shoujo, drama
Volumes/Chapters: 3 oneshot stories



Story 1: Miss Prince
Hisahara Koto started dating Kagawa Tatsumi for two weeks after meeting him at her workplace as a babysitter for his younger siblings. Her main concern about dating Tatsumi is that he is extremely too perfect, and compared to him, she feels like she can't keep up with him. Although she really likes him, she can't help but to wonder if he's okay with having an ordinary and plain girlfriend. Tatsumi-kun is a good guy, representative of the class, and simply great at everything he does. All of the girls admire him and unanimously decide that Koto doesn't deserve to be with Tatsumi.

Complications arise because of Koto's insecurities and interference between the "fan girls" at school. The relationship between Koto and Tatsumi seems to be hanging very loosely, not mattering that Tatsumi has never seen a problem in dating Koto in the first place. When Koto loses the ring that Tatsumi gives her, she decides that she isn't good enough for Tatsumi after all and tells him that she wants to break up.


Story 2: Strawberry Kiss
Izumi Makino spends her days looking pretty and dating a variety of boys. Because of an incident last summer involving Minato Shiraishi who kissed her while she was asleep in class, rumors spread about the two of them and Makino seems unable to ever forgive Shiraishi for this. But in the present, Minato approaches her and tells her that he was in love with her then and is still in love with her now. Though he is the last person she ever wants to see, she knows that she'll never be able to forget who stole her first kiss.

Due to a school committie event involving a tour for dating spots, Makino learns that she has been paired up with Shiraishi. She ends up having a pretty good time with him and accepts that he likes her. Deciding to give him a chance, she agrees to go on a date with him and eventually ends up falling for him slowly before their first official date when he helps her out of a tough situation. But her various boyfriends keep coming to bother her and realizing that Shiraishi must think she plays around, she promises herself that she will go on the date and confess that she has fallen for him. Unfortunately, the two are already getting off on the wrong foot and there is no telling what Shiraishi feels for her anymore because of her dating so many guys.

On the day of their date, Makino trips and falls and makes her late for her date with Shiraishi. Afraid that Shiraishi may have stopped liking her, she forces herself to hurry to the meeting place, even on her bad ankle.


Story 3: White Calendar
Yukimi Kataoka and Junya Fukino met back in elementary school only to learn that Yukimi is a whole year ahead of Junya in school. The fact, however, is that Yukimi is really only ten days older than Junya, but because of the date that he was born, he couldn't attend the same grade as Yukimi. Since their meeting, they've been inseparable and as they live next door to each other, they go to school together every morning and head home together every evening. Everyone comments that Junya and Yukimi are like brother and sister, but the two like to stress that they are the same age, even though they treat each other like kids.

At school, Yukimi is dragged into the cooking club by her friend where all the girls go to in order to find a boyfriend. After all, the cooking club classroom looks right out into the sports field and the aroma of food attracts all the boys to the window to meet the girls. Yukimi is immediately asked out by one of the boys, even though her goal in the cooking club was to show up Junya in cooking skills. On Junya's side, he has a girl attached to him claiming to be his girlfriend and badmouthing Yukimi because she is a rival as well as in the cooking club.

Jealousy unfolds when Yukimi realizes she likes Junya romantically and Junya sees Yukimi being confessed to. Of course, the two can no longer see each other as just kids again.

***

The stories in Kurahashi Erika's manga are usually sweet and cute and this collection of oneshots is no exception. Miss Prince, like any other shoujo romances is a fun read up to the end because of the simplicity of the stories and the adorable factor in the characters and their designs.

I enjoyed these stories a lot, and of the three, my favorite was White Calendar, though it is quite hard to imagine love blossoming at such a young age. It's still cute and sweet and that's what makes these oneshots such good doses of "Chicken Soup for the Hopeless Romantic's Soul."

For short stories with a good cuteness factor, I highly recommend Miss Prince to anyone.

first impression: Nanaco Robin (manga)

So I worship the ground that Nakahara Aya-sensei walks on because I love her works and all. In fact, I even did a whole spotlight on her as the very first for this blog. Ever since, I've gotten my hands on all of the manga by her that I could, and while I haven't really written my thoughts on the ones I've read, I will in the near future.

Here today, however, is a current series by Nakahara-sensei which has one volume out so far (two chapters available to me in English) and hopefully more to come soon.

The story sets up the first chapter with Nako crashing a wedding and taking away the groom. It's quite the exciting opening for any story and we later find out that she has crashed this wedding not for her sake, but for her sister's sake. Because the marriage was arranged and her sister and the groom are in love, she helps them elope. Unfortunately, the younger, delinquent brother of the groom seems to have lost a place to live, she realizes that she is responsible for this and so her family takes him in wholeheartedly.

The premise of the story is a very good one with lots of potential. Seeing as how it's a romantic shoujo comedy, there are so, so many possibilities at hand with the male protagonist moving in with the female protagonists.

Also a part of the already known plot is that the little brother, Konatsu, is quite the "misunderstood" delinquent -- another one of those "bad boys with a heart of plate gold" types who can be nice sometimes even though he seems really rought. We find out as well that Nako had been in love with the man she helped to bring her sister together with and is currently recovering from that lost love.

The first chapter alone ends with the entire series' set up. Konatsu moves in with Nako's family, we meet all of the younger siblings within her family, we meet Nako's friends, and we also establish a first impression based relationship between Konatsu and Nako which is close to the classic "I don't even want to be in the same room as him/her" type.

Much has occurred within the second chapter including meeting Konatsu-kun's "best friend", and there is still more to come, I'm sure.

The personalities are still a little hard to distinguish, but Nako-chan is quite the strong-type female character as she can easily punch the living daylights out of Konatsu-kun. Konatsu is being an extreme brat, but he has his reasons, though that does no mean I will keep my self from throttling him. I love Nako's best friends, especially Bu-chan. Her siblings are interesting creatures too and I look forward to seeing all the comedic antics they provide.

This will definitely be a good series and wouldn't be surprised if it becomes popular in the future as it progresses. There are so many characters to work off of and the relations between the family and others (the customers who frequent Nako-chan's family store) seem to have good dynamics.

As far as my interest is concerned, I am completely looking forward to reading more of this series as it comes out by chapter. I love Nakahara-sensei's work and wouldn't miss any of it.

thoughts: Skip Beat! (anime) -- the audition and the significant failure

Hehe, I like this picture of her.

Episode 2: Banquet of Shivering
Episode 3: Missing Feelings; An Emotion She Lacks

I'm not fond of blogging anime by episode just because I'm a lazy person. I like reading others blog about anime by episode, but only after I've already seen that particular episode because blogs always give away a basic summary of the episode's direction. That, and I like to be able to have my own first hand impressions from watching the anime itself rather than reading a rough summary about it and then being ready for possible surprises, sad scenes, comedic scenes, and stuff like that.

Here right now, however, I wanted to mention my thoughts on these two episodes of Skip Beat!, though more notably episode 3 because of how symbolic it is for the rest of the storyline. In truth, episode 2 was nothing special because it felt more like a transition stage where Kyoko goes from ordinary girl to "some girl doing what she can to get into showbiz for the sake of revenge."

SA-WA-RA-san... don't look directly into her eyes...
Episode 2 was really just a place for dear Kyoko-sama to display her demonic side to the fullest. Yea, this is the one where she literally haunts poor Sawara-san and his family until he gives her a chance in the entertainment industry. It's an episode full of lolz and one must give props to Sawara-san for enduring as long as he did and for caving in and letting Kyoko do as she pleased rather than calling the cops and having her arrested for disturbing the peace-- in which case the girl would probably still find a way to come back and haunt him.

Ready for action!
Probably not the best impression to be giving... or demonic aura.
Episode 3 begins with the infamous newcomer auditions wherein Kyoko will try to hit it off in the entertainment world and where Kyoko gains a good impression towards the president of LME. As many of us who read the Skip Beat! manga already know, Kyoko's talent presentation is out of the ordinary and her shortcomings earn her no spot in the further audition as she is booted out almost too quickly.

It is because of this audition, however, that Kyoko finally finds herself realizing that she is pathetic for revolving so much around Shotaro, and yet even then she cannot help it. Kyoko had spent her entire life living for the sake of Shotaro to the point where no matter what she did, it was always for Shotaro and no one else, not even herself or for others who might care.

To make a long point shorter, Kyoko realizes that because of her past with Shotaro as well as her history with her mother, she has lost the will and the ability to love-- period. It isn't a romantic love that she has lost because of Shotaro, but it is the ability to care for or let other care for her at all.

Because of her mother leaving her when she was young, Kyoko has placed all of her time and energy in Shotaro because she whole-heartedly believed that Sho would be her prince for life and lover her forever. And then not long ago (refer to episode one) Shotaro broke her heart without remorse. And to this day, even though he is not around her, he still manages to taunt her in her reveries.

It's a sad, sad situation to realize something so depressing and so pathetic about oneself.

Kyoko failed the auditions because she lacked the ability to love. And because she lacked the ability to love, she feels as if she's lost the ability to do anything else anymore. And thus she's given up on her pursuit of the entertainment industry, which would mean that she's given up on her revenge for Sho, no matter how much she still resents the bastard.


I'm happy to learn that I'm not the only person who was moved by Kyoko's scene in which she realizes how pathetic she is, how she had lost her important human feeling of love, and how she'd wasted her entire life being Shotaro's slave girl. While in the manga I hadn't been too moved as I was this time seeing the scene in animation and hearing the devestating sobs coming from Kyoko, I still recognized it as a significant turning point in Kyoko's journey.

This was an extremely effecting scene and while not moved to cry right alongside Kyoko, I could almost feel her sadness even by simply watching her cry like that.
Because now that she's realized what is wrong with her, Kyoko, with enough willpower and determination, which she has, will be able to pinpoint it over and over again and learn how to overcome this hurdle.

In following episodes, assuming they continue to follow closely to the manga as they have done so far, we get to see this new and revived Kyoko breaking down all those walls one after another. Each time a situation presents itself to brutally assault her and her emotions, she will fall, but she will also rise back to the occasion and take on the challenge once again without fail.

This is what makes Mogami Kyoko such an idealistic girl and such a counter heroine for all those weepy romance shoujo manga heroine who's lives depend on whether or not their designated hero will fall in love with them too. Don't get me wrong; I like a good cheesy romance oneshot as well as the next shoujo manga fangirl. I just also like to read or view some stories with depth and substance sometimes as well.

Skip Beat! is definitely a unique manga in the class of shoujo demographic. While I too feel like the romance in the manga is devloping rather slowly like others, I also feel like I wouldn't change the pacing and the storyline for any reason.

Getting back on topic, episode 3 was a rather significant plot device which will later on be emphasized due to Kyoko's undying determination for the things that she does. What makes Kyoko such a unique person is her ability to continue standing right back up everytime she happens to fall, and no matter how hard and how far she falls. That and her innocent, yet tainted nature-- a unlikely combination in one person, but not impossible as seen by Kyoko's existence in the fictional world.

Anyway, as per usual, I look forward to seeing more of the anime adaptation. I look forward to continuing to read the manga. These first three episodes have so far covered the entirety of Volume One of the manga and so at this rate I hope that my favorite parts of the manga will be able to reach the animation.

thoughts: PxP (manga)

Creator: Yoshizumi Wataru
Genre: romance, shoujo, school life, mystery
Volumes/Chapters: 1 Volume (3 chapters);
also includes the oneshot story Baby It's You



And so it goes, this is the second Yoshizumi Wataru manga I'll be posting about. As I'd mentioned before, I've become a fan, I've read a few of her works and there are two others that I want to read although they are quite unavailable to me.

PxP is a short, but interesting and exciting story about a thief by the name of "P" who steals trivial things for the price of 300,000 yen. Nothing that "P" steals is ever expensive and only ever valuable to the person who wants it. "P" is so named because of the calling card left behind in place of everything that has been stolen.

Because of "P" the student council is bringing up the issue of stopping the infamous thief. Included in this student council are the President Tomotoshi Daiki and the Vice President Himeno Ruri. The suspected student who could be "P", the president claims, has to be none other than Suki Yuuma, a special student within the school who not only has his own lab, but is introverted and very strange. Also his nickname is "Professor" so the thief's name "P" corresponds with the first letter of "Professor."

What we learn early on in the manga, however, is that President Tomotoshi is only half correct.

"P" turns out to be the "P" from "Princess" which is English for "Hime" or Himeno Ruri's nickname. So while the student council is trying to investigate the matter of "P", Himeno Ruri is secretly creating more havoc behind their backs. Suki Yuuma, of course, is her most precious partner in crime as he uses his brains and networking to help Ruri with her "work."

This manga was quite interesting as it was fast paced with a small helping of light mystery added onto the side. Three significant items are asked to be stolen by "P" throughout the three chapters and it is interesting to have three significant back stories to each item.

The first was a teddy bear from the infirmary, the second a Junk Jungle concert ticket stub, and the last was *gasp* a Norman Rockwell Museum pen that only Suki Yuuma owns.

The non-mystery portions of the story were very lovely to follow as well. While Ruri and Yuuma work together, Ruri openly expresses her love for him, but Yuuma seems rather reluctant to admit his own feelings to her. The reasoning for this is readily revealed after she finally confronts him about his ex-girlfriend from back in his middle school years.

PxP is a fun story to follow and I really wouldn't mind if Yoshizumi-sensei continued on with more interesting plot devices for our infamous "P" to partake in. I also wouldn't mind seeing how the relationshpi between Ruri and Yuuma turn out and whether they continue to go about this line of "work." But alas, when I really think about it, PxP was really made to be a short three chapter story anyway and I like it the way it is.

That aside, I also point out that as far as bishounen are concerned, Suki Yuuma has been added onto my list of Very Good Looking Glasses Characters-- My Beloved Megane-bishie Guys. As is typical of Yoshizumi-sensei's characters, he is quite good looking. Slap on a pair of glasses and he is absolutely irresistable.

I'm moe for him. This could be bad.

thoughts: Natsume Yuujinchou (anime)

Since the very beginning, I know that I've been drawn to the majestic beauty of Natsume Yuujinchou. From the artwork to the animation, and most importantly to the characters and the storyline, everything about Natsume Yuujinchou has held my attention long enough for me to feel awestruck by just how gorgeous this anime can be.



As stated in my first impression post of Natsume Yuujinchou, I was drawn to the anime via the poster. It was a very pretty poster. The summary did nothing for me, really but let me know what was going on.

In essence, what actually kept me watching the entire series from beginning to end would have to be the feeling I get from viewing Natsume Yuujinchou as a whole. It's almost like reading about a majestic legend, or some form of old folklore. The mood is relaxing, the music and artwork help with that, and altogether, without being over exaggerated or flashy, Natsume Yuujinchou delivers a very fascinating, amazing story for the viewers.

This may be a horrible comparison, but I get a slight feel for Hayao Miyazaki when I see the stories of each episode unfolding and hear the music playing softly in the background.

Like works by Hayao Miyazaki, Natsume Yuujinchou sort of plays on images and feelings more than the actual action of each storyline of each episode. And also more so than words.

The storyline is cliched, but the way it's executed is simple and soothing for a supernatural anime. The characters, though limited, are interesting to follow. Natusme Takashi and Nyanko-sensei are really the only two that we get to follow throughout the series and we learn a lot about the two as the thirteen episodes progress. Natsume Reiko, Takashi's grandmother with the same ability as Takashi, is mentioned infrequently, and a plethora of ayakashi are presented each episode along with their sentimental stories.


With this anime, I hate that I can't seem to relay the exact feeling I have of each and every episode. But I can still try to describe how I feel...

It's almost like watching the sun rising-- something phenomenal, yet at the same time so natural is taking place. The scenery is wonderful, but at the same time it's not loud or flashy. It is simply one simple event. But it's wonderful nonetheless.

This is Natsume Yuujinchou in a nutshell.

Many would not be drawn to it because it is so quiet and simple as an anime filed under fantasy. But in essence, this anime is more so a slice of life drama hidden within all the beautiful supernatural phenomena it boasts as it's central theme.

Up to the ending of the thirteen episodes, the only conflicts we encounter are very realistic and everyday normal, even for a storyline that plays on a boy being able to interact with supernatural beings where no one else can.

As others have stated before, Natsume Yuujinchou delivers its central theme much differently than many would expect. Natsume Takashi is living in a life where he is the only person who can see youkai, ayakashi, ghosts, spirits, and the like. No one believes him because of what he can see and instead he is shunned by his family and tossed around until he is finally taken in by Touko-san wherein he does what he can to keep others from suspecting what he can do.

For Takashi-kun, it is hard for him to explain his strange behavior, and at the same time, his personality does what can be done to remain a good person, which is what Natsume Takashi is from beginning to end. Even though he may refuse to help certain youkai, he cannot help but to butt his nose into their business when he feels he needs to help.

After all, as he reasons, he can see them after all. There's no reason for him to pretend that they don't exist.

Overall, Natsume Takashi is a very kind person.

But going through life seeing youkai does not mean a walk in the park. Others who don't see these spirits and demons have nothing to fear because of such. Because as the saying goes, when you look at someone or something, there is always the possibility that he, she, or it will look right back at you. In Takashi-kun's case, because he can see youkai and youkai can see all humans, when it is known that he can see youkai, they don't simply just look right back at him. They also act, as is revealed by all the dangerous youkai who make a habit of chasing Takashi around.


Up to this point, I've made no mention of the second central theme in this series. The Book of Friends is the item that brings Takashi and Nyanko-sensei together, as well as propels the series' beginning. The Book of Friends is a small pamphlet of papers recording the names of various youkai, big and small, calm and dangerous. This book was passed onto Natsume Takashi by his grandmother, Reiko who had made a habit of collecting these contracted names assumingly because she was lonely and wanted friends.

But as the anime progresses, less is mentioned about Reiko and her Book of Friends. Instead, the producers seem to have forgotten about the book altogether and decided to focus more on other issues of Takashi surrounding his ability to interact with youkai... as well as his long, lonely childhood past.

Can you only imagine...?
The anime itself seems adamant on featuring Takashi-kun's morbid life from day one of being able to see youkai and being shunned from his family because of the "strange things" he keeps saying. A lot of the latter episodes of this series pays strict attention to the worries and the emotional turmoil that kind and caring Natsume Takashi has had to endure from past to present.

His most important worry being whether or not he can continue to remain with Touko-san in his current home, and whether or not he will ever find a place he can feel like he belongs in.

Takashi was lonely and abandoned since childhood, as was his grandmother. His grandmother created a Book of Friends for her own sake, and from the beginning of the series, Takashi is dead set on scrapping his grandmother's Book of Friends by returning all the names contracted. His only few human friends are merely background noise, and when he meets others who know of his plight, nothing seems to be as he had expected.

This was probably not the kind of "I can see them too" friendship that Takashi-kun was looking for.
Tanuma is a boy who is curious about Takashi because he can see the shadows of youkai, though not the actual youkai itself. Natori-san is an older man who can see and interact with youkai, had the same horrible and lonely childhood as Takashi, but who takes action against youkai in a way Takashi would have never even dared do.

Gee, I wonder why Takashi's not scared.
Yea... that would be why.
The only true close friend Takashi could probably boast would be his fat cat, Nyanko-sensei (also known as Madara in his true form) who gets a beating from Takashi regularly. The relationship between this youkai and Takashi is hard to consume in that how they act towards each other seems rather unbelievable... at least until you realize that the cat is always going to be on Takashi's side.

And the persistence of Nyanko/Madara...
What? Gave up already? It was only a left knuckle to the head.
After all, when transformed into his true body as Madara, I really doubt that it would be extremely hard for him to simply pluck Takashi off the ground and eat him. Had Nyanko-sensei been a little less caring for Takashi, there would probably be no story to tell.

What youkai as powerful as Madara would allow some mere human to beat him over the head all the time?

I think that's relative to how much the fat cat actually wants the book. But this scene is so sweet and beautiful.
Everything that is part of the true episodic adventure of Natsume Yuujinchou comes around to develop the character of Natsume Takashi and his relationship with both the youkai world and the human world. And as his own story is told from childhood, you feel with him and you feel for him.

To be able to be such a kind and calm young boy after all that's happened to him... it's a little hard for a viewer to grasp. But in the end, I am personally glad that Takashi-kun is the way that he is. He brings much needed optimism to such a morbid fate and at the same time he conveys the reality of his own fate.

Natsume Yuujinchou is a success because of the way in which it ties together the theme with the main protagonist. The series itself is a distinct and grade-A expample of, "So you can see youkai? Well this is the reality of what your situation would be like if this were a possible occurence." And it has little to do with action or comedy-- this series is pure slice of life drama.

The drama, the angst, the action, and even the comedy is all natural rather than artistically timed for best effect. This is real life at its best concerning a boy who can see things that others cannot. This is not a horror or thriller, and this is not forced comedic timing nor is it forced action and adventure just because supernatural beings are a part of the scenario.

As I already stated, Natsume Yuujinchou plays on the emotions of the viewer and relates to us everything that is Natsume Takashi.

An eager, joyful childish hope.
It wasn't until episode three when we see a flashback of Takashi as a child that I realized just how emotionally damaged Takashi could have become. Realizing that he is the only one who sees strange things, realizing that no one believes him, and realizing just how lonely he is becomes a tremendous, sad stone sitting on his shoulders. When he meets a nice onee-san who claims that she "can see them too," little Takashi is thrilled because he no longer has to be alone anymore. But then the reality struck when he was asked what he was doing all by himself at the park.

Realization.
I could feel my own breath catching at the realization of what Takashi's friendly onee-san really is. At that point in time, with the color of the setting sun showing in animation as well as the expressive look on little Takashi's face, I probably couldn't feel what the child was feeling, but I knew just how surprising and saddening the situation had become.

Sense of loss and betrayal.
Once again, Natsume Takashi was all alone. It was absolutely a wonder that Takashi grew up to be the kind and caring kid he is.


A very endearing friendship between youkai and human. Tsubame thanks Takashi-kun for his efforts in making her wish come true.
This could have turned out into some other type of series if Takashi-kun had some sense of romanticism in him. But no, we remain pure and innocent.
There are a lot of very touching moments in all of Natsume Yuujinchou, many of which involve the simple guest appearances of many youkai per episode.

Some other unfortunate soul falls victim to a forbidden romance. This was one of the saddest scenes in the entire anime. To have fallen for someone and then never be able to see her again. And for Hotaru to be able to see, but not let him know that she was always there and shares his feelings as well...
No matter how, each story interrelates with Takashi's own feelings of self-worth, of loneliness, of understanding, and of his relationship towards the youkai and his human friends and family. Aside from that, we also get to see a slight bridge in the similarities and differences between youkai and humans, which is yet another insight of Natsume Yuujinchou that is rarely brought up in more action/adventure-packed supernatural series.

We are brought to the attention of various questions that have always plagued Takashi since the beginning of time, and one by one, the questions are asked, but the answer is so vague that there's no way that even Takashi himself could answer no matter how thoroughly he's thought them over.

How does he view the youkai in his life? Who else in this world has the same ability as himself? Is there really that big of a difference between youkai and human? Will he see youkai for the rest of his life, or will he lose that ability at some point in time? Why is it that only he can see these youkai?

So many questions and no answers are given. Instead, the viewers are indirectly given the chance to think over these issues. Because as far as I can tell, Natsume Yuujinchou focuses on the here and now, taking from the past in slight, and only speculating about the future that is to come.

A good way to wrap up the first season with fireworks. Sadly, Takashi-kun sees none of it...
There are always setbacks for being able to see things other people cannot.
I thoroughly enjoyed this series as I had predicted in my first impressions post. I pegged it as a Wagaya no Oinari-sama, but much better. I don't know how to comment on that assumption, because both series are on completely different levels of supernatural awe. While I believe that Natsume Yuujinchou is indeed better than Wagaya-- and better than a lot of other anime I've seen recently-- there is no way to compare.

Natsume Yuujinchou is in a league of it's own.

The ending wraps up quite well by bringing back a few of previous episode guest youkai and human, but somehow, it definitely is missing something. It feels as if it's just another episode and that it hasn't really ended yet. Like others have mentioned, it's like a recap or an intermission curtain call for all the viewers to reminisce in the reappearances of some of the series' cameo youkai and human.

And then what's this, Natori-san and some secret gathering? A scene that is shown only briefly but left to the wonderings of the viewers.

Takashi and his friend Tanuma spend a good portion of the ending episode searching for Takashi's "fat cat" who is held hostage by Takashi's classmate Sasada in an attempt to keep him around her for her amusement. But overall, the ending had the same soothing feel as the rest of the series.

*

Season two of Natsume has been announced to begin broadcast in January of 2009, and so we know for a fact that the series has yet to reach its end. I'm glad, because although there is very little to keep you hanging at the edge of your seat to look forward to, Natsume is a good enough anime series to keep you hooked as each episode rolls out slowly.

Though without action or adventure or over the top comedy or exaggerated storytelling, Natsume Yuujinchou is definitely a must see anime. Not bad are the visual affects, the background music, the theme music, and even the seiyuu of each character.

Natsume Takashi's seiyuu Kamiya Hiroshi is not familiar to me, but he does an excellent job portraying Natsume's calmness and his kind demeanor. Included in the voice cast role call are Inoue Kazuhiko as Nyanko-sensei and his youkai form Madara, and Kobayashi Sanae in her few appearances as Reiko.

If I were to describe Natsume Yuujinchou to someone, I don't think I would ever be able to fully give an appreciable account of the anime as a whole. Maybe one of these days I'll just go through and give more thoughts about various parts of Natsume Yuujinchou that are notable, but then, that'll be quite a lot of different posts.