Forum - View topicEP. REVIEW: Natsume Yūjin-Chō Go
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Stark700
 Posts: 11762 Location: Earth |
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I'm just surprised the show is back after all these years. So glad to see Natsume return though, the nostalgia 
I still love the atmospheric feel of the show. |
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Random 21
 Posts: 198 Location: Nottingham, United Kingdom |
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Just as a note, Brains Base isn't handling this season, studio Shuka has taken over animation production.
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JacobC
ANN Contributor
 Posts: 3728 Location: SoCal |
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Ah k, I will fix that. |
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crosswithyou
 Posts: 2892 Location: California |
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And another note that Shuka is sort of an off-shoot of Brains Base created by a former Brains Base producer. That's why they got Durarara!! too. Anyway, man the moment that familiar BGM started playing I almost had tears in my eyes. This is absolutely my favorite all-time series and I am so thrilled for it to finally get a fifth season. (There's definitely enough published material to dive straight into a sixth season too.) I feel for Natsume being so conflicted. On one hand he wants to tell Natori about the yuujinchou, but now that he knows that binding a youkai's real name is forbidden, it's that much harder to discuss. Oh, and Nyanko Sensei is as plump as ever.  I swear Natsume is going to have shoulder issues later in life, LoL.
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Gina Szanboti
Posts: 11340 |
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Is that the problem? This is the first time I've ever noticed anything being particularly off model in Natsume. Especially the scene at the dinner table, where Natsume looked odd while he ate, and Shigeru seemed to kind of float against his background. Plus a couple of shots of Natsume where they seemed to forget his pupils aren't round. Everything else though has been great, and I'm glad to see them diving right in to the friction with the exorcists, as well as raising questions I've always had about Reiko (and some I hadn't thought of). Natsume is the world's worst liar though.  I've also noticed Sensei silently observing things more than past seasons, which is kind of cool.
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chaccide
Posts: 295 |
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^ Same here. This is the first time the characters looked odd off and on. Sadly, I don't think the production values are as high as they've been in the past. But the stories, the voice acting and the music are all as lovely as ever. I'm so glad Natsume is back.
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Merida
 Posts: 1945 |
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Agreed. While i'm a bit sad that it looks less beautiful than previous seasons, my happiness over this show's unexpected return highly outweighes everything else!
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tophg
Posts: 22 |
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Episode 4 - Despite everything that Natsume's been through in the previous seasons, this is the first episode where I really felt that he was at genuine risk of having his world overturned and potentially losing everything. It was a combination of the claustrophobic atmosphere of the mansion, Nyanko-sensei's apparent powerlessness in the early stages when he was relegated to being a spectator, and the genuinely creepy vibes from Matoba while boxing Natsume into a corner.
I agree that the internal wranglings of the exorcists' world seems in a different universe from Natsume's concerns, but I started to worry here about what exactly might happen if - when? - they find out all the details of Natsume's (and Reiko's) dealings and friendships with yokai. And of course the Book of Friends itself, a secret that seems now to be a ticking timebomb just waiting to explode in Natsume's face. Still, his defiance at the end when Nyanko-sensei finally got his mojo back was heartening ... and a reminder to others that he is quite strong-willed, at the end of the day, and has earned the loyalty of powerful yokai like Madara through his own efforts. Kudos to the writers and directors of this one for upping the stakes for all concerned so convincingly, and making me feel all protective about a fictional character
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Gina Szanboti
Posts: 11340 |
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Matoba has always been a jerk, but the way this all went down suggests he's even slimier than is obvious. Given that he was hosting the meeting at his place, you'd expect the other exorcists to show him and his shiki basic respect, but the way they treated Natsume was like a new toy that they could order about, play with or break as they pleased. Which means they weren't worried about Matoba being the least bit upset by their behavior toward his property. That's pretty disturbing. It also puts the other exorcists in a pretty bad light (although I did get a kick out of the woman who told Natsume he was awfully friendly when he was feeling up her face.
).
I still don't quite know what to make of Natori, but I guess part of that is my inability to let go of some real world baggage about him. It makes me laugh when I watch the earlier episodes where he comes to Natsume's home and says, "Hi, I'm Natori the movie star and I've come to take your handsome but secretive young ward to a hot springs for the weekend, just the two of us!" and Touko is all, "Sure, have fun!"  I no longer have the innocence to see Natsume's world strictly on its own terms, so while I know Natori isn't after Natsume's body (unless he's looking for a future leg donor), it gets in the way of my seeing exactly what he might really be after.
Well, I do have one really bizarre theory that might be the wildest of my usual wild mass guessings, but since it will inevitably be Jossed, I'll keep it to myself.
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tophg
Posts: 22 |
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LOL, this is so true,the hot springs invitation was one of those O RLY? moments for sure It's like the series creators are continuously teasing us to think the worst of Natori. Personally I'm holding out for a secret familial connection of some kind, given their uncanny resemblance to each other (though this may just be a design fluke).
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Gina Szanboti
Posts: 11340 |
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Huh, that's the very territory my WMG was landing on. I don't think it's a design fluke.  My guess is spoiler[he's the grandson of Natsume's grandfather, who was older than Reiko, so his grandson would probably be a few years older than Natsume. He probably had his own family and Reiko was a side affair, and his exorcist connections were how he met her in the first place. If this is the case, I wonder if Natori knows?]
I have no idea where the manga is on this, but I imagine it will be awhile before we ever find out what the real story is. But I'm happy to wait, as long as they keep animating it.
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ryonomiko
 SubscriberPosts: 93 Location: Canada |
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Natsume's family history is staying in the secrets area still (although I'm not fully up on the manga).
I don't quite understand some of the reviewers comments. The anime has been quite faithful to the manga (although has scrambled the order of various stories, including some key ones) so if going to praise the writers then praise the mangaka. Natori definitely did not become an exorcist "simply for the thrill of it" (which is touched on in various episodes in earlier seasons). If anything he's been a an actor for the thrill of it. Natori's family is well known (so Natsume having any relation to him would have to be a really really well kept secret (and in the manga Natsume has silver/white hair)) and he is the only one in some time to see yokai. His main inheritence in terms of exorcist "kingdom" is his name (he had to teach himself how to be an excorcist, no help from his family directly) whereas the Matobas are very much King of the Hill. Is the reviewer being coy about not saying anything that's happened in the manga (past where the anime is, which is 4 years ago manga wise), or truly doesn't know? Natori and Matoba knowing each other has been known for fact for a long time (anime has covered it). The EXTENT of their connection has not (in the anime, the manga has revealed more). |
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Gina Szanboti
Posts: 11340 |
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It doesn't matter how long ago the manga came out, it's still spoilers for the anime. Avoiding spoilers isn't being "coy", it's being a responsible reviewer of an anime series. That you ask the question that way is sending up all kinds of red flags, so I think I'll bow out of this thread now, since I really don't want to be spoiled. |
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Seiya0890
 Posts: 185 |
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Am I the only one rooting for Natsume X Taki ?
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Angel M Cazares
 Posts: 5420 Location: Iscandar |
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Duh. This has always been one of the best and more compelling aspects about this anime franchise. |
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