With stinging insults, that is.
This coming from an 8-inch man wearing a mask.
Short Summary:
Natsume and Madara discover a small Youkai who lives in a shrine named Tsuyukami, who is like that way as no-one comes to pray at his shrine any longer except for an old lady named Mrs Hana. At first, they cannot return his name as two pages of the Book of Friends are stuck together, but later they discover the other Youkai, and return both their names. Unfortunately, Mrs Hana passes away due to illness, and Tsuyukami, with no-one left to pray for him, and not wishing for Natsume to do so as they are “friends” (don’t really understand that), disappears as well.
Next Time:
The introduction of another person who can see spirits?
Thoughts:
The show is quickly becoming one of my favourites; one of the reasons is I got to watch an HD upsacle which makes the visuals look so much cleaner, crisper and more natural. I didn’t think that it would make much of difference but it made the show all the more enjoyable. Story wise, it was better than the first as it managed to pack a lot of emotions and ideas into a single episode. I felt for Tsuyukami as the forgotton god and it was nice to see that there was one person who was dedicated to him throughout the years. Its common that people forget about traditions or givingthanks as years go by and the show addressed this a simplistic but heartfelt way. They developed Reiko a small deal as well, as she demonstrates a small anger at the nature of human beings as she is talking to Tsuyukami due to the way they are deserting him. They linked this with the (slightly angst-filled) feeling of loneliness that Natsume had due to his powers well. The sideplot concerning the other Youkai was handled well too; rather than just make him a target to get past, they gave him a backstory that was kind of funny and similar to that of the Youkai in the first episode. Speaking of which the writers continue to balance the comedy and drama of the series well. If they can keep creating unique and interesting stories such as this, it’ll continue to be a great show.
This is why you don’t anger Youkai unless you have mysterious spiritual powers.
My god, omisyth. You post really fast. Take that as a compliment. (Makes me look less heartless…) 😛
I’ve started reading the manga for this. I don’t know why, but each episode makes me feel like crying. Maybe cause of the music? I didn’t want Tsuyukami to disappear…
Angst and sentiment make this worthwhile. I haven’t watched a decent show which plays up emotions since, well, ever. The subtlety is what makes this great – I find it irksome when shows try to beat the sentiment into you with a sentiment bat (*ahem*Key and KyoAni).
I’m starting to believe that Reiko isn’t going to be a significant character. Cameo appearance reveals nothing other than what we already know about her – bitter, lonely girl with a sharp tongue and a way with words. And still the best grandmother ever.
@Hoshi
I don’t like reading manga for anime I’m currently watching; it would probably make me too judgemental for the anime not sticking to every detail of the manga.
And poor, poor Tsyukami ;_;
@dingsan
I don’t mind shows playing up emotions but if it descends too far then that just makes it feel really superficial. This show is by no means doing that and it shows that emotions can be represented (through the case shown in the episode) without being overly dramatic.
I felt sorry for Tsuyukami… I think I cried. His story is so sad.
Anyway, I’m glad that it looks like the pace is picking up (somewhat) and it’s not just one episode after anotherwhere Natsume will be returning names. I’m picking up some ominous vibes from Nyanko-chan already.