THE SCOLDING!!! IT CRIPPLES ME!!!
biankita summary. Because I don’t think she’ll mind ^^.
Thoughts:
That Youkai was by far one oof the creepiest ones in the series. Cannibalism and shadows of doom? DO NOT WANT. To quote myself as I’m so egotistical:
“The worse thing about the shadow was that it didn’t move while being seen by someone at all until the last few minutes of the episode. Every time Natsume wasn’t around the damn thing I expected it to just come out of nowhere and attack him. It was edge-of-the-seat creepy; a silent, deadly force that at the time Natsume had no defence against.”
I feel like I’ve seen this somewhere before but I can’t quite put my finger on it.
Natsume’s friends are officially useless. Except for porn and food, apparently. I don’t feel that they’re underdeveloped as they didn’t really have a place in the main/episodic stories at all. I do hope they do something, as they’re quickly getting tiresome as even side characters.
I loved the entire summoning scene, as things like this in anime (something traditional and mystic) always excite me. PLUS THERE WAS BLOOD Sorry, blissmo mode for a second there. We finally see the Book of Friends used in a more practical manner than just returning names; the amount of power Natsume has with the Book hasn’t really been highlighted in the show yet, so hopefully we’ll see a point wherehe actually captures a Youkai with the thing. You know, using it for the purpose it was created for. WE MUST SEE THE RETURN OF A BANCHOU THE LIKES OF REIKO. The return of Misuzu, the best looking looking Youkai so far is great to see; he just exudes power and wisdom and I feel there’s no doubt we’ll be seeing more of him in the second season.
Hinoe’s amazing simply as she introduced the possiblity of yuri in this series, which is quite an incredible feat in my opinion. Natsume really does have a capable group of friends for almost every supernatural situation; his personaliy and (in this case) his FABULOUS looks gain him yet another, this time man-hating, friend.
It’s nice to see the whole night dispelling darkness plot device used in a more symbolic way. I can’t really describe it better than Maipeisu has: “It was a very accurate representation and manifestation of his character — a gentle, delicate, pure creature whose true strength lay far beyond the physical and visible.”
Natsume Yuujinchou has a knack for capturing heartfelt emotional moments in the most amazing ways; the seemingly comedic character of Hinoe i shown to have a deep attachment to Reiko, and the time she’s missed in her friend’s life (and passing) greatly saddens her. It also highjlights the age of Youkai; to them, years passing may seem like moments and were they to get attached to anyone from the mortal world, they would be seperated all too soon for the ageless Youkai.
Next Time:
Meetings. Returns. What feelings lie in the midst of autumn?
Guess who just got poetic ^_^.
Grand Punk Railroad 
I loved this episode. The ending, when he’s happy about getting scolded, made me feel even more warm and fuzzy than usual.
Have you seen Dennou Coil? That’s what immediately popped to mind when the shadows showed up. Not just because they look similar but also because of the urban legend/ghost story Natsume mentions.
i think it’s a great episode. it’s a totally complete episode for it. it made me facepalm, laugh, squee, be absolutely horrified and all fuzzed up in one episode.
the thing that creeped me about that shadow was combining it with the mary-san story. when it finally moved, i would probably would have screamed if i wasn’t the type who would freeze up scared shitless.
Very nice episode. Hinoe was pretty cool. Little Madara was adorable. Natsume getting scolded by Touko-san was funny and sweet at the same time.