And the first series this season also is very likely going to be its best. I mean, it’s Natsume Yuujinchou. The other shows this season are going to have to be really good if they want to be able to match it, but based on just first impressions, there doesn’t seem to be any other series that can get close to it anytime soon. I do emphasis “seem” here, because things haven’t aired yet and I do stress that this is just a prediction, but I will be really surprised if I turn out to be wrong here. I wouldn’t mind this at all, though. Does that make this season bad? Nah, but more on that later. I first want to rave all over how good these two episodes were.
But seriously: this fourth season wasted no time at all. This episode already was amazing. This one was one of my favorite arcs of Natsume Yuujinchou so far. This episode immediately took the third season, and went even further with it. Matome became an even better villain in this episode due to how he immediately researched Natsume, and checked up on his background, and tried to use this against him. I mean he probably too knows how it must be to be looked at weirdly. He just grew up being expected to head the Matoba house, and was surrounded by like-minded people. Natsume meanwhile had to do everything for himself.
Matoba really is a great villain. The research this guy does makes excellent use of this series’ arc-based nature, and how the arcs are relatively small. He is a villain who experiments. He’s constantly looking for things he can use, and if things don’t work out, then ah well; he learned something new, he can move on to the next, and he actually has a lot of different ways of accomplishing whatever the hell he needs to accomplish. This guy is very, very flexible for a villain. That’s not something we see often, considering how often villains need to be thwarted by a bunch of teenagers.
Overall though, I really am serious here: these were the best two opening episodes of all of the Natsume series so far. The other three needed to take their time to really get going. This one immediately is awesome. Now talk about promise here!
Rating: *** (Awesome)
So….I guess that I have to watch it from the start?
I feel envious, you have all the joys of Natsume to enjoy ahead of you.
I know. i second Kero reply. I love this series. I think I watched all three seasons twice already. . .and watch my fav episodes more than that. =)The Fourth season is eally starting out good. I am waiting for episode three I think it is going to be like that episode with the egg. . .Awwwwww can’t wait.
Matoba’s also a great villain cause he’s not evil. He has a very us vs them mentality towards Youkai. Despite that he seems like he has a genuine interest in the welfare of humans as an exorcist, but simply regards Youkai as tools or a pest.
His whole character’s great because he feels very real and stands more as the counter point to Natsume’s gentle approach to Youkai. And fighting nicely between Natsume and the Matobas we have that actor Natori as a moderate . . . Well at least Matoba makes him look like a moderate.
@RollingCamel – I stumbled on Natsume Yuujinchou while hunting for some action anime (Hell should I know how I wound up there). But it’s easily one of my favorite series. There’s something genuinely enjoyable and pleasant about the show. It’s very soothing and yet truly engaging.
Don’t look at it as “Crap I got to start from the beginning.” Be excited you get to watch such an awesome series from the start for the first time.
Oh gosh, I’m so glad I saved this anime to watch as the last of the day.
The episode had me all teary eyed at the end, yet again.
I crazily love the characters in this show.. I’m so happy we have a fourth season, and already feeling sad that it will have to end??
Misuzu is such a cool character design by the way. He’s just so awesome looking and huge.
As for Matobe, as synkronized says, he’s the best kind of villain as he doesn’t believe he’s doing bad things, he genuinely views youkai’s as being something to use or to destroy. It’s a very cold point of view, and I think parallels can be drawn to a certain character in Mahou Shoujou Madoka Magica. I was going to say the name, but I think it’s best not to, as it might be a spoiler.
A little heavy on the cheese at the very end, but a great arc.
I have to say that the animation of the procession was a disappointment. That was much more magical in the manga and I think they could have made a little effort than little discrete figures in the sky.
So it seems established (by events in this episode) that this season’s big arc is going to be about Natsume coming out to his foster parents? I really really hope so. It’s the place to go –
I think they are gonna focus even more on Takeshi for this season…
But this time, rather than his relationships with Youkais & humans, it’s probably gonna focus on his past and coming to terms with it to embrace his future…
That’s my guess… 😛
I have to go check this series out… thanks for the heads up… it reminds me of nura
I just recently rewatched the egg episode! That was so precious!
I’ve been wanting to rewatch the epi when Taki talks about her grandfather’s relationship with youkai.
I wasn’t sure if it appeared in the first arc where she is introduced, or is it later?
There’s another episode that I love, with the tree yokai.. but I remember it being really sad, so I half don’t want to because it’ll make me want to hug Natsume, and it looks pretty silly to hug a laptop screen.
Madara keeps proving over and over again how awesome a character he is, and they perfectly timed his entry during Matoba’s questioning how Natsume feels about youkai (and how he feels they are nothing more than beings to be used, as otherwise they can only harm humans).
What I loved about the way he tried to get Natsume to move away from Madara, is how the very scene itself proved Matoba wrong, and yet he didn’t even realize it since it involved information that he didn’t have immediate access to.
And the best part about that is how it was set up in the previous episode, when Madara left specifically to go search for Natsume’s bag. Then, for him to come to Natsume’s rescue after finding it was just awesome. Madara is the best tsundere character ever `3`
I second that!
Madara FTW! The best tsundere character ever!