Nastume Yuujinchou / 夏目友人帳

NEWS

2005~ manga Natsume Yuujinchou started serialization in LaLa/LaLa DX by Yuki Midorikawaand is ongoing in its 6th volume.
2008.07 anime Nastume Yuujinchou started airing.

STORY

Because of her inherent ability of seeing spirits(more strictly yookai), Natsume Reiko was alienated by people around her. Perhaps driven by this loneliness, Reiko challenged yookais to duels, defeated them and have them written down their own names as the proof of binding to her will.

The bundle of these contracts, the "Account Book of Friends", is then passed to her grandson Natsume Takashi, who alone inherits her yookai-seeing ability and is also alienated by surrounding people. Takashi regards this book greatly since it once belonged to the only person who has the same bloodline as himself, and decides to return these deprived names to those yookais.

Towards Natsume and the Fortune Cat who accidentally becomes his bodyguard, various yookayis with different intentions are coming...

CHARACTERS

Nastume Takashi (CV: Hiroshi Kamiya / 神谷浩史)
The grandson of Reiko; in possession of rare spiritual power. Parents died shortly after he was born; disliked by relatives because of his spirit-seeing ability. Resembles Reiko a lot in appearance, often mistaken for Reiko and pursued by yookais.

Fortune Cat/ Madara (CV: Kazuhiko Inoue / 井上和彦 )
A yookai named Madara with elegant appearance, been sealed into a Fortune Cat for so long that deeply accustomed to be it. With the contract that he gets the Account Book of Friends after Natsume died, he becomes Natsume's bodyguard and lives with him as a family cat.

Nastume Reiko (CV: Sanae Kobayashi / 小林沙苗)
Takashi's grandmother, died very young. Considered stunningly beautiful by both human and yookai, but disliked by human for her spiritual power. The creator and former owner of the Account Book of Friends.

STAFF

Original: Yuki Midorikawa
Director: Takahiro Oomori / 大森貴弘
Music: Makoto Yoshimori / 吉森信
Studio: Brain's Base

LINKS

Official Website: http://www.natsume-anime.jp/


ANIME AYA

Just like the beginning of summer with a warm sun and cool breeze, the story somehow falls between the so-called "healing" type and the "monster-fighting" type, representing a ordinary daily life with magic right around the corner. With each episode centering on certain yookai/yookais, Nastume's adventure goes on and a small piece of the jigsaw named Reiko is revealed.

The character design is all for beauty and youth, since was originally published on LaLa(a famous magazine known for shoujo manga which targets young girls for primary readers). Natsume is a good-looking boy, Reiko appears to be a beautiful girl even though she is Takashi's grandmother,while Madara is modeled by a combination of funny cutey and mighty power. And the various yookai roles are designed following Japanese traditional mysteries with some modification either adorable or elegant. But of course Aya's favorite character is the Fortune Cat. Actually in Japan, they are selling the exact Madara fortune cats :)

The animation studio Brain's Base also has produced and . On the work list of the director Takahiro Oomori lays and . As for the music director Makoto Yoshimori, he was also in . So it's basically the same staff team for and that is surely a good promise in quality.