Is that Nyanko-Sensei?!

Minnie: My plans on taking over the front page are coming to fruitation! One more to go and I’m there. I hope. Right now, I am sitting on my bed, under two blankets. Over here in California, it is getting colder and colder by the minute. I hate to live in Canada right now (Apologies Katt and Richie). Secretly, during the anime break week, I’ve been watching Natsume Yuujinchou in order to blog for the sequel this winter. I am glad I did because it is one of my favorite animes of 2008. The first episode of 2009 is here and guess what? Natsume is enduring the cold winter days too! I love you. But what is this? A black cat?

The members of our team who might be blogging this anime will be Ric, Taan, and I. For the first episode, as a fan of the series, I can’t help but blog it before the other two. And of course, it has nothing to do with conquering the front page. There will be a lot of changes in blogging style for many of our members so look forward to them.

“Who’s that black cat?!” -Madara

My Lovely Quote
For Natsume, I decide to go with a sillier quote that will probably grab your attention, even if you don’t know how important cats are in this anime. When Madara screams out that line, I was literally cracking up because he’s showing signs of jealousy like an old pet to a new one. But the real reason is because it really does summarize the whole episode fairly well. Season 2 of Natsume is similar to Season 1 in which every episode brings in a new Youkai for Natsume to deal with. In this case, it is a black cat that looks almost exactly like our beloved Nyanko-sensei. There is more to him than meets the eye however.

As for the screen shots up there, I must say… the amazing Natsume punch is back! More than that, it appears twice in one episode. I am so gleeful at this. But even more surprising is when Nyanko-sensei decides to headbutt Natsume in the later part of the episode. Oh~ I love those two and their overly abusive relationship!

“Nothing good comes from getting involved with those damned humans though.” -Random Youkai

My Quick Summary
Natsume accidentally frees the black cat by tripping over a rope, in the same similar fashion as the first episode of season one, due to him being chased by a Youkai, also similar to the one in the first episode of season one. Because of Nyanko-sensei refusing to help him from being eaten, Natsume punches him on the head. They have another fight and go their separate ways. That evening, Natsume comes home and finds Nyanko-sensei missing. In his room, he lets a black cat in and tries to wash the black paint off. It’s no use however since the real Nyanko-sensei comes home. Worst, his impersonator runs off with the Book of Friends!

“You really are similar to Reiko, with those brazen eyes of yours.”
“You’re different than Reiko.” -Benio

Pursuing the black cat, the duo runs into a crowd of Youkai’s who are off to celebrate in the middle of the forest. Here, they meet a Youkai who recognizes Madara. Her name is Benio. She helps them get inside since they will surely eat Natsume if they find out he’s human. During the celebration, a lead Youkai announces to burn this human’s house for their lord. In actuality, their lord is the black cat that has taken the Book of Friends earlier. Realizing this, Natsume wants to break the seal on the lord by giving him back his name. Unfortunately, Benio doesn’t know his name. This is when Natsume is found out and attacked.

While Natsume is struggling for his life, he hears someone calls out the lord’s real name. Like always, his awesome bodyguard Nyanko-sensei saves him so he is able to return the lord’s name. The Lord is freed and transforms into his actual body. He is beautiful! The Lord has manners since he thanks Natsume for his help. The reason why he ran off with the book is because he wants to bring Natsume here to stop the other Youkai’s from attacking the humans. It’s heartbreaking that he wants to save the same humans who have sealed him into a black cat. At the end of the episode, Natsume muses on farewells. 

“What’s been troubling me lately are these small farewells that make me feel a bit lonely. Brief meetings and farewells. I want to treasure each and every moment.” -Natsume 

My Minnie Ramblings
This Natsume episode is as satisfying as all thirteen in the last season. For a lot of animes I know, the second season feels different than the first, but in this case, Natsume hasn’t changed one bit. The music, the format, the drawings, and the characters are all beautifully and masterfully executed. Hell, mature Natsume is more than enough to make me go kawaii. I can’t wait for the other characters to come back, especially a cute fox. The humor in Natsume is also the same as ever. Heck, if I didn’t know any better, it feels like episode 14 of Natsume Yuujichou!

This episode is a worthy Natsume episode. A classic of classics. I did not expect anything less from this lovely anime. I want to know though. Will we get more answers to Reiko? Will we ever see Natsume finish returning all the names? And most importantly of all, will Natsume tell his foster parents at last about his special abilities? Even though I love Natsume and its consistent plot, I want to be able to see if there will be a plot for a Youkai long enough for two episodes instead of one. It will definitely help the anticipation rating at least. Lastly, the ratings you see below will most likely be the same ratings for the rest of the season. Natsume is the master at quality episodes, just… not very good at making you yearn for the next episode. Oh well! Consistency over hooking cliffies any day!

Minnie’s Overall Rating for Episode: 9/10

Minnie’s Anticipation for Next Episode: 6/10

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