Natsume's Book of Friends, Vol. 1 (1)

I love Japanese folklore and this series has lots of stories about various Japanese spirits (Ayakashi). I was kind of surprised that the chapters are all stand alone-ish. I think the series has over 10 books so I wonder if that changes.

NOT NECESSARILY A SPOILER BUT JUST IN CASE A WARNING:I’ve never once given a review but I felt I must for this series. I’m so touched by all of the stories of the yokai and of Natsume’s kind nature. I can find myself relating to his thoughts and feelings about not wanting to deal with things that can trouble you in daily life but starting to get along with it. I think this is a wonderful series to read and start with if you are just getting into manga as well.

I watched the anime and wanted to get the manga. So I bought it here and was so happy to read it.

A wonderful read for a lazy summer. I really liked the are style and story in this first volume, I’m excited to explore the next one!

Usually I prefer a book to a movie, but in this case I feel the anime is superior. The voice actor in the anime added a lot to Natsume's character in my opinion. It's a good manga but it just felt a bit flat to me since I had seen the anime first.

I love this story. I couldn't help but get emotionally invested in Natsume Takashi and his guardian of sorts, Madara/Nyanko-sensei. Natsume is a lonely, orphaned teen with delicate health who inherited the ability to see and interact with yokai from his grandmother, Natsume Reiko. Because of this he's been shuffled from home to home and ostracized by his peers for being weird. He has also inherited a book with the names of various yokai. His ability and the book have yokai constantly drawn to him causing him both trouble and joy. I would recommend this for someone who enjoys the supernatural genre.

I bought the manga after watching a few seasons of the anime (which I high recommend). It is pretty close to the same but there seems to be more content in the anime (at least per episode). The feeling is very much the same and so are the story elements. Natsume is a very kind person in spite of his troubled childhood and I think this story captures that natural empathy we have as people (and yokai).

I think if you enjoy anime like Hunter x Hunter, where the focus is more on friendship than anything else, with subplots of conflict and combat, this is a good manga for you! There is less physical combat and more spiritual/emotional in Natsume, but you get progressively more invested in Natsume and the nyanko cat as the story continues. I've read books 1-3 and each has been better than the last. It's not really romantic at all but you get sucked into character's lives in a similar way. The art is also beautiful, and there are frequently "cute" frames of Natsume...which shows the reader a different side of him.