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    Natsume's Book of Friends


    Thu, 01/21/2010 - 22:47 — Anna
    Rating:
    4
    Image of Natsume's Book of Friends, Vol. 1
    Author / Artist: 
    Yuki Midorikawa
    Publisher: 
    Viz Media
    Volumes: 
    10 (ongoing)

    With friends like these, enemies are overkill. Takashi Natsume can see the spirits and demons that hide from the rest of humanity. He has always been set apart from other people because of his gift, drifting from relative to relative, never fitting in. Now he is a troubled high school student who has come to live in the small town where his grandmother grew up. And there he discovers that he has inherited more than just the Sight from the mysterious Reiko. Takashi Natsume can see the spirits and demons that hide from the rest of humanity. He has always been set apart from other people because of his gift, drifting from relative to relative, never fitting in. Now he is a troubled high school student who has come to live in the small town where his grandmother grew up. And there he discovers that he has inherited more than just the Sight from the mysterious Reiko.

    Natsume’s Book of Friends, Vol. 1

    Sat, 01/23/2010 - 20:33 — Anonymous
    Natsume's Book of Friends
    Reviewer's Rating: 
    4
    Pull Quote: 
    On the surface, Natsume’s Book of Friends may appear to be simply an episodic series of stories about yokai, but it works on several additional levels as well. Because of his experiences in the past, Natsume has been regarded as strange and never made any close friendships. And yet, we see through the course of this first volume that he’s partly to blame for this. He gets so wrapped up in his supernatural endeavors that he fails to see the friendly overtures some of his classmates are making towards him
    Review Link: 
    http://www.popcultureshock.com/manga/index.php/reviews/on-the-shojo-beat/natsume...
    Buy at Amazon: 
    Natsume's Book of Friends, Vol. 1

    Natsume's Book Of Friends Volume 1

    Sat, 01/23/2010 - 20:34 — Anonymous
    Natsume's Book of Friends
    Reviewer's Rating: 
    0
    Pull Quote: 
    The manga itself is a very refreshing change for the Shojo Beat line from Viz, as it's not focused on a typical girl meets boy romance. In fact, the author has said in the side notes that she wrote this title to be able to write a ghost story, not a romance story. This allows us to focus on the yokai themselves and their struggles. Natsume's grandmother, Reiko, has trapped them to a certain extent, and you feel bad for them even as you worry, as many of them are attempting to kill Natsume.
    Review Link: 
    http://suitablefortreatment.blogspot.com/2010/01/natsumes-book-of-friends-volume...

    Danielle Leigh's Reading Diary -- Natsume's Book of Friends vol 1

    Sat, 01/23/2010 - 20:35 — Anonymous
    Natsume's Book of Friends
    Reviewer's Rating: 
    0
    Pull Quote: 
    Yuki Midorikawa instantly becomes one of my favorite new comic book creators with her charming and sensitive portrayal of a young man who bridges two very different worlds -- the human and the supernatural -- in Natsume's Book of Friends.
    Review Link: 
    http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2010/01/11/danielle-leighs-reading-diar...

    Natsume’s Book of Friends, Vol. 1

    Sat, 01/23/2010 - 20:36 — Anonymous
    Natsume's Book of Friends
    Reviewer's Rating: 
    0
    Pull Quote: 
    This story is a pleasant surprise on all counts–art, characterization, storytelling–providing something much more charming than I would have gathered simply from its PR material. It possesses a sort of xxxHolic meets Mushishi vibe I’d hoped for (but never found) in Tokyopop’s Tactics, which is not to suggest that it lacks its own unique charms. This volume is charming from start to finish, thanks to Takashi (whose good heart shines even as he faces rejection from family and peers) and the spirits he meets along the way, ranging from downright adorable to genuinely frightening.
    Review Link: 
    http://mangabookshelf.com/2009/12/20/natsumes-book-of-friends-volume-1/

    From the stack: Natsume’s Book of Friends vol. 1

    Sat, 01/23/2010 - 20:37 — Anonymous
    Natsume's Book of Friends
    Reviewer's Rating: 
    0
    Pull Quote: 
    Does the world really need another manga about the husbandry of yôkai, those mischievous, minor demons that populate Japanese folklore? Is there room for more adolescents who can see these creatures and seem fated to interact with them? Sure we do, and sure there is, if the stories are good and the adolescents are interesting and sympathetic. Both are true of Natsume’s Book of Friends (Viz), written and illustrated by Yuki Midorikawa.
    Review Link: 
    http://precur.wordpress.com/2009/12/17/from-the-stack-natsumes-book-of-friends-v...

    Natsume's Book of Friends Volume 1 (Yuki Midorikawa)

    Fri, 04/09/2010 - 21:13 — Anonymous
    Natsume's Book of Friends
    Reviewer's Rating: 
    5
    Pull Quote: 
    Takashi Natsumi, the protagonist of the story, is not comfortable around people. Since he was a small boy, he has been able to see spirits and yokai, but because his parents died when he was very young, no one understood him or his ability. So he's never made any strong bonds with family or made any real friends. When he comes to live with the Fujiwaras, he continues that distance.
    Review Link: 
    http://www.comicsvillage.com/review.aspx?reviewID=828

    Natsume’s Book of Friends

    Fri, 04/09/2010 - 21:15 — Anna
    Natsume's Book of Friends
    Reviewer's Rating: 
    4
    Pull Quote: 
    I always tend to like manga about yokai or spirit hunters, especially when they incorporate interesting storylines and unexpected character designs. Natsume’s Book of Friends seems like a great addition to the yokai genre of manga.
    Review Link: 
    http://www.tangognat.com/2010/02/08/natsumes-book-of-friends/