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If you’ve seen Natsume Yuujinchou then you should have a good idea what to expect from Zoku Natsume Yuujinchou since the changes are subtle at best. There was always a danger with this show that its concepts would grow stale, since it rarely deviates from its established formula, but that formula is so susceptible to touching storytelling that it continues to work. But the thing that really impresses me about Natsume Yuujinchou is that, alongside all the sentimental stories, they manage to find the time to be incredibly thorough in analyzing and developing Natsume?s character? in fact, these two things are intimately intertwined and each adds depth to the other.

Aesthetically, nothing has changed, and that?s a good thing. The soft, even animation complements a subdued, yet sentimental tone and the soundtrack is every bit as excellent as the first season?s. The OP and ED themes are both great, particularly ?Ano no Time Machine? by LONG SHOT PARTY, which has become a favourite of mine, partly because of the symbolic pattern in its sequence. The seiyuu cast is simply immaculate. There are a lot of big-name seiyuu in this cast, and almost all of them, from the likes of Itou Miki as Natsume?s guardian to Satou Rina as a classmate tormented by a yokai?s curse, turn in inspired performances.

At a superficial level, the only major difference between this and the previous season is that this series features a couple of two-episode arcs, where the original was entirely episodic. More subtly, this season has a slightly more upbeat mood than the previous season; where the first season featured a lot of stories about farewells and regrets, many episodes in this season end with a reminder that Natsume has friends now, both of the human and yokai variety, and that his life is richer because of it. Loneliness is still the dominant theme of the story, to the point where I occasionally wished they had something else to explore (only occasionally), but the number of different angles from which the characters? feeling of loneliness, particularly Natsume?s, is dealt with and the way in which each of these are tied to the episodic plots (generally coming up as analogies to the events of the plot) is remarkable.

As is the case with most episode series, there are a few less than memorable episodes, such as one about a baby dragon which was sweet but ultimately pointless, but these are rare. Several episodes add quite a bit, not just to Natsume?s character development (even if that is the series? primary focus), but also to the troubled relationship between humans and yokai in general, showing in a latter episode an institutionalized heartlessness among people who work with and/or exorcise yokai. We also get little tidbits of Reiko?s past, but there are still a lot of unanswered questions about her backstory. About halfway through, a new recurring character, Taki Tooru, is introduced who turns out to be utterly charming and really makes the most of her (unfortunately) limited screentime.

I?m still of the opinion that the first season is better, but there?s very little this series does wrong, carrying over all the things that made Natsume Yuujinchou a sweet and heart-warming series. Over the course of the series, Natsume is shown to be a very sensitive character, and his friendship with Madara continues to strengthen. This is a series that?s full of heart; it?s compassionate, emotional, but still ultimately upbeat? much like its lead character..

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