Natsume's book of friends ramble

this is just me saying my opinion, i do not know and am in no way connected to the production of the show so yeah... my speculation.

I saw a post on tumbl asking if there would ever be a season 5
he rplieswere mostly "they are making an OVA" but one person replies with "well when 4 was released they said that that was the season finale"

um.... yeah... cause when seasons end.... they are called season finale.... SERIES finale would be the saying no more.

my opinion on the season 5 issue is that it's probably going to happen... it may just take a while.

Japanese anime, unlike north american series, tend to take extended breaks between seasons.
this can be done to either let the source material catch up or because the animtion how has something that they need to do first before going back.

some examples.
The menlancholy of haruhi suzuimya had a 3 year gap between it's two seasons yet the movie was released pretty shortly after that (i wanna say less then a year but i don't know for sure. )

Clannad and clannad ~after story~ had 1 year gap, little busters also took a break.

Kuroko's basketball second season wont start till october when the first season was done almost a year and a half ago.

and most importantly to this discussion.

Nastume yuujinchou.
jul-sep 2008
Zoku natsume yuujinchou
Jan - march 2009

so a season gap between the two stories.... makes sense, gives the animations sometime to work on the generally more popular heavy fall season.

Natsume yuujinchou san
July-sep 2011

almost a 3 years gap...

Natsume yuujinchou shi
jan-march 2012

again taking off a season.

what i'm trying to say is around season 2 they probably felt that they didn't have enough stories to do snother 13-26 episode run (because the artist only writes one chapter per month for lala).... so instead of going ahead cause the show isn't hugely popular they just let the manga get ahead.

i will not be surprised if in another few years we get a season 5... and if we don't... if 4 is really the end then that makes me sad cause the latest stuff to happen in the manga is really incredible and i think would make for an interesting show. the way the character dynamic has shifted is unlike anything i have ever witnessed.
that being said until the manga is finished or had enough to get the 26 episodes over the two seasons it may take a bit of waiting. (well waiting to be animated since the manga has been keeping up pretty well)
but for now i look forward to dreaming about Shiki natsume being animated, amoung other chapters.