Anime Column] Tokimeki☆Time Trip No.15 "Natsume's Book of Friends": A Look at Popular Characters!　Recommended Episodes

I still love it when I look at it now!"
Why were they so popular with the ladies?"
There is a reason for everything interesting!　Female anime writers take a look back at some nostalgic works that have become hits with female anime fans.

This time, we take a look at the "Natsume's Book of Friends" (2008) series, currently in its sixth season.

The original work, serialized in the monthly girls' manga magazine "LaLa" (Hakusensha), depicts very sensitive emotions. The anime series also carefully crafts each episode, respecting the originality of the original story.

The series attracts both men and women alike, and if you had to choose an episode with a character closely related to Natsume, what would it be?　Let's take a look back at the series so far.

The theme of the series is communication between humans and yokai, between different species and the same species.

Natsume's Book of Friends" is a heartwarming story of interspecies communication between humans and yokai, centering on high school student Takashi Natsume and his yokai friend, Nyanko-sensei.

Since the first season aired, the popularity of the series has been boosted by its "sad" and "tear-jerking" nature, leading to the subsequent series.

Natsume inherited the ability to see yokai from her grandmother "Natsume Reiko. She was regarded as weird by those around her, and after the early death of her parents, she was shuffled around among relatives, which caused her a lot of hardship.

It was during this time that Natsume broke a certain boundary and freed a senior yokai called "Mamara," or Nyanko-sensei. Nyanko-sensei is a self-proclaimed "bouncer" in the form of a beckoning cat, hence the name "Nyanko-sensei. Through meeting Nyanko-sensei, Natsume learns about her grandmother, Reiko Natsume, and the origin of her grandmother's "friend's book.

Reiko, who like Natsume could see ghosts, was a lonely, misanthropic and violent person. The "Friend's Book," which contains the names of the yokai she has defeated in a fight, is used to control the yokai whose names are written in the book, and to hold their lives in her hands.

Natsume, who understands the situation, decides to return the names to the yokai whose names are written in the book of friends. She knew that she was the only one who could do so, having inherited Reiko's blood.

Natsume's healing and growth begins with her encounter with Dr. Nyanko

Whether you are dealing with a person or a yokai, involvement always involves "courage" and "fear. The root of such feelings, "loneliness" and "longing for others," is the same for both people and yokai. The "feelings" that are felt by those with whom we come into contact and the "joy" we feel when we are able to communicate with them are also the same for both humans and yokai.

In this work, the soft and warm feelings that are common in everyday life, but which many people have to shut away in the process of growing up, are affirmed and freshly depicted. Viewers are emotionally moved and gripped by these feelings.

Over the 70-plus episodes of the sixth season, Natsume has gradually changed. Through her interactions with the yokai, she has gradually broken down the walls of her heart toward people, and the number of people she cares about has increased. Having found someone to care for, she also develops a strong desire to do what she can for the yokai.

Because the setting is modern Japan (a provincial, old-fashioned Japan where smartphones and computers do not make much of an appearance) and the basic setting is simple, no matter when or where you start watching, you will laugh, cry, and enjoy the show. There is almost no chance of losing track of the story just because you haven't seen it for a while. No matter how many times you watch it, you will never get tired of savoring each episode. The more episodes you watch and the more you dig into the story, the more you love the characters. That is the secret of its long-lasting popularity.

Of course, Natsume's sidekick, the fussily cute Nyanko-sensei, is a very popular character. Even if you have never seen "Natsume's Book of Friends," you have probably seen Nyanko-sensei's goods somewhere.

Usually, he is a beckoning cat, and is often called a "pig cat" or a "big fortune cat," but the gap between his "fluffy" body and his "soft" beckoning cat form, as well as his elastic and mysterious movements unique to anime, are irresistible and lovable.

Tanuma, a friend from the same grade whom Natsume can trust

Now, a favorite of female fans is "relationship drama.

Let us introduce three popular regular characters closely related to Natsume and their can't-miss episodes. You can enjoy watching "Natsume's Book of Friends" from any episode, but only the episodes in which they appear are more enjoyable if you watch them in order.

First is Kaname Tanuma, a friend from the same grade. He is a human being who first appeared in this work in the third episode of the first season, "The Monster of Yatsubara," and with whom we can share our feelings about yokai.

One theme of the first and early second seasons was how Natsume, who is closed to people and rather often communicates with yokai, encounters and changes with "humans who can see and feel yokai.

Tanuma is the son of a temple and has a psychic sense, and when he is hit by a yokai, he gets sick, but he cannot actually see or deal with it. Even so, he is a valuable person who understands the world as Natsume perceives it.

As they say, like attracts like, and Natsume and Tanuma are of a similar temperament. They are taciturn and somewhat reserved. There are many scenes in which Tanuma wants to help Natsume, and in turn feels frustrated at his own lack of strength. That being said, the scenes in which both parties show courage for the other's sake are heartwarming.

When Natsume is with Tanuma, the atmosphere becomes softer because you can feel that Natsume is being saved. Just watching Natsume and Tanuma walking side by side or talking with each other is enough to make you feel warm and fuzzy inside.

Recommended episodes
The third episode of the first season "The Monster of Yatsubara
The fifth episode of the third season: "What Lurks in the Storehouse
The 4th season episode 6 "Beyond the Glass
The 4th season Episode 7 "Between Human and Demon
The 4th season Episode 11 "A Picture" (The 11th episode of the 4th season)
The 5th season Episode 7 "Distant Festival Fire" (Japanese only)
The 6th season Episode 1 "Tsukihigui

Natori, an elder friend who is like a tender older brother

The next "visible person" to appear before Natsume is Shuichi Natori, who runs an "exorcism business". He first appeared in episode 9 of the first season, "Ayakashi Exorcism.

When it comes to good-looking men, Natori is the best in the series. After all, his public face is that of a popular actor who attracts attention with his sparkling appearance!　The anime is a little less dramatic than the original, perhaps because too much of it would make it a gag anime, but the performances of the cast (voiced by Akira Ishida) do add a certain amount of silliness to the story.

Even though they are both human beings who can see yokai, Natori hates yokai and is incompatible with Natsume, who also shows affection for yokai, and this initially caused Natsume new worries.

Natori, who was born into a prominent family and hates yokai, and Natsume, who has no relatives and shows affection for yokai. Although their ideas are incompatible, both Natsume and Natori have been plagued by yokai since they were small children and have been yellowed by others. Perhaps that is why the two seem to be somewhat like brothers.

Natori thinks Natsume is sweet, but admits that this is Natsume's good quality. By working with Natori, Natsume learns how people with abilities other than her own behave toward other yokai and her place in the exorcism industry. The distance between the two, which is based on the recognition of each other's differences, gradually grows closer, and the two become a source of strength for each other.

The relationship between the two will take a major turn in Part 6, which is currently airing. The secret of the book of friends that he has been hiding from Natori is finally discovered by him. ...... Episodes 4 and 5, in which Natori's mentor Takuma appears, and episodes 10 and 11, in which Natori comes into contact with the secret of the book of friends, are major highlights.

■Recommended Episodes
1st season episode 9 "Ayakashi Exorcism
4th season Episode 9 "Tsukihun Matsuri
The 4th season Episode 10 "Enshrined God
The 5th season Episode 8 "World without Distortion
The 6th period Episode 4 "Different Eyes" (The 6th period)
The 6th period Episode 5 "Bindings" (The 5th episode of the 6th period)
The 6th season Episode 10 "Closed Room" (The 10th episode of the 6th season)
The 6th season Episode 11 "The Important Thing"

Matoba, a dangerous peculiar character from the third season

Another key person who must not be forgotten is Matoba Seiji, who appeared in the sixth episode of the third season.

He is the young head of the Matoba clan, a family of yokai exorcists, and is one year younger than Natori. He is interested in Natsume, who has strong yokai powers.

This person is very mysterious!　I never thought I would hear the words "catch her" or "throw her in jail" in this soothing "Natsume's Book of Friends. In addition, the acting of the cast makes each line seem so elusive and meaningful (voiced by Junichi Suwabe) that it is almost dangerous.

When Matoba appears on the stage, the story takes a serious turn, bringing a sense of tension to the narrative. There is a lot of flashy action, so if you like a tense story, I recommend the episodes in which he appears.

Thanks to his appearance, Natori has completely settled into a position of understanding Natsume. In episode 8 of the 5th season, "Distortionless World," a past story about Natori and Matoba when they were high school students appeared, and their backgrounds were also revealed. This makes the episodes in which they appear twice as delicious.

It will be interesting to see how Matoba will get involved with Natsume in the future.

■Recommended Episodes
The 3rd season episode 6 "The Inhuman" (Japanese only)
The 3rd season episode 7 "The Exorcist
The 4th season episode 1 "Trapped Natsume
The 4th season Episode 2 "The Eastern Forest
The 5th season Episode 3 "Letter from the Auror
The 5th period Episode 4 "The Shadow of the Chain" (Japanese only)
The 5th season Episode 8 "A World Without Distortion

The drama of Natsume's growth and involvement once again

Now that we have reached the sixth season, looking at it again, Natsume's reactions to her surroundings during the first season were quite stubborn and reserved. No matter what she does, she is always unsure or uneasy in her mind.

In comparison, Natsume in the 6th period laughs and talks a lot. The quality of her worries has also changed, and instead of suppressing herself by shying away from those around her, she now actively thinks about what she should do and what she will choose to do in order to do what she wants to do.

Watching him throughout the series, I feel a deep sense of "Good for you, Natsume. This difference is especially emphasized in episodes such as the first episode of Part 6, "Tsukihigui," in which the old Natsume, who was a small girl, makes an appearance.

Now that the series has come this far, it is a good idea to take another look at the first part. It would also be fun to look back at the episodes with a particular theme in mind, such as a favorite character or the mood of the story.

(Text by YAMAYU)
(c) Yuki Midorikawa, Hakusensha/"Natsume's Book of Friends" Production Committee