Forum - View topicNatsume's Book of Friends (TV + movies + OAV).
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Harleyquin
Posts: 2969 |
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#7
One of Natsume Reiko's encounters related to the grandson by the youkai who was helped by her. Typical behaviour by Reiko, but it also illustrates just how different the two of them have become since Takashi inherited the Book of Friends and freed Madara from his prison. Reiko being typically enigmatic, it's hard to tell if she envies Kibune for having a place to return to or she preferred the nomadic lifestyle she ended up living. What's certain is she keeps her distance and rejects the possibility of connections with others, regardless of humans or youkai. The final scene is typical of the series and is a nice touch to end the episode on. |
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Harleyquin
Posts: 2969 |
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#8
One of the cliched doomed romances one sees in other fictional works, although it's narrated with the typical style this series is famous for. I wonder if the pair are just a one-off guest appearance in their own arc or if they'll make subsequent appearances in the future. Only time (and plenty of paying fans for the adaptations) will tell. It's not mentioned explicitly in this episode, but it seems Sonokawa Kaoru is less adept at seeing youkai than Natsume Takashi is. People talk behind her back in school but she appears to lack the Natsume family trait of being orphaned and passed around distant relations for much of the childhood. Despite the two of them sharing the same ability, it remains to be seen if they'll continue to interact since their mutual acquaintance doesn't always hang around human habitation. Next week looks like an interesting arc with another Nyanko clone featured in the trailer. |
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Harleyquin
Posts: 2969 |
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#9
Halfway through this episode, I wondered if I was seeing something similar to #3 with something malevolent going after the unsuspecting students. As it turns out, the truth is somewhat more prosaic with the episode resolving the problem at hand in a satisfactory manner. The one thing that was left unexplained was the "flood" phenomenon that only Natsume could see and which was slowly creeping forward each time he looked at the hallway. It seems it stopped being a problem once the hairpin was located, but it's probably better explained if one reads the source material since this episode is deliberately vague on its significance. Nyanko-Sensei wild piglet version = Taki's biggest thrill from the mountain retreat. It looks like he didn't find the spring he was after, so he's being unusually cooperative to kill time and boredom. |
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Harleyquin
Posts: 2969 |
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#10
The series has been building up to this moment since Natsume Takashi helped Natori out the last time they met. Next week's conclusion to both this story arc and this season's adaptation will give a denouement on the big secret Takashi has been holding out on Natori on since the start of their relationship. It's been ages since the series paired up Hiiragi and Natsume together, so there's a bit of comedy when the pair of them agree on a course of action. Likewise Natori's perpetual flowery aura makes Natsume alone feel like his hairs are standing on end even though everyone else in the vicinity is completely enchanted by Natori's presence. Hakozaki Beniko is an interesting case. The granddaughter of a powerful exorcist who did not inherit the ability to see spirits has a very different take on her kin compared to Takuma Tsukiko. Even comparing Beniko to Takashi's friend Taki is an interesting contrast since they're both granddaughters yet one embraced the legacy of her grandfather while the other chose to reject it for fear of youkai reprisal. This series never gets old and will probably return for future adaptations. As before, the main storyline and Reiko's past is revealed at a glacial pace but that's not why viewers come back to this series again and again. |
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Harleyquin
Posts: 2969 |
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#11
For Natori and the others it is probably a shame that the study burned out, but Natsume was fortunate enough to get something for his trouble in finding one of the entrances. Scraps of paper they might be, but Natori walks away with those and knowledge of the great secret Natsume Takashi has been hiding all this time. It's clear if he was in Natsume's position he would have burned the book to stop it from being misused, but it's not his and it seems he respects Natsume's decision to hold on to it and to free spirits bound to it when asked. Another frustrating but tantalising hint regarding Natsume's bloodline. Hakozaki was a fun-loving spirit researcher who yearned for family yet compensated himself adequately by having daily fun with spirits, someone with Natsume Takashi's powers could only have been born through the union of two similarly talented individuals and somehow both of these individuals made a connection sometime in the past. The big question is whether it's Natsume Reiko's father, husband or son who's hinted at. Unlikely it's the son since Natsume Takashi was orphaned early, so probably Reiko's father or husband. Season 6 comes and goes, will season 7 need another 12-18 month wait before its airing? |
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Alan45
 Village Elder Posts: 10030 Location: Virginia |
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@Harleyquin
If Natsume burned the Book of Friends it would have destroyed all of the yokai still listed in its pages. If you go back to season one and the small god that faded away, the simple attempt to separate forcibly two pages caused him pain. |
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Harleyquin
Posts: 2969 |
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I know that, but Natori isn't fully aware of the consequences of destroying the book. Regardless he still said something as dangerous as that should have been burnt, but made sure the comment wasn't within earshot. |
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Harleyquin
Posts: 2969 |
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OVA #2
Playing hide-and-seek with youkai is not something humans can do without collapsing from exhaustion midway through the session. Sometimes Natsume just can't help but get himself into trouble. Fortunately for him he managed to get himself out of it with Choubihige's advice even if the rest of the party didn't do anything useful for him during the actual search. |
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Harleyquin
Posts: 2969 |
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OVA #1
What appears to be another unfortunate incident of meddling Natsume gets himself into at first glance turns out to be another classic story of this series about the promises made between humans and youkai and how difficult/impossible it is for such promises to be fulfilled. I suppose long-time fans would have seen the twist coming midway through the episode, but it doesn't lessen the emotional impact when the denouement hits. As always, the series always finds a way to resolve everything in the end in a satisfactory manner. Natsume is fated to be the bridge between two worlds which normally never intersect and gets to experience things at a scale few individuals in his world could comprehend or match. |
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Harleyquin
Posts: 2969 |
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OVA #2
This is probably the second and final OVA episode for this season. The formula may be tried and tested, but it never fails to entertain fans of all shades. At first glance it looks like Tamami is going to be one of Natsume Takashi's friends who are comfortable with him despite not knowing his secret. However the twist towards the end shows how much meaning is attached to the "Alice in Wonderland" motif that crops up at the start. The Forest of Shadows both of them ended up in looks like one of the rare examples in this franchise of an environment which is potentially dangerous to unwary humans. Viewers are not told the identity of the enormous one-eyed Youkai, but through luck or deliberate choice it decided not to do anything untoward to Tamami. Perhaps the Protector had something to do with it thanks to the ring. One remark to take away, "There are some laws which CANNOT be bent or broken in this world." |
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Harleyquin
Posts: 2969 |
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OVA #3 & #4
The seventh season is still in production, so I'm making do with categorising the latest two OVA episodes under season six. Looking at how far back it was since the last OVA aired, it's impressive the franchise still holds its own despite the increasingly irregular adaption output. Ishi Okoshi (Stone waker) is the typical Natsume one-off where he meets up with random Ayakashi who need help by sheer chance and then ends up tagging along to assist in the Ayakashi's quest. There are cameo appearances by Hinoe and Chobi, but otherwise this is classic Natsume doing most of the work on his own with Madara intervening to ensure he retains his claim over the Book by doing his day job. It's a classy decision by Madara not to fill in Natsume about the intruder he consumed nor to claim the prize when it was literally within his reach. The second episode is more intriguing as it is the first time Tanuma is formally introduced to Misuzu, one of the more powerful beings bound to the book and who has considerable autonomy of action. Turns out the latter had business with the resident in Tanuma's temple grounds, but as an Ayakashi he has no issues with Tanuma playing host to his occasional sparring partner. Both Natsume and Madara are correct to be concerned because of the side effects of possession; fortunately the other swamp master Sasame relinquishes his hold voluntarily and commits to the original arrangements of the contest. It's not the usual formula because of how uncommon it is for the human and Ayakashi worlds to interact through Tanuma rather than Natsume, but the entertainment is as solid as ever. If season seven does air this year, I count seven years from the last episode of season six which aired to the first episode of season seven. A nice coincidence, but it would raise expectations much higher because of the extended gap. Hopefully the new studio in charge Shuka keeps up the level of quality viewers have come to expect for this franchise's adaptations. |
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Harleyquin
Posts: 2969 |
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S7 #1
At last, season seven is now available. The recent OVAs a timely reminder of just how timeless the franchise is at delivering entertainment despite its formula of one-off stories featuring transitory Youkai with Natsume Takashi (and with Madara usually by his side). OVAs are no substitute for a full season, so looking forward to seeing what this adaptation's main arc will be. It's a good starter for the season as well (then again I've never seen a pilot episode that was boring or bad). The mini Sensei this week is really cute, mainly because the statue somehow managed to gain a colouring scheme like its namesake and with Natsume's influence it adapts his signature Youkai punch by turning itself into a ballistic projectile against hostile entities. I'm going to attribute its penchant for pranks and thievery to the spirit mindset and its intent to practice with its new form before embarking on its intended journey. Too bad Nyanko-sensei didn't get to drink sake from a personalised cup giving off Sakura fragrance, but he gets compensated to some extent and actually gets entertained in this episode (Madara hates boredom most of all and this episode wouldn't have bored him). The trigger for the episode being the drunken middle grade Youkai barging in to Natsume's room is so typical of the franchise, and it mirrors the bird statue's own fate nicely. I wonder why Natsume is trying his hand at gardening. Most likely next week's guests put him up to it. Next week will reveal all. |
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Harleyquin
Posts: 2969 |
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S7 #2
What turns out to be a simple gardening exercise ends up being much more because of Natsume's magnetic ability with the ayakashi. Even the stones he picks for his flowerbed are enchanted, bringing spirits in despite his express intentions not to get involved with them. What transpires after is again classic entertainment for this franchise, as Natsume has to deal with their requests the best he can not knowing his efforts will be rewarded when the time comes (the series doesn't disappoint with anticlimatic endings, so naturally the guardians got their wish). Through it all, I think this is the first time Natsume's parents are mentioned, directly or indirectly in the animated adaptations. His grandmother of course is the focal point of the series because of Takashi's inheritance, but his parents died when he was very young and he has almost no memory of a time together with them. With this episode, he does remember a fragment which he thought long lost, but it's too ephemeral for him to find out more about the parents he can no longer visualise beyond a concept. The other interesting thing about the episode is how the guardians actually managed to get help from craftsmen in the past to fix their box garden. Viewers are not told if the craftsmen could see the commissioners behind the request, but they nonetheless did the repairs without complaint. With the population dwindling and ageing, it's a miracle the guardians meet Natsume. Thanks to his help, they'll buy themselves a few more years before they either have to find him again (to his chagrin) or get lucky with someone else who can see and interact with them. As is customary for the adaptations, it's from the third episode onwards that the other recurring members of the franchise are reintroduced. When Natsume is roped in by Natori on his jobs, the tone of the series always shifts considerably as the element of danger is reintroduced. Madara actually has to earn his keep as bodyguard when Natori is around, but he's never bored dealing with him alongside Natsume. |
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Gina Szanboti
Posts: 11601 |
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The memory in this episode is from Season 4, Ep. 13, when he visited his childhood home for the last time before it's sold. We also get glimpses of it in Ep. 11, when he loses the only photo of his parents that he has, and tries to brush it off as unimportant.
I swear, Shigeru and Touko must be the soundest sleepers in the world, not to hear him shouting in the back yard in the middle of the night. 
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Harleyquin
Posts: 2969 |
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S7 #3
Any episode featuring Natori and his coterie of familiars is always fun because one can never tell if his appearance is more significant than just the one off cameo. The professional who is closest to Natsume's secret, yet has understood enough of its true nature not to force it off him the way the Matobas would advocate. On the other hand, telling random hermits who have previous ties to the professional sphere about Reiko and her Book of Friends doesn't do any Natsume any favours. Natsume draws the supernatural to him like a magnet, so it's no surprise he randomly encounters scarecrows off to haunt the local magnate's mansion. Although the duel was to frighten off the human owner to claim the property for themselves, I'm not sure violence was completely ruled out because one of them still wielded the farmer's sickle and definitely swung it during the showdown. Because Natori and Natsume intervene, does that mean the fortune promised to the magnate is only 1/10 of the original bounty? If Natori's presence heralds something more ominous than a one episode cameo, then the mastermind behind the summoning of the scarecrows is a good bet. Someone powerful enough to bind spirits to scarecrows as vessels the same way Reiko inadvertently did with her book. However, if the binding was done intentionally and with malicious intent then the showdown will be some viewing. |
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