Natsume's Book of Friends Season 7

Episode 9

Was anyone else taken by surprise at this episode's literal cliffhanger? After eight neatly resolved capsule episodes, Natsume's Book of Friends has swerved with a dense, meaty two-parter. Featuring both of Natsume's opposing exorcist pals, Natori and Matoba, and forcing them into close quarters at that, it's gearing up to become a morality play about which man's approach to the yokai world is a better role model for Natsume. At the same time, Natsume is forging his own path, ignorant of the exorcists' conflict, choosing to face the Yokai of the Week head on. “That Which Blocks The Ceremony” unites many of the show's long-running themes, but from this vantage point it's impossible to tell whether they'll pay off.

My most unpopular Natsume's Book of Friends opinion is: “I don't trust Natori.” Natsume's handsome celebrity exorcist friend is far too perfect-seeming, effortlessly charming everyone from Natsume's adopted mom Toko to the entire population in town. But for the first time, this episode made my hardheadedness waver. This episode worked so carefully to establish Natori as a foil to Matoba. Now, Matoba isn't a fully bad guy either, as shown in episode 6when this clan leader risked his own safety to avoid endangering his subordinates. But at the same time, he's played the role of a long-running antagonist to Natsume, as opposed to Natori, who has been more like Natsume's mentor and friend. But seeing Natori and Matoba butt heads this week put their contrasts into stark relief. To put on my fujoshi goggles for a moment, they're behaving here almost like snippy exes fighting over custody of their son. Matoba expresses frank jealousy at Natori and Natsume's closeness, asking if they've been up to anything fun, to which Natori bristles that it's nothing that concerns Matoba. Natori goes into protective mode when Matoba requests Natsume's help with the ceremony. The subtext is there for those with eyes to see and fanfiction to write, but let's get back to the text: in short, that Natsume has unwittingly entered a charged situation in which two exorcists with opposing philosophies are stuck working together.

I predict that the main conflict still to come will occur between opposing human beliefs because this storyline's yokai adversary is surprisingly kind. Instead of hurting Natori and Matoba, she traps them in a room together. As for their comparably younger protegee, she offers Natsume a toy ball to play with. Such a pure, thoughtful gesture compared to the average yokai mischief! This one-eyed figure speaks with a strange affect, almost like a person in a play, but it's clear she's only an antagonist in the sense that her goals are in opposition to the humans. That doesn't make her evil, especially when she's trying to interrupt Matoba, a character who has repeatedly been established as somebody who uses yokai for his own ends! The real question is why Natsume and Natori so easily accept Matoba's request for help without examining it. Everything Matoba has told us about the family that used to live in this mansion suggests that they weren't great people to begin with—you don't put mask-knife booby traps in your living room if you don't have enemies. Now they're extinct. The contracted yokai who are set to arrive for the ceremony are visiting an empty house, and shouldn't they be informed of that fact? It seems like the Matoba clan's previous convincing efforts have not worked, but the truth hasn't changed. It's still worth the effort.

I'd be remiss not to mention loquats, since this episode's script includes “loquats (aka biwa)” at least 20 times. I've never eaten one but I can't say I'm not curious now. And for all I know, they will figure significantly in the latter half of this two-parter, too. It's difficult to judge this half on its own because so much is still in the air. (Including Natsume. Too soon?) We don't know which of the three ayakashi will arrive for the ceremony. We don't know why the kind yokai wants to interrupt it. We don't know what's going to happen to any of the episode's main characters, who are all stuck in various types of distress. All I can say for sure is that there are several key pieces of the puzzle missing, which the narrative has intentionally withheld to keep the mystery alive. Like the masked Matoba clan, hesitating at the threshold before the mystery spirit, all we can do is wait.

Rating:

Natsume's Book of Friends Season 7 is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.

Lauren writes about model kits at Gunpla 101. She spends her days teaching her two small Newtypes to bring peace to the space colonies.