Natsume Yūjin-Chō Go

Episode 9

The overarching theme of Natsume Yūjinchō is that Natsume is way too nice; we already know that. But Natsume Yūjin-Chō Go has shown us that Madara (aka Nyanko-sensei) can be just as kind in his own way. In “Following a Narrow Path,” an undeserving yokai gets one of the season's happiest endings, but the really fascinating part comes from how Madara reacts to it.

At first, the tiny mushroom yokai does not act very likable, but perhaps it's his total pathetic-ness that makes me like him from the start. He's childlike and bratty and has an inflated ego bigger than his size. His is the first story we've heard of where a yokai was too weak to even fend off a regular animal from the secular world by himself. That's when we learn about the small yokai's friendship with Shuon-sama, an aged humanoid spirit with a wispy white beard and plump, rounded earlobes, all signifiers of godliness. The mushroom yokai's insignificant space in the world is made even more obvious next to Shuon-sama, and yet the larger yokai treats him like a very dear friend. It turns out that most yokai aren't even supposed to talk to Shuon-sama, who is apparently at the very top of the pecking order. This is the first I've heard of a yokai ranking system in Natsume Yūjinchō any more sophisticated than “I'm stronger than you so I can eat you.” It appears there's a divide between folktale yokai and straight-up gods, or at least that's what the masks in Shuon-sama's procession (I remember those faces from the Heaven and Hell signs in Death Parade) seem to be implying.

Initially, Natsume is simply bossed around by the tiny yokai while he attempts to make himself presentable for a reunion with Shuon-sama, which is admittedly hilarious considering that Natsume can punch out a yokai twice his size if need be. But when the tiny mushroom yokai overhears that he can offer a human as a sacrifice to please Shuon-sama, he doesn't realize that he himself is being overheard by Madara. Madara has perfected that knowing look with his pinprick-irises, one that belies so much more significance than you'd expect to get from such a rambunctious slapstick character. There are two moments in the show that reveal Madara's knowledge—first, his warning to Natsume to go home instead of staying to watch the procession (though Natsume cuts him off and doesn't hear him) and second, when he deftly changes the subject before the small yokai is able to confess to Natsume and possibly crush his still-budding faith in yokai-humanity. As with most great Natsume Yūjinchō episodes, the main yokai storyline is really an excuse to help us get to know our main characters more intimately. The real story lies in what Madara does not get a chance to say, and then, what he chooses not to say.

This is one of the happier endings in Natsume Yūjin-Chō Go. During a moment of reflection, Natsume remembers all the yokai-human relationships that were never meant to be—the little fox who needed to be on his own instead of with Natsume, the large hairy yokai who wanted to be with Taki and couldn't in episode five, and Tanuma's grandmotherly yokai friend in episode seven. Natsume also reserves his own anxieties about being separated from Touko and Shigeru. “We live in different worlds,” he said, but it's not entirely true—Natsume does get to remain with his foster parents, just like the small mushroom yokai doesn't have to lose hope in seeing Shuon-sama again. It's exactly what I look for in Natsume Yūjinchō: a bittersweet story, an extended glimpse into the psychology of my favorite characters, and a hopeful future.

Rating: A

Natsume Yūjin-Chō Go is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.

Lauren writes about geek careers at Otaku Journalist