A strange cat, monsters, and a mysterious book start off a low key but promising series.
What They Say
Natsume discovers that the heirloom "Book of Friends" that his grandmother, Reiko, gave him possesses the names of the spirits she defeated and bound to her will. Assisted by a cat whom Natsume addresses as Nyanko-Sensei (lit. Master Little Meow), Natsume aims to return all of the names to their rightful owners.
The Review!
The title character of Natsume Yujincho is a boy who, like most people, has a normal side and a not-so-normal side. The normal side is that he's the quiet, easygoing sort that doesn't make friends easily - a natural consequence of having no parents and being shuffled around from relative to relative for most of his life. You get the impression that he's tired of trying to put down roots anywhere and being constantly disappointed, and doesn't want to make the effort anymore. He currently resides somewhere in the countryside of Japan and isn't fitting in very well with the people around him. Part of the reason for this goes beyond his circumstances and brings us into the not-so-normal part of his life. He can see the youkai, the traditional monsters of Japan. In this story the youkai are not mythical or extinct, but simply invisible to all but a few special people. Natsume is one of these. An interesting ability to have, to be sure; but not one that will do a lot for your reputation among people who can't see monsters. A further problem is that the youkai can see him: and they don't like what they see.
As it turns out, Natsume is the grandson of a woman with the same ability he possesses. The trouble is that she didn't use her powers to do good, at least not where the youkai are concerned. She sealed their names in the Yujincho - the Book of Friends. To Natsume's grandmother, "friend" apparently means little more than "servant," or even "toy." The youkai whose names she captured are still bound by the book even though Natsume's grandmother died long ago.
The story begins in earnest when Natsume has the history of the Yujincho explained to him by a creature who is called the Lucky Cat, despite being not especially lucky and not (if we can believe him) a cat, either. He does, however, look like a cat, specifically a super deformed Cheshire cat, so I'm going to stick with that name for now. Having been told about his grandmother's legacy and located the book for himself, Natsume has to come to terms with what he's going to do with the Yujincho. This is settled quickly. He decides to free the monsters by giving back their names, one monster at a time. For that I liked him right away.
Summary
This first episode is largely exposition, but it gets through that quickly enough, with doses of humor, pathos and danger (not quite enough for me to call it "action") to help wash it down. The episode isn't a major grabber, but I liked it, and I think the show will get better as it goes along. We do get to meet Natsume's first couple of youkai, though, and see the first steps along the path toward ending the grudge that the youkai have against Natsume and his ancestor. I think the journey will be one worth following.
Features
Japanese Language, English Subtitles
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