For once in his life, Natsume's special power helps him find a friend.
What They Say
Natsume's secret is found out by Sasada, the class president, during the "Trial of Courage." She asks for his help to find the spirit that lives in the abandoned school. Natsume denies the fact that he can see anything, but she won't take no for an answer. Meanwhile, the spirit, Shigure, captures the rest of their school mates, in fury of the school being torn down...
The Review!
One of the things I like best about the early episodes of this show is the way that Natsume's involvement with the youkai is helping him to grow as a young man. You can see him starting to reach out a little more and involve himself in his school life. One of the results of Natsume taking an interest in people is an invitation for him to go on a "test of courage" with some of his fellow students. That event takes up the bulk of the episode here, and leads to Natsume drawing a little closer to one of his classmates - and, of course, bringing him into contact with another youkai.
The test of courage is a nighttime excursion to one of the old deserted buildings on the school grounds. This provides a nice ghost story kind of atmosphere that works even better since we are let on that there really is a "ghost" of sorts. As if this weren't enough for Natsume to deal with, the Lucky Cat invites itself along to allegedly help out but really just to give Natsume a hard time.
The crux of the episode comes when Natsume gets a chance to talk to the girl who invited him on the test of courage in the first place, and learns a few important things about the youkai that haunts the old building. When the rest of the students start disappearing, it's up to Natsume to try and get them back before things get out of hand. Is the youkai after the Yujincho, or something else? I enjoyed watching Natsume resolve the situation without giving himself away, and with help from the Lucky Cat that comes in an unexpected form - in more ways than one. The finale is warm and beautiful in a way that reminds me of the second episode (a very good thing) and does a good job of tying up the immediate issues while moving Natsume a few more steps along his own path.
Summary:
Natsume Yujincho continues to be a series that I like, not only for the stories it tells, but for its tone and its whole outlook as well. It's got a lot of heart and doesn't rush things. And it's smart enough to be a feel-good show you can feel good about watching. This episode demonstrates that the show is just as much at home in the human world as the monster world, and if it can keep that up then I don't see it running out of steam anytime soon. Give this one a look.
Features
Japanese 2.0 Language, English Subtitles
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