An unusual youkai from Natsume's past holds the key to breaking a dangerous curse.
What They Say
Natsume is cursed by an evil spirit which is sealed to a tree, not wanting to trouble his adopted family, he decided to run away from home.
The Review!
When you're dealing with a world of monsters, you have to learn to deal with dangerous situations. It's something we've seen in most of the stories Natsume Yujincho has served up so far, even if we generally get little more than a mouthful at a time. This time, though, there's a different wrinkle on the situation. When Natsume finds himself in peril, the situation usually pops up suddenly and is over pretty quickly. This time there's a buildup, and, on top of that, the danger is an integral part of the episode, rather than a temporary obstacle to be overcome. There's one immediate and positive result of moving the peril closer to the center of the story and drawing it out. Of all the times Natsume's been in danger, this episode generates the most suspense. Of course, the time of suspense is relatively brief. Natsume Yujincho as a whole stresses the supernatural character drama and the relationships, and this episode is no exception. It just works in something a bit different than the show typically does. But it comes, at least in this case, at a price.
The impetus for the episode comes from a curse that Natsume contracts from a youkai that he accidentally meets while walking through the woods. The curse leaves a mark on his arm that continually spreads across his skin. The Lucky Cat <i>cum</i> bodyguard isn't completely up on his curses, so Nastume finds himself having to turn to a youkai for the information he needs to free himself. The one he eventually finds that has the sufficient know-how is an unusual character. It (or she) is apparently one of the few youkai (or, possibly, beings of any sort) that actually liked Natsumi's grandmother. Natusme being a very different sort of person from his grandmother, the youkai initially takes a dislike to him. She (or it) doesn't see a human having compassion on youkai as a good thing; but Natsume doesn't let it get to him, and it's fun to watch his good and constantly improving nature win her over in spite of herself.
The suspense starts to kick in when Natsume finds out that there's more to the curse than the mark on his arm. Soon after he notices the mark beginning to spread, he sees a strange shadow following him. He learns from his new youkai acquantance that the shadow and the curse are associated. If the shadow catches up to him, he will die. The situation is creepy in itself, but it's made all the more so by the appearance of the shadow itself. Solid black, featureless as the stick figures that mark public restrooms, the creature is frightening because it doesn't look threatening - or indeed like much of anything at all.
Summary:
The contribution this episode of Natsume Yujincho brings to the series is that it does well at something the show hasn't been good with. It takes the monster crisis situations that crop up frequently and makes a pretty suspenseful story out of one. But it still isn't one of the best episodes of the show. There's something missing, and it's the something that never should be missing from Natsume Yujincho. I mean the heart: the emotional connection between the characters that the show does better than it does anything else. Without that, it's just not the same, regardless of whatever else the episode manages to do. But still, that's a good mistake to make. Sure, broaden your horizons and find a little something else to add to the show. Just don't lose sight of your strengths.
Features
Japanese 2.0 Language, English Subtitles
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