December 18, 2024 12:37 pm
This title teaches acceptance of self and others.
The charming anime about mythical spirits Natsume's Book of Friends has been on the air for 16 years now – albeit with long breaks and at different studios: first under the Brain's Base banner, and since 2016 – within the walls of its former division Shuka.
Now the seventh season is coming to an end – and this is the perfect reason to remember the classics.
What Is Natsume's Book of Friends About?
Takashi sees yokai that annoy him with games, threaten him with violence and demand that he hand over the mysterious notebook. During another chase, he runs into the temple grounds and accidentally stumbles over the rope that marks the sacred place and seals the spirits.
It breaks, releasing Madara – a yokai resembling a maneki-neko. It turns out that he was familiar with Takashi's grandmother, who fought yokai left and right. The losers wrote their names on the paper as a sign that they could no longer resist the one who owned the artifact. This is how the Book of Friends was created.
Takashi decides to use it in a different way: he returns the names to the yokai, thus releasing them from service. This leads to disparaging comments from Madara, a powerful wolf spirit who now accompanies him in the form of a chubby cat.
Natsume's Book of Friends Is Not Your Ordinary Coming-of-Age Title
On the surface, Natsume's Book of Friends is a typical coming-of-age story and animated encyclopedia of yokai. We learn that demons have a hierarchy, can eat both their own kind and humans, and do not discriminate between the sexes.
But if you dig deeper, the story of the coexistence of yokai and humans is relevant and complex. They are similar in many ways: they fight and make peace, get tired, enjoy the view, cry and suffer.
Natsume's Book of Friends Has an Important Message About Accepting Yourself and Others
Yokai can also fall in love, even with those who came to banish them or who cannot see them. Being unseen is a great fear that haunts people regardless of whether they belong to the real world or the otherworldly space.
Takashi eventually sees a kinship between himself and the yokai he meets. He thanks one of them for not hating humans, no matter how much trouble they cause him, and in return, he is patient with the yokai that haunt him all his life. It doesn't matter if we are different or not: we all think and feel the same.
Where to Watch Natsume's Book of Friends?
Natsume's Book of Friends is available to stream on Crunchyroll.
This title teaches acceptance of self and others.
The charming anime about mythical spirits Natsume's Book of Friends has been on the air for 16 years now – albeit with long breaks and at different studios: first under the Brain's Base banner, and since 2016 – within the walls of its former division Shuka.
Now the seventh season is coming to an end – and this is the perfect reason to remember the classics.
What Is Natsume's Book of Friends About?
Takashi sees yokai that annoy him with games, threaten him with violence and demand that he hand over the mysterious notebook. During another chase, he runs into the temple grounds and accidentally stumbles over the rope that marks the sacred place and seals the spirits.
It breaks, releasing Madara – a yokai resembling a maneki-neko. It turns out that he was familiar with Takashi's grandmother, who fought yokai left and right. The losers wrote their names on the paper as a sign that they could no longer resist the one who owned the artifact. This is how the Book of Friends was created.
Takashi decides to use it in a different way: he returns the names to the yokai, thus releasing them from service. This leads to disparaging comments from Madara, a powerful wolf spirit who now accompanies him in the form of a chubby cat.
Natsume's Book of Friends Is Not Your Ordinary Coming-of-Age Title
On the surface, Natsume's Book of Friends is a typical coming-of-age story and animated encyclopedia of yokai. We learn that demons have a hierarchy, can eat both their own kind and humans, and do not discriminate between the sexes.
But if you dig deeper, the story of the coexistence of yokai and humans is relevant and complex. They are similar in many ways: they fight and make peace, get tired, enjoy the view, cry and suffer.
Natsume's Book of Friends Has an Important Message About Accepting Yourself and Others
Yokai can also fall in love, even with those who came to banish them or who cannot see them. Being unseen is a great fear that haunts people regardless of whether they belong to the real world or the otherworldly space.
Takashi eventually sees a kinship between himself and the yokai he meets. He thanks one of them for not hating humans, no matter how much trouble they cause him, and in return, he is patient with the yokai that haunt him all his life. It doesn't matter if we are different or not: we all think and feel the same.
Where to Watch Natsume's Book of Friends?
Natsume's Book of Friends is available to stream on Crunchyroll.
