Manga Review: Natsume's Book of Friends, Volume 15, by Yuki Midorikawa

Rating (Out of 5): ~4.5

Publisher: Shojo Beat (VIZ Media)

Release Date: January, 2014

Volumes: 16+

Spoilers?: Not really.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Powells. RightStuf.

Volume: 14. 16.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Takashi Natsume can see the spirits and demons that hide from the rest of humanity. He has always been set apart from other people because of his gift, drifting from relative to relative, never fitting in. Now he's a troubled high school student who has come to live in the small town where his grandmother grew up. And there he discovers that he has inherited more than just the Sight from the mysterious Reiko.

Natori summons Natsume to help him with an odd exorcism case. A retired exorcist can no longer see yokai, even the ones who are his servants, and strange things have started happening at his house. Are his bound yokai trying to kill him to release themselves from their contract?

Reads R to L (Japanese Style) for teen audiences.

Review:

God, I just freakin’ love this series. It gets better every volume, and now my heart just swells with it every time I look at the books. It seems like this series gets looked over a lot, which I hope isn’t true, because it’s so good. It just takes a few volumes before it gets really good. But then it is and there’s no looking back.

The first chapters featured a story with Natori and a friend of his. This was interesting, not overly exciting or anything, but sweet. It seems like we might meet some of the new characters again, though, which would be nice. It also seems like Natori might be figuring something important out about Natsume, and that could cause some problems, or be really good for them. I’m looking forward to seeing where that goes.

I’m intrigued by Natori. He’s so different from Natsume, and I vastly prefer Natsume, but I’m interesting in Natori’s development, in his growth as a person. I’m intrigued by him, and by Natsume’s influence on him.

Then there was a sweet story featuring a mushroom yokai.

Then there was a story that was just fantastic, a special featuring Natsume’s aunt and uncle, Toko and Shigeru. This was before they took Natsume in, and a little bit of the beginning of his living with them. And it was just so sweet I wanted to cry. I love the two as a couple, they’re adorable together, and it’s obvious they’ve been together a long time and still really love each other, and that was so nice to see. They want a kid, and after Shigeru sees Natsume and how no one else wants him, it’s obvious they’re going to take him in and love him. And they’re so good for him.

I loved getting to know them as people and a couple, but I also really like seeing them caring for Natsume. I’d like to see Natsume leaning on them a little more, being more open with them, as I know they’d help him with anything he needed.

I just love all of them so much. 

I have no idea how long this series is going to be, or how long till the next volume, but I’m so excited for it.