Manga Review: Natsume's Book of Friends, Volume 23, by Yuki Midorikawa

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5

Publisher: Shojo Beat (VIZ Media)

Release Date: October 2019

Volumes: 25+

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 22. 24.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Takashi Natsume has always been aware of the supernatural world, but after he inherits a magical book from his grandmother, the supernatural world is aware of him!

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.

Natsume and his friends stumble into a ghostly treasure hunt when they hear a rumor about a haunted painting that has hung in each of the three high schools in the area. Kitamoto and Nishimura are eager to track down the painting as a lark, but Natsume suspects it might involve a dangerous yokai. He joins the quest in case he needs to stage a yokai intervention, but the strain of keeping most of his friends in the dark about his abilities is starting to take a toll. Will Natsume ever be able to tell them the truth about what he sees?

Review:

We start the volume with a school boy yokai story. It's always nice to see Natsume getting along so well with his school friends, the ones who do and who don't know about yokai. It's a balance he's still living with, and doing pretty well at. The story lines are getting longer, too; there were only two plots in this volume. This one was rather fun, more of a high school ghost story that leads them down a hunt for answers.

The second half of the volume features Natori and Matoba, all three of which have differing opinions of yokai and have different balancing acts along with them. I honestly have a hard time remembering these characters very well, but I do know they're all coming from different sides of the yokai/human world.

This series is subdued and slow, but in an easy and thoughtful way. I still enjoy following along, though I'm never on the edge of my seat waiting for the next one. That's not the kind of series this is, though, so I think it's okay to pick them up when the mood strikes.

Manga Review: Natsume's Book of Friends, Volume 22, by Yuki Midorikawa

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Shojo Beat (VIZ Media)

Release Date: October 2018

Volumes: 23+

Spoilers?: Light/No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. RightStuf.

Volume: 1. 21. 23.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Takashi Natsume has always been aware of the supernatural world, but after he inherits a magical book from his grandmother, the supernatural world is aware of him!

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.

Natsume and his friends are visiting an old inn to see a yokai exhibition, but a sudden storm extends their visit into an overnight stay. All should be well, since the inn has a charmed door curtain that welcomes good spirits and keeps out the bad. But tonight of all nights, they forget to put it out! Can Natsume and his friends protect the inn without endangering the friendly local yokai?!

Review:

We explore a lot of other characters in this volume. We start with Natsume on a trip with Tanuma and Taki, who discover some yokai in a museum-like building. But after that, Nyanko-sensei stumbles upon a little boy for a chapter. Natsume's friend Nishimura starts seeing two Natsume's, without realizing one is a fake. It starts ominous, but it's never quite as bad as you'd think in this series. We also got a chapter with Reiko, how she formed a friendship and took some names in her notebook.

This series is subtle, soft, and thoughtful. It's easy and gentle, not too serious or dangerous, but a little ominous at times. We get to know other characters, and more about Natsume, in each volume, and I enjoy following him in this series. Natsume's a sweetheart. It's nice that we get to explore the side characters, and their relationship with Natsume, more as the series continues.

Manga Review: Natsume's Book of Friends, Volume 21, by Yuki Midorikawa

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Shojo Beat (VIZ Media)

Release Date: January 2018

Volumes: 23+

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. RightStuf.

Volume: 1. 20. 22.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Takashi Natsume has always been aware of the supernatural world, but after he inherits a magical book from his grandmother, the supernatural world is aware of him!

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.

Nyanko Sensei hasn’t been home in days, and Natsume is starting to get worried. He knows Sensei left in a party mood, but he has no idea where his friend and bodyguard was headed. And now there are rumors of evil spirits from the east heading to the local forest. Are they related to Nyanko Sensei’s disappearance, and will Natsume have to face this threat all on his own?

Review:

This volume took me a long while to get to, and then it was a slow start. I think I started it a few times, so it felt familiar. But I think that's also just how this series feels—it is familiar, and slow, and thoughtfully easy, if that makes sense.

While the episodic chapters are fun, and I do enjoy meeting new, odd and cute creatures, I do really appreciate when the plot or characters or relationships progress. When we get to see Natsume building his friendships, and get to know more about his friends and family, it's just so special.

One episode featured his friend Kitamoto and a book shop, with a sweet girl yokai. Natsume makes a little Nyanko-sensei figure that comes to life, and that was quite cute. Then we got a chapter that didn't include Natsume at all, and instead Natori.

These volumes are always a sweet, smooth treat.

Manga Review: Natsume's Book of Friends, Volume 20, by Yuki Midorikawa

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Shojo Beat (VIZ Media)

Release Date: March 2017

Volumes: 22+

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. RightStuf.

Volume: 1. 19. 21.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Takashi Natsume has always been aware of the supernatural world, but after he inherits a magical book from his grandmother, the supernatural world is aware of him!

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.

Review:

Now that the new volume is out, I suppose it's time to look back at the old one.

This series is rather subtle and slow-paced, in the best way, but it doesn't always leave me with much to say.

The first chapter of this features Natsume being turned into a kid. He's just the cutest, and it's a bit heartbreaking seeing little Natsume try to understand that he has friends and family as a teenager. I just want to hug him so hard. It's fun to see Tanuma and Taki handle him as a kid, too.

After that, we get a couple different yokai chapters. There's some masks on a school trip, some scarecrows haunting a house, and a tiny model house whose yokai inhabitants need some help.

While this series is slow-paced, everything that happens feels big. Each time we get to see Natsume grow, a friendship form or a bond grow closer. When we meet a new yokai that impacts Natsume in some way.

It's honestly rather beautiful. And looking through the volume again makes me happy, and I can't wait to pick up the next one.

Manga Review: Natsume's Book of Friends, Volume 19, by Yuki Midorikawa

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Shojo Beat (VIZ Media)

Release Date: January 2016

Volumes: 20+

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. RightStuf.

Volume: 1. 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.

Review:

I haven’t reviewed the last few books. While I do love this series, I don’t tend to have a lot to say about it. It’s a subtle series, but it’s so good.

Plot lines are still very episodic, but we’re getting a bigger overall plot with slow progression, as well as some recurring characters. We get to see two different characters again in this volume, including Matoba and his family. We get a background on their curse and how they live with it. It’s an interesting contrast to Natsume, and definitely a creepy one. There’s a chapter focusing on Reiko, and it’s a better side than we sometimes get. It gives an interesting insight into Natsume’s family and where he comes from.

I like that we’re getting to know more about Natsume and the people around him, slowly. It’s nice seeing the gang of yokai that follow him, and I love getting to see his interactions with his school friends. Tanuma is a sweet friend, and I like when he shows up.

This is a sweet, subtle, and lovely series. I love each volume, and am always looking forward to the next one.

Manga Review: Natsume's Book of Friends, Volume 16, by Yuki Midorikawa

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Shojo Beat (VIZ Media)

Release Date: June 3, 2014

Volumes: 18+

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 15. 17.

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.

Natsume's human friend Taki can only see yokai if they walk through one of her spell circles. Although many yokai see her spells as aggressive traps, putting her at risk of their retaliation, the latest yokai to pass through her circle may have something other than revenge in his heart. But is that any better...?

Review:

This series is just so pleasant. It just makes me happy, honestly. Which feels like a weird thing to say, especially since sometimes the plotlines are sad or even mean. But it always just makes me happy.

There are two main plotlines in this volume. The first one involves Taki, the girl friend of Natsume’s. I honestly wouldn’t mind some romance in this series (and, oh geez, wouldn’t Natsume just be adorable, dealing with that for the first time?), but him just having friends is enough for me. This episode is very sweet, and mostly simple, with the yokai involved simply lost in Taki’s house.

The second story features Takuma and Natsume’s other guy friends, all of them going to stay and work at a hotel with hot spring that a relative of Takuma owns. There were some threats from some yokai in this story, but I mostly enjoyed seeing Natsume with his friends. There were even some humorous scenes, where they’re all joking around. It’s nice seeing that.

Natsume also has to struggle with keeping yokai secrets, and being able to see them while his friends can’t. It’s hard. But Natsume is handling it rather well, at least at this point.

There was also an extra chapter at the end, which was just Natsume helping out some yokai. There haven’t been as many of those simply episodic chapters recently, and it was actually sweet to see.

I just love this series. It just fills me with warmth and makes me smile. So I’m looking forward to the next volume, even if there’s a longer wait.

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.