Natsume’s Book of Friends Vol.1 by Yuki Midorikawa (2005)
Published by Hakusensha and reprinted/translated by Viz
Media
Suggested age group: Middle School and above
Genre: Manga/Graphic Novel, Fantasy, Slice of Life
Summary:
Orphaned
and shuffled from relative to relative, high school student Takashi Natsume can
see and communicate with yokai or Japanese spirit-monsters. Understandably, he has always had
issues fitting in but things change when he comes to live where his
grandmother, Reiko, grew up. Along
with her abilities, Takashi discovered he also inherited her “Book of
Friends.” The book controls the
yokai through kotodoma* and rather than keep the names, Takashi decides to
return them to their owners even though doing so exhausts him and increases his
yokai woes. The series explores
the various personalities of the yokai and people in Takashi’s life and how he
slowly starts to find his own way to fit in.
* Kotodoma is a Japanese
concept that words have power or a soul and in this case by knowing the names
of the spirits, Reiko was able to control their souls.
For
the starting manga reader, aside from learning how to read “backwards” there
are many Japanese concepts and terms like the yukata or the lucky/beckoning cat (explained in the endnotes
and Afterword) that can be both overwhelming and intriguing. Seasoned manga readers might tend to
overlook this series due to similar themed and more popular titles like xxxHolic,
Bleach, and Shaman King to name a few.
However, Natsume’s Book of Friends is unique and while not being an obvious choice it is a quiet,
heartfelt one. Midorikawa doesn’t manipulate but rather guides the reader’s
emotional journey as demonstrated in the swallow spirit’s arc. This tale starts
with a baby swallow that had fallen out of its nest and when returned by a kind
human, the parent bird rejected the entire nest. She and all her siblings die
and the swallow turns into a vengeful spirit transparent enough that a young
boy would leave treats by the bush to feed what to the him probably seemed
nothing more than a stray dog. The panel featuring this incident has glowing
eyes peering deep within the shrubs at a sausage piece. The healthier and still
grateful swallow spirit wants to see the kind boy that moved away and thank him
with the help of Natsume. The tone
of the series and artwork is both gentle and mature. The artwork is wispy with
thin lines and delicate details. Through Midorikawa’s kind and often-humorous
handling of the yokai, you are able to experience and appreciate why Natsume
helps the yokai that give him so much trouble. Natsume’s inner thoughts at the end of chapter 2 also
reflect this: “My days are filled with chaos. I’m not that fond of yokai but maybe we all share the desire
to understand the ones we love.” I would highly recommend this book and the
rest of the series to those readers that want a little more than to just be
entertained.
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