What do you think Episode 7 of
Natsume’s Book of Friends (TV 7)? Community rating: 4.6
There’s a new Yokai in this week’s episode, but make no mistake: this episode isn’t about the Yokai at all. Instead, it delves into Natsume’s closest female friend, Taki Tetsu. “Difficult Two” feels like an unintelligible phrase and a strange translation to me, but I don’t know enough Japanese to question it. I choose to believe it refers to the fraught relationship between Taki and her brother Isamu, who clearly adore each other but are too reserved to confide in their respective siblings. The episode uses a supernatural mystery to help Taki’s family, still reeling from their grandfather’s death, find healing and comfort in each other. It’s an up-and-down plot – while it does a great job of expanding Taki’s character, the yokai element feels like an afterthought.
At the beginning of the series, Taki’s interactions with her classmates demonstrate her tendency to be frighteningly quiet. The other girls clearly see their tall and beautiful classmate as having a charming figure like a prince, but he is not approachable at all! This is why rumors about Taki’s new boyfriend spread so quickly; however, Natsume soon realizes that this mysterious man is none other than Taki’s older brother, who has not been seen in the entire series so far. Taki has had an episode dedicated to her since Season 5, Episode 5, but the basics are easy to remember. Taki has always been interested in the supernatural because his kind-hearted grandfather could see monsters. Although her introductory episode “Circle of Girls” (Season 2, Episode 6) had her pursued by a despicable yokai, Taki believes in the inherent goodness of yokai. However, her brother Isamu is the complete opposite. Don’t let his cute little brother’s appearance fool you: This kid is a die-hard skeptic. In a way, Taki and Isamu have opposite reactions to their grandfather’s grief. Taki develops an intimate relationship with him through the world of monsters, while Isamu firmly denies the existence of the world of monsters.
If Isamu sounds familiar, your ears won’t be deceived: it’s Jun Fukuyamasound. If anyone had any doubts that Isamu was Taki’s older brother, his reaction to Nyako-sensei immediately dispelled any doubts. Like his sister, Yong also likes cute things. Fortunately he did. After one of his trips to a haunted place to prove that monsters don’t exist, an errant monster possesses him. Unless he squeezes his teacher, the monster’s presence makes being in his childhood home almost unbearable. why is that? It’s never fully explained! Instead, Natsume, Taki, and Isamu spent the episode searching Taki’s house, looking for a keyhole that would fit a strange master key that Isamu found in his childhood diary, which he had a hunch was related to his Something to do with the strange feeling at home. To be clear, that’s not the case, but the payoff is much better: Yong and his grandfather give newborn baby Toru a sentimental gift, showing that while Yong may be as reserved as his sister, he’s definitely grown up from Loved her before she was born. Apparently they had been looking for a stone with a flower pattern (did they mean a chrysanthemum stone?), but the hand-painted flowers were sweeter than the pre-carved stone they found.
Why can’t I just relax at home while carrying a monster on my back? Maybe the monster is urging Isamu to go home so it can come back from wherever it came from. It’s hard to say for sure because the whole problem was solved with just one sentence from Nyanko-sensei. If you look at it as another step towards Natsume becoming closer to her friends, then this episode is even stronger. Taki knew everything about Natsume, but he knew very little about her. When she confides in him about her brother, he immediately becomes bolder and confronts Issam so directly that even Issam has to shout out. Finally, it’s almost subtext that Isamu has given Natsume his blessing to start dating Taki if he wants to! I doubt we’ll ever see Isamu again, but his brief appearance helps Natsume and the audience get to know Taki better.
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Natsume’s Book of Friends Season seven is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.
Lauren writes about model kits at Gunpla 101.
