Natsume's Book of Friends, Vol. 28
Registered by 
GoryDetails
of Nashua, New Hampshire USA on 6/25/2023
This Book is Currently in the Wild!
GoryDetails of Nashua, New Hampshire USA on 6/25/2023 This Book is Currently in the Wild!
1 journaler for this copy...
I got this softcover at a local Barnes and Noble, to continue this lovely, charming, occasionally really scary series about a lonely teenager who can see spirits.
This volume picks up after the events of Volume 27, though most of the stories can stand on their own, so readers can enjoy them without having read previous volumes.
Later: This volume opens with a short story in which Natsume helps Taki with some concerns of hers about her brother, who's been traveling - and who's sent her some photos that puzzle her. Natsume can immediately see that the photos include a yokai who seems to be getting closer and closer to Taki's brother, but what can he do when Taki doesn't know where her brother is? They get some unexpected help from shady exorcist Matoba, who just happened to be eavesdropping - and while he is definitely someone to be wary of, in this case he seems to have been helpful.
The majority of the book presents a longer-than-usual story, one in which Natsume has been asked to provide backup to his friend Natori (also an exorcist, though a more ethical one than Matoba - the cover illustration shows Natsume and Natori, with the latter's yokai-gecko visible on his neck). Seems Natori had gone to an old Natori family house in search of a potentially dangerous local yokai, only to have that yokai invade his memories and fabricate the identity of a younger cousin, devoted to Natori and wanting him to stay in the house forever... This gets complicated, both regarding the yokai herself and the information about Natori's family, which seems to be more troubled than I'd expected. Seems that, as a kid, Natori was rather like Natsume - he was the only family member who could see yokai, and the family, ashamed of their dwindling status as exorcists, chose to deny his abilities and even to avoid having any further children, so they could make a clean break with their past. Hmmm.... Very atmospheric and poignant, though with some touching elements of trust and friendship between Natsume and Natori.
That story continues in Volume 29, an exception to the usual story-complete-in-this-volume practice.
[There's an anime adaptation; I've watched several episodes and found it just as charming as the manga. Recommended! And the TV Tropes page is quite entertaining.]
This volume picks up after the events of Volume 27, though most of the stories can stand on their own, so readers can enjoy them without having read previous volumes.
Later: This volume opens with a short story in which Natsume helps Taki with some concerns of hers about her brother, who's been traveling - and who's sent her some photos that puzzle her. Natsume can immediately see that the photos include a yokai who seems to be getting closer and closer to Taki's brother, but what can he do when Taki doesn't know where her brother is? They get some unexpected help from shady exorcist Matoba, who just happened to be eavesdropping - and while he is definitely someone to be wary of, in this case he seems to have been helpful.
The majority of the book presents a longer-than-usual story, one in which Natsume has been asked to provide backup to his friend Natori (also an exorcist, though a more ethical one than Matoba - the cover illustration shows Natsume and Natori, with the latter's yokai-gecko visible on his neck). Seems Natori had gone to an old Natori family house in search of a potentially dangerous local yokai, only to have that yokai invade his memories and fabricate the identity of a younger cousin, devoted to Natori and wanting him to stay in the house forever... This gets complicated, both regarding the yokai herself and the information about Natori's family, which seems to be more troubled than I'd expected. Seems that, as a kid, Natori was rather like Natsume - he was the only family member who could see yokai, and the family, ashamed of their dwindling status as exorcists, chose to deny his abilities and even to avoid having any further children, so they could make a clean break with their past. Hmmm.... Very atmospheric and poignant, though with some touching elements of trust and friendship between Natsume and Natori.
That story continues in Volume 29, an exception to the usual story-complete-in-this-volume practice.
[There's an anime adaptation; I've watched several episodes and found it just as charming as the manga. Recommended! And the TV Tropes page is quite entertaining.]
Journal Entry 2 by GoryDetails at Little Free Library, Pepperell Rd #56 in Groton, Massachusetts USA on Tuesday, May 14, 2024
GoryDetails at Little Free Library, Pepperell Rd #56 in Groton, Massachusetts USA on Tuesday, May 14, 2024
Released 2 wks ago (5/14/2024 UTC) at Little Free Library, Pepperell Rd #56 in Groton, Massachusetts USA
WILD RELEASE NOTES:
I left this book in the Little Free Library on this warm, sunny day; hope someone enjoys it![See other recent releases in MA here.]
Released for:
** 2024 April Showers/May Flowers challenge **
