I've been enjoying this series about a lonely teenager who can see spirits since I first stumbled across it, and have been picking up more volumes as I find them. I got this one at the local Newbury Comics. This tends to be a gentle series, with touches of humor, creepiness, and poignancy, and I like it very much. (Most of the series is episodic and can be enjoyed without having read the previous books, but this one does open with a continuation of a story from Volume 25.)

The story picks up in the middle of a frightening attack by a magical human-sized pottery figure that's trying to acquire the also-magical pottery cats, while Natsume and the two exorcists [who feature on the cover: Matoba (dark hair, eye-patch) and Natori (lighter hair, glasses)] try to fend it off. It's a very dynamic story, with scenes of furious action and of creepy hide-and-seek, with the sometimes-questionably-ethical Matoba coming through in a pinch (and being very surprised at having Natsume rescue *him* at one crucial point), and Natori being his dapper and caring self. Some flashbacks to the early memories of the aging potter, the sole remaining inhabitant, give clues as to what really went on in this remote village-of-magical-pottery. And our heroes do manage to save the day - with some very touching scenes between Natori and Natsume involving trust and friendship. And there's a lovely twist at the end foreshadowing future conflict, as we learn that Matoba not only knows Ban, the mysterious man whose activation of the deadly puppet triggered most of the story, but has an even closer relationship with Ban's enigmatic boss...

That story takes up about half of this volume. The stories that follow including a charming little tale in which Natsume and his friend Tanuma discover a long-neglected hut and feel compelled to tidy it up - and find that it may be a yokai itself, lonely for company and happy to finally receive some visitors.

And then there's a poignant tale in which Natsume bumps into the retired exorcist Yorishima and accompanies him on a visit to the home of an old friend, now gone. Yorishima plans to return a book he'd borrowed years ago to the late friend's daughters, but when he and Natsume reach the house they find that something seems a bit off about the cheerful and welcoming young women. A nicely bittersweet theme here, of staying in touch with friends...

[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.]

I left this book in the Little Free Library on this overcast day; hope someone enjoys it!

[See other recent releases in MA here.]

*** Released for the 2022 e-less challenge. ***

*** Released for the 2022 Thanksgiving challenge. ***