Starting Notice: This evaluation covers Natsume’s E book of Mates to quantity thirty, particularly as much as chapter 123. Whereas I intend to maintain this evaluation spoiler free, I might be concerning themes which will or could not include particulars concerning occasions later within the story that will be thought-about spoilers in some readers’ eyes. Please learn this at your discretion.
This publish has been a very long time coming. I began re-reading the English volumes of Natsume’s E book of Mates all the best way again in January of this yr. I had the concept of Natsume November, initially in November of 2023. With a whole yr of time, I figured I might be capable of throughly lay out nice plans and have all of it come to fruition. Because of numerous circumstances, and admittedly my tendency to say ‘I nonetheless have loads of time!’ once I in truth, don’t, I’ve been having some difficulties placing every thing into phrases.
I imply, it needs to be fairly easy. Not like Western comics the place you need to decide via which universe, artist, firm, and so on – you simply begin at quantity one for a manga. There’s normally little or no shifting that must be executed to seek out the start. I simply discover it laborious, as a result of Natsume is already a twenty-something if it was human. It’s been serializing for twenty one years already. How can I, an intruder from the mid-2010’s who stumbled upon the sequence by likelihood probably give this title the evaluation it deserves? How can I speak about every thing that makes this sequence nice with out completely spoiling every thing?
Effectively, I’ll attempt. Not like many sequence that I maintain close to and pricey to my coronary heart, the place I are likely to draw back from speaking about them extensively: I’ll do my finest to evaluation what we have now to date of Natsume’s E book of Mates. No less than what we have now in English, which is as much as quantity thirty (as of this weblog being revealed). With out additional ado; a synopsis as at all times.
Natsume Takashi is something however an atypical teenage boy. He possesses the power to see and sadly at occasions even entice yokai, or the supernatural spirits, very similar to his fairly infamous grandmother Reiko. After bouncing round a number of households as a consequence of his capacity, and his dad and mom’ deaths, Natsume discovers considered one of Reiko’s momentos the mysterious “E book of Mates”. Having come into contact with the highly effective merchandise that certain many yokai in Reiko’s time – the yokai have come again to retrieve their names if they’re peaceable, or steal the ebook and its’ energy if they’re malicious. Whereas escaping from one such yokai, Natsume makes the unlikely ally in Madara a strong spirit who takes the type of a really rotund cat. They two make a verbal pact that as long as Natsume lives, Madara will shield him. Natsume after taking all of the phrases of assorted yokai, and even some people into consideration begins the journey to return the names of assorted yokai as they arrive. This leads Natsume to stumble into a fancy world of people and yokai, one the place maybe associates aren’t made by binding them right into a ebook, however fairly with real connections.
And I promise, even with that prolonged synopsis I nonetheless haven’t even touched a sixteenth of what’s truly packed into Natsume’s E book of Mates as a sequence. In case you don’t imagine me, you actually ought to start out studying it already.
In my note-taking, there are such a lot of thematic components I need to talk about. I in all probability have a stable 5 – 6 posts simply selecting aside one particular theme at a time. Doing so now although would in all probability be extra of a diversion from the subject at hand, a manga evaluation, then a optimistic. Subsequently, I’m going to cowl some absolute fundamentals that almost all manga readers, or not less than issues I search for in opinions, ought to include.
Artistically talking, Natsume’s E book of Mates has at all times retained an enthralling presentation from it’s debut chapter. There’s that early 2000’s fairly unrefined and considerably sharp presentation. I wouldn’t fairly describe it as frantic, however in every line and panel there’s a fairly heavy handed enchantment to the reader. Very similar to Natsume’s journey, I get the sensation that Midorikawa-sensei simply desperately wished readers’ to provide the story an opportunity and join with it. I’d say after the run she’s had, it’s labored.
Like all tales although, Midorikawa’s artwork has step by step shifted over time. This can be a pure development in fact, the place you barely discover the distinction even studying starting to finish like I did. When evaluating the earliest chapter to the newest, the change is noticible. Sensei’s paintings isn’t trend-chasing alterations, however fairly a extra refined sense of self as an artist and storyteller. If the start chapters have been frantic however interesting, these more moderen ones really feel extra of a quiet simmer of ardour and quiet enticement. You’re not outright compelled by the vitality, to maintain studying. There’s simply one thing subtly laced in that you simply hold coming again for every chapter. No less than, for me as a very long time reader that’s how I really feel.
By way of story, Natsume’s E book of Mates is a little bit of a double edged sword. The preliminary pacing for concerning the first six volumes, or the preliminary twenty-two chapters are fairly stand alone ‘yokai of the week’ formulation. There’s a number of reoccurring characters, Natsume’s schoolmates, the Fujiwara’s he stays with, and a few yokai bemused by however not desirous about taking the ebook. These tales, whereas interconnected as a result of they’re Natsume‘s tales, don’t actually construct in the direction of a lot except for setting and context.
Many reader’s will discover that the story lastly progresses, i.e. builds into a number of chapter arc’s till quantity seven, round chapter twenty-three or so. These chapters take the time to slowly develop every character as they match into Natsume‘s world. Followers of developed secondary chapters that really imply one thing to the protagonist and their story, will actually love Natsume for this. It takes even longer nonetheless although, round quantity eighteen in my conservative estimate the place the sooner plot factors, lastly begin paying off with longer and extra thrilling narrative arcs. So on one hand, Natsume is admittedly beginning to form as much as be a extra plot pushed story, answering loads of the questions which were launched within the earlier chapters. Nevertheless, it has taken an extremely very long time to get right here. There’s no assure that any questions raised, or mysteries proposed might be answered in a well timed method. That’s simply how tales involving the supernatural perform at occasions.
I believe for simply as many readers’ that this may intrigue, twice as many might be turned off in all honesty. The groundwork being laid is excellent, as not as soon as has any ‘rule’ that has been outlined, ever been damaged within the sequence. There’s no main plot holes concerning Natsume’s talents, it’s progress or limitations or with different characters’. The yokai, not less than those we all know nicely and are within the story commonly, all perform inside these boundaries as nicely. They do have their ranks – Madara does name a number of the lesser powered yokai c-listers truly – their energy and talents make sense. All of them work inside their limitations and exceptions extremely nicely. It makes for fascinating tales and dynamics as nicely evaluating Natsume’s talents againest different people with talents afterward, and the way in addition they ‘rank’ throughout the yokai world. Generally even within the human world as nicely!
Now that I’ve lined most of which I believe new readers’ are desirous about: artwork, story + pacing. I now need to dive into simply two of the larger themes lined in Natsume’s E book of Mates. These are ones I really feel comfy speaking about since they’re not chapter particular, subsequently I can speak about extra broadly with out spoilers. Additionally they occur to be two themes I believe many individuals can relate to.
The primary main theme in fact, is that names maintain worth and energy. This idea is one which I believe most everybody has stumbled into one actual life instance or two. The human equal is saying you already know, or higher but are instantly associated to, somebody influential or highly effective in a sure trade. On the planet of yokai, this to stays true however for way more sensible functions. For yokai who’re extra spiritually concerned i.e. a god of a shrine or area, the extra people that pray to you or know of you – the extra clout you could have. Very early on, we discover out what occurs when that type of energy dwindles and what turns into of these yokai. It’s eerily just like people truly.
For Natsume, he holds probably the most quantity of energy by holding the ebook. Regardless of it not being an ideal technique of safe energy, it does have a robust picture that precedes itself and it’s present proprietor. To the purpose the place some yokai are stilling keen to battle for it, even when it’s harmful. Natsume, very similar to his grandmother Reiko might wield this energy half-heartedly or with malice. He might use the ebook to take revenge on those that have wronged him, each human and yokai. The truth that he doesn’t, normally simply giving names again with out an excessive amount of contemplation or bargaining is so putting.
A boy whose identify has been dragged via the mud as being the ‘bizarre’ child or the ‘consideration seeker’, merely desires to assist with bringing these yokai peace with out a lot of a thanks. It’s a degree within the story that may actually form the way you interpret the sequence. Simply studying via and via the angle of ‘what does this identify imply?’, ‘how a lot energy does it maintain on this context?’, or ‘to whom is that this identify essential (or not)?’. These are some deep questions that endlessly come up in textual content because the story progresses.
There’s additionally the bigger theme of coexistence. Natsume straddles the road of a humanity and the supernatural. At first, he feels as if he belongs to neither or them. He simply endlessly drifts like an object caught between two intersecting currents. At one level Natsume is invited to simply be a part of the world of yokai completely. Humanity has wronged him sufficient, whereas the yokai have come to simply accept him. A promising enterprise that gives a certain quantity of stability in his shaky circumstances. However Natsume turns into conscious of people like him who did such a factor, and what grew to become of them.
Natsume is rarely invited completely again into the human world by any means. Most individuals he’s round dont fairly know his full story, not to mention his secret. However he does finally discover extra individuals like him, these blessed with sure powers or not, who’re additionally trapped on the crossroads. Some extra deeply then others, however nonetheless nonetheless there. It turns into extra obvious as exorcists arrive within the narrative, at first outright villians, and later one thing extra complicated and nuanced. Nobody exorcist has the identical perspective because the others. A few of their factors rub Natsume utterly the mistaken manner, and others are extra just like him then Natsume want to admit. However sooner or later, very similar to the native yokai to Natsume, they begin coexisting collectively. Nobody must be the dominate perspective and subdue everybody into following. All their practices and views can, and do exist in a manner that works for his or her communities and people round them.
I completely get that these themes are considerably much less cool then let’s say – one other battle-based event arc in different sequence. Natsume’s E book of Mates has a a lot quieter enchantment, one that may sooner or later have you ever reflecting on the story itself or moments you’ve had in your personal life.
I believe most interesting, that extra readers’ are desperately trying to find however can hardly ever discover, is that after you learn Natsume, even when it’s only the primary few chapters – you’ll by no means fairly neglect this story. It’s an underrated enchantment that has introduced me again to the sequence an countless quantity of occasions, and one which I can’t put into phrases. Though now I’ve not less than given it a do this publish.
For the Mates’ of Natsume, I’d love to listen to your ideas down under. If I do handle to persuade anybody else to provide this sequence a learn, be certain to provide me your thanks! In any other case, I’ll see you across the blog-o-sphere quickly.
