Natsume's Book of Friends Vol 1 [Paperback]

Like about half the manga/anime characters in existence, Natsume Takashi can see spirits, ghosts, apparitions and other weird stuff. But his problems run much deeper in "Natsume's Book of Friends Volume 1," a delicate and beautifully written little manga. Not only is the artwork absolutely lovely, but it's a good introduction to Yuki Midorikawa's supernatural world filled with bizarre creatures and their all-too-human troubles.

While on the run from a one-eyed creature, Natsume accidentally frees a cat-shaped spirit from a little shrine. The cat (whose name is later revealed to be Madara) reveals that the spirits chase Natsume because he resembles his grandmother Reiko -- she was considered creepy, so she responded by taking control of spirits and binding their names in her "Book of Friends." Anyone who has the book has the power to control the people whose names are in it... and Natsume has inherited it.

But Natsume doesn't want to keep the spirits enslaved to him, so he learns the method of giving them back their names. And when he's not releasing names from the book Natsume is called on to deal with other problems among the spirits -- befriending a tiny local deity whose days are numbered, and who quietly loves an old woman; granting the wish of a strange girl who was once a sparrow, and now wants to meet the man who tried to save her; and dealing with a mysterious exorcist who is causing trouble for the local creatures in the woods.

"Natsume's Book of Friends" has one of the smoothest introductions I've ever seen in a manga series, mainly because both the concept and the cast are very simple. There are only two major characters, and basically the whole idea is that Natsume is working through the Book of Friends and releasing the names inside it one by one -- and while he does that, he handles some problems that crop up for the supernatural populace.

The first volume also has a rather bittersweet flavor -- not only does Midorikawa explore Natsume's loneliness in the past, but also the hopeless love that drives the tiny god and the sparrow-girl. But the stories always end on an optimistic note, with reflections on how love and kindness can fill a person's life. And there are some lighter moments woven into the story, such as when two odd little creatures spend the day following Natsume around and even forming a little parade for him.

The artwork is also exquisite -- it's a little rough at first, but Midorikawa has a very beautiful, delicate style. There's lots of swirling grass, flower petals, snowflakes and baggy clothes, as well as loads strange-looking apparitions. It adds a feeling of beautiful unreality to Natsume's adventures.

Natsume is a character that you warm up to quickly -- he's always been an outcast because he sees all sorts of weird things, and most of his relatives have been nasty to him. Despite this, he's always kind and generous, whether it's freeing the spirits or trying to keep his foster parents from worrying. And Madara the cat-spirit-thingy provides a certain amount of both humor and menace -- on one hand, he wants the Book for himself (which will only happen when Natsume dies), but he also seems to be growing fond of the human.

"Natsume's Book of Friends, Vol. 1" is a lovely start to this little manga series, and it leaves you craving more of Natsume's adventures in the world of supernaturals. A subtle, sweet treat.

Natsume has always been able to see yokai, spirits from Japanese mythology. His second-sight has always made him feel different from other people. They don't understand his fear, and they think it's creepy when he "talks to himself". Natsume doesn't have parents and has been shuffled around a lot, too, and he's become very isolated. At the beginning of the story, he's finally found a home with some distant relatives on his father's side. He's very appreciative, and he wants to keep his ability a secret so he doesn't freak them out. But that might be harder than it sounds.

Natsume has always tried to stay uninvolved with the yokai he sees, but now they've started seeking him out. They think he's his recently deceased grandmother, who, as a girl, bullied yokai into entering their names into her "Book of Friends". She had complete control over the yokai in the book, so naturally, they want their names back. Natsume is about to be eaten, until a yokai in the form of a lucky cat helps him out. This cat, whom Natsume calls "Nyanko-sensei" agrees to help Natsume under the condition that he gives him the "Book of Friends" upon his death. So begins Natsume's strange quest to empty the "Book of Friends".

At first glance, I didn't think I'd like this manga. There are a million manga involving kids who see demons, and I wasn't very impressed by the first pages. It was too hectic, with Natsume running from one yokai after another. The sentiments about loneliness seemed cliche. I'd heard it was good, though, so I flipped through the rest, and it looked like it got better. And so it did.

This manga isn't so much defeating yokai as befriending them (thus the name). Many of them are lonely like Natsume, and he ends up helping them with their problems. Natsume's not the kind of character who just has to help people in need, either. The whole thing is really a hassle to him, but he ends up getting involved with the yokai in spite of himself. He sees the same loneliness in them that he lives with. I liked this approach very much. Characters who are just altruistic by nature come off as unrealistic do-gooders to me. I tend not to care about them very much.

But Natsume is a good character. At first, he seemed like any other lonely, orphaned manga character. But he's not angsty or mopey. His reaction to his isolation is more realistic. He keeps to himself, and he doesn't always take care of himself, which makes his loved ones worry. He does want to connect to other people, but doesn't seem to grasp that his own nature is part of the problem. Nyanko-sensei is the only other recurring major character, but he still needs some development. He helps Natsume, but only to benefit himself, and he really would like to eat him. You just know he'll warm up to Natsume eventually, though. This kind of character is pretty common. Still, Nyanko-sensei is pretty funny, and I look forward to seeing him progress. One other character worth mentioning is Reiko, Natsume's grandmother. She appears in memories and doesn't show up much, but I liked her a lot. She's a tough girl who has trouble making friends. It may not be so ironic that she calls her list of yokai servants her "Book of Friends" after all.

As I said before, the stories here are touching. The yokai are sympathetic characters, and they're pretty well developed for characters that get only one chapter apiece. The stories tended to start out as cliche shojo stuff, using common techniqes to play upon the emotions. But they're long stories, and they got more involving as they went on. They were actually pretty unique and emotionally realistic. One or two even had twists that surprised me a bit.

The art is pretty. It's simple, not as sparkly and doe-eyed as a lot of shojo. I liked that simplicity. The yokai have interesting designs. They seem to be closer to actual Japanese folklore than the yokai in a lot of other manga like this. And there are some really nice natural scenes, too.

"Natsume's Book of Friends" is off to a good start. The stories fall prey to some chiches in their beginnings, but they still manage to develop into something more real. Natsume's a great protagonist, realistic and sympathetic, and he carries the story well. This manga is really about connections between both humans and yokai, and how they're really the same inside. It's subtle and sweet, and I look forward to reading more.

Reiko Natsume, a woman who could see Yokai (Japanese spirit-monsters), was a bitter outcast who took her frustration out on her Yokai victims, confining and enslaving them through means of a magical item called the Book of Friends. Fortunately for them, her grandson Takashi, who has the same ability, feels that it is his responsibility as her blood descendant to correct the situation as much as possible - and help is on the way once the book enters his hands after her passing. Thus, the subtitle of the series - Book of Friends - can have a double meaning as an ironic reference to Reiko's prior ownership or the more benevolent current ownership of her grandson.

Natsume's Book of Friends will appeal to the usual fans of the "I see dead people" supernatural manga, but will also appeal to those who feel that the protagonists of such stories are often too oversensitive. Natsume is a good boy, yes, but he's also no martyr and has a healthy sense of self-preservation. As the release of each Yokai requires psychic expendeture on his part which is replenished once he can get a good rest, he's not shy about asking the Yokai who come to him to wait one more day if he knows his body can't handle it. He avoids overexerting himself except in absolute emergencies - quite sensible, as he won't be able to free any more Yokai - ever - if he allows them to use him up. He's also quite capable of using force to protect himself if necessary and is no pushover when Yokai don't get the message, although he notably never aims to kill. And although he acknowledges sometimes being lonely having to keep a large part of himself under wraps to prevent people from thinking he's crazy, he's mentally healthy. He's also generally smart enough to get himself out of trouble when he can't avoid getting into it in the first place. You don't get the sense that this is a boy headed for tragedy, and that gives the series a more relaxing tone than some others of it's kind.

As for the Yokai themselves, they vary greatly, making each story interesting to read. They vary between the mundane and fantastic, innocuous and menacing, humorous and poignant.

My initial impression is that this series will be a very pleasant read.