Today the spotlight falls on the second season of Natsume Yuujin-chou.

SYNOPSIS

Note: I’m trying out various methods of presenting a plot summary, and the flavour-of-the-day is a “straight from the horse’s mouth” approach. If you haven’t seen season one, it’s worth bearing in mind that contrary to what the following summary might suggest, the real Natsume isn’t some snarky lad bursting at the seams with ill-placed sarcasm – that’s just me talking.

And needless to say, major plot points are given away here. Skip down to the “Impressions” section if you don’t want to be spoiled.

Hi. I’m Natsume Takashi, and I can see dead people youkai. Been doing that since I was young. (Not that I had any choice in the matter – I was born with this gift.)

Day starts off on a bad note, as usual. I get hit by a ball and land in someone’s backyard. Turns out there’s this fugly long-necked spirit lurking in the bushes, and like every Tom, Dick, and Harry of the youkai world it’s after the Yuujin-chou. More on that later.

I try to escape, but then I run into an old rope strung across the path – cue déjà vu moment – and the spirit catches up to me.

Now cue the strangling. As I’m about to get my head popped off like a champagne cork, out of my bag crawls the sake-pickled tub of lard that’s supposed to be my protector.

Meet Nyanko-sensei. My cat guardian. We’ve had a long and spotty relationship; dig through season one for the dirt. Anyway, I call out to him for help . . .

. . . and he chases after a butterfly. That’s just the sort of useless bloke he is.

After I shake off the youkai and give Nyanko-sensei a well-deserved sock to the head, master and disciple have a few words. He reminds me that he’s no ordinary guardian: he’s just waiting for me to kick the bucket so he can lay his greasy paws on the Yuujin-chou. I call him a rice cake stuffed with bean jam – not in so many words, of course, since I’m blabbing in Japanese. He walks away, fuming.

Later that night, Nyanko-sensei returns – but for some reason he’s black all over! I give him a hot bath and he comes out all clean and steamy, but his fur is still as dark as night. What’s more, he hasn’t said a word since coming back.

A little later, another Nyanko-sensei shows up at my window! This one’s white and thoroughly drunk from yet another sake binge, so I realise that it’s the real thing and the first one isn’t. After Nyanko-sensei gets over the shock of seeing a doppelgänger in my room (a shock that conveniently sobers him up), he gives the black tabby a sniff and confirms it’s an ayakashi. Interestingly, the silent intruder hasn’t said anything about wanting its name back from the Yuujin-chou, which is usually the first thing that ayakashi ask for whenever they come knocking. So here’s the 6.4-billion-yen question: what is this creature and why has it come to me disguised as a black Nyanko-sensei?

Nyanko-sensei suspects that his black twin is after the Yuujin-chou, so I pull it out to make sure it’s safe and sound. Without warning, the black cat grabs the book from my hand and runs off with it into the dark forest. We give chase right away, but after a while Nyanko-sensei says it’s not safe to proceed, especially for a human like me. There’s something strange in the air, he says.

Then we notice a procession of youkai moving through the forest. When one of the youkai catches a whiff of my human scent, Nyanko-sensei transforms into his true form – the powerful, beast-like Madara – to shield me from their notice.

After the procession passes, a butterfly spirit named Benio – an old acquaintance of the sensei – floats by and changes into the form of a woman. She thinks my face looks familiar and blurts out my grandmother’s name: Natsume Reiko. (Happens all the time.) Later, she explains that the youkai we just saw were gathering for a party in the woods, and that she saw the black cat heading in the same direction. I ask her to take me there. She hesitates, warning that I’ll be eaten the second they find a human in their midst. I insist, so Benio says that I can mingle with the youkai as long as I and Nyanko-sensei are properly disguised. The youkai are aware that someone who looks like the famous Natsume Reiko (that’s me) and his animal companion (the tub-o’-lard cat beside me) are walking around in the woods, so it’s a necessary precaution.

As we head for the party grounds, there’s time for a quick flashback. My grandmother Reiko was born with strong supernatural abilities (like me), and often walked around challenging youkai. Those she defeated were asked to write their names and surrender them to her, effectively binding themselves to her service. These names were collected in the Yuujin-chou, which came into my possession after her death.

Nyanko-sensei puts on the guise of a female high-school student (long story), then we both don special masks that allow us to pass for youkai (another long story; it’s all in the first season). With Benio’s help, we squeeze ourselves into the youkai party. We learn from them that humans have sealed up a revered and powerful human-loving youkai whom they call “Nushi-sama”, the guardian spirit of the woods, and now they’re preparing to attack the human residence where he’s trapped. I’m worried that the youkai will harm any humans they come across, but what can I do to stop them?

The black cat suddenly reappears! I give chase and manage to grab hold of it somewhere away from the party grounds. Surprisingly, it meekly allows me take the Yuujin-chou back, which leads me to suspect that it didn’t really want the book: it probably took it just to lead us to the youkai gathering. Benio lays her hand on the black cat and says that a powerful ayakashi was sealed in this form. To her great shock, she senses that it’s none other than Nushi-sama! Remembering that I broke a rope whilst running away from the long-necked spirit this morning, in the yard of the very same house (it seemed) that the youkai at the party were planning to attack, I realise that the rope was the barrier that once held this black cat prisoner – and by breaking the barrier I released it in precisely the same way I had released Nyanko-sensei. The youkai at the party also said something about Nushi-sama duelling with Reiko, so if he was defeated and his name taken, his powers would not be enough to break his sealed form. That gives rise to another problem: with Nushi-sama in his current form, the Yuujin-chou will not reveal his name as it normally does. Unfortunately, Benio only knows him by the title of “Nushi-sama”; she doesn’t know his true name. We need to find out his true name fast so that I can give it back, and allow him to break the seal. Only he can stop the youkai from going on their mad rampage now.

We are discovered! Whipped into a mad, drunken frenzy, the youkai attack. As they all try to grab me, I listen hard, hoping that someone in the mob will speak Nushi-sama’s real name. One of them does: it’s Riou. Nyanko-sensei shifts into Madara mode and jumps into the fray, beating back the youkai. This gives me just enough time to take the page bearing Riou’s true name from the Yuujin-chou, bite onto it, and breathe it out towards its rightful owner.

At last, Riou breaks free and assumes his true form. He allows me to enter his memories, and I learn how he – wandering around in the guise of a human boy – befriends a hunter who once freed him from an animal trap. When I released Riou from the barrier this morning, the first thing he does is search for his hunter friend, only to find out that he has already passed away. “A human’s life is short, isn’t it?” he remarks, saying that he realises why his youkai followers think he’s a fool for counting humans among his friends. He also admits that he took the Yuujin-chou because he wanted us to stop his followers from attacking the human residence in order to free him. Humans may have sealed him away, but he loves them nonetheless and wishes no harm upon them. Out of this love, he resolves not to visit human dwellings anymore. With a final farewell, and thanking me for the pleasant experience of a hot bath, he soars up into the night sky and vanishes in a flash of light.

The next morning finds the three of us (including Benio) relaxing in my room. When Benio turns to leave, she invites Nyanko-sensei to come with her and rejoin the youkai world, but he declines. He’ll stay with me until my brief life has passed, and then he’ll go back. As Benio-san returns to her butterfly form and flies away, I lean out my window and think about these many meetings and partings that I’ve experienced lately. Every one of them, no matter how brief, is precious to me.

IMPRESSION

Those who have seen season one will observe no major shift in any major elements of this series. The original voice talents have been retained, character designs are virtually unaltered and the production quality is consistent with the thirteen episodes that first aired last year. This franchise is also characterised by an episodic format that leaves no major threads hanging after each airing; hence, there was no major plot break at the end of 2008’s final episode and this allows the series to flow seamlessly from the previous season to the next. In short, more of the same: but that’s all for the best given how good the first season was.

Newcomers to the series needn’t worry – the first episode does a capable job of reintroducing the two main characters and the world they inhabit. Natsume himself spills the beans on his unique ability within the first few seconds, and towards the middle of the episode we are given a quick flashback that feeds us the essentials on the nature and provenance of the Yuujin-chou. I still recommend dipping into the first season, though more for its entertainment value than as an essential prelude to watching the second season.

Zoku Natsume Yuujin-chou’s story draws heavily on supernatural themes, which isn’t really my cup of tea. I enjoy watching it nonetheless, mainly because I tend to think of it as a slice-of-life anime that just happens to delve into the supernatural (instead of the other way around). One of the main draws here is the unique relationship between Natsume and Nyanko-sensei/Madara. It’s great fun watching them fire barbs at each other, and Nyanko-sensei’s unsuccessful attempts at overcoming the catlike nature of his current form are a limitless source of humour, but a lot remains unclear to the viewer which makes him all the more eager to follow the unlikely duo and find out more. Is this merely a pairing of convenience, as Nyanko-sensei often insists? If so, why does he often step in and save Natsume’s skin when it would seem more advantageous for his ends to let the lad meet his maker? Is it because he views him as a source of amusement? Or has a real friendship begun to take root, and where would such a friendship take them in the future when their interests finally collide (as I feel they must at some point)? The questions that first arose during season one remain unanswered as season two begins, with every episode feeding us just a little more, but never enough.

Another thing that keeps me coming back for more of this show is how it manages to make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. (Okay, poor choice of words, but it’s an accurate description so I’m sticking with it.) Most episodes feature a different “central” youkai with its own unique and very engaging story, frequently drawing on themes of loss or loneliness instead of competition or internal struggles (which would require a very different approach). Natsume deals with their problems in a way that requires him to gain their trust, and to learn more about their predicament by listening to their stories. This calls for a dialogue-driven plot that moves along at a gentle pace, not fast action scenes or suspense-building sequences. Playing important complementary roles are a light musical score, soft (and very refined) animation style and homey, small-town setting that add to the relaxing effect this series can have on the viewer. The wonderful ED also helps in this regard.

The last word: If you need a break from the bang-boom shounen fare that tends to dominate your weekly viewing schedule, pack yourself into a comfy sofa and give Zoku Natsume Yuujin-chou a try.

This entry was posted on Sunday, January 18th, 2009 at 9:24 pm and is filed under Anime, First Impressions.You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.