Overview (Spoilers Below):
Natsume meets the very first Yokai, whose name was written in the Book of Friends.
Our Take:
Ever since they received the Book of Friends, Natsume and Madara have spent the entire series helping Yokai reclaim their names Reiko collected years ago. However, they seem to have neglected the one name written on the book’s first page. That is until this episode appeared. It’s hard to believe that it took the show seven seasons to dive into this question that’s been on people’s minds since it began, including mine. I would assume we would have that answer sooner, maybe during its fourth or fifth season, but this wasn’t the case. However, since we waited seven years for the return of Natsume’s Book of Friends, the show’s creators realized it’s only fair to give us an exploration of this lesser-known aspect, especially since we’re close to the end of the season.
The penultimate episode of season seven depicts Natsume encountering Soranome, a mind-reading yokai whose name was the first to be collected by Reiko. From that sentence alone, this seemed like another scenario involving Natsume assisting a yokai with their problems. However, it turns out there’s more to the plot than just a spirit whose name is written in the magic book, as it finally allows the series to delve into what drove Reiko to steal the yokais’ names. Soranome explains via a flashback that a middle school girl named Soko Morinaga challenged Reiko to a series of games to figure out her name. This resulted in Reiko deciding to challenge the yokai for their names until her premature death, including Soranome.
It was pretty worrisome having to wait until “Tell Me Your Name” was released due to the weather delaying the English dub episodes of this show and many others. But, after finally showing up this week, I can say that the wait was worth it. The penultimate episode is another compelling case of a supporting-character-focused storyline moving away from its usual yokai-of-the-week narrative. More importantly, it showcases a sympathetic side of Reiko due to her secretly wanting to be friends with Soko. But because her troubling past affected that opportunity, she has instead led herself down a path that only Natsume can fix. As a result, we see her as more than just a troublemaking and selfish young woman many people and Yokai claim her to be. Since we’re nearing the end of its seventh season, I’m happy that Natsume’s Book of Friends was able to further explore Reiko and her role in the series’ narrative with this episode. Better late than never, I suppose. Here’s hoping it doesn’t take us a few more weeks to see its season finale.