English Dub Season Review: Natsume’s Book of Friends Season Seven

Following the release of the season six finale in 2017, we assumed it would be the last time we see Takashi Natsume and his Yokai allies.  That would’ve been the case because we hadn’t heard much about Natsume’s Book of Friends for more than four years.  The wait times between the seasons usually last around one to four years, so I was guessing that anything beyond that range meant we had reached the end of that journey.  However, I was proven wrong when it was revealed that the show was returning for a seventh season, seven years after the release of season six.  A seven-year wait for a seventh season?  Wow, it’s almost as if the cosmos were aligned for this occasion.  Regardless, waiting for us to reunite with the yokai-helping teen and his inugami sidekick was a pretty long time.  Fortunately, this extended absence didn’t hinder the show’s tranquil and charming appeal.

The show’s usual episode count was thirteen for the first four seasons until it was decreased to eleven for the fifth and sixth seasons.  For season seven, it was changed to lucky number twelve, copying the usual episode count from the other anime shows.  Despite that, Natsume’s Book of Friends provides more of the same in its episodic plots in season seven, in which Natsume and Madara encounter more types of yokai.  While they strive to return the yokai’s names from the Book of Friends, the duo also seek to tame or assist them with their problems.  There are also a couple of episodes where they confront the Matoba clan, but they serve as the protagonist’s unlikely allies in their struggle against a specific yokai.  The most notable episodes are “That Which Blocks the Ceremony” and “The House Where a Promise Remains”.  These episodes form a two-part narrative involving Natsume and Natori joining forces with the Matoba clan to perform a ceremony to greet one of the three yokai called “The Three Pillars”.

Whenever a show with episodic slice-of-life narratives has more than five seasons, it usually runs the risk of redundancy in the structures without much development in the characters and plot.  This resulted in it relying on the style, humor, direction, and characters to progress its plots, which are more of the same, just with different yokai.  Most shows succeed in delivering this method, even ones that may have overstayed their welcome, while others are better off with a low-season count.  I’m happy to say that Natsume’s Book of Friends is another series that maintains my dwindling interest despite its repetition.  Whether it’s the likable characters, tranquil tone, arresting animation, or all of the above, the series effortlessly retains the spiritual core that combines supernatural mystery with heartwarming slice-of-life elements.

While a few episodes followed the same structure as previous seasons, Natsume’s Book of Friends also continued the process of including ones that either progressed its character development or explored its supporting characters.  “Natsume on the Moonlit Night” is one example of the latter, which focuses on Nishimura Satoru’s perspective on Natsume’s encounter with an impersonating yokai.  While not as effective as the previous episodes involving the side characters, it was another enjoyable perspective that allowed one of Natsume’s friends to hog the spotlight.  The penultimate episode, “Tell Me Your Name”, also gets credit for exploring more of Reiko’s past, mainly her inspiration to steal the yokai’s names, during Natsume’s encounter with his grandmother’s first victim.

Seven seasons in, Natsume’s Book of Friends still finds a way to retain my attention as much as the Book of Friends retains a yokai’s name.  Similar to previous seasons, some episodes of season seven may not be as effective as others narrative-wise, but they maintain the tranquility and heart of the show’s slice-of-life aspects and presentation to keep its spiritual essence alive.  It’s an example of the phrase “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”, in which a show kept the elements that worked in the other seasons, such as its serene tone, animation, and likable characters, to preserve its quality.  It can be challenging for a slice-of-life series to retain its longevity for more than five seasons, let alone one involving yokai.  However, Natsume’s Book of Friends managed to be one of those shows that’s able to accomplish this task, and I can only say that I was impressed with the result.  If you have yet to check out this anime, I still hope that my experience with Natsume’s Book of Friends will convince you to do so.