Natsume's Book of Friends, Vol. 2
Registered by 
GoryDetails
of Nashua, New Hampshire USA on 11/3/2010
This Book is Currently in the Wild!
GoryDetails of Nashua, New Hampshire USA on 11/3/2010 This Book is Currently in the Wild!
1 journaler for this copy...
I found this fair-condition trade paperback at a local Annie's Book Stop, and liked the look of the artwork. The storyline appealed to me, too - it's about a boy who has the ability to see magical beings, a talent that caused him no end of grief growing up, but that apparently turns into a life's-work kind of talent for him.
[After I bought the first two volumes I looked up the TV Tropes entry, which appeared under the name "Natsume Yuujinchou""; from what I read there, I think I may have hit on a winner!]
Later: Another charming entry in the series. The episodic structure remains, with enough of an introduction to fill the new reader in on Natsume's abilities and the Book of Friends. Some of the yokai here are pretty creepy - "There's someone on your ceiling" - and some are quite threatening, though we find out that Nyanko, usually seen in the form of a chubby little cat, has a much larger, fiercer, and more glamorous form. [See him on the cover. Wow!]
In some of the cases, Natsume sees more of his grandmother Reiko via the memories associated with the names. And in one lighter moment, he's mistaken for her by a yokai who's more than a little surprised to find that "Reiko" now has a very flat chest!
Another yokai tests Natsume, and in the process teaches him that the relationships between yokai and humans are more complex than he had thought.
And in another story, Natsume meets someone else who can see yokai, one Mr. Natori, a handsome young man who's an actor - but also an exorcist. He has a small black gecko on his skin, looking like a tattoo, except that it moves around - it's a yokai too. And he's made a bit of a business of using friendly yokai to do some legwork for him when he researches the more troublesome kind. His methods of dealing with them don't always coincide with Natsume's, but the boy is so happy to have met someone else who can see the things he does that he's willing to try and understand Natori's viewpoint.
There's a bittersweet romance story too, giving this collection an enjoyable mix.
Volumes I have so far:
Volume One
Volume Two
Volume Three
Volume Four
Volume Five
[There's an anime version as well; I've watched some of it online (in Japanese, with English subtitles) via Crunchyroll, and found it just as charming as the manga. Recommended!]
[After I bought the first two volumes I looked up the TV Tropes entry, which appeared under the name "Natsume Yuujinchou""; from what I read there, I think I may have hit on a winner!]
Later: Another charming entry in the series. The episodic structure remains, with enough of an introduction to fill the new reader in on Natsume's abilities and the Book of Friends. Some of the yokai here are pretty creepy - "There's someone on your ceiling" - and some are quite threatening, though we find out that Nyanko, usually seen in the form of a chubby little cat, has a much larger, fiercer, and more glamorous form. [See him on the cover. Wow!]
In some of the cases, Natsume sees more of his grandmother Reiko via the memories associated with the names. And in one lighter moment, he's mistaken for her by a yokai who's more than a little surprised to find that "Reiko" now has a very flat chest!
Another yokai tests Natsume, and in the process teaches him that the relationships between yokai and humans are more complex than he had thought.
And in another story, Natsume meets someone else who can see yokai, one Mr. Natori, a handsome young man who's an actor - but also an exorcist. He has a small black gecko on his skin, looking like a tattoo, except that it moves around - it's a yokai too. And he's made a bit of a business of using friendly yokai to do some legwork for him when he researches the more troublesome kind. His methods of dealing with them don't always coincide with Natsume's, but the boy is so happy to have met someone else who can see the things he does that he's willing to try and understand Natori's viewpoint.
There's a bittersweet romance story too, giving this collection an enjoyable mix.
Volumes I have so far:
Volume One
Volume Two
Volume Three
Volume Four
Volume Five
[There's an anime version as well; I've watched some of it online (in Japanese, with English subtitles) via Crunchyroll, and found it just as charming as the manga. Recommended!]
Journal Entry 2 by GoryDetails at Used Book Superstore in Nashua, New Hampshire USA on Thursday, March 10, 2011
GoryDetails at Used Book Superstore in Nashua, New Hampshire USA on Thursday, March 10, 2011
Released 13 yrs ago (3/10/2011 UTC) at Used Book Superstore in Nashua, New Hampshire USA
WILD RELEASE NOTES:
I donated this book to the Used Book Superstore; as of about 3 p.m. it was on the manga shelf near the Young Adult section. [The stores sell donated books for relatively low prices - $1.99 for paperbacks - with some of the proceeds going to various local charities. I've found some great books there, and like to give some back now and then.] Hope the buyer enjoys the book!
