Natsume Yuujinchou San – 08
Don’t worry! I AM HERE!
You are sure getting your loads of Natsume love in time, readers, because I am scrambling to get off my blogging backlog so that I have time for some special posts for Metanorn. ^_~ Before that though, just plugging my recent live appearance on the ninety-sixth episode of AAA Podcast, where I reviewed Natsume Yuujinchou along with talking about trends of aniblogging. Interacting with a live audience is quite interesting and I got some very amusing comments. If anybody from there is reading this, thank you for hanging around for two hours! Anyways, let’s kick-start this episodic:
After a lot of action since last few episode, the pacing has gone back to the tranquil mode because just look at Madara being all injured and recuperating after being hit with a cursed arrow by Matoba… DAAAWWW! He doesn’t want Natsume to worry about him too. Though he feigns all is hunky dory, he’s actually suffering and is not even able to lick his wounds (time to hit the gym, Nyanko-pyon!). Hinoe visits to check up on him (she’s one of the youkai, who have their names in Book of Friends willingly and has helped Natsume in different occasions), following whom a lot of other low-level local youkai visit the ailing Nyanko-sensei as well, making a racket in the middle of the night. Natsume is right in thinking, not to leave Nyanko-sensei behind due to all the bullying he would have to face. Not to mention, hearing about a hot spring visit leaves Nyanko-sensei all aflutter as it would be ideal for him to recuperate and put his paws up. Hinoe tells Natsume to collect an herb named oborosou from the same area, which grows on very old trees and would help Nyanko-sensei’s injury heal quickly.
So, why all the preparation? Well, Shigeru has invited Natsume to the same hot springs, which his school visited in the first season as he wants to help out his friend Yasui with one of his pottery classes (the same place from where Natsume brought a pair of teacups for Shigeru). It’s basically male bonding, the father and son kind, where they talk about nothing in particular yet get closer. I had virtual tears of joy, seeing Natsume get some fatherly time because he rarely got any kind of affection before the Fujiwaras took him in.
Another special thing about this town is the fact the Kogitsune lives there, who has more than love for Natsume and considers him like a big brother. Last time they met, Natsume helped him out in dealing with his fears and it has been one year since then and the Kitsune child has grown up to fend off for himself, carrying his daily life with ample amount of food and a shelter on his head all on his own. Though, he still has to also deal with some bullying youkai, who poke fun at him just because. Every day his favourite pastime is to watch the train station from afar in hopes that Natsume would come to visit and what do you know, his wish is granted this time.
It takes time for Natsume to go out and find his old friend because Shigeru keeps him busy in casting their hand-made pottery. Of course, it takes time to bake in the kiln and further painting. In between this time, Natsume goes in search of Kogitsune and the oborosou herb. Though, rather than coming out, Kogitsune stalks him from afar being shy and regretful from all the advice he has recently gotten from a rock youkai god. The wisdom provided to him is true yet set in a traditional pattern from a youkai’s perspective that it’s not good to mingle with humans because they live on a different time, which are fleeting compared to youkai’s. It’s better to stay away because in the end, it only leaves pain.
As Kogitsune is still a child, he gets overwhelmed with these thoughts but still goes out of his way to find the oborosou herb, just so he could prove it to Natsume that he’s grown up and can actually be of use to him. This is his thinking of course, and he scours the whole valley in search of the herb and finally finds it atop a rock hill. Due to rain, he slips on his way to the tree and a sudden landslide happens. He would have been crushed, if it weren’t for the rock youkai god, who comes in between saving him, yet perishing in the process (being a rock youkai god, he would die if he left the rock he’s avatar of, which he does to save the fox child that he recently endeared to).
Like any other reunion in the Natsume-world, this one was heart touching as well. Tears sprang to my eyes with the abandonment of how Kogitsune cried and hugged Natsume. He’s seriously too young even in youkai age to go through so much, losing his parents and even newly made friends. *sniffs*
With the the usual feel-goodness, Natsume leaves the town saying goodbye to Kogitsune with a parting gift of a hand-made plate with a fox on it for him, while takes the bowl with Nyanko-sensei’s (Nyangoro to Shigeru, LOL) head home. However bittersweet the parting was, Natsume wants to treasure every such moment with his family and ever increasing friends, both youkai and humans.
Extra Youkai~
Why are you so adorable, Natsume?! <3
Wimp Insert instead of BL moment. Gomen, Minnah, no such thing this episode :3
DUUUUUDEEE, SHOW ‘EM YOUR FALCON PUNCHE~!
ANIIIIIIIIIKKKKKKKKIIIIIIII~
DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!
End Thoughts:
Kogitsune, come here you! Lemme give you a hug. *hugggllllesssss* He is just too cute and so brave, taking care of himself so responsibly… Aah, his mother would be so proud, wherever she has passed on to. Not to mention, the poor rock youkai god, who saved his life. Being a rock god and even worshipped for many years, he’s one of those youkai who spent their time like a statue as the time passed him by. Human time for him was like a few seconds compared to his long life and that is the reason you can’t really blame him for the advice he gave Kogitsune for continuing his own life rather than befriending a human, who will simply leave him sad because they perish quickly. But I say, if you don’t do something just in fear of getting pain then what about the pleasure a friend’s companionship brings, even if it’s fleeting? Aren’t memories there forever, even if the person isn’t?
This is what Natsume’s ideology is. He doesn’t hunger or even greed after happiness, he’s just contented with whatever is handed to him. After the Matoba arc, if you saw him get overly sad, it was simply because he felt everyone’s pain and knew that he would never go overboard like that however powerful he becomes. He would only go overboard when his friends are in danger and that is his style. So, stop calling him a wimp, he’s too lovable for such titles! =3=
I loved the male bonding in this episode as you can clearly see Shigeru making more than an effort in showing his affection to Natsume, making him feel at ease and he along with Touko would love him unconditionally. This is when the viewer gets the vibe that the Fujiwaras know more than they let on, including Natsume’s powers as they knew Reiko after all. I’m sure whenever Natsume would relax enough to tell them about his abilities; they would accept it with open arms and say that they knew it already because they are cool like that.
Moral of the story? Love and respect your parents, people, and never forget your beloved friends because life is fleeting and you should have enough collected memories to look back later in life with fond memories rather than regret.
Preview:
Nyanko-sensei is feeling better, now that he’s had a load of the oborosou herb. Though like always, there’s a new youkai lurking about as Natsume’s school prepares for a festival. Would he need Hinoe’s help again? Let’s just hope he doesn’t get cursed in the process! >< Ja ne~
About Kyokai
The Boss lady of Metanorn, who makes it all happen. An animanga enthusiast, who watches/reads almost anything that strikes her fancy. Just beware of her Death Perception and always keep her happy. Regularly found at @KyokaiTM & #[email protected].
POWUH: Lovely-pyon~ with 338 comments
<3s for Kogitsune. I missed him and that little snow bunny. Those were some of my favorite episodes. Next to the little chick, expect when it grew up. Great blog post ^_^
POWUH: Meta Team and Ringleader Extraordinaire~ with 6433 comments
Kogitsune is so CUUUTE! It’s awesome to see the old characters getting more screen time this season and he sure grew up to be an awesome kid.
Thank you for the compliment. :3
*first comment cookie*
POWUH: Lovely-pyon~ with 338 comments
nom nom nom Arigatou!
POWUH: iLurker with 19 comments
The rock god was a fucking bad ass. Took on that tree like a champ.
POWUH: Meta Team and Ringleader Extraordinaire~ with 6433 comments
Heck yeah! He forsake eternity for the kid. Dawww!
POWUH: Meta Team and PreCure Mastah with 9203 comments
Daaaawwwwww I liked this episode! Fox kid is always fun to watch, and Natsume got to hang out with Shigeru and yes agreed Kyo he really is trying his best to get close to Natsume.
Lol Nyanko hopefully he gets some recovery time! I always smile seeing him hitching a ride in Natsume’s bag he looks so comfortable <3
POWUH: Meta Team and Ringleader Extraordinaire~ with 6433 comments
He was just too frikkin’ adorable! That long run and when he finally saw Natsume, the way he cried his name… DAWWWW!
Always a good thing, parental bonding and Nyanko-sensei is going to romp around very soon. He’s a tough one, this one; not to mention lazy as hell! xD
POWUH: iLurker with 4 comments
The rock youkai explicitly mentioned that there are 3 type of beings namely youkai, humans and beasts.
It seems that youkai tend to live for very long while beasts lives are shorter than a human one.
This is why the rock youkai said to Kogitsune that he should hurry and find a mate like his mother because time is fleeing for him as opposed to Natsume for example.
Maybe a human year is equivalent to seven fox years as it is the case for a dog…
POWUH: iLurker with 4 comments
Also notice how much Kogitsune has grew in just one year…
POWUH: Meta Team and Ringleader Extraordinaire~ with 6433 comments
I’m not sure about the canon of beast years but good point there that Kogitsune might not live as long as Natsume (which makes me really sad :<). The rock god had some very valid advice because Kogitsune doesn't have his mother to protect him anymore and as he lives alone and even gets bullied by the local youkai, he needs to fend for himself in every possible way. I can only hope he stays in touch with Natsume and grows up to be an awesome Kitsune. :3
Oh also, seeing your iLurker go to 3, I'm glad you popped in to comment as ^^
POWUH: Beginner (20-35) with 25 comments
🙂 I love that little guy. I like it how they bring back characters from other seasons. Natsume is the same adorable guy he always is, at least he had some time bonding with his adopted daddy.
The little plates made me aww so hard at the end, even though the fox looked like it was drawn by a kid. Ahaha.
POWUH: Meta Team and Ringleader Extraordinaire~ with 6433 comments
Kogitsune is just LOVE! And this is the kind of episode that makes you appreciate the Natsume-verse even more because it makes you realize the little things that are important like parental bonding and taking care of friends (Nyanko and Kogitsune both).
I agree, DAWWWs were abundant in this one. ^^
POWUH: Beginner (20-35) with 31 comments
Annnnnnd I’m finally up to date with this series. Yay!
I really enjoyed this ep far more than the previous two. I mean they were ok, but two-part episodes in this show are always a bit sparsely paced for my liking, plus the inclusion of series villains just doesn’t glue me to the screen.
This, on the other hand had everything I love from Natsume; a single, short, bittersweet tale with an interesting message and a lot of heart. More please! 🙂
Ps. you’re a better person than me for not seeing BL vibes during that bath scene. It was all the unintentionally hilarious comments, like ‘let’s change places’ or ‘you’ve grown’. Even if they’re not technically related, I was definitely sensing some
wincringecest undertones. DO NOT WANT!POWUH: Meta Team and Ringleader Extraordinaire~ with 6433 comments
Yayyyyyyy! Anyone who catches up to this, gets loads of <3 from me. This series needs more love!
The thing is, there are not many two-part episodes as Midorikawa hasn't worked on many long arcs for manga as well. But I agree, these types of episodes is what defines Natsume Yuujinchou series because they pack such a strong emotional punch that you are left feeling all touched and DAWWW'd out.
Also, though I like wincest, the age-gap thing is just a big NO-NO for me so my BL goggles were totally fogged up during the bath scene and I didn't want it like your DO NOT WANT. I would rather have them bonding and talking about the weather and 'Nyangoro'. xD
POWUH: iLurker with 3 comments
this episode was so DAWWWW