English Dub Review: Natsume’s Book of Friends “Asagi’s Koto”

Overview (Spoilers Below):
Natsume is possessed by a sick koto player, whose friend wants her to be able to play one last time.

Our Take:
We’re not even at the end of its first season, and Natsume still managed to be unintentionally possessed by a yokai. I thought getting possessed by a swallow spirit by accident was embarrassing. The next spirit Natsume comes across is an umbrella carrier named Akagane, who’s carrying his sick friend Asagi in a bottle. Asagi is a koto player affected by a disease that caused her skin to disintegrate.
Akagane has been searching for a body for Asagi to possess so she can play her koto again. Unfortunately for Natsume, the keeper of the Book of Friends seemed to be the perfect fit for the gorgeous yokai. So to get his body back, Natsume has to help Akagane create a homemade koto for Asagi to play with. During the process, Natsume learns more about Akagane, including the umbrella carrier being a bodyguard for Asagi, and encounters a deadly yokai he accidentally talks to.
Most of the episode sees Natsume getting the whole experience of being possessed by Asagi. He shares the same thoughts and feelings as Asagi, including her dream of her body crumbling apart. That sequence with Natsume’s fingers and face disintegrating would’ve been more disturbing if the tone was as dark as the other shows involving yokai. Thankfully, its intended light-heartedness didn’t overshadow how creepy the scene was. There were even a couple of times when Natsume talked like Asagi, which raised concerns for his friends.
“Asagi’s Koto” offers the same amount of heart as the previous episodes, with Akagane wanting to help his friend and Asagi’s inability to play because of her disease. It also isn’t without a few humorous moments, including Tanuma seeing Natsume as a girl and Natsume helping Akagane fish for a line. Although, I will say that Akagane being called “Brelly” was the highlight regarding how cute it sounds. Despite Akagane’s voice being annoying sometimes and my disappointment towards not hearing Asagi play her koto, this is another good episode in the refreshing and gorgeous supernatural series.