English Dub Review: Natsume’s Book of Friends “Ayakashi Exorcism”

Overview (Spoilers Below):

Natsume meets a popular actor named Natori Shuuichi, who can also see spirits and has a side job as an exorcist.

Our Take:

So far, Natsume has learned that he and Reiko aren’t the only people who can see spirits. He’s met another student named Tanuma, although he can only sense them to a lesser degree, and a man who once had the ability before it suddenly disappeared. This week’s episode sees Natsume encountering yet another person who can sense the presence of the yokai. However, this guy seemed to have it for a different purpose than the others.

That person is Shuuichi Natori, a famous actor who encounters Natsume and Madara while filming his movie. He’s also an exorcist that removes the spirits due to his ability ruining his childhood, like how Natsume’s life is affected by his gift. Additionally, Natori has a yokai lizard birthmark that moves around on his body, which doesn’t seem creepy at all. After seeing that Natsume can also see spirits, Natori enlists his help in exorcising a yokai that’s been haunting a pawnbroker’s house.

The yokai Natori is after is the one he encountered when he was young. The bandaged yokai had a noose placed around her neck by a priest that could decapitate her at any moment. Natori plans on exorcising the yokai, but it’s later revealed that he was using the spell to break her curse. So the spirit takes on a human form to work for Natori.

Regarding his personality and viewpoints on yokai, Natori seemed to be someone who could pass themselves off as the show’s antagonist. However, the episode showcased him as a misunderstanding person who shares a similar tragedy with Natsume but has different methods of dealing with spirits. While Natsume seeks to help the yokai by reasoning with them and returning their names, Natori’s method involves performing exorcisms and harming the ones who pose a threat. One example of this was when Natori saved Natsume by stabbing a massive spirit’s eye with a stick. Natori performed this action to protect him, even though what he did was admittedly wrong in Natsume’s eyes.

“Ayakashi Exorcism” further proves the show can provide compelling conflicts between the characters without a massive action scene hogging the spotlight. It successfully represents the characters’ different viewpoints on their abilities without making an antagonist out of Natori. A series like this can be pretty dull, with little to no flashy action between good and evil carrying the drama. However, Natsume’s Book of Friends keeps finding ways to make its intended tone engaging and charming, and I’m honestly quite happy that it does.