English Dub Review: Natsume’s Book of Friends “Five-Day Mark”

Overview (Spoilers Below):
Natsume is cursed by an evil spirit which had been sealed to a tree. Not wanting to trouble his adoptive family, he decided to stay away from home.

Our Take:
If you thought getting possessed by a spirit was horrible, just wait until you get cursed by one. The penultimate episode before next week’s finale sees Natsume facing one of the worst things a yokai could do to a human. With the first season drawing to a close, it makes sense that the series decides to make another life-threatening scenario greater than the rest.
The episode sees Natsume encountering a dangerous yokai who’s sealed inside a tree and eats other spirits. After escaping with his life, Natsume discovers that the spirit has placed a curse on his arm. Not only that, but it also affects Madara’s powers. When seeking Misuzu for help, the giant yokai states that the curse can absorb a victim’s life force for five days. After that, the victim gets eaten.
Most of the plot consists of Natsume and Madara attempting to break the yokai’s curse before it breaks free from its tree prison. Fortunately, they receive the help of Hinoe, a yokai posing as a woman who has a strong connection to Reiko. Together, they seek a scroll that summons a bird-like creature that can exorcise the curse-bringing ghost. During the process, Natsume constantly sneaks out of the Fujiwaras’ house so he can protect them from the yokai following him.
The moments involving Natsume staying away from home exemplify his compassionate personality. Even though he’s the only one who can see the spirits, Natsume always strives to protect his loved ones from harm, even if it means getting himself in trouble for lying to Mrs. Fujiwara. However, Hinoe believes that Natsume should cherish his existence and not isolate himself away from his family. From the sound of it, she meant Natsume must be there for his friends and foster parents while protecting them.
If that’s the case, then the episode did a good job representing this part of Natsume’s journey. Additionally, it offers another suitable balance between supernatural frights and light-hearted humor. The comedy, consisting of Madara’s powers going haywire and Hinoe mistaking Natsume for Reiko, never fails to make me chuckle amid its ghostly encounters. Next week’s season one finale will have Natsume attending an autumn festival, so it would be interesting to see if it can conclude this unique yokai series on a high note.