English Dub Review: Natsume’s Book of Friends “A World Unbent”

Overview (Spoilers Below):

Natori’s family has always been exorcists…until they lost the ability to see yokai.  After generations of fearing the yokai’s revenge, Natori is suddenly born with the ability to see them.  His family doesn’t want anything to do with his powers, though, and he’s left to figure out how to live on his own.  His life changes when he meets a young Matoba at an exorcist gathering, and the two of them end up hunting a powerful yokai together… 

Our Take: 

We’re already at the tail end of the fifth season, and the series finally decided to revamp its repetitive structure.  So far, most of the episodes I have watched have mainly focused on Natsume helping a specific yokai and returning their names from the Book of Friends.  However, this special episode of Natsume’s Book of Friends takes its narrative structure in a different direction by focusing solely on the show’s supporting characters.  The characters in question are a pair of exorcists on opposite sides, Natori Shuuichi and Matoba Seiji.

“A World Unbent” is a flashback episode showcasing their origins before they first confront Natsume.  Before Natori became a famous actor/exorcist, he was born with the ability to perceive and hear yokai and gained a ghostly lizard inside his skin.  While attempting to find his own path of living, Natori finds guidance from his mentor, Takuma Yousuke.  While training to hone his exorcist skills, Takuma informs Natori about the Matoba clan, an organization desiring to exorcise yokai.  He then confronts a teenage heir of the clan, Matoba Seiji, who assists him in taking down a much stronger three-horned yokai targeting other exorcists.

With this new perspective, the season strengthened its repetitive structure by expanding the exorcists further.  Natori is somehow equivalent to Natsume due to their abilities, which makes them outcasts.  After finding the world of exorcists, Natori has found acceptance from those who do and is inspired to strengthen his exorcist skills to save people and grow stronger.  As for Matoba, he’s still the snarky and troublesome exorcist we’ve expected from the earlier episodes, which is enough to annoy Natori as he did with Natsume.  While it may not examine the relationship between Natori and Matoba further in the future, “A World Unbent” is a refreshing breather from Natsume’s usual yokai adventures that explores the tranquil world from an exorcist’s perspective.