Natsume Yūjin-chō

is a Japanese manga series by Yuki Midorikawa. It began serialization by Hakusensha in the '' shōjo'' manga magazine ''LaLa DX'' in 2005, before switching to '' LaLa'' in 2008. The chapters have been collected in twenty-nine bound volumes.

The series is about Takashi Natsume, an orphaned teenage boy who can see spirits, and one day finds the notebook that his deceased and mysterious maternal grandmother Reiko Natsume who, possesseing extraordinarily strong spiritual powers, used to bind powerful spirits ('' ayakashi'' or ''yokai'') that she defeated under her control. He thus resolves to give back all the names in the notebook, and in the process joins forces with another spirit called Madara who knew Reiko when she was still alive. He takes the form of an overweight cat and intends to take back the notebook after Natsume dies. Until then he agreed to protect Natsume from the spirits who wants to harm him for being the grandson of the infamous '' miko'' Natsume Reiko. ''Natsume's Book of Friends'' was a finalist for the first Manga Taishō award in 2008.

''Natsume's Book of Friends'' has been adapted as a series of drama CDs, as well as an anime television series produced by Brain's Base (seasons 1–4) and Shuka (seasons 5–6), which was broadcast on TV Tokyo for 6 seasons in 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2016 and 2017. The manga is licensed for English-language release in North America by Viz Media, which released the first volume in January 2010.

The first four seasons of the anime have been licensed by NIS America for a North American release in 2012. A fifth season began airing on October 4, 2016. A sixth season began airing on April 11, 2017.

'' Natsume's Book of Friends the Movie: Ephemeral Bond'' was released in theaters on September 29, 2018.

A new film of two special episodes titled '' Natsume's Book of Friends: The Waking Rock and the Strange Visitor'' was released in theaters on January 16, 2021.

Story

For as long as he can remember, Takashi Natsume has had the ability to see spirits, inheriting the power from his grandmother Reiko Natsume. This ability resulted in his having a lonely childhood because children his age considered him strange. He had also been passed from one relative to another. Upon her death, Reiko bequeathed to her grandson her Book of Friends, a book containing the names of spirits she had bullied into servitude.

The Book of Friends is considered a highly prized item in the spirit world, and spirits -
both good and malicious – haunt Takashi constantly because of it. Takashi spends his time dissolving the contracts that Reiko created and releasing the various spirits that come to him for help. Malicious spirits on the other hand try to kill him to obtain possession of the book, which is where Madara (called Nyanko-sensei by Natsume) comes in. Madara serves as Natsume's bodyguard and spiritual advisor of sorts, even though ostensibly he is motivated by his own desire to possess the Book of Friends. He later begins to become more attached to Takashi, with the latter forming a similar bond with Madara.

Characters

Main characters

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: Takashi Natsume, like his deceased grandmother Reiko, is able to see ayakashi/yokai (i.e., "spirits"; the anime/manga often uses the two terms interchangeably). It is from Reiko that Takashi inherited the "Book of Friends" – a ledger of names written by ayakashi after being bested by Reiko in some type of contest. Because possession of an ''ayakashis name obliges it to heed the command of they who call it, the abuse potential of the Book of Friends is vast: and as such, is largely considered too powerful and forbidden to actually really exist.
: Because of Takashi's strong resemblance to Reiko (both in appearance and immensely strong spiritual powers), yokai routinely mistake Natsume for his grandmother, often pursuing him intensely, under the mistaken presumption of shared history and understanding. Accordingly, a regular part of Natsume's daily life is spent trying to cope with the idiosyncrasies, and discern the true intentions of such yokai: e.g., those who resent Reiko but covet the power of the Book of Friends; those who feel lonely and hurt that Reiko never calls upon them anymore; those who simply want their names returned to them; and pretty much anywhere or everywhere in between. Upon discovering the Book of Friends, Natsume – kindly but detached in demeanor, driven in equal parts by curiousness and conscientiousness – decided to take responsibility on his own terms, to return the names of the dozens of ''ayakashi'' to their owners himself: and in doing so, learn more about his maternal grandmother and the intimate connection they shared. He is aided in this by the formidable yokai Madara (whom he calls "Nyanko-sensei": a nod to both his usual cat-like appearance and his self-proclaimed job-title of "bodyguard"), to whom he has promised the Book of Friends should he die.
: Natsume is an orphan; his mother having died giving birth to him and his father died when he was a very young child, leaving him to be passed from paternal relative to paternal relative: in large part due to the "odd" or "creepy" behaviors one might expect from a young child able to see creatures no one else could see. Behind Natsume's perpetual distant smile hides a childhood spent in constant anxiety and shame: borne in equal parts of the ayakashi and the people who called him a liar and attention-seeker because of them. Natsume is eventually passed on to the Fujiwaras, a middle-aged couple on his late father's side of the family. He loves them, and does not want to cause them trouble, so he keeps this 'alternate landscape' problem to himself. Being the only grandchild and descendant of the infamous Reiko, his innate spiritual powers are quite immense, allowing him to actually incapacitate and/or purify ''yokai'' with one punch alone.
: Natsume is described by Yuki Midorikawa as "a boy who is trying to be a kind person."
: Natsume returns the name inscribed in the Book of Friends by first picturing the ayakashi in his mind. The book flips to the page on which the name is written and Natsume takes the page and places it in his mouth and exhales. Natsume is only able to do this because he is Reiko's blood relative. The cost of releasing the name, however, is that Natsume's energy is completely drained in the process. If an ayakashi becomes emotionally unstable, in the same space as a sleeping Natsume its dreams may flow into Natsume's.
: On the other hand, most of the ayakashi let Natsume see their memories, so that he can understand them better. Natsume can also see their memories when he releases a yokai's name. When Natsume is completely frustrated over a problem and falls asleep in class, he actually sleep-draws in his notebook about whatever is bothering him at the time. When he was being chased by a shadow he called "Mary", he started drawing it in his sleep, making his friends wonder if he was in love with a foreigner. His incredibly strong ability in spiritual magic and strength causes him to smell "yummy" to man-eating yokai, as Madara puts it.
: Natsume's incredibly strong spiritual power and his keen senses leave him targeted by yokai and wanted by exorcists. At the beginning Natori wants him to join his exorcist clan, but later prefers him as a friend. Matoba, a powerful exorcist, also tries to recruit Natsume to the Matoba clan.
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:
: A mysterious inugami. Madara was sealed in a shrine until he was accidentally released by Natsume. Because Madara was trapped in a material form for so long, Madara ordinarily takes on the shape of a ''maneki neko'' (lucky cat), leading Natsume to nickname him Nyanko-sensei. In this form, other people can see him, leading for Natsume having to ask his guardians if he could keep him as a pet. He is a powerful ayakashi, who protects Natsume from others and teaches him spells on occasion, in return for Natsume's promise to give him the Book of Friends when he dies, so Madara often complains when Natsume returns other yokai's names, saying that at this rate there will be nothing left in the Book when Natsume dies. They often fight each other, which leads to Natsume punching Madara on the face and knocking him out. But as the story progresses, Madara takes a liking to Natsume. Despite his protests of not being a cat, he likes to play with cat toys. Nyanko's design is based on a lucky cat statue Midorikawa was given as a child. In the anime, Natsume is more respectful to Madara. Many times in the manga, other characters call Madara a 'pig' because of his round shape as a maneki neko. This annoys him a lot. Madara is implied to have had a close relationship with Reiko, which is implied to be one of the reasons he is content to be Takashi Natsume's spirit companion.
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: Natsume's grandmother, from whom he inherited the ability to see yokai. When Reiko was young, she was considered a freak by everyone else because of her ability. Since she believed no human could ever understand her, she turned to the spirits for companionship. Reiko was extraordinarily powerful, and so she bullied spirits in to obeying her by playing games with them. If they lost, she would make them give her their names. Reiko gathered the names in to the Book of Friends, and commanded most spirits, excluding Madara. Madara mentions that she had sloppy table manners and was very forgetful. Reiko died when she was young under a tree, so no one remembered her, which was her wish.

Supporting

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: Another student that had recently moved into the area. He is sickly and quite susceptible to illnesses. Like Natsume, he is able to detect spirits, but to a lesser degree limited to seeing merely shadows and sensing slight presence of spirits. He wants to help Natsume in any way he can, but is afraid that he will just be a burden because of his weak ability. He became a close companion and even knew about Natsume's secret of seeing spirits and always helped him whenever he is in a tight spot.

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: A new girl at school who rarely talks because of a curse a spirit has placed on her, which Natsume later helps her to break. She is an onmyouji; she cannot see spirits without drawing a magic circle. Taki, like Tanuma, wants to help Natsume in any way possible.

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: The president of Natsume's homeroom. Sasada believes that Natsume can see spirits, although he repeatedly denies this to her. To Natsume's chagrin, she frequently tries to accompany him when he is on business involving spirits. She is a recurring character in the anime; in the manga, she is rarely seen after the encounter with Shigure due to transferring to another school from her step-father's job.

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: A man who is also able to see spirits. He is a famous actor and exorcist and has a lizard birthmark that moves around on his body. He has the ability to manipulate paper dolls (Shikigami) and has three spirits under his command. Natsume tends to disapprove of his forceful exorcism methods. When Natori is first introduced, he hated spirits for his horrible childhood. But, after meeting Natsume, he gradually softens even though his ways aren't much different. Over the course, Natori develop concern for Natsume's well-being for he tends to be reckless when it involves with spirits.

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: The head of the Matoba clan. A cold-hearted man, Seiji is an exorcist who doesn't mind sacrificing innocent youkai to reach his goals. Although he wants stronger youkai to protect humans, he will not hesitate in hurting anyone who gets in his way. He is mostly seen armed with a bow and arrow, which he uses to eliminate youkai. There is a scar on his right eye, covered by an eyepatch with a spell on it, due to a past member of the Matoba clan offering his eye to a youkai for assistance but ended up breaking his promise. This causes later heads of the clan to have their eye targeted by that youkai, and the distrust from other clans. After his first encounter with Natsume he takes great interest in him, and even later asks him to join the Matoba clan.

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: Classmates of Natsume. Kitamoto is a sensible and rational person, while Nishimura is funny and easy-going, with a slightly perverted side. Although Natsume initially rejects their overtures of friendship because of his fears of his ability being found out, he eventually becomes friends with them, although they still hang around more with each other than Natsume. Nishimura has a crush on Taki, but thinks that she and Natsume are going out.

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: A childless middle-aged couple and Natsume's current foster parents. Shigeru is a second cousin of Natsume's dead father, and as a boy once met Reiko without recognizing it was her. Both Touko and Shigeru assure Natsume that they consider him a part of their family. They both worry often about him, wanting him to be as happy as possible. Despite this, Natsume goes to great lengths to hide his ability from them. Slowly, Natsume comes to understand that his keeping the Fujiwaras at a distance, including always addressing them formally (see Honorific speech in Japanese), is preventing him from forming close human attachments. Despite this, he still fears being rejected because of his abilities.

;
: and Hiroshi Shimozaki

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: A powerful youkai whose form is a human woman. She is madly in love with Reiko Natsume. Being knowledgeable, she often acts as Takashi Natsume's mentor. Hinoe enjoys teasing Natsume and Madara.

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:A huge powerful horse youkai with many followers. He acknowledges that Natsume Takashi is a worthy holder of the Book of Friends and offers himself as Natsume's bodyguard in place of the "useless" Madara.

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:

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: An orphaned fox youkai whose form is a boy with fox ears and tail however humans only see him as an infant fox. He becomes friends with Natsume after being rescued from bullying youkai.

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Yokai

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:{{Voiced by, Mamiko Noto, Natalie Hoover

; {{nihongo, Evil Sealed Yokai, 印使いの邪鬼
:{{Voiced by, Tadashi Miyazawa

; {{nihongo, Benio, 紅峰
:{{Voiced by, Misa Watanabe, Kelsey Maher

; {{nihongo, Riou, リオウ, Riō
:{{Voiced by, Masaya Matsukaze, Oscar Seung

; {{nihongo, Gen, 玄
:{{Voiced by, Hiroyuki Yoshino

; {{nihongo, Sui, 翠
:{{Voiced by, Ayahi Takagaki

; {{nihongo, Sumie, スミエ
:{{Voiced by, Takako Honda

; {{nihongo, Eggy, タマ, Tama
:{{Voiced by, Sayaka Aoki, Jalitza Chantel, Alex Hom (Enraged form)

; {{nihongo, Kirinoha, 霧葉
:{{Voiced by, Yuka Terasaki, Hannah Alyea

; {{nihongo, Stitch Mark Yokai, 額傷の妖怪
:{{Voiced by, Takayuki Sugō, Alex Hom

; {{nihongo, Sasafune, 笹舟
:{{Voiced by, Ryō Hirohashi

; {{nihongo, Miya, 巳弥
:{{Voiced by, Yū Sugimoto

; {{nihongo, Karime, カリメ
:{{Voiced by, Ryūsaku Chiziwa

; {{nihongo, Kai, カイ
:{{Voiced by, Junko Takeuchi

Humans

; {{nihongo, Hana, ハナ
:{{Voiced by, Michie Kita, Nazia Chaudhry

; {{nihongo, Taniozaki, 谷尾崎
:{{Voiced by, Satoshi Tsuruoka

; {{nihongo, Akifumi Sugino, 杉野 章史
:{{Voiced by, Kenji Hamada

; {{nihongo, Tamiko, 民子
:{{Voiced by, Sawa Ishige

; {{nihongo, Nanase, 七瀬
:{{Voiced by, Mika Doi, Yoriko Nagata (Young)

; {{nihongo, Chizu Sakanaka, 坂中千津, Sakanaka Chizu
:{{Voiced by, Ikuko Tani

; {{nihongo, Yasaka, 八坂
:{{Voiced by, Kenji Nojima

; {{nihongo, Katsumi Shibata, 柴田 克己, Shibata Katsumi
:{{Voiced by, Yoshimasa Hosoya

; {{nihongo, Natsume's Father, 夏目の父}
:{{Voiced by, Katsuyuki Konishi
: Natsume's biological father who was deceased in Natsume's childhood.

Development

Midorikawa created ''Natsume's Book of Friends'' as an episodic serial for a manga magazine published every two months, so that each chapter was a story that could be read on its own. As the result of earlier writing a ghost story that an editor made her revise to include more romance than she initially wanted,{{cite book, first=Yuki, last=Midorikawa, title=Natsume's Book of Friends, volume 1, date=January 2010, orig-year=2005, isbn=978-1-4215-3243-1, publisher=Viz Media, location=San Francisco, page=77 Midorikawa specifically created ''Natsume's Book of Friends'' as a supernatural story with less romance,{{cite book, first=Yuki, last=Midorikawa, title=Natsume's Book of Friends, volume 1, date=January 2010, orig-year=2005, isbn=978-1-4215-3243-1, publisher=Viz Media, location=San Francisco, page=83 containing supernatural elements that stir readers' imaginations the way stories about yōkai and local gods stirred hers growing up in a rural area. For the basic story, she wanted to write about a boy and his non-human teacher,{{cite book, first=Yuki, last=Midorikawa, title=Natsume's Book of Friends, volume 1, date=January 2010, orig-year=2005, isbn=978-1-4215-3243-1, publisher=Viz Media, location=San Francisco, page=25 and include the incongruous element of the boy's grandmother in a school uniform.{{cite book, first=Yuki, last=Midorikawa, title=Natsume's Book of Friends, volume 1, date=January 2010, orig-year=2005, isbn=978-1-4215-3243-1, publisher=Viz Media, location=San Francisco, chapter=Afterword, page=196

This was the first series Midorikawa wrote in which the protagonist was also the central character. Midorikawa claimed that as a character Natsume is almost as bad as herself at expressing his thoughts, which caused her to use more interior monologue than she was comfortable with for a male character.

Media

Manga

''Natsume's Book of Friends'' is written and illustrated by Yuki Midorikawa and published in Japan by Hakusensha. It began serialization in 2005 in the bimonthly '' shōjo'' (aimed at teenage girls) manga magazine ''LaLa DX''; in 2008, serialization switched to the monthly sister magazine '' LaLa''.{{cite web, url=http://www.akata.fr/auteur.php?id=50, title=Catalogue manga – MIDORIKAWA Yuki, publisher= Decourt, language=fr, access-date=June 19, 2009 The untitled chapters have been collected in twenty-nine ''tankōbon'' volumes.

The series is licensed in English in North America by Viz Media, with the first volume published in January 2010. It is also licensed in French by Delcourt,{{cite web, url=http://www.akata.fr/manga.php?id=82, title=Pacte des Yôkai (Le) – Manga Delcourt/Akata, publisher= Decourt, language=fr, access-date=June 19, 2009 in South Korea by Haksan,{{cite web, url=http://www.haksanpub.co.kr/comics/comics_prod_view.asp?prod_code=C2000388&vol_code=1, script-title=ko:나츠메 우인장 1권, publisher=Haksan Culture Company, language=ko, access-date=October 11, 2010 in Taiwan by Tong Li,{{cite web, url=http://www.tongli.com.tw/bookslist.aspx?b=hc672, script-title=zh:妖怪連絡簿, publisher= Tong Li Publishing, language=zh, access-date=June 20, 2009, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170403111032/http://www.tongli.com.tw/bookslist.aspx?b=hc672, archive-date=April 3, 2017, url-status=dead, df=mdy-all in Thailand by Bongkoch Publishing,{{cite web, url=http://www.bongkoch.com/catalog/product_info.php?manufacturers_id=&products_id=5084, script-title=th:นัตซึเมะกับบันทึกพิศวง 1, publisher=Bongkoch Publishing, language=th, access-date=June 20, 2009 in Germany by Egmont Manga & Anime,{{cite web, url=https://www.egmont-manga.de/buch-buchreihe/pakt-der-yokai/, title=Pakt der Yokai – Egmont Manga, language=de, access-date=March 29, 2009 in Italy by Panini Comics, in Indonesia by Elex Media Komputindo, in Vietnam by Tre Publishing House, in Russia by XL Media and in Poland by Studio JG.

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{{Graphic novel list
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{{Graphic novel list
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{{Graphic novel list
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, LicensedISBN = 978-1-4215-5967-4
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{{Graphic novel list
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, OriginalISBN = 978-4-592-19366-1
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, LicensedISBN = 978-1-4215-6782-2
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{{Graphic novel list
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, OriginalISBN = 978-4-592-19367-8
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, LicensedISBN = 978-1-4215-7524-7
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{{Graphic novel list
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, OriginalISBN = 978-4-592-19368-5
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, LicensedISBN = 978-1-4215-8024-1
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{{Graphic novel list
, VolumeNumber = 19
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, OriginalISBN = 978-4-592-19369-2
, LicensedRelDate = January 5, 2016{{cite web, url=https://www.viz.com/read/manga/natsumes-book-of-friends-volume-19/product/3730, title=Natsume's Book of Friends, Volume 19, publisher=Viz Media, access-date=October 18, 2020
, LicensedISBN = 978-1-4215-8248-1
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{{Graphic novel list
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, OriginalISBN = 978-4-592-19370-8
, LicensedRelDate = March 7, 2017{{cite web, url=https://www.viz.com/read/manga/natsumes-book-of-friends-volume-20/product/5064, title=Natsume's Book of Friends, Volume 20, publisher=Viz Media, access-date=October 18, 2020
, LicensedISBN = 978-1-4215-9162-9
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{{Graphic novel list
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, OriginalISBN = 978-4-592-19371-5
, LicensedRelDate = January 2, 2018{{cite web, url=https://www.viz.com/read/manga/natsumes-book-of-friends-volume-21/product/5372, title=Natsume's Book of Friends, Volume 21, publisher=Viz Media, access-date=October 18, 2020
, LicensedISBN = 978-1-4215-9587-0
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{{Graphic novel list
, VolumeNumber = 22
, OriginalRelDate = September 5, 2017{{cite web, url=http://www.s-book.net/plsql/slib_detail?isbn=9784592193722, script-title=ja:夏目友人帳 22, trans-title=Natsume Yūjinchō 22, publisher= Hakusensha, language=ja, access-date=September 5, 2017, title=S-book.net Library Service
, OriginalISBN = 978-4-592-19372-2
, LicensedRelDate = October 2, 2018{{cite web, url=https://www.viz.com/read/manga/natsumes-book-of-friends-volume-22/product/5661, title=Natsume's Book of Friends, Volume 22, publisher=Viz Media, access-date=August 11, 2018
, LicensedISBN = 978-1-4215-9653-2
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{{Graphic novel list
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, OriginalISBN = 978-4-592-19373-9
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{{Graphic novel list
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, OriginalISBN = 978-4-592-19374-6
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, LicensedISBN = 978-1-9747-2119-1
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{{Graphic novel list
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, OriginalISBN = 978-4-592-19376-0
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{{Graphic novel list
, VolumeNumber = 27
, OriginalRelDate = September 3, 2021{{cite web, url=http://www.s-book.net/plsql/slib_detail?isbn=9784592193777, script-title=ja:夏目友人帳 27, trans-title=Natsume Yūjinchō 27, publisher= Hakusensha, language=ja, access-date=July 27, 2021, title=S-book.net Library Service
, OriginalISBN = 978-4-592-19377-7
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, LicensedISBN = 978-1-9747-3241-8
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{{Graphic novel list
, VolumeNumber = 28
, OriginalRelDate = May 2, 2022{{cite web, url=https://www.hakusensha.co.jp/comicslist/63095/, script-title=ja:夏目友人帳 28, trans-title=Natsume Yūjinchō 28, publisher= Hakusensha, language=ja, access-date=August 5, 2022, title=S-book.net Library Service
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{{Graphic novel list
, VolumeNumber = 29
, OriginalRelDate = January 4, 2023{{cite web, url=https://www.hakusensha.co.jp/comicslist/65293/, script-title=ja:夏目友人帳 29, trans-title=Natsume Yūjinchō 29, publisher= Hakusensha, language=ja, access-date=January 16, 2023, title=S-book.net Library Service
, OriginalISBN = 978-4-592-19379-1
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{{Graphic novel list/footer

In addition, a fan book was published on January 5, 2009 ({{ISBN, 978-4-592-18696-0){{cite web, url=http://www.s-book.net/plsql/slib_detail?isbn=9784592186960, script-title=ja:夏目友人帳公式ファンブック─夏目と友人たち─, publisher= Hakusensha, language=ja, access-date=June 19, 2009, title=S-book.net Library Service and a notebook reproduction of ''Natsume's Book of Friends'' was published on July 3, 2009 ({{ISBN, 978-4-592-18690-8).{{cite web, url=http://www.s-book.net/plsql/slib_detail?isbn=9784592186908, script-title=ja:ニャンコ先生友人帳 夏目友人帳公式ニャンブック, publisher= Hakusensha, language=ja, access-date=June 19, 2009, title=S-book.net Library Service

Drama CDs

''Natsume's Book of Friends'' has been adapted as a series of three drama CDs, which were distributed as extras with issues of ''LaLa''.

# ''LaLa Treasure'' Drama CD (October 2007)
# ''LaLa Excellent'' Drama CD (November 2008)
# ''LaLa Double Premiere'' Drama CD (May 2009)

Anime

{{Main, List of Natsume's Book of Friends episodes''Natsume's Book of Friends'' has been adapted as an anime television series produced by Brain's Base, directed by Takahiro Omori.{{cite web, url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2008-02-22/natsume-yujin-cho-manga-to-be-animated-for-tv, title=Natsume Yujin-Cho Manga to be Animated for TV, publisher=Anime News Network, access-date=2009-05-03 It was broadcast on the TV Tokyo network. Seasons 1 & 2 were released on five DVDs each.{{cite web, url=http://www.hakusensha.co.jp/natsume/dvd_cd/index.html, publisher= Hakusensha, language=ja, script-title=ja:夏目友人帳, access-date=January 11, 2010, url-status=dead, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100330081838/http://www.hakusensha.co.jp/natsume/dvd_cd/index.html, archive-date=March 30, 2010

The series is streamed online by Crunchyroll; episodes of the second season were available online on the day of broadcast.{{cite web, url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2009-01-01/crunchyroll-to-post-natsume-yujin-cho-anime-on-monday, title=Crunchyroll to Post Natsume Yūjin-Chō Anime on Monday, date=January 1, 2009, publisher=Anime News Network, access-date=June 20, 2009
NIS America has licensed the series for retail release in North America. NIS America later released the series from Volume 1 through Volume 3 alongside ''Natsume's Book of Friends'' seasons 1 and 2 on February 4, 2014.{{cite web, title=Standard Editions announced for kimi ni todoke and Natsume's Book of Friends Season 1 & 2, url=http://www.capsulecomputers.com.au/2014/01/standard-editions-announced-for-kimi-ni-todoke-and-natsumes-book-of-friends-season-1-2/, publisher=Capsule Computers, date=January 14, 2014, access-date=January 14, 2020
It is also licensed in Chinese by Muse Communication.

The English dub premiered on Crunchyroll on July 24, 2022. The series is based on the first seventy-three chapters.
{, class="wikitable sortable mw-collapsible"
!Season
!Name
!Total Episodes
!Air Date
!Opening Theme
!Ending Theme
, -
, Season 1
, Natsume Yūjin-chō
''Natsume's Book of Friends''
, 13
, 7 July 2008
, Issei no Sei
(一斉の声, ''"Simultaneous Voice"'')

By Shūhei Kita
, Natsu Yuuzora Sky
(夏夕空, ''"Summer Evening "'')

By Kousuke Atari.{{cite web, url=http://www.tv-tokyo.co.jp/contents/natsume/staff/index.html, publisher=TV Tokyo, language=ja, script-title=ja:あにてれ：夏目友人帳, access-date=June 20, 2009
, -
, Season 2
, Zoku Natsume Yūjin-chō
''Natsume's Book of Friends Continued''

続 夏目友人帳
, 13
, 5 January 2009
, Ano Hi Time Machine
(あの日タイムマシン, ''"That Day's Time Machine"'')

By Long Shot Party
, Aishiteru
(愛してる, ''"I Love You"'')

By Kourin (pronounced as Callin').{{cite web, url=http://www.tv-tokyo.co.jp/contents/zokunatsume/staff/index.html, publisher=TV Tokyo, language=ja, script-title=ja:あにてれ：続 夏目友人帳, access-date=June 20, 2009, url-status=dead, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090531233510/http://www.tv-tokyo.co.jp/contents/zokunatsume/staff/index.html, archive-date=May 31, 2009
, -
, Season 3
, Natsume Yūjin-chō San
''Natsume's Book of Friends Three''

夏目友人帳 参
, 13
, 5 July 2011
, Boku ni Dekiru Koto
(僕にできること, ''"I Can Do"'')

By HOW MERRY MARRY
, Kimi no Kakera
(君ノカケラ?, ''"Pieces of You"'')

By Kousuke Atari featuring Emiri Miyamoto.
, -
, Season 4
, Natsume Yūjin-chō Shi
''Natsume's Book of Friends Four''

夏目友人帳 肆
, 13
, 2 January 2012
, Ima, Kono Toki
(今、このとき, ''"Now, This Time"'')

By Hiiragi
, Takaramono
(たからもの, "''Treasure"'')

By Marina Kawano
, -
, Season 5
, Natsume Yūjin-Chō Go
''Natsume's Book of Friends Five''

夏目友人帳 伍
, 11
, 4 October 2016
, Takarabako
(タカラバコ, "''Treasure Box"'')

By Sasanomaly
, Akane Sasu
(茜さす, "''Glowing Red"'')

By Aimer.
, -
, Season 6
, Natsume Yūjin-chō Roku
''Natsume's Book of Friends Six''

夏目友人帳 陸
, 11
, 11 April 2017
, Furōria
(フローリア, ''"Floria"'')

By Tomohisa Sako
, Kimi no Uta
(きみのうた, ''"Your Song"'')

By Rei Yasuda.

Films

{{Main, Natsume's Book of Friends the Movie, Natsume's Book of Friends: The Waking Rock and the Strange Visitor

Others

An OVA titled {{nihongo, ''Itsuka Yuki no Hi ni'', いつかゆきのひに was released on February 5, 2014, with the staff and cast of the previous anime seasons returning. The BD/DVD consisted of two discs, the second containing a clip of the "Sound Theatre x Natsume Yuujinchou ~ Tsudoi Ongeki no Shou~" musical event which was held the previous year on September 28, 2013. A new theatrical anime titled ''Natsume's Book of Friends: The Waking Rock and the Strange Visitor'' premiered on January 16, 2021. The film is composed of two stories, "Ishi Okoshi" and "Ayashiki Raihōsha". The main staff and cast members from the previous film are returning to reprise their roles with the addition of Hisako Kanemoto as a guest-star.

Separate soundtrack albums for the two seasons were released in Japan by Sony Music on September 24, 2008 and March 18, 2009, respectively.{{cite web, url=http://www.sonymusic.co.jp/Music/Arch/ST/SoundTrack/SVWC-7580/index.html, title=Sony Music Online Japan : サウンドトラック : 夏目友人帳音楽集 おとのけの捧げもの, publisher=Sony Music, language=ja, access-date=June 26, 2009{{cite web, url=http://www.sonymusic.co.jp/Music/Arch/ST/SoundTrack/SVWC-7611/index.html, title=Sony Music Online Japan : サウンドトラック : 続 夏目友人帳 音楽集 いとうるわしきもの, publisher=Sony Music, language=ja, access-date=June 26, 2009 The series opening and closing theme songs were also released by Sony Music.{{cite web, url=http://www.sonymusic.co.jp/Music/Arch/SV/shuheikita/SVWC-7575/index.html, title=Sony Music Online Japan : 喜多 修平 : 一斉の声, publisher=Sony Music, language=ja, access-date=June 26, 2009{{cite web, url=http://www.sonymusicshop.jp/detail.asp?goods=ESCL000003102, publisher=Sony Music, language=ja, script-title=ja:絆/夏夕空（通常盤）, access-date=June 26, 2009, title=SonyMusicShop {{cite web, url=http://www.sonymusic.co.jp/Music/Arch/DF/longshotparty/DFCL-1523/index.html, title=Sony Music Online Japan : LONG SHOT PARTY : あの日タイムマシン, publisher=Sony Music, language=ja, access-date=June 26, 2009{{cite web, url=http://www.sonymusic.co.jp/Music/Arch/SR/Callin/SRCL-6979/index.html, title=Sony Music Online Japan : 高鈴 : ヒビノウタ, publisher=Sony Music, language=ja, access-date=June 26, 2009 As singles, "Issei no Sei" reached a peak rank of 48th on the Oricon singles chart,{{cite web, url=http://contents.oricon.co.jp/music/release/d/776801/1/, title=喜多修平-リリース-ORICON STYLE ミュージック, publisher=Oricon, language=ja, access-date=June 26, 2009 "Natsu Yūzora" reached 27th,{{cite web, url=http://www.oricon.co.jp/music/release/d/776145/1/, title=中孝介-リリース-ORICON STYLE ミュージック, publisher=Oricon, language=ja, access-date=June 26, 2009 and "Ano Hi Time Machine" reached 38th.{{cite web, url=http://www.oricon.co.jp/music/release/c/28314/, title=ＬＯＮＧ ＳＨＯＴ ＰＡＲＴＹ-リリース-ORICON STYLE ミュージック, publisher=Oricon, language=ja, access-date=June 26, 2009 "Aishiteru" was not released as a single, but instead included on an album called Uta no Hibi by Kourin (Also known as Callin').

Reception

''Natsume's Book of Friends'' was one of twelve finalists for the first Manga Taishō award in 2008.{{cite web, url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2008-01-23/12-titles-nominated-for-1st-ever-manga-taisho-award, title=12 Titles Nominated for 1st Ever Manga Taisho Awards, publisher=Anime News Network, date=January 23, 2008, access-date=May 3, 2009

Since the fifth volume of the series, the individual volumes have made the best-seller list for manga in Japan. Volume 5 was ranked at number 8 on the charts for the week of March 4–10, 2008;{{cite web, url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2008-03-15/japanese-comic-ranking-march-4-10, title=Japanese Comic Ranking, March 4–10, publisher=Anime News Network, date=March 15, 2008, access-date=May 3, 2009 Volume 6 was number 5 for the week of July 8–14, 2008;{{cite web, url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2008-07-18/japanese-comic-ranking-july-8-14, title=Japanese Comic Ranking, July 8–14, publisher=Anime News Network, date=July 18, 2008, access-date=May 3, 2009 Volume 13 has done the best so far of the volumes, staying on the chart for three consecutive weeks (number 2 for the week of January 2–8, 2012, number 4 for the week of January 9–15, 2012, then falling to number 19 the following week).{{cite web, url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2012-01-11/japanese-comic-ranking-january-2-8, title=Japanese Comic Ranking, January 2–8, publisher=Anime News Network, date=January 11, 2012, access-date=January 25, 2009{{cite web, url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2012-01-18/japanese-comic-ranking-january-9-15, title=Japanese Comic Ranking, January 9–15, publisher=Anime News Network, date=January 18, 2012, access-date=January 25, 2012{{cite web, url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2012-01-25/japanese-comic-ranking-january-16-22, title=Japanese Comic Ranking, January 16–22, publisher=Anime News Network, date=January 25, 2012, access-date=January 25, 2012

The anime has been popular not just in Japan, but also in the United States, Canada, South Korea, the Philippines, Taiwan, China, Vietnam, and Indonesia. Both the anime and the manga have been noted for their optimistic themes and presentation.{{Cite book, url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dFxZDwAAQBAJ&q=Natsume's+Book+of+Friends&pg=PT373, title=Anime Impact: The Movies and Shows that Changed the World of Japanese Animation, last=Stuckmann, first=Chris, date=2018-05-15, publisher=Mango Media Inc., isbn=978-1-63353-733-0, language=en

Notes

{{notelist

References

{{Reflist, 30em

External links

{{Commons category, Natsume's Book of Friends
Official Hakusensha manga website
{{in lang, ja
Official anime website
{{in lang, ja
*{{anime News Network, manga, 9232

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2005 manga
2008 anime television series debuts
Aniplex franchises
Brain's Base
Hakusensha franchises
Hakusensha manga
Iyashikei anime and manga
Mystery anime and manga
Shōjo manga
Supernatural anime and manga
TV Tokyo original programming
Viz Media manga
Yōkai in anime and manga