When people use the phrase “fan service” they usually mean the sexy kind: glimpses of underwear, innuendo, or a bit of T&A. However, this finale is a gentle reminder that fan service can have a variety of meanings. In Natsume’s Book of Friends, giving the fans what they want means going full iyashikei, getting the beauty and meaning of life injected directly into our veins like a healing cocktail. This brand of fan service means seeing all of Natsume’s pals—both his lively human classmates and the boisterous Dog’s Circle—one more heartwarming time. It means gently breathtaking illustrated backdrops that show us the best that Natsume’s world has to offer, and a feel-good encounter with a new yokai that reminds us that even brief encounters with the unknown can leave lasting impressions. Natsume’s Book of Friends has always been an understated show, so this quiet finale was nothing mindblowing, but it was perfectly in keeping with my expectations.
I am the type of person who records my dreams every morning, always hoping to glean some sort of symbolism from the weird images my brain produces in REM sleep. In “From the Path of Dreams,” Natsume has no such dilemma. There’s no doubt that each night time panorama he experiences during this episode is rich with meaning. After he dreams about somebody crying in his backyard, and subsequently finds an origami doll in the grass the next morning, the folded paper (which is, of course, imbued with a yokai soul), purports to thank Natsume and Nyanko-sensei by showing them somnolent visions of gorgeous starscapes and ocean waves. It isn’t just in his dreams that Natsume discovers beauty; through Origami’s eager point of view, he rediscovers the magic of everyday things like florists. Like mailboxes. How great are mailboxes, actually? In this messed up world of ours, how cool is it that we can send postcards and birthday cards and love letters to anyone we like for a couple of cents? At a time when a small percentage of humans do everything they can to crush the rest of us, it’s important now, more than ever, to remember that nobody can take away our ability to experience beauty. Sunsets. Flowers in bloom. A small boat bobbing on the river. Through Origami’s eyes, it’s all miraculous.
I thought it was unusual that in this episode, Natsume was unable to hear Origami’s voice, relying on Sensei as a translator. However, this was a plot device to center this episode’s deeper message about beauty, namely that it is in the eye of the beholder. As Natsume experienced these daily reveries, Origami in his pocket, there were several signs of something ominous afoot. A malevolent shadow. Strange markings around Origami’s evening perch. By the end, it turned out that there was nothing sinister about these things at all. For all of her ability to perceive beauty, Origami was not what you’d call a traditionally beautiful yokai. When she finally revealed her true form to Natsume, and Natsume was finally able to accept her as she was, he could hear her voice for the first time as she bemoaned her lack of “long hair” and a “brilliant smile.” (To me, it felt like she was echoing Taki’s appearance, which she witnessed during the sunset scene.) Her unsettling form and stilted movement would be frightening in another context, and they are at first. She may not be beautiful herself, but she doesn’t need to be. Her kind heart and her uncommon ability to perceive and appreciate beauty are far more important in conveying her character.
Episode 12 may be the finale, but don’t be too upset. Season 7 also includes a 13th episode, an OVA, to arrive in early 2025. I’ll be returning to review that too, of course! In the meantime I plan to rewatch these 12 episodes back to back. While they each seem simple on the surface, each showcasing a “yokai of the week” and simple, gentle messages, there’s an emotional richness to each of these stories that Natsume ekes out through his tireless effort to understand yokai where others have only felt annoyance or fear. Like Origami, I want to appreciate the little pockets of beauty in this show, which can grab you by the heart when you least expect.
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Natsume’s Book of Friends Season 7 is currently streaming on
Crunchyroll.
Lauren writes about model kits at Gunpla 101. She spends her days teaching her two small Newtypes to bring peace to the space colonies.
