Natsume Yuujinchou Movie: Utsusemi ni Musubu

Takashi Natsume and his spirit companion Madara, nicknamed "Nyanko," continue returning the names of spirits from the Book of Friends given by his late grandmother Reiko Natsume.

On his way back from school one day, Takashi encounters a lurking spirit named Monmonbou, who recalls memories of Takashi's grandmother after hearing his name. Takashi's natural curiosity leads him to explore a mysterious town where his grandmother used to live. Befriending her old acquaintance Yorie Tsumura and Yorie's son Mukuo, Takashi unveils more of his grandmother's past.

In the meantime, Nyanko detours for food and stumbles upon a suspicious "Spirit Seed," which miraculously sprouts into a fruit tree overnight. Giving in to temptation, Nyanko consumes the fruit, splitting him into three. Seeking a solution to Nyanko's predicament, Takashi and his friends lend a hand, unexpectedly uncovering more secrets the town holds in the process.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Natsume, Takashi Main

Kamiya, Hiroshi Japanese

Madara Main

Inoue, Kazuhiko Japanese

Natsume, Reiko Supporting

Kobayashi, Sanae Japanese

Tanuma, Kaname Supporting

Horie, Kazuma Japanese

Natori, Shuuichi Supporting

Ishida, Akira Japanese

Taki, Tooru Supporting

Satou, Rina Japanese

Hinoe Supporting

Okamura, Akemi Japanese

Fujiwara, Touko Supporting

Itou, Miki Japanese

Hiiragi Supporting

Yukino, Satsuki Japanese

Misuzu Supporting

Kuroda, Takaya Japanese

Satou, Yumi Producer

Ishihara, Shirou Producer

Yokoyama, Shuko Producer

Yazaki, Fumi Producer

Reviews

Jun 2, 2019

Torridd

Recommended

This movie is essentially a longer Natsume Yuujinchou episode, with all the same flair albeit improved art and animation. It has a little bit of everything from the series and every character makes an appearance. If you enjoy Natsume Yuujinchou, you'll enjoy the movie too. If by some chance you haven't seen the series yet, watch it before watching this movie.
I enjoyed it very much.
Now, where's my 7th season?

Because MAL is a butt and wants me to write a longer review, I just want to say that Nyanko-sensei is the most precious anime character to every exist. I want my very own Nyanko-sensei to hold ... and snuggle. Hopefully he doesn't drink all my beer though.

Reviewer’s Rating: 9

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Aug 21, 2019

BabyGirl06301

Recommended

Ah, it's nice to be back in the world of Natsume Yuujinchou. Legitimately, within the first few minutes of experiencing this lovely story, I just felt instantly relaxed and calm. I missed that feeling, so I'm glad I finally got to watch this movie.

Every time I review something from Natsume, I feel like all I do is gush about the same things over and over, but it really is such a great anime series that it's hard not to give it praise for the things it does really well. For example, the art style in this anime has always been really interesting to me. ... I didn't really find it completely appealing at first since I'm so picky, but it's honestly the only art style this anime could ever have. The colors being dull yet colorful as they are, the character designs being simple and mundane, and the landscapes being expansive and entrancing are all reasons that this sort of art style works so well for a calming and magical anime such as Natsume.

The story in this film specifically was very interesting. The whole film felt like a long episode of Natsume, which was great because all the little stories we got in this film were connected. The only bit of narrative that we didn't really get this go around was a more in depth look at Natsume's past and his mindset at the time of some of his harder encounters with people. That was something I really enjoyed about the most recent seasons of Natsume, and I was hoping that this movie would really delve into it, though the story we got was still pure Natsume, and I loved that.

The one thing that I will always love above all else in this anime are the characters themselves. This story of the Book of Friends is able to open such a broad pathway for us, as viewers, to experience some really lovely narratives that-- while short-lived-- make us feel a multitude of emotions, almost as if we've spent a lifetime in them. This film was no different, and maybe even better since we got to spend a little more time here than we normally get to.

It's always been really difficult for me to talk about Natsume Yuujinchou because there's not a whole lot TO say as it speaks for itself. It's a series that'll make everybody feel at peace and happy, but it's still got a wealth of depth and things to teach the people that watch it. The world, the stories, the people-- it's all so unique when it comes to Natsume's Book of Friends, and it's not something you'd regret getting into at all. I'm really looking forward to spending more time in this world, should the opportunity arise, and I'm glad I've gotten to spend so much time there already. This is definitely my go-to anime for a rainy day.

Reviewer’s Rating: 9

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Feb 7, 2021

ShrinePriest

Mixed Feelings

I'm going to go against the grain and rate this move poorly compared to other people as well as compared to how I would rate the Natsume series overall.

Spoilers below.

This movie would have been a lot more effective if it had been reduced to one or two ~23 minute episodes. It was only about an hour into the film when the film finally decides to tell you what the film is actually about: Mukuo and Yorie.

It's not super difficult to find ways to shorten this film. For instance, a putative episode could have opened up with Natsume's mom asking him to go to Gochou (sp?), ... Natsume and Nyanko-sensei going, Nyanko running off and visiting the tree and getting the seed, and Natsume meeting the woman who recognizes him, says he looks familiar, and him asking her if she knew Reiko. The film spent thirty minutes on the two trips to Gochou and some side material. This could have been reduced down to say ten minutes by combining the two trips into one, and cutting the other material that just waters down and distracts from what the plot is really about.

And that's the problem with the film. Beyond the film taking so long to reveal what it's even about (Mukuo and Yorie), the film never actually gives Mukuo and Yorie the screen time they deserve. Instead, the film wastes its time with so much else that their importance gets pushed into the background.

The film has a strong hook: a woman loses her son and a youkai mimics him and replaces him and the woman's memory of his death. And yet, never once did I cry during this film, because the film completely squanders its story.

And consider the film's subtitle: Ephemeral Bonds. This theme isn't actually present in the film. This theme doesn't apply to Natsume's friends or family. You can argue the theme applies to Nyanko because Natsume misses being able to talk to Nyanko when he's split up. But that's a weak and unexplored theme in the film. At best the theme applies to Mukuo and Yorie, but again, they get so little screen time that the theme doesn't really do any work with them.

It's not a shock to discover that this movie was an anime original story not written (albeit "supervised") by the original manga author.

Reviewer’s Rating: 5

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