About Natsume's Book of Friends
Natsume's Book of Friends follows Takashi Natsume, a quiet and lonely orphan who has been able to see yokai (spirits) since early childhood. Shuffled between relatives who never understood his strange behaviour, he grew up isolated, hiding the fact that he could perceive a world invisible to everyone around him. When he settles with the kindly Fujiwara couple in a peaceful rural town, he finally has a chance at belonging, but his inherited gift keeps drawing the spirit world to his door.
Takashi discovers that his late grandmother Reiko, who shared his ability, left behind the Book of Friends, a register of yokai names she defeated and bound to her will. Now the spirits whose names fill its pages seek him out, some wanting their freedom returned and others wanting the powerful book for themselves. Vowing to release each name and undo Reiko's legacy of dominance, Takashi sets out to give the yokai back their independence one encounter at a time.
At his side is Madara, a mighty spirit sealed in the body of a chubby maneki-neko, whom Takashi nicknames Nyanko-sensei. Cynical, gluttonous and fond of mochi and sake, the self-appointed bodyguard agrees to protect Takashi in exchange for inheriting the Book of Friends when he dies. What begins as a transactional partnership slowly deepens into genuine friendship, and through gentle, melancholic episodic stories Takashi learns that humans and yokai alike long for connection, kindness and a place to call home.