A great end to a great anime series!
What a heartwarming episode! I especially love the last scene. It shows the special connection between Natsume and Reiko. It's also great to see Natsume grow from someone who is always alone and would offer anything to get rid of his powers to someone who has many dear human and youkai friends. Natsume is one of the nicest and kindest character I've seen and I'm seriously gonna miss him.
Other than Natsume, another character I really like is Natori. He's good looking and he really cares for Natsume.
I'm glad that he has more airtime than Season 1.Plot: 10/10
Characters: 9/10
Entertainment Level: 9/10
Art/Animation: 8.5/10
Natsume Yuujinchou is my favorite anime series in the winter season. I love it because every episode is touching and always has something special. The storytelling in each episode is beautiful and carries a meaningful message. I'm gonna miss Natsume Yuujinchou!
Summary
Natsume is shocked to hear from Natori that Kai is a youkai. After his conversation with Natori, he returns to Taki and Kai. That evening, he eats dinner with his guardians who both show concern for him because he seems down. At night, while Nyanko-sensei is sleeping very well, Natsume can't get to sleep as he's still thinking about Kai.
The next day, Natsume and Nyanko-sensei encounter Natori again. Natsume asks Natori why he has to get rid of of Kai. Natori explains that near the mansion where Natsume first saw Kai, lies a well which is sealing an oni who once terrorized the countryside. The oni are constantly calling to youkai to release it, and Kai happens to be strong enough to do just that. In order to prevent the oni from being released, Natori has to stop Kai. Natsume doesn’t agree with Natori's action as there is no proof showing that is Kai’s intention. On the other hand, there is no proof showing that is not, either. This is when Natori asks Natsume an important question.
'Natsume, don’t you think it’s time for you to decide? What’s more important to you, humans or youkai?'
Natori feels that Natsume does not need youkai anymore as he has people who care for him and who he cares for in return. Upon hearing that, Natsume feels confused and runs away. Natsume doesn’t know who to choose and he sits by the pathway, pondering over what Natori says. At that moment, Taki who is looking for Kai to pass him some cookies, appears. He asks Taki to help him find the well, while he sets off with the cookies to find Kai. While trying to look for Kai, he bumps into Tanuma and Tanuma, who happens to see Kai earlier, points him to where Kai went. Natsume tells neither Taki nor Tanuma that Kai is a youkai and continues searching for him. His pursuit leads him and Nyanko-sensei to the mansion. In the mansion, they are both caught by the traps set by Natori. The paper doll traps Natsume. Nyanko-sensei manages to free Natsume but he is hurled into a hole on the floor. Kai appears in time and pulls Natsume out of the hole. Kai admits to Natsume that he is a youkai and he also reveals that he's there to save the oni. When Kai asks Natsume if he hates youkai, Natsume replies that he likes Kai. This makes Kai very happy and he decides to take revenge on Natori for hurting Natsume. Kai flies out of the window immediately without giving Natsume a chance to defend Natori. Fearing for Natori's safety, Natsume immediately gives chase.
Kai is indeed very strong. Without much difficulty, he defeats two of Natori’s youkai. Hiiragi manages to pull Natori away and get him out. As they flee, they run into Natsume and Nyanko-sensei. Natsume, who has found the answer to Natori's question, tells Natori,
'I can't choose between humans and youkai! Both Kai and Natori mean everything to me!'
(When I hear this reply, I feel so touched. This is simple but yet heartwarming. ^-^)
Natori then tells Natsume that he has found out who Kai really is. Apparently, Kai is a water god from the mountains. When he stopped receiving offerings from people, he sealed the water source and waited for people to come. However, in recent years, the tradition has been completely forgotten by people and Kai became lonely. He started to listen out for any voice he could hear in his loneliness. That's when he heard the voices of the oni. Kai then descended the mountains to remove the seal and to befriend the oni. However, on his way to release the oni, he befriended humans and eventually stopped hearing the oni's voices. Natori informs Natsume that he will be withdrawing from this job. But before he does so, he will find the well and seal it again so that not even the oni's voices can escape.
Suddenly, Kai appears and he sees Natsume and Natori together. Thinking that Natsume has been conspiring with Natori and tricking him, he angrily flies off to find the well to release the oni. Natsume immediately rides on Nyanko-sensei and gives chase. As they fly through the sky, they spot Taki. She tells them where the well is and the fact that Tanuma is the one who finds it.
With Tanuma's and Taki's help, Natsume finds the well and Kai. However, Natsume is a little too late as the oni has been freed and has instantly turned against Kai. When it tries to attack Kai, Natsume jumps in to save Kai but is knocked out by the oni. Kai immediately attacks the oni and manages to weaken it. The oni attempts to flee but Nyanko-sensei intercepts it and knocks it into Natori’s magic circle, which finally seals it away.
Natsume is lying unconscious on the ground and Kai spots the 'Book of Friends'. Since Kai still feels a little sore about Natsume tricking him, he thinks that hiding the 'Book of Friends' is the perfect revenge for that. As he flips through the Book of Friends, he sees a pressed flower on the last page. It's one of the flowers from the flower crown that he and Taki had made for Natsume. Feeling touched, Kai starts crying.
By the time Natsume regains consciousness, Kai is gone. After the incident, he tells Taki about Kai, and the thought of Kai being alone again depresses Taki. Though Natsume does not know where Kai is, he intends to find out from Natori which mountain Kai is from so that they can go visit him.
At the end, we see Natsume's friends over at Natsume's place. They are happily having a picnic under a Sakura tree. Natsume is sitting alone by the side and Nyanko-sensei walks to him. That's when Natsume thanks Nyanko-sensei for being there with him.
We also see Kai on top of a tree eating the cookies from Taki and the spirit of Reiko, sitting on the windowsill of Natsume’s room with the Book of Friends lying on his desk.
“In the end, it doesn’t matter whether they’re youkai or human. All that really counts is that they’re important to you and the joy and peace you feel in your heart when you’re with them.”
Pictures
Natsume and Natori!!
Natori: ''Natsume, don’t you think it’s time for you to decide? What’s more important to you, humans or youkai?''
Natsume is caught by Natori's trap.
He is saved by Kai. Kai's humongous strength proves that he's a youkai.
Kai wants to take revenge on Natori for hurting Natsume.
Kai is pursuing Natori.
Natsume: 'I can't choose between humans and youkai! Both Kai and Natori mean everything to me!'
Kai appears and misunderstands Natsume. He decides to set the oni free.
Natsume rides on Nyanko-sensei and gives chase.
Kai sets the oni free.
The oni tries to attack Kai but Natsume jumps in to save Kai.
Kai uses his great power to blow away the oni.
Nyanko-sensei gives chase and knocks the oni into...
Natori's magic circle.
Kai wants to hide the 'Book of Friends' to scare Natsume.
However, upon seeing the pressed flower, Kai changes his mind and starts crying.
Natsume: 'Sensei.. Thank you for being with me.' (Aww.. so sweet!!)
Humans and youkai gather at Natsume's place.
Reiko!
Those episodes with them 'fighting' are the funniest.
