Natsume Yūjin-Chō Roku

Episode 7

I really treasure the episodes that focus on Natsume's grandmother, Reiko. This is the story behind the latest installment of Natsume Yūjin-Chō Roku, and even after six seasons, Reiko's life is still very mysterious. This episode, titled “Gomochi's Benefactor,” is still stingy with its glimpses into Reiko's personal situation, but it's generous with portrayals of her personality. This playful but kind-hearted girl isn't just an entertaining protagonist, but an admirable one too.

Natsume has it rough, largely due to the baggage Reiko left with her progeny. At all hours of the night, yokai knock on his door, window, and roof to yell at him—they have no sense of time and they think he's his grandmother. So when Gomochi, a small yokai with huge black alien eyes, visits with a thank you for once, it's a rare and welcome event. Gomochi tells the story of how Reiko showed up in his forest one day, fixed everything, and then left as abruptly as she came. It's a story about agency and freedom that shows Reiko's principles as well as her greatest anxiety—that you can't count on anyone to help you out.

The two most powerful yokai in the forest are wreaking havoc with their constant fighting. They've kidnapped a beautiful yokai but can't decide whose bride she will be. Reiko doesn't ask either of them, but instead goes straight to the woman they're treating as a prize and asks her, “Do you want to marry one of them?” Of course she doesn't. That's when Reiko tosses her hat in the ring to win claim to the bride (so she can free her, of course). “If she'll run away unless you lock her up, then neither of you are worthy,” she admonishes the yokai, and it's great to see a human calling out yokai on their endless childish skirmishes. Reiko is definitely a “prince” this episode in the tradition of Revolutionary Girl Utena.

It's a joy to compare and contrast Natsume's hesitant yokai interactions with Reiko's tricks and cunning. She outwits the yokai, and she doesn't play fair. Even so, she's a hero to the smaller yokai who've never had the guts to stand up to the strong and protect the weak like Reiko does. Her brash, clever exterior still hides some melancholy though, and Gomochi sees through it. “[She] was more afraid of losing than she was of not being able to go home.” We learn Reiko is living with some distant relations to whom she considers herself “extra baggage,” just like Natsume. It's why she doesn't expect the yokai to help her gather chestnuts—even though the whole reason she's doing it is for their sake. It's hard to believe that Reiko would one day open herself up to somebody enough to become a wife, a mother, and a grandmother.

The conclusion of the episode is as surprising as it is sweet. Gomochi's real reason for visiting was to invite Reiko to his wedding as a guest of honor—and Natsume agrees to go in her place. I was partly surprised because Gomochi reads to me as so gender neutral that I didn't really think about who he would be interested in marrying. But also, yokai are so childish and mercurial about their desires, like the big hairy one in Natsume Yūjin-Chō Go who developed a brief and hopeless crush on Natsume's friend Taki. In that context, the fact that these two put their whims aside to commit to one another for life—and that Reiko helped make it happen—is a magical development. It's no wonder Natsume feels “just a little proud” to be related to such an extraordinary person. This episode did very little to open up about Reiko's circumstances, but more than enough to open up her heart.

Rating: A

Natsume Yūjin-Chō Roku is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.

Lauren writes about geek careers at Otaku Journalist.