#Natsume's Book of Friends

[kazayu]

When Natsume asks Matoba why his sister hates him, his reply is "It's because I was the one who kept being chosen" which is an interesting phrasing.

Family favouritism aside, what if the Matoba clan eye yokai is actually the one picking the clan leader... What if it attacks the one it deems most worthy... It would explain the weird obsession the clan has with keeping it around. That way, they make sure their leader is always the most powerful in the clan. To bear the yokai's target is a badge of honour...

What if that's how Matoba Seiji got his eye injury. Picturing him at 21 or 22 years old expecting the yokai to attack the previous leader as it normally does only for the yokai to attack him instead. Imagining how that felt, knowing that meant he was currently the most powerful in his clan, that he had surpassed his predecessor, and that all of their burdens were now his to bear.

What if that's why he was so weirdly insistent about Natsume joining the clan.Pretty messed up but he probably saw an out for the first time in forever. Someone out there with the potential to be more powerful than he is. Someone who could both save the clan and free him.

Also...what about his non-reply to Natori asking him if he ever considered quitting? His question came right after Matoba said something about Natsume taking care of the whole situation by himself. What if that was Natori's way of saying he knows what Matoba was up to? He did (assumedly) read the letter Matoba wrote to Natsume after all. And now Matoba knows that he knows, though he probably had his doubts after the paper doll situation. And he doesn't reply, because what do you even say to that?

[vice-like]

just saw this one in the main tag and it got me thinking... "wanting to do the right thing but having your actions distort your goals" is obviously about natori, he even reflects upon it directly more than once during the chapters BUT even tho world unbent is from natori's pov, i always thought it wasn't just about him but also about matoba and the exorcist world. for me it was clear that midorikawa wanted to expand upon the exorcists and thought natsume's pov wouldn't have been enough for this case (i also think she always wanted to expand upon natori's and matoba's younger days as well)

so with that in mind i tried thinking if that could apply to matoba too and it might be a stretch but i think it does, but in the sense that "the right thing" for matoba and natori are two different things and matoba might not even think abt doing it along those lines

like, from what we've seen, i interpret that matoba genuinely thinks the matoba clan has a responsibility to protect ppl, regardless if they can see yokai or not and he takes that very seriously, most recent example being what he said abt a previous matoba head being unable to protect the miharu; also to achieve this the clan must be powerful above all others and for that he needs to do anything and if he has a limit we haven't seen it yet. we see that during world unbent ("i won't let us fall"), but most recently during homura arc when he was willing to bet his own life just to be able to control a powerful vessel (being shortsighted enough abt the possibility that natsume had to snap him out of it), he's power hungry, but weirdly enough he's like that because it's "the right thing to do" or what he must/needs to do, the matoba must be powerful to be able to protect anyone and anything ("you can't protect anything if you're not powerful, shuuichi-san")

so "having your actions distort your goals", how does that apply to matoba in a world unbent? midorikawa was merciful enough to let us know his initial goal (or what he wants ppl to think his goal is?): "i'm looking for allies i can use" and at first he was definitely testing if natori could be that, but by the second part (that tellingly starts with a companion matoba artwork to natori's in the first part) i think he wanted to work with natori so badly simply bc he was a peer his age, probably the first and only in the exorcist world and for this interpretation i have no evidence just vibes lol besides this part in midorikawa's afterword from homura arc

anyways, for me this conversation during the second part of world unbent is the best example of matoba's actions distorting his goal:

in my interpretation matoba's goal here was to be picked by natori to be that person, to be his peer, to be the one that teaches him and works with him and "he's better" bc he's more powerful than takuma-san and that's a fact (also idt he wanted to be his "mentor" per se, i think he wanted to be closer than that but that's my bias lol). as i see it, matoba was not trying to bad mouth takuma (and i think natori understood that too), but simply stating what's most important: power, which is ultimately very different from the things that natori puts first, even tho he's also seeking to be a more powerful exorcist

another thing that is also funny about these two understanding but mostly misunderstanding each other is that natori wants to become powerful so he could be needed, so he can protect ppl, "do the right thing", which is the same but also different from the reason why matoba seeks power and the kind of power they seek is also different but the same in one aspect, natori wants spiritual power but also "power" to better himself, to be a better person, while the power matoba seeks is spiritual but also a power that will make the matoba clan unbeatable which can be power over ppl

the way his actions distort his goal here is this: natori focuses on the fact that matoba values spiritual power and the power one can have over another more than someone's character and what natori wishes to learn from ppl like takuma is how to be better as a person so he can carve his own path or at least finally find what his path even is and how to set himself in it. this blinds him to anything else, him and matoba are fundamentally different, end of story. and so from his pov he can not see what matoba is offering which was actually matoba's main goal in this conversation: "I can teach you, I can work with you, I can protect you, I can help you become more powerful, I can protect ppl, so you should stick with me, you sould use me instead of him" and matoba's shocked reaction is proof he was misunderstood and natori's reaction to this conversation was unexpected to him, if my interpretation of what he meant is right or not is up to debate tho

so if natori realises and reflects upon his "actions distorting his goal" does matoba do the same? and that's what intrigues me a lot here, because honestly i don't know, we are not shown that ever. does matoba realise how his actions can hinder his goals? does he care enough to reflect on it? does he care abt how he's perceived? does he care about how natori perceives him specifically? and honeslty the way he gets "worse" abt this in the present timeline (being an unsettling little shit especially towards natsume) makes the interpretation that he doesn't care enough to change and so doesn't reflect upon it seem plausible but when it comes to matoba maybe it's simpler that that:

from afterword for chapters 52-54

he's just like that, he is who he is, the matoba clan head but also matoba seiji and he's not afraid of his mistakes, he'll face them head on even if they distort his goals. most interesting tho, while i do think he's like that partially bc he's a little shit and likes having fun ruffling ppl's feathers, i think it's interesting how there's a possibility of him seeing that habit as a mistake, idk if that interpretation is right but matoba is a character that is difficult to interpret especially bc we dont get his pov, he's a confusing character and the fact we never get into his head makes him even more multifaceted. now that we're getting more into matoba clan drama maybe someday we'll get his pov, but until then ig it souldn't be too hard to think a person notices and reflects upon their mistakes right? well, unless the person is matoba seiji, then i dont know.

there's other things i want to talk abt here, especially the fact that natori wants to be needed and current timeline matoba might actually need him, but does natori know that? you think the "a burden can be shared" bs might be an indication that he does, but i don't think he actually does lol also the fact matoba was seeking someone to use but ended up wanting to be used instead to this day (and is ecstatic abt it during homura, one of the many reasons why he looks like he's having the time of his life during those chapters imo), idk just the fact natori recoils at the wording of "someone to use" but wants to be useful himself and matoba ends up wanting to be used by him so badly it's funny (and also a little sad). just these two always wanting the same thing but mostly not and understanding but mostly misunderstanding each other more than anyone ever could for one another, how they could go together seamlessly but mostly don't yet i dont have the capacity to expand upon those right now, midorikawa gotta give me more so, anyways

[akabloom]

quick doodle before i get sent back to hell (school and work) ^_^

[apparently-artless]

⚛》 NATSUME YUUJINCHOU S07E01 ◆ MINI SENSEI 《⚛

[koiryuuga]

Sorry.

No natori was harmed in the making of the meme.

[oldbrain]

[lunacias]

I wish you could see it, too

[bold-embrace]

That one google street view meme

[zeldacw]

Natsume

[kimgkoi]

So I recently binged the whole Natsume Yuujinchou and I fucking love it

and these two are so soft I melt into a puddle

[meandthegarden]

i like to think that the reason why conversations between natsume and his friends always tend to be emotional and more sincere than what youd expect from highschool boys is because natsume talks that way and they try their best to reciprocate it. natsume will not hesitate to say that you are his precious friend so be careful when you step on that rock. he never had friends to teach him about conventional understanding so hes like that and his friends are just. okay you are my precious friend too actually u be careful too

[akashi-tetsuki]

▸Natsume Yuujinchou S7 ▸Ep06▸ Matoba Seiji

[ianime0]

Natsume Yuujinchou Shichi | Ep2 | Nyanko sensei

[courtesanofdeath]

you know it's bad when even nyanko-sensei says no to your food

[apparently-artless]

●◉ NATSUME YUUJINCHOU S07 ◎ NYANKO SENSEI ◉●

[ginkohs]

my new natsume yuujinchou spring flower series is now available on my etsy! the charms are printed on a special acrylic with small colorful confetti pieces in the shape of petals embedded in the acrylic, and they each have a matching art print as well 🌷https://ginkohsstore.etsy.com