Natsume's Book of Friends Season 3

Natsume's Book of Friends Season 3 is currently streaming on and , and it earns its premise rather than just borrowing genre trappings. Across 1 season, the show has had time to find its rhythm and keep it. 105 viewers have already rated it on TMDB — the kind of consensus that does not happen by accident. Hiroshi Kamiya leads a cast that never lets the concept overwhelm the characters. Put it on tonight and see for yourself.

Part of the current wave of titles people are actually watching, Natsume's Book of Friends Season 3 earns its spot. What makes Natsume's Book of Friends Season 3 work is that the ideas never crowd out the people having them. Natsume's Book of Friends Season 3 follows Takashi Natsume, a boy who is able to see youkai. Natsume and his bodyguard Madara, nicknamed Nyanko-sensei, continue on their quest to release youkai from their contracts in the "Book of Friends." Natsume comes to terms with his ability to see youkai and stops thinking of it as a curse. As he spends more time with his human and youkai friends, he realizes how much he values them both and decides he doesn't have to choose between the spirit and human worlds to be happy. Hiroshi Kamiya and Kazuhiko Inoue lead a cast that brings real weight to the material. It was aired in 2011. The world-building is meticulous enough to sustain multiple rewatches, with details early on that only make sense later. The consistency throughout is what elevates it — not every moment is the best, but none of them are a reason to stop watching.

Natsume's Book of Friends Season 3 is satisfying on multiple levels — something to watch and something to think about after. It does not lean on comparisons to make its case. Short enough to finish in a weekend, substantial enough to feel satisfying. Hiroshi Kamiya's performance is the anchor the more ambitious moments need. The world-building pays off in ways you will not anticipate on a first watch.

🎬 Natsume's Book of Friends Season 3 — Episode Guide

The Name of a Monster

2011-07-05

One day, Natsume finds a yokai named Kagejawan running around near his home, which he soon learns means disaster is about to strike.

Ukihara Village

2011-07-12

Natsume is accosted by a spirit who asks for her brother's name back. She says that both of them have come from the village of floating spring, a paradise sealed off from the land of men. Meanwhile, the local Youkai are happy that the local priest is no longer in his temple. Natsume worries for his ...

False Friend

2011-07-19

Natsume is approached by someone he knew from elementary school. He wants nothing to do with them, but they threaten to reveal his secret: that he can see Youkai, if he doesn't come along with them. He reluctantly goes with them, and is taken to meet a strange girl...

Young Days

2011-07-26

Midterms are over, and Natsume leaves on a trip with Nishimura, Kitamoto, and Sasada. He realizes that the scenery he's viewing from the train is from one of the places he grew up in, when he was passed around from one family to the next. He'd thought he didn't have any good memories of the time, bu...

The Thing That Lurks in the Storeroom

2011-08-02

Natsume helps clean the stoeroom at Taki's house with Tanuma. He realizes that one of the kimonos that her grandfather, who researched youkai, used to ward off demons was missing, but decides not to tell them so they won't be scared. But that kimono was an old doll youkai, who was trying to recover ...

That Which Is Not Human

2011-08-11

There is something killing Youkai and draining them of their blood. Natsume can't help but investigate and runs into old friends.

Exorcist

2011-08-16

Natsume finds out who's been stealing the youkai blood: the exorcist Matoba Seiji. He investigates with the help of Natori, but is captured by Matoba's servant youkai. Matoba is willing to sacrifice any number of youkai for his own ambitions. He tells Natsume why he's gathering blood: to release the...

The Fox Child's Watch

2011-08-23

Natsume is invited to go to a pottery classroom with Shigeru. It's being held in an inn where he once stayed. When he goes there, he meets an old friend: the young fox child he once saved.

Through the Autumn Wind

2011-08-30

Without Sensei to protect him, Natsume has to remain constantly on guard. But the pressure of keeping secrets from his friends is causing Natsume to break.

E10

The Broken Mirror

2011-09-06

After a brief incident in the forest, Tanuma has become distant to Natsume like he is avoiding something. In the meantime, there is something breaking glass around the school.

E11

What the Mirror Shows

2011-09-13

Tanuma is experiencing how Natsume lives every day. While Natsume and the youkai gain an understanding.

E12

A place to go home to

2011-09-20

A youkai from Natsume past has found him and memories of living with relatives before the Fujiwaras are explored.

E13

Natsume's Book of Play

2011-09-27

The youkai hold a party to celebrate Natsume. Things get out of hand when they ask Natsume for a human game, and he suggests Shadow Tag. When Nyanko-sensei becomes "it", he starts stomping youkai left and right. And then Misuzu-sama, the 100 foot tall youkai, shows up...