Review:
Usually I love episodes with Reiko. Other than Natori, she’s the character I most hope to see an appearance from outside of Natsume and Nyanko Sensei. That said, this season’s Reiko episode kind of lacked bite.
Part of the issue might be the yokai at the start of the episode that chases Natsume who never returns. Normally these ones show up later in the episode even if just to be punched in the face but at least that small bit of conflict is resolved. Instead we get a huge yokai that threatens to flatten the house if Natsume doesn’t come out and then after losing Natsume, doesn’t return to the house again for the duration of the episode. It seems kind of lacking.
That isn’t to say this episode wasn’t charming. It is perfectly reasonable and we learn more about Reiko and the absolute contrast between her and Natsume when it comes to relationships. Reiko gave up on them whereas Natsume is definitely embracing the connections he has started to build since moving in with the Fujiwaras. However, not the best episode this season of Natsume has offered and coming after a couple of fairly strong episodes it feels like a little bit of a disappointment even though it is really sweet.
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Thanks,
Karandi James.
I’m always happy to see more of Reiko, mostly for the contrast between her and Natsume that you mentioned. Episodes focusing heavily on her makes me sad though. She always seems so alone.
As I said, I usually love Reiko episodes, but this one just didn’t quite hit the spot. Still a good episode though.
I think I can see why. The actual incidents didn’t really impress me either. You described them as lacking bite and that seems accurate. But I still liked that glimpse into Reiko’s (mostly) self-imposed loneliness.
I do find it interesting that even when Reiko has the opportunity for a connection, she protects herself by breaking it off on her end first. It really shows how Natsume may have ended up given his history and you continue to see how important those bonds are.