Natsume Captured

Natsume Captured
Name
Kanji	とらわれた夏目
Romaji	Torawareta Natsume
Information
Air Date	January 2, 2012 (JP) February 19, 2024 (US)
Episode	40
Adapted From	Chapter 34
Opening Song	Ima, Kono Toki
Ending Song	Takaramono
Episode Guide
Previous Natsume's Book of Play	Next The Eastern Forest
List of Natsume Yuujinchou Episodes
Episode Gallery

Natsume Captured is the first episode of the fourth season and the fortieth episode overall of the Natsume Yuujinchou anime series. It first aired on July 7, 2008.

Summary

Natsume is jumped by a group of six masked yokai trying to steal the Book of Friends for their slumbering master to restore their home to its former splendor and glory. Once captured, Natsume discovers that an old problem is back in a big way, which he intends to put a stop to before his powerful Book of Friends is discovered.

Plot

Natsume encounters some strange, monkey-mask wearing demons while out in a forest. They want the Book of Friends, and start physically threatening him until Natsume is saved by Nyanko-Sensei. Later on, Natsume was followed by the monsters to his school. To avoid injuring other people, Natsume lead them to outside, at nearby forest. However, Natsume is captured by them and brought to their forest in the east.

Meanwhile, Nyanko-Sensei learns some interesting things from Misuzu about the forest the monkey masked demons live in. Misuzu warns Nyanko-Sensei to steer away from the Eastern Forest, where the monkey-masked demons originate from, as something very bad lurks there.

Running away from the demons, Natsume and Nyanko-sensei are unintentionally saved by Matoba. Matoba, alongside with his shiki servants, are actually in the process of capturing the spirits in the forest.

Not wanting to confront him, Natsume runs again but gets lost in the woods, and stumbles upon an old house, which belongs to the Matoba. Both he and Nyanko-sensei are captured, but manages to escape and find each other, though being lost in the house. Natsume, overhears about where his belongings was put, tries to find the room. Instead they found the monkey-mask youkai sealed-away in the pot. The sealed youkai offers to guide them the direction in exchange for the Book of Friends.

Nyanko-sensei set off to search for the room himself, leaving Natsume with the sealed youkai. The episode ends with Matoba finding Natsume, saying "It's been awhile, Natsume Takashi" with a satisfied smirk, which makes Takashi feel tense.

Characters in Order of Appearance

• Jun Sasada
• Takashi Natsume
• Satoru Nishimura
• Atsushi Kitamoto
• Bearded Youkai
• Sarumen from the Eastern Forest
• Madara
• Reiko Natsume (flashback)
• Hiiragi (flashback)
• Riou (flashback)
• Kirinoha (flashback)
• Aokuchinashi (flashback)
• Kanawa (flashback)
• Tooru Taki
• Kaname Tanuma
• Touko Fujiwara
• Misuzu
• Sarumen Sealed-Away In The Pot
• Seiji Matoba
• Matoba's Shiki Servants
• Red-Masked Youkai
• Nanase

Trivia

• Seiji Matoba addresses Natsume by his first name, even though the Japanese do not call others by their first name unless they are quite close with them.
• In the English dub, Nanase refers to Natsume Takashi as "the boy," which could mean that she thinks of the grandson of the renowned topmost-level exorcist Natsume Reiko to possess an ever-expanding variety of strong spiritual powers that are quite a rarity among exorcists.

Anime and Manga Differences

• Two exorcist men are seen alongside their young leader after Takashi escapes the western cell.
• Reiko is mentioned at the end by Matoba Seiji, as he wants Takashi to tell him just what kind of person she was.