December 3, 2023

A lonely boy who sees yokai

夏目友人帳 is a series about a young man named 夏目貴志 (なつめ・たかし) who can see yokai; he's a lonely young man, surrounded by people who don't and can't understand what he sees day-to-day. He's been passed around by family his entire life, and he's determined with his current guardian to keep his yokai sight on the down low. This suddenly gets harder when yokai start to flock to him, asking for their names back, and 夏目 learns that his grandmother レイコ made a "book of friends" containing the names of lots of local yokai; if you have their name, you can order them however you want, and the yokai are tired of waiting for a girl who will no longer come to visit them.

This kicks off 夏目's quest to return all of the names to their proper owners, accompanied by a yokai trapped in a manekineko statue, ニャンコ先生 (who wouldn't mind eating 夏目 himself given the chance). Volume 1 was a slow, thoughtful volume: we're introduced to 夏目 and how lonely and separated he feels. He has no real friends, and his day-to-day life is constantly bothered by yokai of varying motivations. Despite this he still retains his kindness and willingness to help others.

The story appears to be episodic/slice-of-life so far; 夏目 and ニャンコ先生 are the only recurring characters of any substance, though there's still plenty of time for that to change. Furigana is given throughout the book, which is handy for the yokai, who tend to speak more formally/strangely than the human characters.

Gradings:45
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eefara graded
on October 20, 2024
similar in difficulty toLIFE・SWITCH 1L26
eefara graded
on September 23, 2024
similar in difficulty to赤髪の白雪姫1L27
eefara graded
on June 1, 2024
eefara graded
on April 21, 2024
easier thanSILVER DIAMOND 1巻L28
eefara graded
on March 15, 2024
eefara graded
on March 8, 2024
eefara graded
on January 31, 2024
eefara graded
on December 27, 2023
similar in difficulty to罠―杉浦志保短編集L25
eefara graded
on December 3, 2023
eefara graded
on December 3, 2023
eefara graded
on December 3, 2023
eefara graded
on December 3, 2023
similar in difficulty to魔法少年なつき×らびっツ 1L24
eefara graded
on December 3, 2023
eefara graded
on December 3, 2023
eefara graded
on December 3, 2023
eefara graded
on December 3, 2023
eefara graded
on December 3, 2023
harder than二重螺旋1L24
eefara graded
on December 3, 2023
eefara graded
on December 3, 2023
easier than幻惑の鼓動 1L29
eefara graded
on December 3, 2023
easier thanSUPER LOVERS 第1巻L28
eefara graded
on December 3, 2023
similar in difficulty toDEVIL SURVIVOR2 the ANIMATION 1L25
eefara graded
on December 3, 2023
similar in difficulty to氷の魔物の物語 1L25
eefara graded
on December 3, 2023
similar in difficulty to獣の王国 1L25
eefara graded
on December 3, 2023
similar in difficulty toISAGIーKOJIMAL25
eefara graded
on December 3, 2023
similar in difficulty to帝国兄弟 1L25
eefara graded
on December 3, 2023
eefara graded
on December 3, 2023
similar in difficulty toアスタリスク 1L25
eefara graded
on December 3, 2023
similar in difficulty toMOON・TRICK 1 L25
eefara graded
on December 3, 2023
similar in difficulty toHIGH & HIGH 1L25
eefara graded
on December 3, 2023
similar in difficulty toD.Gray-man 1 L25
eefara graded
on December 3, 2023
similar in difficulty toPURE BLOOD 1L25
eefara graded
on December 3, 2023
eefara graded
on December 3, 2023
eefara graded
on December 3, 2023
eefara graded
on December 3, 2023
similar in difficulty to宇宙の人-柿崎椋短編集-L25
eefara graded
on December 3, 2023
eefara graded
on December 3, 2023
eefara graded
on December 3, 2023
similar in difficulty to猫と竜L26
eefara graded
on December 3, 2023
easier thanG・DEFEND 1L26
eefara graded
on December 3, 2023
eefara graded
on December 3, 2023
similar in difficulty to仁獣芳烈伝 1巻L26
eefara graded
on December 3, 2023
eefara graded
on December 3, 2023
similar in difficulty to四ノ宮くんには理由がある 1L27
eefara graded
on December 3, 2023