Natsume's Book of Friends: The Waking Rock and the Strange Visitor

Natsume's Book of Friends: The Waking Rock and the Strange Visitor (Japanese: 夏目友人帳 石起こしと怪しき来訪者, Hepburn: Natsume Yūjin-Chō: Ishi Okoshi to Ayashiki Raihōsha) is a 2021 Japanese animated film based on the Yuki Midorikawa's manga and anime Natsume's Book of Friends. The film is produced by Shuka and directed by Hideki Itō under the chief direction of Takahiro Omori. It was released in Japan on January 16, 2021.[1]

Natsume's Book of Friends: The Waking Rock and the Strange Visitor
Japanese name
Kanji夏目友人帳 石起こしと怪しき来訪者
Transcriptions
Revised HepburnNatsume Yūjin-Chō: Ishi Okoshi to Ayashiki Raihōsha
Directed by
  • Takahiro Omori (Chief)
  • Hideki Itō
Written bySadayuki Murai
Based onNatsume's Book of Friends
by Yuki Midorikawa
Starring
Edited byKazuhiko Seki
Music byMakoto Yoshimori
Production
company
Distributed byAniplex
Release date
  • January 16, 2021 (2021-01-16)
Running time
51 minutes
CountryJapan
LanguageJapanese

Plot

edit

This short 2021 movie is composed of two new (23 minute) standalone stories that could have been added to a season, but instead, were combined into one film: The first story: "Ishi Okoshi /The Stone Waker": Natsume searches for Madara, his missing Bodyguard, and runs into "Mitsumi", a diminutive youkai who is on a mission as the "Ishi Okoshi," the waker of "Gantetsu", a powerful water spirit. Natsume helps the little yoki repay his debt of kindness to his master by helping him awaken the Ayashiki from his deep slumber.

The second story; "Ayashiki Raihousha/The Strange Visitor)" is about Natsume's friend Tanuma who has strong spiritual power but it only allows him to see the echoes of the past at the temple where he and his father live. Tanuma begins acting distant and his behavior has Natsume worried about a strange new friend of Tanuma, is this stranger connected to the concerning malaise affecting Tanuma? Hints of the past answer long standing questions and involves a spirit in Natsumes book.

Voice cast

edit
Character Japanese voice
Takashi Natsume Hiroshi Kamiya[2]
Madara/"Nyanko-sensei" Kazuhiko Inoue[2]
Kaname Tanuma Kazuma Horie[2]
Hinoe Akemi Okamura[2]
Misuzu Takaya Kuroda[2]
Chobihige Chō[2]
One-Eyed Middle Class Yokai Takashi Matsuyama[2]
Ox-Faced Middle Class Yokai Hiroshi Shimozaki[2]
Mitsumi Hisako Kanemoto[2]
Iron Rock Tetsuo Kanao
Horned Yōkai Hiroki Matsukawa
Little Jizō-Faced Yōkai Sōshirō Hori
Little Demon-Faced Yōkai Manami Hanawa
Ancestral Stone Yōkai's Yūichi Hose
Mitsuki Nakamura
Daiki Yamazaki
Takeyoshi Hayakawa
Sasame Kohsuke Toriumi
Satoru Nishimura Ryōhei Kimura
Atsushi Kitamoto Hisayoshi Suganuma
Tanuma's Father Yasunori Matsumoto

Production

edit

The cast of the television series also returned to reprise their roles. Anly perform song Star Wink ~ Star Wink ~.[3]

Release

edit

The film was released in Japan on January 16, 2021. In Japan, the film will be released on Blu-ray and DVD on May 26, 2021.[4] Funimation streamed the film as two OVA episodes.[5]

References

edit
  1. ^ Inc., Aniplex. "「劇場版 夏目友人帳 ~うつせみに結ぶ~」2021年1月16日(土)全国ロードショー。". natsume-movie.com. Retrieved 2021-03-10. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Natsume's Book of Friends: The Waking Rock and the Strange Visitor". March 10, 2021. Retrieved March 10, 2021.
  3. ^ "Anime News Network". March 10, 2021. Retrieved March 10, 2021.
  4. ^ "Blu-ray&DVD". aniplex.com (in Japanese). Retrieved March 12, 2021.
  5. ^ Friedman, Nicholas (June 18, 2021). "Natsume's Book of Friends OVAs Come to Funimation". Funimation. Retrieved June 18, 2021.
edit