The August issue of the magazine "MOE" (Hakusensha) was released on July 3rd, and featured a special article on the popular manga "Natsume's Book of Friends" by Yuki Midorikawa, entitled "22nd Anniversary of Meeting Nyanko-sensei: A Journey to Meet Natsume's Book of Friends and Yokai." In addition to introducing yokai spots in the Hitoyoshi Kuma region of Kumamoto, which served as the model for the anime, as well as other areas in Tohoku and Sanin, the issue also featured an interview with Midorikawa.
The book comes with a "Natsume's Book of Friends Nyanko Sensei '100 Famous Cat Scenes' Clear File" featuring an ukiyo-e style illustration of Nyanko Sensei. There will also be a campaign to give away 50 "Nyanko Sensei towel handkerchiefs."
"Natsume's Book of Friends" was first published as a one-shot in "LaLaDX" (same publisher) in 2003, and is currently being serialized in "LaLa" (same publisher). The story follows Natsume, who finds a stack of contracts with monsters, the Book of Friends, inherited from his grandmother, and together with the self-proclaimed bodyguard monster Nyanko-sensei, "return" the names of the monsters written in the Book of Friends. It has been adapted into a TV anime seven times so far, with the first season airing from July to September 2008, and the seventh season, "Urushi," airing from October to December 2024.
