Short Synopsis: Natsume takes care of a strange kind of egg he finds in his garden.
Overall Enjoyment Value: 8,5/10 (Awesome)
just when I thought that this series couldn’t get any more adorable after the fox-kid. This episode showed me that the creators have not lost their touch, like I originally feared, and they could actually surpass the first season one of these days.
This episode shows how Natsume takes care of an egg he finds in a nest in his garden, after the mother abandoned it. It probably was because the mother couldn’t see the egg, and therefore Natsume decides to take care of it, and eventually it hatches the cutest little youkai you could imagine. this episode was really good in displaying the strange mother-child relationship (and in Nyanko-sensei’s case it would probably be something like an uncle-child relationship) with this youkai, which they later name Tama.
And since this is a show about Youkai, the ending is a bit different from what happens in nature. When the time comes from Tama (a bird Youkai, after all) to spread his (her? After the fox-kid I’m not sure anymore) wings, s/he simply refuses to eat in order to avoid saying goodbye to Natsume, who did so many kind things to her.
One thing where the first and two seasons sort-of differ from each other is Nyanko-sensei: his banter is much more extreme than what it was in the first season, and he wasn’t exactly tight-lipped in the first season either. I guess it’s his way of warming up to living with Natsume (either that, or the writers are getting more confident and creative :P).
I just watched the subbed version which they translated Tama’s name to “Eggy”. Throughout the episode they referred to Eggy with masculine pronouns and Nyanko-sensei commented that he was definitely a type of dragon. I’m betting the conflict with the rat servant will lead to a future encounter with its master.
I really enjoy this series. sometimes I am so sad that each story ends at the end of the episodes that characters that you quickly grow attach to disappears for a time not knowing when we’ll see them again in the series.
And I have a question: What do you think that Tama left Natsume that he describe was very special? (in the nest? He mentioned he dreamed he went in there and found something very precious, I can’t see for the life of me see or know that he is referring to.)
Heh, now you see why this is one of my fave chapters, Tama is SOOOOO CUTE! The next episode worries me it as it seems to be an original, now the Santo episode at season 1 was weak I do hope they’ve improved upon making an original. Oh well I’ll wait and see how that episode plays out, least the OP is being released this week that’s going to be a treat.
@Paj: Natsume specified that it was empty. What he was more than likely referring too was the memories he shared with Tama. For example, looking at a photograph can conjure up memories. Looking into the nest would do the same for Natsume.
*were instead of was
I couldn’t not correct myself. Sorry.
*The second was, I mean. -_-
I’m actually curious as well as to what was inside the nest. Hope someone has an idea. I was thinking of another egg but he said it was empty towards the end of the story.
The storytelling is this series is superb. I am always pleasantly surprised with what they come up with.