If you loved Natsume's Book of Friends the Movie: Ephemeral Bond, try Natsume's Book of Friends: The Waking Rock and the Strange Visitor

A bridge between a film you've already seen and one most people haven't. Here's what they share, and what the second one does that the first one doesn't.

What they share

Both films are directed by Hideki Ito, and they both carry the tender mood tag, and they sit in Animation / Drama / Fantasy territory. If that's the register that drew you to Natsume's Book of Friends the Movie: Ephemeral Bond, the second film will land in a comparable space — through a different lens.

tender

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

A quiet woodland meets a lonely spirit. Natsume helps a small yōkai wake a sleeping giant only to realize the task may be impossible. A second tale follows Tanuma’s daily visits from a wraith that slowly drains his life, leaving Natsume to watch helplessly. Two vignettes that prove kindness can be its own kind of burden.

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