Friday, April 14th.
Twelve days into April, Qingyun Video was finally ready to launch Jing Yu's new work — 'Natsume's Book of Friends'!
The reason they didn't air it during the first week of April was simple — the major TV stations were engaged in an all-out promotional war. Qingyun knew better than to get caught in that brawl. As a streaming platform, it didn't need to compete for ratings. Online dramas could premiere anytime.
And sure enough, by the second week of April, the TV promo blitz had already cooled down. That's when Qingyun unleashed a wave of marketing for 'Natsume's Book of Friends'.
Honestly, it worked pretty well.
Although...
"Short-form drama?"
"Just 20–30 minutes an episode? Who's that supposed to impress?"
"Seriously! If it's not at least 50 minutes per episode, can it even be called a drama?"
"Right? Jing Yu-sensei is really slacking these days."
"But I heard that even though each episode is short, the series as a whole is pretty long! Rumor has it they've planned for 50 to 60 episodes across several seasons. That means we'll have new Jing Yu content for the next year."
"For real? That many episodes?"
"Yep. My friend works at Qingyun. She said 50 to 60 episodes is just the initial plan. If it performs well, they'll add more."
"Well then… that sounds pretty promising."
"With that kind of episode count? Yeah, I can forgive the short runtime. We've got plenty of time to enjoy it."
"Feels a little like we've been baited, but I'm okay with it."
As the premiere drew near, fans flooded the group chat with comments.
At 8 p.m. sharp, Qingyun Video quietly dropped the first episode of 'Natsume's Book of Friends'.
At that moment—
The whole site visibly lagged.
Too many people were clicking on the premiere link at once.
Xu Lin was among them. Just last week, she had binged through 'Legal High', and now she couldn't wait for Jing Yu's newest drama.
Soon, the opening theme began.
A calm, soothing male voice sang in the background.
On screen appeared the clean-cut, handsome, and serene-looking male lead — Natsume Takashi, played by Wu He.
Portraying Natsume didn't require much facial acting. His character type was soft-spoken and calm. The expression needed to be subtle — but the aura had to be just right.
And what Xu Lin saw… was comforting.
This show didn't rely on intense conflict. The story was simple:
Natsume Takashi, a boy born with the ability to see yokai (spirits), had been plagued by them since childhood.
Orphaned young, he lived with relatives. Early on, he tried to tell others about the yokai, but since no one else could see them, they dismissed his words as nonsense. That may have been why he grew increasingly quiet and withdrawn.
Then, while fleeing from a pursuing yokai one day, Natsume accidentally released a powerful sealed spirit…
The show's most important supporting character: Nyanko-sensei.
By day, it looked like a fat orange tabby cat. But in truth, its real form was a large dog-like yokai.
Most of the spirits in the area had once been defeated by Natsume's grandmother, Reiko Natsume, a formidable spiritualist. After defeating them, she would collect their names in her "Book of Friends". Whoever held the book could command them.
Now, because Takashi carried Reiko's aura, yokai constantly came after him, hoping to retrieve their names.
In the original anime, they chased him because he looked like Reiko. But in the live-action version, it was hard to find an actor who looked convincingly like her. So they tweaked the lore — now, yokai could also recognize people by their scent, explaining why they mistook a male Takashi for his female grandmother.
Within minutes, the show clearly explained its world and premise.
Then the episode's main plot began.
"Ah, so that's the kind of world this is."
"Another fantasy-Japan setting?"
"Well, what else can they do? Yokai and supernatural battle stories are sensitive topics. Like in 'Fate/Zero', half a city gets destroyed. If you set that in a real Great Zhou city, some bizarre group is bound to complain."
"Yeah, those watchdog groups are the worst."
Xu Lin rested her chin in her palm as she watched Natsume on screen.
"He's… unexpectedly gentle."
When he realized a yokai was after him, he ran into the woods alone — just to keep his classmates safe.
When a yokai invaded his home, he pretended nothing happened — not wanting to trouble his aunt and uncle.
And that huge cat-like yokai he'd released earlier? He was teasing it with a toy wand.
She had expected another hot-blooded fantasy action series, but ten minutes in, the atmosphere was unexpectedly mellow and pleasant.
Xu Lin relaxed into her sofa, finding the most comfortable position.
Next, the yokai who had once chased him showed up again at his doorstep.
During the chase, Natsume learned the importance of the Book of Friends and struck a deal with the fat cat yokai.
He would return the names recorded in the Book to each yokai Reiko had once defeated.
And if he happened to die in the process, the ownership of the Book would go to Nyanko-sensei — but only if the yokai agreed to act as his bodyguard.
Xu Lin didn't fully understand why the male lead would go so far for yokai.
It just seemed to be part of his nature — even toward spirits, he was kind.
Then came the episode's turning point.
Chased by a one-eyed yokai, Natsume used the Book of Friends just as Nyanko-sensei had instructed him.
He focused on the page with the yokai's name, tore it out, held it in his mouth, and gently exhaled…
A rush of memory — from the yokai's perspective — surged into Natsume's mind.
"So lonely…"
The name was more than just a word. It was a bond. A cry for help.
Natsume felt it all.
"I'm so hungry…"
Many years ago, the one-eyed yokai had been caught stealing food offerings from a grave. Reiko challenged it to a duel and won.
As the scene aired—
"Whoa, Xia Yining playing Reiko is stunning!"
"That woke me right up."
"Too bad Jing Yu didn't star in this one."
"It's been almost a year since I saw her in a drama."
"It's all Jing Yu's fault. That lazy fish of a man — now we barely get to see Xia Yining or Yu Youqing anymore."
The yokai was easily defeated and surrendered its name to Reiko.
"Great. Now you're one of my minions!" she beamed.
But the music and atmosphere suddenly turned bittersweet.