English Dub Review: Natsume’s Book of Friends “Swallow at the Lake Bottom”

Overview (Spoilers Below):
Natsume is possessed by a swallow spirit, who wishes to meet a human who once helped her. Natsume agrees to help her, and the two grow attached. When Swallow finds the human, Natsume feels bad that she can’t actually meet him, but when he hears of a Yukata that can turn a spirit into a human for a day, he looks for it.

Our Take:
Natsume has been doing well surviving against the spirits without being possessed by one. Unfortunately, it appears that his streak has come to an end when he meets a peculiar and kind-hearted swallow ghost. While viewing the abandoned Futaba village by the dam, Natsume becomes possessed by a spirit he saw in a broken-down house. Although, he didn’t notice it until another ghost named Koturosumo pointed it out.
Thankfully, the possession didn’t last long, with Madara knocking the spirit out of Natsume. It turns out that the spirit named Subome wanted to possess him so she could meet the human who helped her, Taniyo Zaki. Subome wants to thank Zaki for coming by every day to feed her when she lost her swallow family. They eventually find him, but to no one’s surprise, Zaki couldn’t see Subome thanking him.
The second half of the episode focuses on Natsume trying to help Subome before she goes back home in time for the rain to flood the village. Luckily, the only solution to this predicament lies in the Futaba Festival, where spirits gather for a race. The winner of that said race will be granted a unique Yukata that can transform a yokai into a human. Natsume was able to win with the help of Madara, which is cheating, by the way. Then again, Natsume isn’t a spirit like the rest of them, so it makes sense why the show lets that one slide.
This is another kind-hearted chapter with Natsume expressing his generosity in helping the yokai. More importantly, his task helped him be more open towards humanity, similar to how Subome expresses her love for humans. The only issue with it is that the sun flare during the beginning was too much for my eyes. It was also a bother to me in last week’s episode during specific daytime sequences. I know it’s supposed to capture the serenity of the rural area, but the sun flare makes the scenery more of an eyesore than a work of art. I hope it will not be like that for the rest of the season.