English Dub Review: Natsume’s Book of Friends “Fleeting Light”

Overview (Spoilers Below):
Natsume meets a spirit who used to be friends with a man who could also see yokai, but one day lost this ability.

Our Take:
It seems that Natsume and Madara have encountered another person with the ability to see spirits in this week’s episode. Additionally, they assist yet another spirit who has close ties with that man. The spirit, later revealed to be Hotaru, is a lower-class yokai who formed a relationship with the man named Akifumi Sugino by the lake long ago. Like Natsume and Tanuma, he had a gift allowing him to detect yokai. Although he’s not into this ability at first, Akifumi changed his mind once he got to know Hotaru. Unfortunately, Akifumi suddenly lost his power and could no longer see or feel Hotaru. Years later, Hotaru hopes to see Akifumi one last time before he gets married.
I never expected an episode to focus heavily on Natsume’s ability, but here we are. “Fleeting Light” offers another scenario involving Natsume and Madara meeting and helping a spirit, but it also has something much deeper than that. Amid the sentimental love story between a human and a masked yokai, the episode showcases a shocking piece of information on this particular gift. It turns out that the ability doesn’t last forever and can suddenly disappear without warning.
It’s an interesting piece of development that drives Natsume’s inner conflict with his gift. He’s been constantly calling it a curse since childhood and wishing to return to his normal life. However, after meeting a few kind-hearted yokai, he gradually started to realize the bright side of having to see the spirits everywhere he went. Following the discovery of the gift’s eventual end, it appears that Natsume would have to enjoy it while it lasts.
In addition to this piece of development, “Fleeting Light” also provided another genuinely heartfelt scenario involving a spirit Natsume encountered. “Fleeting Light” continues to display the show’s strength in delivering compelling and thoughtful narratives not just for Natsume but also for the yokai. Its previous episode, “The Little Fox’s Hat”, had Kogitsune braving through the village to find his only friend. This episode features Hotaru’s determination to see her love for the final time before she lets him go. Those sequences involving Hotaru and Akifumi are wonderfully displayed through the show’s beautiful animation and musical score. It honestly almost made me shed a tear. Regarding its development and storyline, I would say that “Fleeting Light” is one of the best episodes of its first season so far.