“I wonder if you’ll become attached to me one day.”

Tsubame is a swallow (bird) spirit who was left behind by her parents when their nest fell of a tree and was stained with human scent. When her siblings died and only she was left, she became a spirit and wandered in the village of Futaba. Hidden beneath the bushes, she was mistaken for a stray dog by a man named Taniozaki, and from that day onwards Tsubame consistently received a plate of food from him. The village was eventually buried by a water dam, so the humans moved away, leaving the spirits to dwell in their homes and sleep beneath the water. One hot summer day Takashi and his friends passed by the village, and without his knowledge Tsubame had possessed his body by climbing on to his back. Nyanko exorcised Takashi upon seeing her through a magical mirror. After the pleasantries Tsubame explained her actions; she climbed on to Takashi’s back in order to meet or see the man who had fed her in the old village. Tsubame started following Takashi everywhere like a stalker until our soft-hearted protagonist finally gave in and decided to help her; the first Spirit who didn’t come to him because of the Book of Friends. Soon Takashi became attached to Tsubame, and even after letting her see Taniozaki, he didn’t feel he had actually fulfilled her wish, because the man could not see Tsubame. One night, through the help of Nyanko and another Youkai, Takashi joined the Futaba Festival of Spirits, wherein the prize is a yukata which will make any spirit who wears it become human for a night. Takashi won the yukata and he gave it to Tsubame. The following day he meets Taniozaki and the man confirmed that he did meet a girl in a blue yukata. As if to prove it he showed a picture to Takashi. And there, on the photo, was Taniozaki beside a shy, smiling human girl who used to be a bird. Takashi stared at it and began to cry.

Rating: ★★★★★

THIS IS ABSOLUTELY THE BEST EPISODE SO FAR. I thought it was sad, but then it was also sweet… I really couldn’t explain it. ^^; At first I thought OMG it’s like Shutter (with Tsubame peeking from Takashi’s shoulder) but the story ended beautifully. I almost cried when Tsubame ran after Taniozaki and kept waving her hands and talking like a frantic fan who has finally seen her idol, but the man, being an ordinary human, kept walking past her as if she didn’t exist. I mean, if that were to happen to me (being ignored), I would have hated the person, but Tsubame wasn’t bothered by it. Everyday she kept a lookout for him on top of a tree (just like a bird) with Takashi sitting below watching her. And every time the man passes by she will cry and call out to him. It’s such a heart-wrenching scene I thought the killers in the RCBC robbery should see it to realize how inhumane they were. Okay, that’s a stretch.

I’m not really familiar with the Japanese Folklore, so I wonder if the stories of this show have a basis of some sort. I’m starting to get curious. Reading local folklore is fun. Maybe I’ll look it up sometime.

Going back to this episode, I’d also like to mention the way Takashi cared for Tsubame. That really made me fall in love with his character, and made me wish to meet someone like him. You’d think it’s because he’s always alone and lonely that he jumps at the first opportunity to do all those stunts in the hope of gaining a friend, even a spirit friend… but I’d like to think Takashi’s character as a selfless person, who’s just really there to help out and care for others. We need more real people like him, and every time I think about this sad little world of ours, I can’t help but accept the fact that in this day and age, there are very few people who are selfless. Watching Takashi makes me realize how selfish I am myself and the truth is, I’m like that most of the times.

So you see, this anime has a lot to offer, lots of lessons to learn. That’s why I still stand to my belief that this has got to be the winner of the Summer season.

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