I don’t know if I should be admitting this but Hayase and I, we think alike! Not the being in love with Fushi part. He seems like a nice…thing, but we hardly know each other and I don’t see Fushi in that way. But the Fushi killing her then turning into her part. I also think that would be a great idea.
What are the odd of Fushi turning back that rowboat and finishing her off after realizing she’s been possessed. 100%? 107%?
I kind of like Hayase but I think she (and pretty much all of this arc) represents a missed opportunity. She was characterized so unevenly since her reappearance that I just never really figured out what to make of her. She goes from brilliant to really short-sighted. And you could blame it on her compromised mental state but it did come off more like an author not quite knowing what to do with the character. At least to me.
Even in this episode. Hayase is a fighter with considerable frontline leadership experience. Under invasion circumstances, she’s exactly the type of person you want on your side. And arguably, she did much more to save the people of the island than Fushi did. But then the weird getting caught by a Nokker and ripping out her own arm scene. Granted, it seemed like she had no consequences, not even a scratch from ripping her own bicep out of her arm, but that just brings attention to how silly this arc is when up until now To Your Eternity has been insistent on showing human life as realistically fragile and fleeting. It’s one of the major themes. So that scene, as hilarious as it was, is just working against the story.
But at least, To Your Eternity has been very consistent with Tonari. In that, she was a shortsighted selfish jerk when we met her and slowly turned into a shortsighted doofus where she remains. Either that or she just really, truly, deeply hates Fushi.
So Hayase, is nuts, we all agree, and probably not a great person. Although from Tonari’s point of view, she’s unhinged but still allowed her and all the kids to leave the island, she confined Fushi but never hurt him. I’m just saying, that considering Tomari’s life up until then, Hayase must have seemed like an average if not slightly nicer than average person. But fine, we don’t like her because Fushi doesn’t. Let’s go with that logic.
Even then, Hayase is offering to do a very necessary thing that has to be done and would be terribly painful for Fushi to do himself. Why not let her? She wants to get into Fushi’s good graces, so why not? And Tonari’s solution isn’t only to stop Hayase from doing what she wants but to commit murder-suicide, leaving Fushi not only with the gut-wrenching task of having to put down the infected kids but also having to grieve her and feel guilty about not being able to save yet another person. Wha? Why? What does that accomplish other than devastating Fushi? Was that the point?
And after all this Tonari is going to stay on the island and lead them? No one wants that. Girl, you’re not smart. Just stay out of the way.
So I didn’t love this episode. It was kinda dumb again. There was even an intense mid-combat sobbing break because that’s always a good move. Just stop everything and have a good cry as your enemy is bearing down. BUT I did love Fushi and Hayase’s little romantic boat date. There was even a confession. And I have to admit, I loved Fushi’s reaction. I guess I was starved for a bit of comedy from To Your Eternity because I earnestly laughed. It seems we get to meet up with Pyoran again for the last episode. I like that too. I’m happy the show didn’t forget about her. She’s a very interesting character type that we rarely see.
Only one episode left, let’s see how it goes.
Previous Posts
- To Your Eternity ep. 1 – Forever
- To Your Eternity ep. 2 – Precocious
- To Your Eternity ep. 3 – Manners
- To Your Eternity ep. 4 – Pain
- To Your Eternity ep. 5 – Orphan
- To Your Eternity ep. 6 – Maker
- To Your Eternity ep. 7 – Dreams
- To Your Eternity ep. 8 – Freaks
- To Your Eternity ep. 9 – Home
- To Your Eternity ep. 10 – Flamethrower
- To Your Eternity ep. 11 – Confession
- To Your Eternity ep. 12 – Rebirth
- To Your Eternity ep. 13 – Empathy
- To Your Eternity ep. 14 – Arrow
- To Your Eternity ep. 15 – Return
- To Your Eternity ep. 16 – Freedom
- To Your Eternity ep. 17 – Promises
- To Your Eternity ep. 18 – Mercy
I can’t say I’ll miss anything about this arc. I also wonder about Ligard. Maybe the owl should lead the island? He seems to be very good at gauging people’s attention. Also recovers really quickly from wounds. Next episode twist: he’s just another immortal.
I had the feeling that the Nokker hesitated when Hayase spoke to it. Maybe that’s just me, but did the thing stalk her for her wisdom in some sense? Are Nokkers learning, too? Do we now have a crazed Hayase-sentient-hive-refuge-Nokker hybrid?
My main takeaway from that arc is: it’s over.
Pioran was the best character this arc, and she was hardly in it. Also she’s old, so I suspect Fushi will make acquaintance with life expectancy next expisode. I wonder how much time next episode will cover? Maybe we’ll get an a-century-later epilogue? Fushi’s goal could be trying to die from old age. That would involve never transforming. It’s an interesting concept; you’re not immortal so much as immaterial. If you take form you can die, and the trick is to die with your life running out, rather than to die of accidents. Death as accomplishment.
At a convention for formless orb they can then brag about how often they died of oldage. They could hand out medals.
I’m being silly, mostly, because I’m a little miffed that the worst arc was also the longest, and now there’s only one episode left.
I really did want to see how Fushi’s aging pans out. I would attend that convention. I might not get invited but maybe I can tell them I have a blog…
It was a bad arc but I don’t think it was story destroying. I would watch more. I just hope they don’t have a bummer ending for season 1. And I sort of think they will. It’s the obvious way to go.
As a flippant little shit, this series interests me, in a weird way. No matter how cheeky I think my speculation is, the show consistently manages to either match or outdo me. I find those moments hilarious, as well as the fact I’ve come to expect them. This author has a trollish streak.
Coming back to the plot, they sure killed off the Nokkers quick. Two seconds of breathing saved the day, an episode & three deaths too late. Poor kids, sacrificed to the altar of Half-Baked Stakes. Likewise, crazy how they hand-waved this island’s obvious issues at the end. You have a fucked-up society chockful of homicidal maniacs, but suddenly things are humpty dory & they’ll heed the wisdom of some dumb girl? Village leader my ass. I won’t complain though, as long as we leave this shitty island.
The boat date made up for all the nonsense. Hayase’s push-and-pull with Fushi was honestly as good as I’d hoped. Her sincere devotion to him, his total repulsion to her. Her manipulative schemes, his utter befuddlement. Her insistence on protecting his innocence, while goading him to sully it by killing her. Either way, she gets her wish — to look after Fushi, whether dead or alive.
Hell, it was even better than I’d played out in my head — when Fushi coldly told Hayase he wouldn’t feel anything if she died, I couldn’t imagine she’d agree so readily! I couldn’t even see Fushi brush her off so casually, in the first place! Great stuff.
Genuinely expected to get a whole arc on this, with a lot of angst interspersed throughout… The mad lads got it done in a couple minutes! Hats off. Really looking forward to Hayase’s next move, although I’m out of saucy ideas right now.
I agree with you. Although I love that you say the boat scene made up for the nonsense when it arguably is the nonsense but fun nonsense always beats dumb one.
I don’t think this is the last we see of Hayase. Probably the last this season but I don’t think her role in the story is quite done. She’s the only human antagonist and the only human treath to Fushi.
Too true. Delving deeper in silly semantics… While that fun nonsense is arguably pretty dumb itself, it does maintain a little internal logic — or sense, if you will. It takes learned connoisseurs of the art of nonsense to be able to discern unnatural contrivances or inconsistencies, from ridiculous shit that still remains coherent within a certain context. *Raises glass*
(But actually, people’s mileages will vary. And sometimes, that line isn’t so clear cut. For instance… I tend to view, say, Guilty Crown or Lost Village as massive shitposts, that only make some sense on a meta-level. But I know other folks who think they’re just, well, shit. And upon reflection, one doesn’t necessarily preclude the other.)
Only one episode left ? That’s crazy . I do hope there’s a second season . The island arc was a little wonky , it had some strengths and then odd parts .
I hope so too. The manga is free on Crunchyroll, I might have to continue the story there!
Oh wow , I may look into reading it as well .