We play a lot of war games. It’s a thing people have always done. So sometimes, it makes us think that war is a win/fail sort of affair. You just need to meet the conditions and trigger enough flags and there you go, you win. If time runs out, too bad, so sad.
But that’s not the way it goes, is it? Most wars just sort of wear one side down, using up resources and morale until it crumbles under its own weight. Often, if you take a step back and a really good look, it’s very hard to tell who won, or if anyone won at all. War is just as much about outwaiting the enemy as it is about outgunning them. And that long slog is what really gets to you. It’s getting to Fushi, that’s for sure!
I thought it was clever how they delayed Fushi’s realization that he can bring March back. She’s already back so even if he makes a second body, there’s nothing to fill it with. This does seem to indicate that To Your Eternity is adopting a fairly traditional view of souls or something of the kind. And we have confirmation of that later on in the episode.
That’s o.k. but it’s a little boring, no? Part of the appeal of To Your Eternity, for me at least, is that it kind of bucked convention while seeming fairly classical at first glance. It played with character archetypes and distorted morality. But this, this is just so straightforward. One soul, one body, no mixing, and matching… Why didn’t any of the souls take up residence in discarded bodies that didn’t match their original one? Why didn’t Tonari take Marcch’s extra little body? I have a feeling we’ll never get an answer to that and disappointingly it’s because I have a feeling the author figured no one would ask that particular question.
This is more of a general gripe with the rules that are getting established and not a complaint about this particular episode. They are in the middle of a very difficult and long-winded battle. I’m glad Fushi didn’t start some huge introspection right then and there.
I have to say they are doing a great job in making us feel Fushi’s desperation and exhaustion. It was downright palpable and it made the episode hard to watch at times. Fushi is slowly sacrificing everything in the name of victory and he can feel it. The notions of the greater good wrapped themselves around his judgment and personal beliefs and twisting everything. It’s one thing when a person loses themselves to a cause larger than life, it’s another when they can see it as it happens. There’s something very uncomfortable in watching Fushi willingly go down a road he knows he might not like the destination. And I did like this aspect of the episode.
It’s strange to go into so much detail about how unpleasant something is only to turn around and declare it enjoyable. Enjoyable is not the right word here. More like, enticing. It was an interesting notion and some decent writing. To Your Eternity has been too uneven this season to really make these moments shine like they should, unfortunately, but this particular aspect is something the show does pretty well.
This was the part I liked less. Not that it was bad. Fortunately, it was also handled with a very light touch so I really shouldn’t be complaining. Here’s my issue, I don’t think To Your Eternity should comment on organized religion. At least not in the theological sense. It was one thing when the Church of Bennett was used as a symbol of power and political influence. That’s fine. But now we have an actual in-universe acknowledgment of the concept of heaven.
And not just “a heaven”. Bon talks about the princess having gone UP to heaven and therefore her soul no longer being earthbound and able to return to her body. That is a very Christian-sounding description there. Not only that but it’s both accepted and more importantly understood by everyone in earshot. Souls, heaven, and the fact that it is somehow up and cannot be returned from, all seem to be notions that are basically known and considered true by the characters in To Your Eternity. And that makes things a little messy.
They might very well answer all of my questions eventually. In fact, I’m almost sure that they will. Still, the idea of a generally Christian-like heaven makes me wonder about what the Man in Black is. Are we talking devil? That could be fun. Or do they have a traditional heaven but decided to create a very untraditional deity figure? Less fun but I guess I can take it. Or is this an alien invasion story?
It’s not that any of these are particularly bad. I think I could have fun with any one of these story paths. But for some reason, the fact that the question comes up now and so bluntly annoys me a little. There’s a lack of care put into this revelation and it makes me worry about how it will all be resolved.
So we knew Kohaku was going nuts. I am surprised at just how effective an antagonist he is. I was genuinely unnerved by the character this week. One way r another, Hayase’s blood will always get you! But this also brought up a lot of questions.
The series of events was clear enough but there are some parts up for interpretation. My personal take, and the one the show seems to be pushing, is that the nokker in Kohaku’s arm has slowly been driving him to madness. Of course, you could just as easily think that Kohaku has always been a little mad, independently of the nokker, and is just blaming his declining state on the parasite. All of that is fine. Slightly creepy good guy does a heel turn at the worst possible moment is pretty standard plot construction and I’m happy to accept it without too much explanation.
What threw me off was that last scene. A shockingly good display of body horror I might add! Kohaku trying to cling to Fushi touches him causing the nokker inside him to start absorbing all of Fushi’s forms. Visually this was stunning if gross. But despite the shocking imagery, all I could think about was….Kohaku has touched Fushi tons of times. We’ve seen it. Why is this reaction happening now? Sure, the nokker might be able to control it and that’s why it didn’t happen before but why. What’s the logic of waiting all this time and potentially losing his host along the way and squandering the opportunity. Is it because Fushi is weakened and that gives him a realistic chance to absorb all of his forms before he can fight back? Has the nokker gotten stronger somehow? Is it because Kohaku was restrained up until recently creating a sense of urgency for the nokker that now sees that he might lose access to Fushi at any time and he must act while he still can? Or is it because the drama needed to be escalated and the only way to do that in such a dire situation was to go all out?
Season 1
- 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
- To Your Eternity ep. 19 – Dato
- To Your Eternity ep. 20 – Happiness
Season 2
- To Your Eternity 2 ep. 1- Loneliness
- To Your Eternity 2 ep. 2- Useless
- To Your Eternity 2 ep. 3- Friends
- To Your Eternity 2 ep. 4- 6th Sense
- To Your Eternity 2 ep. 5- Love
- To Your Eternity 2 ep. 6- Betrayal
- To Your Eternity 2 ep. 7- Noble
- To Your Eternity 2 ep. 8- Family
- To Your Eternity 2 ep. 9- Invitation
- To Your Eternity 2 ep. 10- Daughter
- To Your Eternity 2 ep. 11- Loyalty
- To Your Eternity 2 ep. 12- Games
- To Your Eternity 2 ep. 13- Savior
- To Your Eternity 2 ep. 14- Awakened
- To Your Eternity 2 ep. 15- Battle
- To Your Eternity 2 ep. 16- Deathless
I was so hyped to see March honestly . The whole scene was very John Carpenter’s The Thing but with the emotional part of having March there .
I know what you mean. I was surprised by how happy I was to see her
It’s been so long it seems like since the first season. I’m really excited for next week’s episode .
It’s true, Kahaku is going nuts. But I’m not too fond of the “Nokker driving him to madness” hypothesis. At least, not by itself. I think there are other elements at play.
From birth, Kahaku was groomed to worship & serve Fushi. His entire raison d’etre is to become indispensable to this person, that he eventually comes to love. However, Fushi doesn’t love him back in the same way. He brusquely rebuffs his confession, and resolves to keep his distance from Kahaku for some time.
But Kahaku soldiers on. It’s okay if Fushi doesn’t love him back, he tells himself. As long as he makes himself essential to him, turns into his confidant, becomes someone Fushi always relies on. And that’s when Bon strides in, stealing Kahaku’s thunder & relegating him firmly to the sidelines.
But Kahaku soldiers on. It’s okay if Fushi doesn’t hold him in such high esteem. He can still make himself useful to Fushi in other ways, no matter how small the task. But Kahaku can’t openly show his face in Renril, because the Guardians are reviled in this part of the world. Which is a big blow, because building up the city’s defenses is Fushi’s most important goal for many months, and he could use the help. However, Kahaku is completely missing in action, and so many random people fill the void instead.
But Kahaku soldiers on. It’s okay if he can’t help Fushi out on the field. He can still play the role of the dutiful housewife! There at least, he can prepare hearty meals for Fushi, and give him opportunities to rest. It seems, however, that Eko’s cooking skills easily eclipse his own. Kahaku has never seen Fushi so happy eating any of his meals! Also, Fushi routinely ignores Kahaku’s requests to rest. Sometimes he brazenly lies to Kahaku, just to stop him from nagging. So Kahaku ends up failing, even at these simple tasks! Hell, he couldn’t even properly babysit Eko that one time, and got properly rinsed by Fushi for it…
What’s more, Fushi’s off-handed comments towards Kahaku have gotten more & more aggressive. Sometimes, they’re even laced with some contempt! Now, Fushi has too much on his plate, that’s true. Maybe he’s blowing off steam, one could say. But what’s also true, its that Fushi doesn’t put anyone down as consistently as he does Kahaku. And okay, Kahaku’s a creepy dude, that’s for sure. But he genuinely cares for Fushi’s well-being — more so than anyone in Fushi’s inner circle. And Fushi can’t even see that!
Fushi can’t even see how much Kahaku’s been hurting. Even though he’s supposed to feel everyone’s pain… He never bothers to check up on Kahaku. Even though Kahaku checks up on Fushi all the time… And the thing is, Kahaku would need someone just asking how he’s doing. Reason is, his mental state has hit rock bottom. He feels utterly useless. His entire reason for being is to become indispensable to Fushi. That’s the only thing that ever mattered to him.
But he’s comprehensively failed. Not only has he failed to earn Fushi’s love, or failed to earn his trust… But he’s failed to earn, even his basic respect! In which case, what purpose does Kahaku even serve? What has he dedicated his entire life for? How has he gotten it so wrong? Why is he so damn useless? These questions swirl around his head, as he falls deeper into an existential crisis.
And now, with this episode’s cliffhanger… Not only is Kahaku unable to serve or protect Fushi, as is his self-professed goal… On the contrary, he’s getting him killed! This is the fuck-up to top all fuck-ups, and Kahaku’s entirely to blame. You can see the horror etched onto his face, as he realizes what the Nokker is doing. His Nokker, the one he carelessly put Fushi in contact with, another inheritance from the ancestors that he so deeply reveres.
Building off my read of the ED, and the fact Kahaku isn’t there… And certain events from the last two episodes… I fully expect Kahaku to die in this arc, and irreversibly. With Kahaku’s singular degree of obsession, I think there’s only one way his ghost could be put to rest. But I’m not sure how they’ll go about it. Anyway, I’m looking forward to the next episodes. (That’s a first, for this season.)
I’m with you on that. I can’t see how they can keep the character going forth but I have been wrong before
Yeah, I’m with you. When the trio of amigos started to kill themselves to get a better spawn point, as if they were fucking around on Call of Duty, I was sure Kahaku would wind up committing suicide & not reincarnate — to brutally drive home the contrast. Since then though, we’ve had suicide attempts every single episode. Kai, Hairo, Messar, Redhead, Eko, Bon… Any more would really cheapen the act, so I’m no longer sure that Kahaku will kill himself. Then again, cheapening emotional acts through repeated overuse has never stopped this show before… (If you’ll forgive my cynical read…) So let’s see where this goes!
That ending went by too fast for me. Initially, right after watching the show, I thought Kahaku and nokker were going demented nurse deciding on euthanasia (except that it’s more of a memory wipe; Fushi’d still be what he’s always been; just start anew). Fushi was saying that he wanted everything to end. Combine that with Bon going on about saving Fushi’s humanity, and Kahaku having lived all his life with something inhuman, I suppose they were foils that way. If Fushi wants it all to end, well it can. He’ll then start anew with a new set of memories. I’m certainly no longer sure about this.
There was a line about the nokkers eliminating everything, including the traitorous nokker near the beginning of this arc, and I think that’s a tad too anthropocentric for a nokker scam long in the making (but it’s of course entirely possible). It did all happen way to fast, though. (Kahaku nokker might react at the speed of Kahaku unconsciousness, though that’s not how deeply I think the show goes…)
As for “heaven”: not everyone hangs around Fushi. Parona’s not here, for example. Some move on. I’ve not thought about the specifics, and really the concept of a Christian-like up-there heaven doesn’t sound so out there. Anime’s always been a pick’n’mix, that sometimes fails for me (as in Death Parade), but hasn’t – so far – here. Wait and see.
I must admit I rolled my eyes at the timely entry of March. (Honestly, it should have been Eko, considering she’s actually been watching him all that time, and presumably worrying. It would have been less of a stretch/co-incidence.)
I’m really curious what was going on in that last scene, though.
I just saw the new episode and now they all smooth together