To your Eternity
Genre: Fantasy, Adventure
Studio: Brain’s Base
Hello my friends. Welcome to another entry of my blog.
I have to apologise, again, but work and many of my activities have taken a lot of my time, and that’s is why, until now, I got some time to watch again some of the best series that this spring (or autumn in Australia), can offer us right now. And now, the anime that really hooked me, and since the best, favourite month (aside from August), is already here… What a great time to challenge myself writing as many entries as possible.
Having said that, I want to introduce you…
But before I continue with this fantastic series, I must ask you the typical question:
Are you guys ok? Feeling healthy?
If you are happy, then I am happy. And now, enjoy a lot of this season of spring, because I consider it is a really cool moment, despite after that monstrosity I previously reviewed called, Ex-Arm.
Now, on To Your Eternity.
PREMISE
Based on the manga written and illustrated by Yoshitoki Ooima, To Your Eterrnity (Fumetsu no Anata e) tells the story of a mysterious white orb who is sent to this, beautiful fantasy world, in order to gather knowledge and information about it,\ in everything, from the societies, from the cultures, even from the sounds of this world. The orb starts as a rock, then it acquires the form of a wolf, then of a young boy; starting a journey that will take hundreds of years in this new World.
For those who do not know, Yoshitoki Ooima is the same author of A Silent Voice, which is one of the most beautiful anime movies I have ever seen. And when you see the episodes of To Your Eternity, you will find out a lot of common elements with A Silent Voice, including beautiful environments, a marvellous attention to detail, peaceful atmosphere that reminisces the drama, and very deep, tragic characters. To be honest, I was very surprised when I found out that both series were written by the same person.
Ooima started writing To Your Eternity from November, 2016, two years after completing A Silent Voice, and as of May 2021, it has released 14 volumes. Now, the studio behind the animation is Brain’s Base, famous for adapting In/Spectre, Durarara!! and Dances with Devils (Yeah, believe it or not).
As of May 2nd, To Your Eternity has released three episodes, and it will be released in a series of twenty episodes. Currently, it is also available at Crunchyroll and many streaming websites.
STORY
Well… Where to start here?
Despite the anime only having three episodes up to this point, I have to say that To Your Eternity is so full of drama and humanity from moment number one, focusing more in the characters through two points:
- How they express their humanity (fears, dreams, hopes, and strengths) through the most melancholic and tragic circumstances.
- How Fushi (our main protagonist) develops and obtains an humanity of its own.
And yes… that’s how I will be referring our main character/wolf/orb/abandoned boy… Fushi.
To be honest, I wasn’t really expecting epic battles or textbook bad guys, just simple stories from this combination of drama and fantasy, and even more when I saw that the writer of To Your Eternity is the same one from A Silent Voice.
Actually, when I mentioned it like this, it reminds another great series that I loved.
For me, this is a nice option from the typical shounen anime or the adaptations of light novels, adding more depth to the genre. The story of To Your Eternity is, in my opinion, another great alternative for those recent anime stories in which the relationship between man and Earth is explored, including the nasty realisation that Nature is not that wonderful, that is harsh, ruthless, unpredictable, but also part of that beautiful world that it belongs to us. In other words, the dichotomy between marvel and brutality, however from a relatable perspective, or a feel-good-inc sensation.
Other anime like this is Made in Abyss. But, unlike the latter, To Your Eternity is more focused in humanity and drama. Let’s put it as it follows.
Within the contrast of Nature and it’s relationship with mankind, these three anime develop this idea through their own genre:
- Made in Abyss – Science Fantasy
- Somali and the Forest Spirit – High Fantasy
- To Your Eternity – Drama
Of course, there will be adventure and epic battles, but there is a fact that makes the fights more imposing, especially from the psychological perspective… anyone can die; even the main characters. So perhaps… I will suggest you a couple of napkins.
There are still 17 episodes to be released, so this story has a lot of potential. But… what about the…
CHARACTERS
There is one perfect word to describe the characters – Human, in the strictest sense of the word. They get injured, they have fears, they have strengths, they cultivate beautiful relationships, especially Fushi, which makes their backstory more heart-wrenching after some episodes (I am not spoiling everything), I am trying to remind you the condition of the characters.
And it looks like the characters do not really have that much of time; but the story of each episode is so good that you don;’t realise the moment in which you start sympathising with all of them. However that proves that the story is really well-done – good balance between story and character development.
Furthermore, the characters that I choose, aside from Fushi, were, March, Parona and Hayase. Especially Hayase. Again I am not going to spoil anything, I read some parts of the manga; just be patient and wait for the rest of the story. I am sure that will help you to love the story more.
CONCLUSION
I have grown to like To Your Eternity for the reasons previously mentioned. The well-done characters, the world building, and the drama. We are possibly seeing one of the best anime of the Spring 2021; trust me, if you really liked A Silent Voice, you will definitely love this story.
After all… Who doesn’t love a drama story with a white wolf? Perhaps the only thing needed… is a cute cat.
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