2nd entry to my Moral Ethics of Being Omnipotent series for animes, more coming soon
I've seen intense fantasy shows before, there are plenty of good ones that to watch or those Isekai types that exist till now. Stories that deal with terrible human beings or people living in grueling worlds, that demands a lot from them in order to survive. Sometimes even shows that can easily kill your favorable characters, adding momentum to a grueling narrative. Stuff like that needs some kind of a pay off in the end to satisfy its audiences.
Seeing an anime like To Your Eternity, kind of shifted my perspective of what animes can do when it comes to dealing with grief, depression, and a lot of introspective emotions. Hope is something that doesn't just conjure up in the air when you want it to, when it comes, you do your best to catch it.
A show that deals with clueless yet expressive people that is trying to find safety nets in a cruel world that doesn't care about what and who they are. Then comes Fushi, a being that is created by a mysterious omnipotent being. His only goal was to eradicate a threat that could ruin any living being, called Nokkers. Yet, conjuring into existence, he absorbs not just intelligence, but people's lives.
Their will to leave, what makes them sad, makes them human, what it means to be a human being. Fushi even with his crazy powers and regeneration, can only deal with immense suffering as the people he learned to love perish way before him.
To Your Eternity(Fumetsu no Anata e) is a manga series written and illustrated by Yoshitoki Ōima. Her prior works were A Silent Voice. Which was adapted into a popular movie. Of course, ASV is a far different project than what To Your Eternity is. Some of the themes from there have also been presented here but to a much more grittier setting. The series finally got adapted by the studio Brain's Base, whom are known for making Spice And Wolf and first season of Oregairu.
There are a lot of big names involved within the making of this adaptation. Directed by Masahiko Murata of Baby Steps and Naruto, with FGO Babylonia composer and opening theme by Hikaru Utada. The animation quality speaks for itself of the ambitious scope that the show is trying to aim at.
Plot: The Beholder, a being from outside of this world creates a creature that can mimmick anything in the planet, including other creatures. First a pebble, then a wolf. That wolf turns out to be someone's pet, whom he meets and first learn compassion from, and what its like to survive in such a cruel world. This creature, named Fushi pretty much takes the person's form later on and travels the world to learn more about it. He passed away from his wounds, Fushi had nothing to do with it.
Fushi is a very peculiar being, he can not only regenerate but can take the form of other beings, well long as they pass away. He can also conjure up anything long as he have touched them to obtain material data into his body. So yeah, he can change forms and summon up an infinite amount of weapons, food, clothes, pretty much anything an RPG cheat code can get you.
While that makes him nearly invincible and godlike, his only big misgivings seems to be that no matter what he does or tries as much as he can. The Nokkers and unfortunate circumstances snatch away the people he holds close to. And this happens pretty quite often.
The very first person who teaches Fushi the basics of eating food, how to walk properly, talk even with its limited vocabulary is a little girl. Who has a fantasy dream of being a mother when she grows up. She employs herself as a paternal figure to various imaginary characters, at a very young age. She's also upbeat, highly optimistic and in some degree, has a better hold of reality than most of the grown ups in her village.
Unfortunately for a show like this, not all characters you'll grow to like stick around for long. This is a recurring theme and is probably something anybody watching would have a hard time dealing with. The world is grim, has some of the most unwelcoming people, dangerous monsters the likes of giant mythical creatures, and well, the Nokkers. The last of which are far more dangerous than anything thrown at Fushi and are his priority of elimination.
Yet, there's so many layers to peel. A show that finds a way to end its chapter on well-sounded notes. Where the sense of continuity is good enough to keep you invested in watching. Fushi didn't even grasp the concept of friendship yet, but as he grew, he cherished that part of his life more than anything else, even his mission.
In the middle of the 20 episode run, you see Fushi growing after meeting an old man with his brewing shop and a boy who is facially disfigured. Fushi and the boy got to grow up within 4-5 years and you see them within their teenage age and Fushi growing a few tiny beard hair. Not only that, but he talks and moves more articulately as much as humans do. So he has fully learned what it feels to be an actual person.
There are so many colorful characters, so many of them distinguished, and charming that, despite some of the things they've done, the past they have, you can't help but empathize. Just humanize them. Even the most horrific of antagonists out there, that are so much easier to hate, even Fushi has a tough time making the decision to their place on the Earth. Fushi struggles with these morals much more internally since he feels even as a powerful being that he couldn't save the people he loves from bitter demises. But the show's entire point is to dwelve into humanity itself. To learn the important lessons about trying to live.
This isn't one of those "beat the bad guys, save the day" kind of stories you read in usual Shonens. No, this is a Seinen kind of story published in Shonens. Heck, maybe I've grown a bit more as a person right after watching this, because of it doing a good job of helping me internalize.
If you liked Full Metal Alchemist, you can find similar conflicts within this anime and the kind of attachment you get to characters. But I'd be remiss if I said this is something you watch just for enjoyment. No, this is the kind of art that lifts you up to a higher plane of understanding.
The kind where you don't want to forget the journey a protagonist goes through and undergo great character developments.