Anime Spotlight #14: To Your Eternity

 Article by Sean Wilkinson
a.k.a. the Anime Toastmaster

Arrgh, me Animateys! 'Tis the national holiday t'be talkin' as a pirate as ye partake of butterscotch pudding! So like this post or I'll keelhaul the lot of ya!

Not really, though. I just needed an intro that worked in a call to action and something to toast, so I looked up today's date on National Day Calendar, and here we are.

So, here's to talking like a pirate, here's to butterscotch pudding, and here's To Your Eternity (available to stream on CrunchyRoll):

To Your Eternity, much like Dr. Stone and Vivy, is a thought-provoking anime that follows its main character across boundaries of time that are beyond the understanding of mortal beings. Set in a primitive world (like Dr. Stone) and visually stunning (like Vivy), To Your Eternity follows Fushi, a shapeshifting, immortal being that begins Its life as an orb, but through chance encounters with a boy and his dog (and later, several other life forms), gains powerful friendships, new experiences and memories, and (upon the deaths of those he is close with) new forms and abilities. Along his journey of self-discovery, Fushi not only makes friends, but enemies mortal and immortal alike (including the obsessive warrior woman Hayase, the soul-devouring Nokkers--essentially a dark mirror equivalent to Fushi that were created to hunt and feed on him--and the Beholder, who is Fushi's creator and  mostly passive observer). The character development arcs of Fushi and those who pass through his long life are engaging, well-written, often heartbreaking, and definitely not worth spoiling here. The series uses Fushi and his companions as allegories to explore themes of death, grief, memory and loss thereof, self-actualization (being oneself vs. the combination of people and experiences that affect one's life), religion, fate, love, and gender fluidity (including the opening theme, "Pink Blood," which is performed by Utada, a highly regarded, non-binary, Japanese pop artist; it's slow and melancholy at first, but turns into quite the bop). Wikipedia says there are four seasons of the show, but only two have been dubbed to date, due in part to the COVID-19 pandemic halting production. Dub or sub, this anime is well worth the watch, and belongs in the Anime Spotlight.

Belated apologies for the delayed posting. As has happened frequently in the past, I got too ambitious with my thoughts and not ambitious enough with my execution. I tried watching Nope, but I just wasn't feeling it in the moment, and that moment is still happening. So in keeping with the gender-fluidity theme, this week's Just the Ticket will be a review of Kevin Bacon's return to horror in They/Them.

Stay tuned, and

Animeister,

out.