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To Your Eternity (TV) (all seasons).


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Stark700



Joined: 30 Jan 2012
Posts: 11762
Location: Earth
PostPosted: Mon Apr 12, 2021 8:18 am Reply with quote


Season 1: To Your Eternity (TV)
Season 2: To Your Eternity (TV 2)

Source: Manga (ongoing @ 19 volumes, by Yoshitoki Ōima)

Demographic: Shounen

Animation Studio:
Season 1 - Brain's Base
Season 2 - Drive

Genres: adventure, drama, supernatural

Themes:

Plot Summary: An omnipotent narrator casts an orb of light to the Earth, watching as this entity copies the shape of a rock and then, many years later, mimics the moss on a rock. When a wolf dies beside the moss, it evolves, taking on the creature's shape and gaining movement for the first time.

As the wolf, the orb observes the dead wolf's owner, a young man who lives alone on a frozen tundra, and accompanies him on his journey to reunite with the rest of his townspeople, who crossed the icy wasteland years before in search of a more bountiful country. The time the orb spends with the boy leaves a mark on the entity as it observes, mimics, and bonds with the boy and then the other creatures it eventually comes across—all while transcending death and living for time immemorial.

Air Date & Platform:
Season 1: April 12, 2021 (Monday)
Available on: Crunchyroll

Season 2: October 23, 2022 (Sunday)
Available on: Crunchyroll

Episode Count / Runtime:
Season 1: 20 episodes
Season 2: 20 episodes

Total: 40 episodes
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Yttrbio
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Joined: 09 Jun 2011
Posts: 3649
PostPosted: Mon Apr 12, 2021 9:12 pm Reply with quote
The execution is amazing, but I'm not sure the first episode did much to convince me to watch more. I'll probably see another one just to see what the show is about, but I think I'm going to end up passing this one by.
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DuskyPredator



Joined: 10 Mar 2009
Posts: 15433
Location: Brisbane, Australia
PostPosted: Tue Apr 13, 2021 5:04 am Reply with quote
It was a very good first episode, and I can admit that it got me emotionally by the end, that despite going back the boy's fate was sealed, and his isolation meant no one could save him. The orb would lose its first companion, and take on his wishes in his form.

The whole reflective thing is interesting in how the boy kind of put his own feelings onto his pet, as a reflection of his own insecurities, an acknowledgment beyond his façade of doomed optimism.
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ACxS



Joined: 03 Aug 2019
Posts: 867
PostPosted: Wed Apr 14, 2021 3:48 am Reply with quote
1:

Utterly fascinating.

Very few shows have wowed me with their first episode, and this is one of them. It's one of those shows that, right from the onset, I know it's going to be a special one of epic proportions. The theme is basically: "if a sentient entity is to learn the meaning of being human, what would happen?". Intriguing theme. I imagine that now this entity is going to wander to different lands and learn about it firsthand. You know the last show that reminded me of something like this? Mushishi. Stories of people from an endless journey. And that show remains as one of the greatest in my books.

I imagine that every episode is going to explore an aspect of humanity. The first one is optimism and hopelessness. I was actually taken aback by the boy's sheer optimism in such a bleak environment, and when he learned the harsh truth, my heart genuinely broke. Now the wolf-turned-boy is going to learn what I think is the value of life, from a girl destined to be a human sacrifice.

This is probably the dark horse of the season. I just know it.

P.S. I got goosebumps when seeing an ED by Utada Hikaru. WOW!
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ACxS



Joined: 03 Aug 2019
Posts: 867
PostPosted: Tue Apr 20, 2021 8:24 am Reply with quote
2:

OH NO, he's a moron! He has to evolve first? How long is that going to take!?

Wow, I'm wrong with my guess in the previous post. It's not an episodic show; it's going for a linear storyline. But jeez, from that OP, I never expected this to be such a grand story. We're basically going to see some world-building, with March and the Thing forming a bond. From the way it looks, our Thing (he really needs a name) is going to evolve from a wolf with a pea brain into a full-fledged human with a shred of humanity. And god, how I love March, she's adorable.

This is going to be an epic journey.
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Blood-
Bargain Hunter



Joined: 07 Mar 2009
Posts: 23669
PostPosted: Wed Apr 21, 2021 11:11 am Reply with quote
God, anime can be so good at creating adorable little kids. I spent the entire episode in dread, assuming March would die and the "compensation" would be the entity taking over her body. Thankfully, that didn't happen... yet. Now the third episode is going to be more torture for me. This seems like that the kind of show that would have absolutely zero problem having March die.
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ACxS



Joined: 03 Aug 2019
Posts: 867
PostPosted: Wed Apr 28, 2021 1:33 am Reply with quote
3:


Seeing March eating that black stuff gave me angina.

FASCINATING. This show is fascinating. Our pet experiment Fu-chan develops an attachment to March because of all the good deeds she's done for him. For every organism, the universal good deed is offering food. So now we see another act observed in evolution studies: reciprocity.

The show explains that Fu-chan's motivation for defending March from the bear is emotional. From an evolutionary standpoint, that wouldn't make sense. Fu-chan may be defending her because she's his source of food. March dies, Fu-chan doesn't get to eat. So he defends her for his own survival (although he regenerates, but you get the point).

If the show claims his action is emotional, then it boils down to the one thing that evolution scientists have been fascinated with: altruism. Fu-chan sacrificed himself (he's immortal, I know that!) to save March to reciprocate/return the favor. Remember, returning favors is illogical if it doesn't benefit the host. But I understand: this show is going the emotional route, which is perfectly the right direction to take. If God was a scientist, he would marvel at this creation Fu-chan. It's a breakthrough.

I feel like this show is influenced by Studio Ghibli works. March reminds me of every girl in SG movies, the setting feels like Princess Mononoke, and the route this show is taking really feels like the kind SG would take. Like I said, fascinating.
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DuskyPredator



Joined: 10 Mar 2009
Posts: 15433
Location: Brisbane, Australia
PostPosted: Wed Apr 28, 2021 2:03 am Reply with quote
I was kid of confused over something, but did the show imply that he kept throwing the fruit as a sort of changing his environment as to motivate himself into the direction to save March?
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ACxS



Joined: 03 Aug 2019
Posts: 867
PostPosted: Wed Apr 28, 2021 2:38 am Reply with quote
The show explains how animals can't choose/change their environment, but they can change themselves by adapting (Evolution 101). In the case of humans, adapting often involves emotion.

That being said, I think it's showcasing how Fu chooses to rescue March (adapting). When March is taken away, his environment changed (no more food now). So he adapted by choosing to rescue her. And it's hinted that emotion was involved: Fu helped her not just because he needs food; it's because she helped him.
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ACxS



Joined: 03 Aug 2019
Posts: 867
PostPosted: Tue May 04, 2021 12:21 am Reply with quote
4:

Ah, Colonialism 101.

Yes, if there's one topic relevant to human history, it's colonialism! How does a colonial country like Yanome assert power over a colony like Ninannah? By exploiting their faith and thus subject them to obedience. And what does Yanome want? The one resource that we human beings have been exploiting others since time immemorial: land. So of course, that makes March and Parona (and the fake shaman) as slaves, Hayase as basically a slave owner, and Fushi as an asset.

Something happened to Fushi when he observed March tending to Oniguma, and I think it's obvious:

spoiler[Oniguma has died, and Fushi knew that because Fushi will know when a living thing dies after getting in contact with it (case in point: its contact with the wolf, and then the boy in the tundra). And Fushi can take in the form of any living form it has touched only after it dies, so it can (and will) transform into Oniguma. Hence, "a vessel has opened".

Hayase and the guards don't know Oniguma is dead; that's why they've been asking March to tend to it despite in vain.]


I just have to wonder, how long the timeline of this show is. We see in the OP that March will even grow up, and Fushi will eventually meet other people in other parts of the world. I just have to wonder a show this grand will end. It will be an unforgettable one, I'm sure.

But one thing catches my attention: Fushi experienced something when he defended himself at the dungeon. What was it? Distress? Is this what I think the next chapter to its learning journey, and also an essential aspect of humanity: empathy?
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DuskyPredator



Joined: 10 Mar 2009
Posts: 15433
Location: Brisbane, Australia
PostPosted: Tue May 11, 2021 1:49 am Reply with quote
Episode 5

I was not ready for the emotional journey that this episode just put me through. The idea that March might die was a strong likelihood, but it was practically destroying me seeing things like March's first interactions with her big sister, and her vision of having gone home and her toys all as her children.

Fu seemed to inherit Oniguma's rage after seeing March be hit, and then inherited March's humanity/empathy when stopping the suicide, his face being just like March's. This was just a lot.
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ACxS



Joined: 03 Aug 2019
Posts: 867
PostPosted: Tue May 11, 2021 8:50 am Reply with quote
5:

Holy shit.

I already suspected that Fushi will turn into Oniguma and March may die, but I couldn't believe it when it happened. Deep inside I really wanted March to live; Parona dying instead would've been less impactful. But this? Oh god...

I guess March's death serves a purpose to the story: it finally gave Fushi a huge step forward in his evolution to become human. What better way to learn what it means to fight in order to live, than to see the one who taught you that to die. And how poignant it is to see Fushi learn the value of life for one who can't die.

This show is a winner. I'm looking at a masterpiece in the making.
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Blood-
Bargain Hunter



Joined: 07 Mar 2009
Posts: 23669
PostPosted: Tue May 11, 2021 10:37 am Reply with quote
Well, the moment I've been dreading pretty much from the time we found out that March was to be a sacrifice arrived and it was every bit as soul-wrecking as I assumed it would. Kudos to the creative team (and especially to March's seiyuu, Rie Hikisaka) for making me so invested in a character that I was sobbing and desperately hoping that a fictional character would somehow escape her fictional fate.

I'm of two minds. I watch anime to be entertained. Getting emotionally upset isn't hugely entertaining for me. But on the flip side, impacts like this have a certain power to them that... I guess... makes it worth experiencing? Made in Abyss is one of my favourite titles and it has some pretty devastating moments, too.

I take a little bit of comfort that March actually did get to experience somewhat her desire to be a mother but oh, how I wish she could have grown up and been one, literally.
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yuna49



Joined: 27 Aug 2008
Posts: 3804
PostPosted: Tue May 11, 2021 11:01 am Reply with quote
ACxS wrote:
We see in the OP that March will even grow up, and Fushi will eventually meet other people in other parts of the world.

I assume Fushi can now take on March's appearance, so perhaps the girl in the OP is him not her. Maturation is an obvious issue though. Fushi as the boy doesn't appear to have grown older, so will he always look like eight-year-old March?
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Blood-
Bargain Hunter



Joined: 07 Mar 2009
Posts: 23669
PostPosted: Tue May 11, 2021 11:23 am Reply with quote
We actually did see the "adult" version of March in the last episode but it was in the context of March's dying thoughts - a projection of what she thought she might look like - and that's probably where the image in the OP comes from.
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