To Your Eternity Season 3

Episodes 1-3

It has been wild to return to the story of To Your Eternity after so many years. The original two seasons of the show were sometimes beautiful and mythic tales of life, loss, grief, and aching humanity that ended up completely undercut by the production woes of two separate studios and creative teams. Fushi the Orb-Thing is a singular entity living in a vibrant fantasy setting, and his story demands a certain amount of artistry and fidelity that the studios Brain Base and Drive were simply not able to provide consistently for the first forty episodes of this epic's run. The second season fell off so hard in 2022 that I wasn't even able to finish my weekly coverage of the show, and I honestly never expected to return to it. Perhaps, I thought, I would take the time to revisit TYE in manga form and complete the experience. Someday.

Despite the odds, though, Fushi and Co. are back. As I covered in the seasonal Preview Guide coverage of this new, third season, To Your Eternity has been given a fresh start that applies to its characters and story as much as it applies to the new production. After winning the first great battle against the Nokker threat, Fushi has spent centuries in hibernation, spreading his vines across the planet and watching over the peaceful world he created until such a time came that his loved ones could be reborn and reunited in a better life. Director Kiyoko Sayama and the crew at Brain's Base have likewise been given a chance to do things over again, and hopefully better this time. The new co-director, Sōta Yokote, and the new co-production team from Studio Massket have joined in the fight, which gives me hope that To Your Eternity will have the chance to tell this second half of Fushi's tale more completely and satisfyingly.

The first few episodes have certainly shown a lot of promise. The series has never managed to reclaim that pristine, cinematic quality that defined its stellar first episode, and by now I think it's safe to assume that it likely never will. That said, this new season has demonstrated clean and charming visuals that have not yet undercut the storytelling, which is all that I dare hope for, at least for now. It helps that the shift to a modern-day setting gives the series a different and, I think, more attainable threshold of quality to stick to. Not only have there not been any huge setpieces or strange, fantastical settings to bring to life, but there is simply a more accessible barrier to entry when it comes to modern, “urban” fantasy compared to the ancient, mythic variety that defined the first two seasons.

The massive jump forward in time has also given the series a very unique opportunity to exploit the built-in goodwill and emotional attachment that forty episodes of previous material will naturally engender, even if they were a very inconsistent forty episodes, indeed. It is honestly just so wonderful to see all of Fushi's friends get their shot at a brand new life in a world that is similar enough to our own for the audience to relate to their experiences. Even in its lowest moments, To Your Eternity has been able to make us care so much about its complex and fascinating supporting cast, all of whom have been necessary to giving meaning and texture to Fushi's existence. I love that we're getting to spend more time with the likes of March, Rean, Gugu, Tonari, Bon, and the rest, even if the specifics of their stories have become a bit hazy for me over the years. It's a fresh start, after all. What these people suffered through and died for belongs to the past. They're together, now, and happy.

Well, most of them are. Obviously, one of the biggest driving questions behind this new season, and indeed this new storyline, is “What is there left to tell?” It would be one thing if the show got an extended epilogue that lets us enjoy a final, easygoing adventure with a lovely cast of characters, but Fushi's entire existence has been defined by increasingly complex and fraught conflict. Conflict is, after all, at the crux of the human experience. We enjoy life only because we know that death is inevitable. We cherish our loved ones because we know the pain of loneliness and isolation. We strive for a better life because we can all, in some way or another, understand the consequences of staying stuck where we are. If the show is going to go so far out of its way to insist that there is yet more of this story that truly demands telling, we have to ask what conflict is going to shape that story.

The answer, at least so far, comes from the title of Episode 3: “Mizuha.” Out of all the friends and enemies that Fushi made all those centuries ago, none was more entangled with our Orb and their endless fight against the Nokkers than Hayase. Fushi's foil in every sense of the word, the obsessive warrior went so far as to give her humanity over to the Nokkers to ensure that some form of her soul could be reborn and live on to claim Fushi as her own. Even if it took a hundred failed attempts over a hundred failed lifetimes.

Mizuha is the latest incarnation of this eternally troubled and conflicted soul, and it seems that her inability to make the meaningful connections that have given Fushi so much purpose will be the catalyst that spurs on Fushi and Co.'s newest quest. Yuki and the other new kids from the modern day have gotten wrapped up in Mizuha's recent disappearance, and this eventually forces our heroes to get involved, given their new ties to the Aoki family. Another thing I have to mention is the fact that Mizuha's best friend (and possible crush?) Hanna is voiced by Aya Uchida in the Japanese dub. Uchida also voiced Parona way back in Season 1. Mizuha and Hanna's relationship becomes especially fascinating when you remember the very different dynamic that Parona and Hayase had a thousand years ago.

Of course, one strong friendship won't be enough to free Mizuha from the chains of destiny that have chained her soul to Fushi across the endless bounds of time and space, which Mizuha learns when she ends up covered in her mother's blood in the eerie and dreamlike finale of the episode. Purpose is what drives her and gives her life meaning when she discovers the truth about her lineage and her connection to Fushi's Guardians, but what are the consequences of letting this ancient and indestructible devotion taint the blank canvas of this new world? Once again, her hands are stained with blood, and once again she is reaching out to the Orb and begging for its love to save her. All of these old and humbled souls have been given the chance to start over, but Hayase is stuck in the same old story.

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To Your Eternity Season 3 is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.

James is a writer with many thoughts and feelings about anime and other pop-culture, which can also be found on BlueSky, his blog, and his podcast.