Unfinished Business

To Your Eternity Season 2 Episode 11 confirmed a few of my theories. The first of these theories comes from my review of Episode 5. Back then, I made a prediction about why some of Fushi’s allies stuck around as ghosts post-death.

I said that the reason was probably that they had some sort of unfinished business. If they died before they got to do something they wanted to do, that could be why they didn’t move on. But, to be fair, I didn’t have much evidence for this at the time.

We know March, Oniguma, Gugu, and Tonari (and Liggard) stuck around as ghosts. But, why them, in particular? You could say March never got to become a mother. And maybe Gugu and Tonari stuck around to help Fushi in his fight against the Nokkkers. Oniguma, however, I have no idea. Loyalty?

So, how was this prediction confirmed in Episode 11? In the first half of the episode, Bon talks to his ghost friends. And he asks them why they’re still around. It turns out that they could have moved on to the afterlife. But, they didn’t because it didn’t feel right.

On top of that, the ghost who taught Bon swordsmanship literally uses the same words I did. He says that unfinished business is likely why they didn’t move on. But, why does this information matter? Is Fushi going to seek out allies who will have unfinished business when they die?

In a way, yes. Bon recruited Kai, Hairo, and Messar specifically to fight the Nokkers by Fushi’s side. If they die before defeating the Nokkers, you could say that’s unfinished business. And so, they may be good candidates for reincarnation. The same might not be true for other allies, including Bon.

Manufacturing Immortals

My other prediction that turned out correct was only from Episode 10. In that review, I said that Bon wasn’t going to find existing immortal allies for Fushi. Instead, he was going to manufacture immortal allies. And that’s exactly what we see him doing in this episode.

Kai, Hairo, and Messar are normal men. But, Bon believes they have what it takes to become immortal. He believes Fushi will be able to reincarnate them upon their deaths. And while he’s told the men this, he hasn’t told Fushi. Because of this Fushi is beginning to mistrust Bon.

Based on Bon’s explanation, Fushi believes these allies will be immortal through him. He thinks what’s going to make these allies immortal is that he’s going to use their bodies to fight. But, that’s not what Bon actually means. So, why isn’t Bon clearing up this misunderstanding?

Earlier in the series, the clear answer would be he’s afraid of hurting Fushi. He didn’t want Fushi to mistakenly think he could revive everyone. However, now that Bon is putting his theory to the test, this doesn’t make as much sense. Obviously, Fushi will learn of his power as soon as he revives Kai, Hairo, or Messar, right?

Well, it’s possible he doesn’t. Bon can still keep the truth about Fushi’s power a secret. He can spin the revivals of these men as them having done something that allowed for them to be revived. Something Fushi’s past allies didn’t do.

The problem with this route is that it makes Bon seem like more of a schemer than he is. He schemes. But, he typically has good intentions. And consider that he can talk to Fushi’s ghost allies. It might be them who don’t want Fushi to know he can revive them yet.

Eko, Games, Hearts, and Minds

In this section, I want to go over a few other things from the second half of the episode. To start, let’s talk about Eko and her role in everything. She doesn’t really have one. But, there was something interesting said in this episode.

The way the Nokkers communicate with each other was compared to how the clay pot people do it. So, it’s possible that through Eko, Fushi learns to communicate with the Nokkers. I don’t yet know what her story is going to be, though. How will she meet her end?

If the ED of this season is anything to go by, we know Eko will become one of Fushi’s immortal allies. The ED features March, Oniguma, Gugu, and Tonari. It also features Eko, Kai, Hairo, Messar, and Bon. So, I assume they’ll all join the “immortals.”

Next up is the game Kai and Messar were playing. Kai (and Bon) use this game to teach Fushi the importance of pieces on the battlefield. And in case you were wondering, it’s a real game. It goes by many names, but one of them is Nine Men’s Morris. This game has been around for thousands of years.

And, the last thing I want to mention is how Fushi and his allies are going to win over the hearts and minds of Renril. Before the princess gives them anything, she wants them to earn her trust by earning the trust of her people.

What’s the best way to earn someone’s trust? By solving their problems, of course. So, Fushi is going to go around the city and rebuild it. This serves two purposes. First, it helps the citizens. And second, the rebuilt parts of the city become his domain for the fight against the Nokkers.

Conclusion

What do you think of To Your Eternity Season 2 Episode 11? Did you also predict unfinished business had to do with why some ghosts stick around? How do you feel about Bon’s plan to manufacture immortals? Is it ethical? And had you heard of the game Nine Men’s Morris before? Let me know in the comments.

If you enjoyed this review, remember to click the like button down below. Also, follow me on your social media of choice — links are in the footer.

Finally, I’d like to thank Roman and JasonHK for supporting DoubleSama.com at the Heika tier this month. To learn more about how you too can become a supporter of this blog, check out Patreon.com/DoubleSama.

My review of Episode 12 is available now.

Eko of the Clay Pot People

With To Your Eternity Season 2 Episode 10, we’ve moved away from Bon’s arc. Bon is still an important character and we’re going to see more of him. But, we’re now in Eko’s arc. She’s a young girl from the clay pot tribe.

What exactly is the clay pot tribe, though? Eko and her brother were being displayed as oddities in a circus tent. Kahaku described their people as being very rare. And Bon even compared the existence of the clay pot people to the existence of immortals.

Based on how people perceive the clay pot people, you’d think they have some magical powers. But, that doesn’t appear to be the case. In reality, what makes the clay pot people so special is their distance from the modern world. They’re effectively an uncontacted tribe and their customs are alien to us.

The clay pot people get their names from the clay pots they keep with them at all times. These clay pots are full of clay mud. And the clay pot people use this mud to communicate with each other. Instead of vocalizing words, they spread the mud on their clay pots in different ways to “speak.”

Now, you may be wondering what Eko brings to the table if she has no magical power. How is she going to be of use to Fushi? I think Eko’s value comes from what Fushi can learn by interacting with her. He can learn how to communicate with anyone.

For example, he already figured out he can understand Eko if he takes the form of her brother. Let’s say he comes across someone who speaks a language he doesn’t speak. All he needs to do is take the form of someone else who speaks it.

Fushi’s Ark

After only a few weeks of training, Fushi managed to create 3 kilometers of “himself.” That’s to say, he was able to spread objects connected to him over a 3-kilometer radius. By doing this, he could sense everything that was happening in that area. He even sensed when a Nokker came nearby.

Imagine if instead of a ship and a forest, Fushi created a city. He’d be able to keep an eye on everything that happened within its limits. That’s a bit 1984-ish, but it could also save a lot of people. The entire city would have Fushi as an alarm system.

Is an enemy attacking? Fushi would know when, where from, and how many there are. Did a fire break out in a section of the city? Fushi would know the second it happens and could stop it from spreading. Was a crime committed? There’s nowhere for criminals to hide from Fushi.

There are some other benefits to this ability. Not only can Fushi sense things within his domain, but he can also control the domain itself. He can create traps, open and close pathways, and more. He could even generate food on the tables of everyone in his city.

And, on top of all that, he can effectively teleport within his domain, as well. All he has to do is generate a new body for himself somewhere and transfer his mind to it. He can’t yet be in multiple places at once. But, it’s probably only a matter of time.

One drawback of Fushi’s new power is, as Bon put it, his loss of humanity. The more powerful and omnipotent Fushi becomes, the less relatable he is to humans. At what point does he lose touch with individuals and view humans as a collective?

Immortal Friends

At the end of Episode 10, Bon says he’s returning to Uralis to find some immortal allies. But, why is he so confident he can find other immortals within the kingdom? There has never been any indication that there are other immortals besides Fushi.

Well, I have a feeling that Bon’s plan is to manufacture some immortals. In the preview for the next episode, we’re introduced to Kai, Hairo, and Messar. As far as we know, none of these men are immortal. So, how is Bon planning to make them immortal?

The answer seems pretty clear. When these men die, Bon’s going to have Fushi revive them. But, I have a feeling Bon won’t tell Fushi about his power of revival. Instead, he’ll probably lie and say there’s something unique about these specific men. Though, eventually, Fushi’s going to learn the truth.

Of course, it’s also possible that Bon does reveal the full truth to Fushi. However, even if that’s the case, Kai, Hairo, and Messar seem pretty important. From the looks of it, these three men are all professional soldiers. That’s what Fushi needs for his immortal army. Someone like March being immortal doesn’t really help in fighting the Nokkers.

Another thing to consider is how having immortal soldiers combines with Fushi’s domain. If the battle is taking place within Fushi’s domain, he’ll know the second his soldiers die. And, in response, he can immediately revive them anywhere on the battlefield.

The one question I still have is whether or not the Nokkers can “steal” these other immortals. We know they can steal the various forms Fushi takes. But, can they steal people from Fushi whom he’s revived? Does it work the same way? I assume not. But, I don’t know yet.

Conclusion

What do you think of To Your Eternity Season 2 Episode 10? Do you think there’s something else special about the clay pot people? Has Fushi become a curse since he can use domain expansion? And, do you agree with me that Bon is going to manufacture some immortals? Let me know in the comments.

If you enjoyed this review, remember to click the like button down below. Also, follow me on your social media of choice — links are in the footer. And, come join our Discord server to discuss anime with other members of the community.

Finally, I’d like to thank Roman for supporting DoubleSama.com at the Heika tier this month. To learn more about how you too can become a supporter of this blog, check out Patreon.com/DoubleSama.

My review of Episode 11 is available now.

The Church vs. The Nokkers

To Your Eternity Season 2 Episode 9 proved that the Church of Bennett is nothing but a scam. Not once has the Church or its god been able to save a single person from the Nokkers. And yet, that’s exactly what all its followers believe.

But, hey, it’s not like that’s any different from churches in our world. Well, except that it is. You see, in the world of To Your Eternity, we know that supernatural beings exist. Fushi is immortal and can revive the dead. And the Black One is effectively a god that can create life.

On top of that, we know that souls and the afterlife exist. This is how Fushi can take on the forms of his dead friends. It’s how he can revive people. And it’s how Bon is able to talk to the dead.

So, now think about what the Church of Bennett believes in. They believe in a supernatural being (a god) that can perform miracles. They also believe in souls and an afterlife. And yet, they shun any evidence pointing toward these things actually existing. They believe Fushi and the Black One are devils and that Bon is crazy.

Fushi is literally showing them that he can perform miracles and save people. He’s doing all the things the Church of Bennett believes their god can do. And yet, they don’t recognize him as their god — or a messenger thereof. Why? Because their church is fraudulent.

We’ve seen that gods (the Black One) have no problem interfering with the world. And yet, the god of the Church of Bennett is mysteriously silent. That’s because it doesn’t exist. Rather than following a real god, the church exerts power by tricking people into believing in a fake one.

Fushi Can’t Save Everyone

We’ve known for a while that Fushi can’t save everyone. Fushi has even known this for a while. That’s why he cast himself away on a deserted island after the events of Season 1. It was the only way he could think of to save people.

When Bon learned of Fushi’s ability to revive the dead, he also recognized that this would only hurt Fushi. Because Fushi wants to save everyone, he’d also want to revive everyone who the Nokkers killed. Though, I’m not sure if he’d revive people who died in other ways.

Pioran died of old age. So, would Fushi revive her if he knew he could? He might want to. But, I think someone would be able to talk him out of it. Pioran had a full life and I could see her berating Fushi if he brought her back.

But, why am I bringing this up? In Episode 9, Fushi once again had to confront that he can’t save everyone. However, it was different this time. This time, Fushi didn’t remove himself to prevent the Nokkers from attacking. Instead, Bon told Fushi to remove himself so he could focus on getting stronger.

The thing is, while Fushi is training, the Nokkers will still be attacking settlements. He knows this. But, because he now has friends he can rely on, he’s able to focus on the future instead of the present. Bon and his men are going to fight off the Nokkers while Fushi trains.

In the long run, only Fushi can stop the Nokkers. So, it’s important for Fushi to get stronger. It only benefits the Nokkers if he fights as he is now. It gives them a better chance at defeating him once and for all.

Fushi’s Immortal Horse

In the second half of Episode 9, the Black One provides Fushi with an immortal horse. I think he said he made the horse from part of Fushi’s body. So, I guess that means the horse is Fushi. Or, does that make the horse Fushi’s offspring?

It doesn’t matter. What matters is that Fushi now has his first immortal ally. To me, this seems like an important step toward Fushi reviving his friends. Now that he’s not the only immortal being, it opens the door for more immortal beings, like his dead friends.

But, as I’ve said in previous episode reviews, I’m not convinced Fushi’s friends will be immortal. Can they be immortal? Probably. I don’t see why they couldn’t be. Fushi could revive them every time they die. However, what would be the point of that from a storytelling perspective?

What’s the lesson in Fushi making his friends immortal and living happily ever after? There isn’t one. It seems like the real lesson of this series is that everyone dies at some point. Fushi understands this reality. But, as of yet, he hasn’t actually accepted and internalized that lesson.

As I explained in the previous section, he’s still trying to save everyone. That shows that he hasn’t actually come to terms with the fact that he can’t; everyone dies. If his friends become immortal, he’ll never learn that lesson for real. So, this immortal horse could be part of the solution.

How does the horse solve the problem of Fushi’s friends becoming immortal? Well, Fushi isn’t alone anymore. The horse can live forever with him. So, he can revive his friends, they can do what they need to, and then they can die for good. All Fushi needs is one immortal friend.

Conclusion

What do you think of To Your Eternity Season 2 Episode 9? Do you understand what I mean when I say the church is intentionally fraudulent? How strong do you think Fushi will be at the end of his 3-month training arc? And what would you name an immortal horse? Let me know in the comments.

If you enjoyed this review, remember to click the like button down below. Also, follow me on your social media of choice — links are in the footer. And, come join our Discord server to discuss anime with other members of the community.

Finally, I’d like to thank Roman for supporting DoubleSama.com at the Heika tier this month. To learn more about how you too can become a supporter of this blog, check out Patreon.com/DoubleSama.

My review of Episode 10 is available now.

Prince Bonchien Is Dead

At the start of To Your Eternity Season 2 Episode 8, it’s confirmed that Prince Bonchien is, in fact, dead. But, Bon is very much alive, much to his own surprise. Fushi was able to save Bon and fake his death at the last second.

At first, I wasn’t too happy with this development. I’ve said in past reviews that a good death is one of the best ways to make a character memorable. Bon sacrificing himself for Fushi and Fushi’s followers would have been a good death. It would have cemented Bon’s place as a hero.

So, in a way, Fushi robbed Bon of this. But, maybe this was for the best. As I explained in my Episode 7 review, I’m not convinced that Bon’s death would have saved everyone as he thought. And, as I’ll get into more in the next section of this review, Bon still had a story to tell.

Let’s talk about exactly how Fushi was able to save Bon for a bit. He used Tonari’s diary to find a powerful sleeping potion. Then, he scattered it over the crowd of onlookers as Liggard. Next, he stopped the guillotine blade with his new iron-melting power. And finally, he replaced Bon with an empty husk.

I guess Fushi also took the time to recreate the damaged guillotine blade. He also then had to take the old blade with him. And he had to clean up the molten iron he got on the wooden platform.

If he didn’t do at least all that, it would have been obvious that he intervened in Bon’s execution. The church knows Fushi can create human husks. So, the only reason they don’t suspect Bon was swapped out was that they still think Fushi is “dead.”

Bon and Iris

I mentioned that Bon still had a story to tell. That story is the story of him and Iris. Iris is a girl who went by the name Todo and pretended to be male to be closer to Bon. But, that’s not the twist with her character.

The twist is that Iris is actually the girl Bon met in the castle courtyard when he was younger. She’s the girl he fell in love with and who gave Bon the handkerchief he carries with him at all times. It turns out that the girl wasn’t a ghost, after all.

I did think it was odd that a ghost could give Bon a physical item. But, we were led to believe she wasn’t a living person. Bon even seemed to believe she was a ghost. And you’d think he’d be able to tell the difference between the living and the dead.

Is that the end of Bon’s story, though? Are he, Iris, and Chabo (who they’ve adopted) going to live happily ever after? That’s not exactly the tragic end I’ve come to expect for characters of To Your Eternity. But, you could argue that this is a tragic end for Bon in a way.

He’s never going to become king. He sacrificed his dream to save others. Isn’t that enough? Maybe. But, we’re not quite done with Bon yet. There’s still the upcoming battle against the Nokkers at the Church of Bennett. Things can still go horribly wrong for Bon.

It’s time for a prediction. What would be the most tragic end to Bon’s story? It wouldn’t be him dying. It would be Iris dying. So, I predict that we’re going to see Iris sacrifice herself to save Bon. That would be a pretty depressing end to their story.

The Nokkers’ Goal

At the end of Episode 8, we finally learn what the goal of the Nokkers is. They want to kill everyone and everything on the planet. Well, that’s technically not what their goal is. But, it is the end result of their stated goal.

What the Nokkers want to do is free the souls from every living thing. Or maybe only from people. I don’t remember. But, that detail isn’t very important. What’s important is that the Nokkers believe physical bodies are prisons trapping souls. And, apparently, Nokkers are souls themselves.

This brings up an interesting question. Are the Nokkers the souls of prior humans? If so, that would mean they’ve come back to free the souls of all other humans. If not, then why do they believe themselves to be souls? Could there be someone opposing the Black One by controlling the Nokkers?

Before judging the Nokkers’ death cult, let’s look at what they’re fighting against. According to them, the Black One (and Fushi) are trapping souls in flesh. Does this mean the Black One is the one who grants life to all things? Or, do they only oppose him because he created Fushi?

Why do they hate Fushi, though? Fushi isn’t only immortal himself. He also has the ability to grant immortality to others, though he doesn’t know it yet. And that’s the issue the Nokkers have with him. If Fushi starts making other people immortal, they’ll never be free of their bodies.

Also, from what I remember, Fushi came before the Nokkers, not the other way around. The Nokkers arose in response to Fushi. This gives their side some credibility. So, would the Nokkers agree to stop the killing if Fushi agreed not to make anyone immortal? It’s at least possible.

Conclusion

What do you think of To Your Eternity Season 2 Episode 8? How do you feel about the way in which Fushi saved Bon? How do you think Bon and Iris’ story is going to end? And, might the Nokkers have a point? Let me know in the comments.

If you enjoyed this review, remember to click the like button down below. Also, follow me on Twitter @DoubleSama so you don’t miss out on any future content. And come join our Discord server to discuss anime with other members of the community.

Finally, I’d like to thank Roman for supporting DoubleSama.com at the Heika tier this month. To learn more about how you too can become a supporter of this blog, check out Patreon.com/DoubleSama.

My review of Episode 9 is available now.

The Boy in the Cage

As expected, Bon has the best character arc of the series, so far. Before Bon, I’d say Gugu had the best character arc. But, thanks to the events of To Your Eternity Season 2 Episode 7, Bon surpassed Gugu.

Like Gugu, Bon sacrificed himself for others. And that’s not something I would have expected from him when we first met him. Even as of last week, I wouldn’t have expected him to do that. Yes, we know he’s a caring person. But, he still wants to live and accomplish his own goals.

So, who did Bon save in this episode? He saved Chabo, Todo, Fushi, and everyone who considers themself a follower of Fushi. Now, you may be thinking, it was actually Fushi who saved Chabo. But, Bon saved Chabo first when their cage was falling into the water.

Of course, Bon would have done the same thing even if Chabo wasn’t in the cage with him. He wanted to save himself. But, he did check to make sure Chabo was okay. It’s clear that he wasn’t only thinking about himself as he was removing excess weight from the cage.

He could have thrown Chabo out.

After that whole situation, Bon also realized why his cage dropped. And this is how he saved Todo. It was never explicitly stated, but the reason Bon’s cage dropped was that Todo lost so much weight. Todo had been giving his food to Bon. Eventually, Bon and Chabo’s weight overtook Todo’s.

Something I liked about how Bon handled this situation is that he didn’t let Todo know he knew what was going on. Bon didn’t accuse Todo of trying to sacrifice themself for his sake. He didn’t want Todo to know that he figured it out.

Fushi’s New Ability

Fushi now has the ability to melt steel iron beams. I’m not sure I like him having that ability. It doesn’t really have to do with his innate abilities. And it’s not an ability associated with one of his various forms.

Fushi’s innate abilities include transformation, creation, and now revival. I’m fine with all those because they relate to what Fushi is at his core. He then also has many form-specific abilities. He can breathe fire as Gugu and is immune to poison as Tonari. I’m fine with those abilities, as well.

But, I don’t like how he developed the ability to melt iron arbitrarily. If that ability was tied to one of his forms, then it would be okay. However, you may now be thinking that melting iron seems a bit outlandish for an ability of one of his forms.

To an extent, I agree. Melting iron isn’t something a person or creature can do on their own. But, To Your Eternity isn’t exactly a realistic series. It’s fantasy. Gugu breathing fire isn’t realistic, but it’s okay because there’s an in-universe explanation. And what about Oniguma? He’s not realistic either.

Even the main character of this arc, Bonchien, can speak to ghosts. So, there’s really no reason why Fushi couldn’t obtain a form that lets him melt iron. The only explanation I can think of for him not obtaining a new form is that his default form doesn’t have an ability.

Default Fushi, the white-haired boy, doesn’t do anything unique. Well, he can use the ropes on his arms as lassos, I guess. But, he could do that in any of his forms. It could be that we’ll only see him melt iron in this form from now on.

Bonchien the Martyr

As I mentioned earlier in the review, Bonchien sacrifices himself for Fushi. And it’s not only Fushi. It’s also for all Fushi’s followers. By sacrificing himself, he believes he can save the rest of them from persecution. But, is that really the case?

To me, it doesn’t seem like Bonchien’s death saved anyone. He believes that sacrificing himself will stop the witchhunt for Fushi’s followers. However, wasn’t it Fushi’s apparent death that accomplished that? Why would Bonchien dying stop the Church from going after the other Fushi believers? It doesn’t add up.

But, the fact that Bonchien’s death doesn’t seem to have a real purpose doesn’t matter. What matters is that he believed his death was necessary. That’s what makes his sacrifice noble. And, I guess his death is going to stop the persecution. It would be odd for it to be meaningless in the end.

Now, I should point out that Bonchien’s death was never going to be meaningless. Even if it didn’t stop the persecution, his death is very important. Why? Because Fushi will obtain his form upon his death. And in Bonchien’s form, he’ll be able to talk to his dead friends.

Also, keep in mind that Fushi still doesn’t know that he can revive the dead. Bonchien’s death could also be how he finally learns this. That is unless Bonchien tells them not to tell Fushi. That’s always a possibility since he believes that knowledge will only hurt Fushi in the end.

Though, I’m still pretty convinced he’ll figure this out at some point. And he’ll revive his dead friends who still follow him so they can each finish what they didn’t in their first life. Otherwise, why even introduce the fact that Fushi can revive the dead?

Conclusion

What do you think of To Your Eternity Season 2 Episode 7? Did you pick up on why Bonchien’s cage began lowering into the water? How do you feel about Fushi’s new ability? And did you like how Bonchien sacrificed himself? Let me know in the comments.

If you enjoyed this review, remember to click the like button down below. Also, follow me on Twitter @DoubleSama so you don’t miss out on any future content. And come join our Discord server to discuss anime with other members of the community.

Finally, I’d like to thank Roman for supporting DoubleSama.com at the Heika tier this month. To learn more about how you too can become a supporter of this blog, check out Patreon.com/DoubleSama.

My review of Episode 8 is available now.