To Your Eternity Season 2

Episode 10

Maybe I've been infected with that old Christmas cheer, or maybe things are really looking up for To Your Eternity, but either way, this is the most positive I have felt about the show in a good while. It could also have to do with simply coming to terms with my more limited expectations for the show now that we're so far into its second season. “Resonance” still suffers from all the usual issues this production has had to deal with. Still, it also taps into some of those missing elements of character development and dynamics that I feel have been missing from the story since before the first season even began.

The biggest development of the episode is undoubtedly the introduction of Eko, one of the near-mythical “Clay Pot People,” who has fallen in with our Orb after losing her brother and being rescued from life as a side-show freak. The whole deal with her pot-based communication is still a little vague. It's an interestingly novel element of fantasy storytelling. More importantly, her status as an almost feral refugee of the Nokker's destruction gives us the first relationship in the show that I can think of where Fushi has been put in the position of caretaker and mentor (I'm not counting that one Hayase reincarnation, as their bizarre relationship made them more like peers than anything).

Don't get me wrong, it's cool to see Fushi dive fully into his God Mode powers this week as he trains for the upcoming Nokker battle. Still, I've always been much more interested in his emotional evolution. This new, somewhat paternal role that he assumes for Eko is just what Fushi needs to complement his new skillset. As Fushi eventually realizes, the Beholder's advice about recognizing ownership is not about control but about Fushi understanding his relationship to the world around him. On a literal level, he has the power to transform and replicate everything he touches, but this whole episode is also a great lesson for Fushi to understand more about how he affects others with his very presence in their lives.

Bon's reasoning for holding back the info about Fushi's revival powers felt rooted in Fushi's inherently self-centered view of the world. His desire to hold on to everyone he loves forever is sweet but childish because Fushi is not fully empathizing with his friends enough to understand why they wouldn't want that fate for themselves. Obviously, Fushi and Eko have a ways to go since their ability to communicate is still rudimentary at best. I'm excited to see what lessons Fushi can learn from their time together.

The biggest question right now seems to be if Fushi can hold on to his still-developing humanity now that he is rapidly expanding his skills as an otherworldly protector and fighter. Bon is right to be concerned when he finds Fushi hanging from the vines of a tree and stewing in his own filth; to be human is to be constantly forced to reckon with your own earthly, mortal limitations. Fushi is making strides in his emotional development, but one wonders how far he will be able to go when the tendrils of his godlike reach grow longer and longer with each passing day.

Rating:

To Your Eternity 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 Twitter, his blog, and his podcast.