Fumecu no anata e

I had very high expectations for this anime series because of the fact that Yoshitoki Oima was the manga artist who wrote this anime series, and well, it did not let me down. In my opinion, she wrote one of the best anime movies of the last five years, and A Silent Voice is the movie that probably had the most impact on me emotionally in recent years. Once again, this show has an interesting subject matter, which, this time, is about life rather than simply living, and which cleverly combines all sorts of themes, such as evolution, adolescence, predestination, prejudice, and loneliness, among other things. The show is really about relationships, so there are a lot of feelings, drama, and sometimes there is some action. This anime series also has a huge advantage in that the main male protagonist starts off as "Tabula rasa", so the audience can really enjoy the development and evolution of his character. In addition to this, there are a lot of friendly characters, very good animation, and a wonderful soundtrack that work together to deliver a truly magnificent experience. I enjoyed most of the episodes and really liked the characters like March, Parona, Pioran, and Gugu. I also liked the main character Fushi, and in particular the mysterious man in black, who guided me through the narrative. The concept is good and well-executed, it has an interesting subject matter, plus a bit of mystery - in my opinion this anime series really hit the spot. On the other hand, I wonder if I could not have expected more from it. I found the anime series moving, and it touched me emotionally, although I am not sure whether it was such a powerful experience for me to remember it in five years’ time. At times I felt like it was forcing its vision too excessively, and sometimes I found it too predictable, mostly in terms of the huge and sad twists, which is why they probably did not have as strong an impact as they should have. My feelings about this anime series are somewhere between a weak five stars and a very strong four stars - 8.5/10. (05.09.2022)

The second season of To Your Eternity was nice, but I enjoyed it slightly less than the previous season. This is probably due to the first half. It did bring some interesting ideas, such as the fact that society has to react to the existence of Fushi and his powers. While it was thought-provoking and interesting how the "Church of Bennett" or the group of self-proclaimed "Fushi's protectors" approached everything, but it failed to evoke an emotional response in me, and I didn't feel much suspense. It was probably also because Fushi's new powers were a little too strong for my taste. I didn’t fear for most of the characters, and I missed the strong dramatic moments I enjoyed in season one. It also took me a while to relate to the new characters, especially Bonchien and his companions from the Uralis Kingdom. There were moments when I found the series almost mediocre. Fortunately, the second half and the attack on Renril made up for it. I liked the new characters, especially Hairo, Kai, and Messar, who were properly fleshed out so I could understand them well and find something to like about them. I had also found my way to Bonchien by then, understanding most of his motivations and why he's actually cool, and even Eko seemed like a nice addition to this storyline. The second half had tension, it was full of strong scenes, intense battles, and emotional moments, such as the truly unexpected return of one of the characters. There were many interesting ideas and it all made sense to me. When I consider both halves of the series, my rating averages out to four stars. Credit is due to the creators for sticking to the same opening as in the first season. I also appreciate the well-chosen endings, the generally decent background music, and the very solid animation. I'm really curious to see what the next (already announced) season will be about. As for me, I’m more than satisfied with the ending of the second season as the conclusion of the whole series. I even think that the series has already explored everything in terms of "the meaning of humanity and society", but I might be wrong and I'm about to be pleasantly surprised. (12.03.2023)