For this week’s Why It Works piece, I wrote a response to To Your Eternity’s phenomenal first episode. I haven’t been cross-posting my Why It Works pieces, since I link them all o…
Apr 26, 2021 • Subscribe
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Why watch… To Your Eternity
If you’re not already watching To Your Eternity, let Michael Iaboni convince you. The hand drops ‘It’, an orb and immortal being, to Earth without emotions or identity.…
Joy in the Apocalypse: Ruminations driving through desolation
At first glance, Ashinano Hitoshi’s 1995 sci-fi world seems no more than a quiet and rural part of modern Japan, but the easygoing protagonists live amidst ruin in…
Why It Works: What Are Your Favorite Musical Cues in Anime?
This week on Why It Works, I dug into the power of a great musical cue, something I personally am an absolute sucker for. Nearly all of my…
To Your Eternity
Few of us will ever experience what it feels like to fall in love at first sight. But here, in To Your Eternity, I think we all got…
To Your Eternity
By Jeannette Ng. To Your Eternity by Yoshitoki Oima is the sort of story where I at once want you to know nothing about the premise but also…
To Your Eternity
A manga about an immortal being who slowly learns about humanity through the experiences it accumulates interacting with individuals over multiple generations. Continue reading →
To Your Eternity
To Your Eternity was my favorite anime of the spring 2021 season. It follows an immortal being as he interacts with the world.
Why It Works: Animating the Impossible, the Breathtaking Works of Kou Yoshinari
This week, I actually took my Why It Works inspiration from an airing show, though not one I’m actually watching. It turns out Kou Yoshinari showed up to…
Why It Works: What Does It Truly Mean to Be “Over 9000?”
I had a whole lot of fun with this week’s Why It Works article, as it fell into one of my favorite categories of criticism: thorough explorations of…
To Your Eternity (Volume 1) – In The Beginning…
A mysterious orb is sent to Earth to gather data and learn from its experiences. At first, it lived as a rock and then moss, but it soon…
Why It Works: Who Defines Justice in My Hero Academia?
This week’s Crunchyroll article returns us to My Hero Academia, as I explore the central question presented by Gentle Criminal’s addition to the narrative. Gentle’s actions aren’t legal,…
Why It Works: Why You Absolutely Need to Check Out Pokemon: Twilight Wings!
As is often the case for Why It Works posts, the title says it all here. The new Pokemon shorts they’ve been producing to promote Sword and Shield…
To Your Eternity Drags on for Eternity
To Your Eternity was one of the biggest releases this spring, and by far the most positively received. In a single episode it was an undeniable phenomenon, plucking…
Why It Works: One Perfect Moment – Atmosphere as Drama in Anime
For this week’s Why It Works, I discussed anime’s laudable focus on atmospheric storytelling, and its ability to convey emotional truths or the precise tension of a moment…
Why It Works: A Lifetime of Competition: Growing Up in Chihayafuru
With the spring season rapidly approaching, it felt like about time to write some sort of thematic wrap-up for this season of Chihayafuru. I’ve been thrilled by Chihayafuru’s…
Why It Works: Kaiju Are Making a Comeback!
For this week’s Why It Works, I took stock of just how generous our current era is in terms of kaiju productions. We’ve got the Anno-Higuchi films, Legendary’s…
Why It Works: What Are the Best Anime About Anime?
This week I’m once again diving into Eizouken-adjacent articles, as I use the show’s unique production focus to shamelessly promote some of my other favorite anime, like Shirobako…
Why It Works: The Madness of Hunter x Hunter’s Hero
Hey everyone! For this week’s Why It Works, I dove back into Hunter x Hunter, that seemingly infinite well of potential storytelling topics. This time, I explored the…
Why It Works: The Quiet Lessons of Laid-Back Camp
Laid-Back Camp is friggin’ back, meaning I can once more wax rhapsodic regarding the meditative, life-affirming qualities of the best slice of life anime. That basically covers this…
First Impressions: To Your Eternity
Hello and welcome back to Otaku Friday! To those of you thinking wait—“wait. Isn’t it Otaku Thursday?” : shhhh child. It is otaku Friday this week. Today we’re…
First Impression: To Your Eternity
Ok, it’s my fault. I knew what I was getting into. I’ve read the manga for To Your Eternity (by the same author as A Silent Voice) almost…
To Your Eternity – Episode 4
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To Your Eternity Episode 1
The first episode of To Your Eternity introduces us to an immortal being that can take on the form of objects and creatures.
To Your Eternity Episode 20
The final episode of To Your Eternity was one of the best of the series. I can't wait to see where it goes in season two.
To Your Eternity Episode 3
In this review of To Your Eternity Episode 3, I question the true purpose of the Oniguma-sama sacrifice ritual.
To Your Eternity Episode 18
To Your Eternity Episode 18's big twist was actually already spoiled by the series' opening. The same is true for Episode 19.
To Your Eternity – Episode 7
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To Your Eternity – Episode 14
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To Your Eternity Episode 6
In this review of To Your Eternity Episode 6, I make some predictions about Fushi's goals and where his path is headed.
To Your Eternity – Episode 10
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To Your Eternity Episode 7
To Your Eternity Episode 7 introduces a new character in Gugu, a young boy who wears a chameleon mask to hide his face.
To Your Eternity – Episode 17
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To Your Eternity – Episode 3
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To Your Eternity – Episode 5
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To Your Eternity Episode 19
To Your Eternity's Jananda Island arc conclusion actually surprised me multiple times. It wasn't as predictable as I feared.
To Your Eternity Episode 2
The second episode of To Your Eternity begins the second arc which focuses on a girl named March who lives in the jungle.
To Your Eternity – Episode 11
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To Your Eternity Episode 12
To Your Eternity Episode 12 is the best episode of the spring 2021 season. That's considering everything I've watched.
To Your Eternity Episode 4
To Your Eternity Episode 4 answered most of the questions I had after watching Episode 3. It was a solid episode all around.
To Your Eternity – Episode 1
To Your Eternity manages to capture that slow, sad and gentle storytelling that I’m used to seeing in shows like Natsume’s Book of Friends and Mushishi
First Look: To Your Eternity
An immortal, shape-changing orb is cast upon the earth. It grows, learns, and changes as it meets various people and has various experiences.
To Your Eternity – Episode 9
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To Your Eternity – Episode 16
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To Your Eternity Episode 17
This review of To Your Eternity Episode 17 focuses mainly on Hayase, who's a much more interesting character than I expected.
To Your Eternity Episode 13
To Your Eternity is back after a one-week break, and it gives us three location names: Takunaha, Sarlnine, and Jananda.
To Your Eternity – Episode 19
Hayase may be one of the biggest threats in this series, but she should share her training routine. I mean, Oniguma would have literally crushed anyone else to…
To Your Eternity Episode 11
Some of my predictions regarding the Gugu arc of To Your Eternity haven't played out. Let's look at which ones were wrong.
To Your Eternity – Episode 12
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To Your Eternity Season 2
To Your Eternity Season 2 is formatted a bit differently than Season 1. And because of that, I actually like Season 1 more.
To Your Eternity – Episode 13
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