To Your Eternity, Tome 13

不滅のあなたへ [Fumetsu no Anata e] #13

by Yoshitoki Oima (Drawings)

Plusieurs siècles se sont écoulés depuis la bataille de Renlil. Les combats d’autrefois sont aujourd’hui des légendes et les humains vivent dans un monde en paix, loin de la menace des knockers. C’est en ces temps nouveaux qu’Imm se réveille. Plus rien ne ressemble à ce qu’il a connu ; ni les hommes ni les choses. Mais cette nouvelle ère est-elle si idyllique qu’il y paraît ?

Genres: Manga, Fantasy, Graphic Novels, Fiction, Young Adult, Shonen, Seinen

192 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published July 17, 2020

About the author

See also: 大今良時

OIMA Yoshitoki: 大今良時
Associated Names:
Yoshitoki Ohima
Yoshitoki Ooima
Yoshitoki Ōima

Even though her one-shot Koe no Katachi won critical acclaim, it took a longsome law suit to get a magazine to publish it because of its socio-critical theme. Eventually, it was featured in the February edition of Bessatsu Shounen Magazin, where it placed first, and later in the 12th edition of the 2013 Weekly Shounen Magazine.

She has also collaborated with UBUKATA Tow for the manga adaption of his novel Mardock Scramble.

Reviews

[Blake the Book Eater · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series continues to wow with every volume and this new story arc is sure to be a doozy! I loved seeing my favorite characters *finally* be happy at least for a bit, and that nearly brought tears to my eyes. I love this story so much and can’t wait to read more!

[Sol]

First volume of the "peaceful world". The knockers are gone, and Fushi can finally bring all his friends together to live out their dreams. Happy ending?

The story goes back to its roots with a small scale fish out of water scenario. Fushi's ultimate task remains to be completed, but the man in black gives him a reprieve. It's nice to see Fushi having a good time, and not feeling like all the suffering of the world is on his shoulders. Bon and Kahaku's fears that Fushi would lose his humanity have gone unrealized. I have to wonder though, this world must still have war, rape, disease, hunger? How peaceful is it really? Fushi is incurious about all the changes that have gone on around him. It seems he was only pained by suffering that he felt to be caused by him (the knockers having vowed to destroy him). Knowing for a fact that death isn't the end for mortals must help.



Confounding it all is Hayase. Kahak's suicide hasn't ended her curse, and she continues to incarnate, with Fushi recognizing the young Mizuha as his descendant. Even Left Hand doesn't seem to have disappeared entirely. Mizuha's left arm twinges when she hears Fushi's name, and he may even be able to control Mizuha's body. What exactly the situation here is isn't clear. Either Left Hand survived Kahak's suicide and has achieved a finer integration with his host's body, or after centuries of cohabitation, his and Hayase's souls have commingled, allowing him to continue living as long as she does. Regardless, it could be disastrous if Fushi is ignorant of Left Hand's scheming, and it might now be impossible to remove him from Mizuha's body. Left Hand dying was my biggest disappointment with the previous volume, so I'm glad that he's still around in some nebulous capacity.

Fushi also has another chance to right some old mistakes of his. Hayase was irredeemable, but his refusal to kill her resulted in her survival and incarnation for centuries after. Hisame was innocent and misguided, but he refused to help show her the truth and provide guidance tp her. He first tried to make things right by befriending Kahak, but it was too late, and things ended in tragedy. Mizuha hasn't been raised in the Fushi cult, so maybe she can succeed where Kahak failed?



Mizuha's mother is an interesting case. She first appears to be one of those narcissistic parents who lives vicariously through her child, but Mizuha's interaction with her grandpa tells us that she grew up in the Fushi cult, and consciously broke away from it. This explains her cold reaction to Fushi and snap decision to move after meeting him. She should know a bit about him, even if its been distorted over the course of centuries. This seems laudable on her part, but I have to ask what her motives are. It's clear that Mizuha's mother is extremely self-centred, so is it possible the same factors motivated her to leave the cult? She would have known that she would only be a placeholder until Mizuha was born. The grandpa is also an unknown quantity. He seems like a kindly old man. He asks Mizuha if she has permission to come to his house, doesn't try to argue against his daughter's decision to leave the cult. The cult has apparently dwindled from the huge estate of Kahak's day to operating out of an old man's basement. What was his relationship to Mizuha's grandma? How did they treat Mizuha's mother? I hope we get some exploration of this but I suspect its mostly going to deal with the aftermath of the cliffhanger.

Something I don't personally consider a flaw is that Oima doesn't explain things verbally if she doesn't need to. Yet this causes a lot of confusion in discussions that I've read. I've seen huge amounts of confusion about
-Pioran's fate and where the horse came from
-How the generations of Hayase's reincarnation work
-The conditions when Fushi can resurrect the dead and why the nameless boy and Parona haven't been brought back to life
-How much time passed between the beginning of the story and Bon's lifetime (or that Bon spoke to Tonari hundreds of years after she died)

I felt all of these were adequately explained, but apparently not. My only big confusion is why Fushi can't transform into people he's resurrected. I suppose it's to place a limitation on Fushi and not make resurrection of the dead a straight upside, but I can't personally square it with how Fushi worked up to that point. It was pointed out to me in a discussion that Fushi created a copies of Bon, Iris and Chabo while they were still alive. So putting it together, Fushi can create lifeless copies of people when they're alive and dead, he can transform into people who've died, but if he resurrects them, he loses the ability to transform into them. What would happen if he created a copy of a body he was currently using and resurrected it without transforming remains unexplored. Finally, knockers can steal his forms and he also loses his memories of that form until the knocker is killed. It seems like there's some universal rule that only one "soul" can "own" a body at any time. Fushi only gains a body when something dies, when a knocker takes it or someone comes back to life, he can't use it anymore. My final question is why he loses memories to knocker theft but not resurrection, which is further complicated by Bon's ghost-vision letting him regain memories of stolen forms. I thought a similar process might occur during resurrection, but because he sees the person afterwards he regains his memories instantly. But that can't be true, because he never saw the princess he resurrected the first time, but clearly remembered her because he was sad about being unable to save her. I really shouldn't think about this any more than I need to, but Oima has a real eye for detail and doesn't always explicitly point things out. I want to believe she has some internally coherent explanation for these processes.



Stray observations:

-That sand pattern Fushi makes is a real thing pufferfish do (and this is the second time he's experienced rejection as a fish)
-Fushi's roots can be seen in the background in several places
-Left Hand reacts to Mizuha's suicidal thoughts and Fushi's name
-Fushi's inspection of Mizuha's arm could lead him to believe Left Hand no longer exists
-Fushi can bring people back at any age (Tonari resurrected as a 14 year old)
-March's euthanasia apparently let her sleep through the 600 years she spent dead
-Gugu met someone who looks very much like his brother
-Hylo met someone wearing a t-shirt with the Bennett church symbol on it, implying it still exists
-Knowledge of Fushi exists but is uncommon, and the ruins of Renril have become a tourist attraction. The stakes next to Fushi's body weren't there when he went to sleep, but whether they're recent or ancient additions is unknown
-Aoki's parents are archaeologists, so they might have knowledge of Fushi's history
-Mizuha's father and grandfather look suspiciously like the nameless boy
-If Mizuha is the 18th successor, a minimum of 600 years have to have passed since the birth of Hayase's child (Hisame's mother). Fushi claims to be around 800 years old, which either confirms that not every successor and their mother had children at 17, or Fushi spent more than a hundred years as a rock before becoming conscious. With 12 successors plus their parents, they would only have to have children on average 8.5 years later than they did before Kahak's death to make up the remaining time.
-The mass-produced hairband resembles the Yanome eye
-If it was Left Hand that killed Mizuha's mother, he's more able to control his host than ever before. When Kahak killed the three warriors, he was at least conscious throughout the process, even if he blamed the actions on Left Hand

[Rod Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

A significant time jump introduces a new cast in modern times and slowly gathers back together some members of the original cast as they undergo some fish-out-of-water hijinks. The character stuff is still winning, even as the overall plot has left the rails far, far behind and plows deeper and deeper into the weeds.

[Aimé · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fushi sigue siendo tan ingenuo como para seguir encontrándose con los descendientes de la misma familia psicópata de siempre. 800 años y el tío aún no aprende, es que llega a ser hasta fascinante.
Fuera (medias) coñas, este manga sigue siendo una cosa muy bonita y especial incluso en el pedazo salto temporal que ha dado. Fushi sigue dando toda la ternura que alguien como él puede dar y esto sigue siendo el mayor acierto de esta historia.

[Thomas Maluck · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not many stories, let alone manga, reach a height like this. Every volume after this point, in an already bounteous series, is a gift.

[DonutKnow · Rating 3 out of 5]

Geez, there are some messed up characters in this series… 😰

[Pip (Bookish_Pip) · Rating 4 out of 5]

🚨 Spoilers for the previous arc and this new arc! You’ve been warned! 🚨


A return to form and a refresh for the series. After volume 12 (my spoiler review here) I had my concerns for the series going forward. There was a lot about the finale for the first arc that left me with a bitter taste in my mouth but 13 was a fun ‘reintroduction’ of sorts. (I’m glad March is back but I can’t forget what happened in the last volume).

I really enjoyed the ‘fish out of water’ stuff with Fushi and the rest of his group’s return. Seeing everyone’s reactions to the modern setting and the situations they found themselves in was a ton of fun, like how Bon and March were restored in museums/tourist attractions while the others got themselves in trouble in their own ways and their confusion was posted onto YouTube and other social media. I really enjoyed the connection Oima made with Fushi’s roots and how social media connects us and I hope it comes up again in some way. There are some really nice ideas being set in place over this whole volume and I’m interested to see if Oima manages to do anything with them.

I also really enjoyed the sections with the new characters in the school and Mizuha and her family relationships. I think these types of connections are things that Oima does really well. The dynamics of the characters in the occult club were fun to watch and even though Yuki is incredibly annoying I hope we get to see him mature over this arc if he’s going to become a mainstay.

Mizuha is, of course, the main highlight of the new characters for this arc. Seeing Hayase’s descendants was excellent and how a cult has developed over the years around her and Fushi was interesting to see too. Her relationship with her mother was a bleak look at the pushy parents of today and my heart went out for her during those parts even when you know she’ll probably become the unwitting antagonist of the series. The build-up to her reaching her new goal was tense and palpable as was the build-up which eventually lead to her committing matricide. As an opening statement for what a character is and who she’ll become, it was perfect!

Left Hand was something I knew I was going to miss in the series but seeing its return is both horrifying and compelling. The fact that Left Hand is no longer a parasite but seems to be part of Mizuha’s body and can’t be detected by Fushi, plus it can act of its own will, without Mizuha being conscious is frightening indeed! I’m really looking forward to seeing how this will all culminate and align with Mizuha’s ‘goal’.

Hanna is another intriguing character, I’m assuming she’s another descendant of a character in the series but can’t think of who (Pioran perhaps??). Either way, give me more, the friendship that’s developing between her and Mizuha was fun to read and I’m hoping she may become a foil for her or bring her back down to Earth.

Like I said at the start of the review, I was worried for volume 13 but it was one I really enjoyed. There were also some fun Easter eggs included in this volume but (me being me) I really loved how all of these icons have been reinterpreted in the modern world and found their place, for example the Yanome Crest now becoming a cheap, fashion hair decoration reminded me a lot of what’s become of the Nazar today and it’s something that made me really excited to see and can’t see as being accidental. Overall, it was a good volume and I’ve got high hopes for the modern day arc!


About the book itself- I love that the colour pallet for the cover of volume 1 is the same that’s been used for 13. There has been a large printing error on the cover of my edition which looks pretty awful so I’d refrain from buying online and look for this one in shops!

[Dorcas · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one was kind of all over the place. They waited all this time to the contemporary peaceful world, only to re-encounter the creepy/obsessive persona all over again. Like she freaks me out more than the nokkers.

[Noelle Nichols · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ugh... Modern day ...

The cycle of seeing the same characters is starting to get a little old to me. Hopefully the next arc in the series breathes some fresh life into this story. I'm sure a lot of people will like this arc, but I strongly dislike modern day settings/school settings and this feels too much like an isekai plot. 🙃

[Met · Rating 3 out of 5]

Salto temporale, giorni nostri: è tutto ancora nella sua fase iniziale ma già percepisco un eccessivo indugiare sul ritmo… però c’è da dire che il finale del volume spiazza parecchio.

[Gabe Mellow · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a heartwarming and funny volume till the end... I knew something will happen because it's To your Eternity after all.

[afton · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5 stars. don’t love or hate this volume but i’m not sure which direction it’s going in. it may be time for this series to be on the chopping block

[Sandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

what is happening

[Christina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finished the anime awhile back and wanted to catch up with the story through the manga. First time reading one and after I got the hang of reading left to right it wasn't so bad. Will definitely be continuing on with the next one.

[Nanao253 · Rating 5 out of 5]

A new arc begins! And first it’s funny and lighthearted and then the end hits you! Can’t wait to see how it continues!

[Remxo · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very strong start of a new story arc. Oima revisits many themes that initially hooked me on this series. The setting is contemporary and in this timeframe, Fushi is a part of this world's mythology. The stuff of legends. After it 'awakens' it is eager to explore this new, peaceful world it created, and to feel as many new things as possible. New characters are introduced along the way and Fushi obtains a powerful new ability. The story takes a very surprising twist at the end; in chapter 124 something totally unexpected happens that made my jaw drop.

[Fina {A World of Endless Pages Book Reviews} · Rating 4 out of 5]

That one plot aspect is still bothering me, I really hope it gets addressed :/
but look at that cover!!

[Herdis Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Centuries after the battle for Renril, Fushi wakes up to a new world.

Is this the world he's been waiting for? Can he and his friends finally live together in peace?



This volume was really fun, and probably my favourite among the later volumes.

I'm really enjoying the new characters, particularly Aoki. Mizuha is also interesting, and it's nice to have a descendant of Hayase that I actually feel some sympathy for. I confess I've really struggled with the others, mostly because of their creepy, stalker-ish attraction to Fushi. I do suspect we might see some elements of that in Mizuha as well, but I'm hoping it ends up being slightly less ... gross.

Fushi's introduction to the modern world was also delightful. There is something so adorable about an immortal and extremely powerful being running around a city and being ecstatic about everything from getting to ride in a car to drinking bubble tea.

I'm excited to see how this modern arc continues!

[Doc · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's a whole new world

Centuries after deciding to focus on his task to spread himself over the entirety of the world so he can eliminate the threat of nokkers wherever they may hide we find Fushi once again awakens and finds himself in a world unlike anything he has known before. Now in a modern age he has to decide what to do next but thanks to events that lead to victory long ago he is able to return his friends to join him in this madcap world who may find their story unbelievable.

Being a modern tale with (as far as I know) no more nokkers this story revolves on Fushi and his friends not only becoming accustomed to modern life but certain people getting accustomed to them as well. However this is also a bit of a high school slice of life dealing with aggressive parenting, suicidal thoughts, bullying, and surprisingly enough a familiar face from a bloodline which I thought ended with its leader centuries ago. Only time will tell if this is really a world of peace but it is at least not going to be a lonely one for the incredible Mr. Fushi. :)

[Nightshade · Rating 4 out of 5]

This volume skips forward to the modern day which took me completely by surprise, I wasn't expecting such a time hop. But Immo has succeeded in covering the entire world with his network of vines and peace has descended, the knockers seemingly gone.

It introduces a load of new characters, some of which are intriguing. I can't wait to see more of Mizuha, as presumably she has a knocker in her just like her ancestors.

I think this new arc is possibly just what the story needs at this point as the old arc was getting a bit tired and a refresh seems to have been a good move for the story as I'm reinvested in it and the characters.

As always I love Immo's character and it is great seeing him adapt to the modern day and finally be happy with life and what he has achieved. Somehow I don't expect that to last though.

I'm looking forward to the next volume and seeing where this story goes next!

[The Book Dragon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fushi merges with the world, creating a vast network of himself in order to fight off the nokkers. Time has passed and he finally awakens, in a new and modern world. And the first thing he does is get hit by a truck. Classic.

ANYWAY, The story shifts focus to a couple of new characters; Aoki and Mizuha. Aoki is really passionate about the occult and when he accidently fishes Fushi out of the ocean, he's quick to take him in. Mizuha, if you haven't guessed from her looks, is one of Hayase's descendants...and her mother is an absolute BITCH. And allow me to sing you the Cell Block Tango ... ♪♫ SHE HAD IT COMING! ♫♪

In short, Fushi wakes up, makes new friends, and resurrects his old friends so they can enjoy this new era of peace together. It's very heartwarming until someone gets stabbed.

[Dani Wladdimiro · Rating 4 out of 5]

Es tremendamente extraño lo ocurrido en este volumen, pasaron demasiadas cosas y sinceramente no se a donde quiere apuntar la historia. Como había descrito en la anterior reseña, siempre he pensado que la idea de este manga es conservar esos lazos o recuerdos hasta la eternidad, pero ¿con qué objetivo? En este time-skip avanzaron demasiado tiempo, y estos personajes están completamente descontextualizados con lo que fueron en sus respectivas épocas, ¿por qué adaptarlos a estos tiempos?

Independiente de lo anterior, disfrute demasiado la interacción de todas y todos, y en especial ver a Tonari joven, haciendo esa interacción atrevida que tenía con Fushi. Pero la historia de acá no se la roba la interacción de estos personajes, que me encantó, sino Mizuha quién es descendiente de Hayase. Habrá que ver a donde se quiere apuntar la historia, y cuál es el sentido de toda esta.

[AguacateConCara · Rating 4 out of 5]

❌ SPOILER ❌
Cuatro estrellas. ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Mizuha, claro, siempre tiene que cagarla esa familia. ¿POR QUÉ DEBÍAS DE TENER DESCENDENCIA AYASE?

Nuevos personajes: Yuki, bebito, el abuelo de Yuki. Hanna, (sospecho que le gusta Mizuha), entre otros miembros del club.
¡TENEMOS DE NUEVO A GUGU, MARCH, TONARI, HYLO, KAI, MESS, EL OSO, EL AVE, BON, EKO! SOY FELIZ.

De nuevo, ¿Mizuha mató a su madre por odio o quizá todavía tiene a ese Knocker? ¿Por qué buscas inútilmente la perfección?ಠ︵ಠ

[Felicia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting to see all the characters catapulted into modern times. Amusing to see some of their traits when confronted with the new tools of modernity, such as cars and smartphones. Surreal the hospitality that Yuki's grandfather offers everyone. Can Mizuha, as good and obedient as she is, still be under the influence of the knocker? Final cliffhanger!

[omar ☆ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've read up to volume;
#16: with an overall rating of: ★★★☆☆ 3.1


to be honest this new era/arc is not what i wanted
i hate most of the new cast and they all keep annoying me
the whole situation is soooo frustrating

[Kayuri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dieser Band bekommt 3,5 Sterne mit der Tendenz zum 4. Der Zeitsprung ist gut gelungen. Auch die Geschehnisse wurden gut verknüpft wobei es alles etwas erzwungen wirkt. Dennoch hatte ich Spaß an diesem Band. Die neuen Charaktere wirken interessant und bringen Schwung in die Geschichte. Das Ende konnte mich jedoch nicht abholen, das es etwas an den Haaren herbei gezogen wirkte.

[ｅｌｌｉｅ · Rating 3 out of 5]

not my favourite in the series.. but i didn't hate it either? i'm not sure if i like where this story is going. but i feel like i need to know more about that cliff hanger, so i'll be sure to continue on

[Miranda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I still really love these characters and the art and the world, but... man, I really hope Oima explores the moral and ethical implications of Fushi bringing all of his loved ones back from the dead and into the present. 'Cause that's kind of messed up.

[Yuri · Rating 3 out of 5]

Omg, so frustrating. It seemed that we’re going to see the same plot of First Era but in Modern Japan. Tbh, I didn’t know what to expect but I definitely didn’t like what was presented, despite the group reunion. That make me laugh so hard.

[Danielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Breathtaking. Yoshitoki Ōima outdid herself with this one. The dynamic of the different eras within the stories, lifestyles, environments etc. We get to see just how skilled she is, not just in story writing but also in world building. The environmental spreads in this manga is unbelievable.