To Your Eternity, Vol. 16

不滅のあなたへ [Fumetsu no Anata e] #16

by Yoshitoki Oima

Now, the Nokkers lurk just beneath the surface at school, at playgrounds, and even within Fushi's friend circle. As Mizuha's family secret comes to the fore, the Nokkers stretch their tendrils toward the Beholder, who has been reborn as a human boy named Satoru...

Genres: Manga, Fantasy, Graphic Novels, Fiction, Shonen, Mystery, Japanese Literature

194 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 17, 2021

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

[Remxo · Rating 2 out of 5]

What happened?

To Your Eternity was a unique, spiritual story about a shapeless, abstract energy source that appears on earth and starts to copy the shape of lifeforms. Simple lifeforms at first. Then a dog, and eventually a human boy, in a scene that will rip your heart out. Slowly, this mysterious force starts to learn what it means to be alive and what it means to be human, to love and to hurt. This amazing series somehow lost all focus and devolved into a confusing trivial mess. This series could have been great, one of the classics. Unfortunately the art, as beautiful as it is, can't save this. I'm out.

[Rod Brown · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm getting motion sickness from the ups and downs of this series. I rated last volume 4-stars, but with this one I'm wondering why I'm even reading the series and hoping it ends soon.

I spent a good chunk of the volume lost in the giant cast and murky plot before I started to realize I just didn't care who won the battle between good and evil anymore. Which I think is sort of the creator's point? Or maybe that's just me grasping at straws, hoping the creator has some sort of point after 16 volumes?

[Aimé · Rating 5 out of 5]

Y con esto me pongo al día, así que me pongo tristona.
Este arco está siendo increíble y como ya dije en la reseña del tomo anterior, me encanta los temas que se están tratando y la forma en la que todo lo que Fushi cree conocer y saber de su familia y amigos se va deconstruyendo.
Fushi no es humano y tal vez nunca llegue a entender a aquellos a los que se dedica a proteger. Lo peor es ver cómo se va dando cuenta de esto.

[Met · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dopo 17 volumi l’autrice non ha capito che le saghe che durano più di 3 volumi sono un accollo. Le sue almeno. Sempre più annoiato da questa storia, e mi dispiace un casino perché l’idea di base è veramente forte. Il problema non sono tanto i conflitti - per lo più psicologici - tra i protagonisti, ma il fatto che si trascinino per pagine e pagine senza risolversi. Ormai è da qualche numero già che sto valutando l’abbandono (ma mi scoccerebbe farlo!).

[Casey · Rating 2 out of 5]

I just want the Hayase family line to end they are all the same and I can't stand how much time they spend on Mizuha, she's no different from Kahaku except she doesn't have a bulging parasite. In every chapter, she and her knocker are just "Pick me, choose me, love me" I get it you inherited Hayase's obsession stop stealing everybody's screentime.

Like all of Fushi's friends are alive in the modern day but we only see Bon and a little bit of Tonari. I want to see how they are all adapting to modern life rather than the knocker invasion. Only Fushi is obsessed with it and nobody else but Bon and Yuki seems to have any agency to help Fushi end the knockers. Even the black hood man doesn't seem to care about it anymore. Why should I care when Kai, Hairo, and Messar, three men who cycled life and death in the Renril Arc to stop the Knocker invasion are completely uninvolved now? There are all these characters brought back and they have no agency in the story and it's very frustrating as a reader because I want them to be doing something.

[Sol · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a lovely cover, my favourite so far. Fushi's golden glow, floating in the air, while Mizuha pulls him underwater, the rope around his neck instead of wrist, their contrasting body language. Perfectly sums up part two.



There're two more half-chapters left, I think, but I figure I ought to write this before any cliffhanger-induced speculation that'll get resolved in volume 17.



This is my favourite volume since Bon's introduction. So many threads are coming together, and it seems the long setup of the previous three volumes is moving this arc (by far the longest) to a conclusion. A ton of elements felt almost like they were meant to cater specifically to me.



First, tons more information about the knockers, and the return of Left Hand. In fact, pretty much every question I had at the end of volume 16 was answered in the first few chapters. While it still comes from Left Hand, it's at least something. The knockers are gaining some personality they've desperately needed for a long while now. Most interestingly to me, they seem to be paralleling Fushi's development in a more drawn-out and haphazard fashion. At the same time, Fushi has been gaining similarities to the knockers (his use of the three warriors as human weapons, and a visual parallel to knocker infestation when he invades Izumi's body). My guess that Left Hand would be joined to Hayase's soul came true, but in reverse. Left Hand seems to have gained Hayase's twisted love from his long association with her. His gestures toward Fushi when he reveals himself are unmistakably seductive, and if my reading in chapter 145 is right, it's not Mizuha, but Left Hand who attempts to kiss Fushi. The scene is ambiguous, and as Fushi notes earlier it's impossible to tell which mind is doing any particular thing. It may be that the distinction will erode over time. If their "hearts resonate" and they reside in the same body, are they meaningfully different?



The second avenue of exposition is Izumi's childhood. It's very fast but answers all the major questions (and even gives some characterization to Mizuha's dad). As bad a parent as Izumi was, it's easy to see how she went wrong, and the idea that her dad trained her husband as a sleeper agent is insanely creepy. It's exquisite the way Izumi's parenting pushed Mizuha into her father and grandfather's arms. This segment also answered one of my lingering questions about the historical knowledge of Fushi's existence. The world at large does know of the knockers, but assumes they went extinct after Renril. I suppose Fushi is obscure in Yanome because he spent so little of his life there and became famous much later. Grandpa knew years ahead of time that Left Hand was living in Mizuha's body, and is actively working with the knockers in their secret sanctum, so I assume he'll have a role to play as things move forward. Maybe Mizuha's dad can even get a little redemption (he does claim to love Izumi, after all. Maybe he'll be the one to kill her knocker?)



Tonari has a bit part in this volume. Things are definitely getting shippy. To be honest, I thought they would've been cute together back in volume 5, but Fushi was like, 4 years old at the time and then they parted for 40 years. Now, I dunno. It's still cute, but what, just Tonari is going to stay bound to the world forever? And as Yuki's sister noted, Fushi doesn't even love his horse enough to give it a name. He's still so stupid that he gives Mizuha half-answers that make it sound like he's in love with her. He iced out his family because of his fear of losing face for his failure in creating the peaceful world. Even if Tonari's been de-matured back to a 14 year old, Fushi still has miles to go before he can love another honestly.



He's at least making a little progress. His whole worldview is turned inside out this volume, as he confronts the impossibility of his quest, his absence of honest desire, and the possibility that it may not always be right to kill knockers, even if they're wrong for taking people's bodies. I just hope he can make some breakthrough sooner rather than later. At the very least he understands that the problem is now way bigger than he can handle alone. A strange corollary to this development is Bon's role. He's the only one of Fushi's family in the know, and he takes a fatherly role to Fushi. He also seems to have gone back to his old ways. He flip flops between telling Fushi killing knockers is good, to saying it's okay not to kill them, seemingly just to placate Fushi. He lies to Fushi about Izumi's wishes. Will Bon's regression have any consequences for Fushi's development/trust in his family?



There are a lot of questions I could ask, but I have a feeling this arc is closer to its end than its beginning. I just might find out what Bon would see when a successor dies. Also, Eko appeared in this volume.

[Pip (Bookish_Pip) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Spoilers ahead and probably my last review of the series. My thoughts on this series remain all over the place in all honesty which shows how deeply confused the series has become 🤦🏻‍♀️


The final stage of grief: acceptance.

Through a combination of finally coming to terms with the fact that this series isn’t what it was and looking for and seeing the themes the series is communicating now, this volume was okay (copium).

The exposition dump from Mizuha (or Left Hand I suppose) at the start of the volume at least has answered some questions and gaps are starting to be filled in which has got the ball rolling and Bon’s new role as ‘deus ex-planus’ to give helpful insight when needed is at least pushing us forward (maybe Bon could be the new Man in Black? 🤔)

The grey area that’s being discussed is interesting to an extent, concerning if the knockers are doing a good thing in their eyes as the hosts they inhabit wanted to die before being taken over. While I don’t believe there’s too much nuance in this (parasites are people too shrugs???) it does shine a dark light on Fushi’s goal. Assimilation and integration is a form of peace, if everyone is the same and accepts their hosts then there is no war. Isn’t this the peaceful world Fushi dreamt of now being realised with the newly ‘evolved’ knockers and human race?

While I miss the old, calm and collected Fushi from the previous ‘past’ arc, these violent outbursts displaying his saviour complex have become a lot of fun. Accompanied by the chapter where Mizuha accepts Left Hand and the knocker that’s taken over her mothers body made for a wonderful chapter.

All that aside, a genuinely good chapter was the one focusing on Mimori from volume 15 and seeing her resolve to live after reaching the darkest point a person could ever find themselves in. In a series with such dark themes, it’s nice seeing someone rise above and vow to see themselves into a better future and I truly hope there’s more of this in the series from here on. Also, seeing the differences in how Fushi thinks people would receive the dirt ball he made with the little girl was interesting to see. Like I said before, there isn’t much nuance in the whole ‘should we let parasites live and allow them to kick humans souls out of their bodies’ line but this segment of the chapter illustrated that while Fushi may not be able to give love himself just yet, he can see the signs of it and feel it.

All this being said, it pains me to think about what this series could have been. The unique air around the first few chapters has gone in favour of Oima falling back on a setting she may be more comfortable with. Thankfully the themes are still there and are pulling the series together but that lingering thought of what could have been and what we had is still there.

[DonutKnow · Rating 3 out of 5]

A volume that hit home the idea that not everything can be seen as black and white. It’s almost a crutch to just decide that one perspective is the right answer 🤔

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read as individual chapters (#139-146)

Total review score: 2.93

[Alicja · Rating 3 out of 5]

Albo mi się wydaje albo jakość tej serii spadła. Ostatnio sięgając po 15 i 16 tom liczyłam na równie ciekawe wydarzenia we współczesnym świecie co w przeszłości, wręcz się podekscytowałam - wiecznie zacofany Niesio vs współczesność. Odnoszę jednak wrażenie, że seria straciła kierunek, w którym miała zmierzać i akcja nie jest już tak wciągająca jak kiedyś. Odkrywanie siebie, aspektów nieśmiertelności i kruchości życia, zyskiwanie i tracenie najbliższych się zakończyło, śmierć nie jest już takim potężnym ciosem emocjonalnym dla głównego bohatera jak kiedyś. Myśli samobójcze też zostały potraktowane niedbale i powierzchownie i taki wątek po prostu nie pasuje mi do tej mangi. Niesio jako nieśmiertelny wciąż nie pojmuje wielu uczuć, stanów i myśli takich jak np. zakochanie i miłość romantyczna więc zrozumienie kogoś, kto chciałby umrzeć może mu przyjść z ogromnym trudem albo i być niemożliwe.
Co dalej? Niesio zostanie psychologiem i zacznie walczyć z myślami niedoszłych samobójców żeby ich ciała nie zostały przejęte przez kołatników? Tempo w jakim obecnie działa jest za wolne i nie zdoła pokonać wszystkich wrogów.
Z drugiej strony nie każdy kołatnik jest żądny krwii a niektóry musi pozostać w ciele aby bliskie otoczenie nie ucierpiało w związku z utratą osoby przejętej przez pasożyta.
Mam nadzieję, że autorka nie zawiedzie mnie po raz drugi i zaskoczy czymś w następnych tomach a akcja nabierze tempa. Z tego co wiem manga wciąż jest pisana i nie ma zakończenia. Oby nie był to tasiemiec bez dna bo uwielbiam tą mangę i chce wiedzieć jak skończą się losy nieśmiertelnego

[Doc · Rating 4 out of 5]

When you ask yourself am I the bad guy now?

With a certain level of hatred bred from combat against the monstrous Nokkers for many years Fushi is doing his best to understand his role in a world where Nokkers are not only small enough to enter a human host but if they die it can stay inside them as their spirit (or as it is known as fye in the story.) On one hand the Nokkers are targeting people who already want to die in some way or another so they can use their bodies after the deed is done and experience life in the newly healed human form afterward and on the other even though the Nokkers claim they want to co-exist peacefully with humans there is no real proof they are not still planning to forcibly convince certain people or groups to believe they want to die through manipulations as opposed to forcing the fye out of people as a direct result of their actions. To make things worse a Nokker from the past has made its presence known and take man in black who is now reborn as a child has more power and seems to know more than he is letting on.

With the enemy no longer so obvious and even being sociable after they integrate with a human host is it possible the Nokkers are scheming as a group against their enemy or like humans have the Nokkers themselves learned to adapt and just want to live their lives through the recently deceased? It is a mystery still to be revealed as the past continues into the future.

[Herdis Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

With the Nokkers now invisibly infiltrating the human race, it's impossible for Fushi to keep track of them. They say they want peace, but do they?

And is there anything Fushi can do to save Mizuha? Does she even want to be saved?



I am, sadly, finding this manga less and less engaging. It's by no means horrible, but it simply doesn't interest me the way it did in the beginning.

I feel like it's becoming more and more adolescent in that slightly cheesy, romance-tinged way, and I'm a bit disappointed.

The infiltration of the Nokkers is interesting, the Beholder reborn as the boy Satoru is interesting, Fushi is still interesting, but everything surrounding Mizuha is starting to seriously annoy me, and it's taking up way too much space in the narrative.

This was the last volume I had access to at the moment, though I see that both volumes 17 and 18 are supposed to be out in English, so I will continue reading as soon as I get my hands on them.

For now, however, I'm actually happy to take a bit of a break.

[Dani Wladdimiro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Retomar la esencia de la historia es lo que me hizo volver a cautivarme de esta. Anteriormente sentía que divagaba por diferentes partes, pero ahora nos vuelve a contar historias personales, y como los Knockers pueden darle un nuevo significado a la vida de las personas. Me gusta mucho por donde se están encaminando estas historias, porque se nota que es la zona de confort de la autora, y es donde mejor sabe relucir sus dotes.

[Kayuri · Rating 4 out of 5]

In diesem Band bekommen wir etwas mehr Wissen vermittelt was die Klopfer angeht. Das finde ich gut, da einiges noch nicht geklärt ist, aber ein roter Faden zu erkennen ist. Zumindest teilweise ist das so. Ich fand die Geschichte in diesem Band etwas sprunghaft, es wurde wenig zu Ende gebracht sondern eher an vielen Stellen gehandelt. Das hat sich ein wenig unbefriedigt angefühlt und mich etwas „verwirrt“.

[Nightshade · Rating 3 out of 5]

This arc is getting a bit confusing and unfortunately also a bit boring. I wish Immo would stop being stubborn and talk to his friends.

At the moment I can't see any way out of the current situation, so it will be interesting to see what happens.

[Chad Cunningham · Rating 3 out of 5]

An explanation of the change in the nokkers, some examination of the price of pressure and Fushi's unrealistic expectations.

The series is starting to lose me. Fushi is still learning things, but everything seems kinda mired in plot.

[Felicia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm enjoying this arc, even though I don't understand some of the explanations sometimes. Mizuha keeps changing her personality. The black man pretends to be indifferent, but in my opinion, his intervention will be predominant in the future.

[Lori CucVig · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sul mondo attuale è più difficile scrivere. La distinzione tra bene e male diventa più subdola. Cosa fare davvero per avere la pace? La risposta non è chiara e i sentimenti entrano in gioco. Spero che la narrazione ritorni più liscia. Vedremo...

[Lori CucVig · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sul mondo attuale è più difficile scrivere. La distinzione tra bene e male diventa più subdola. Cosa fare davvero per avere la pace? La risposta non è chiara e i sentimenti entrano in gioco. Spero che la narrazione ritorni più liscia. Vedremo...

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

Thank goodness this one is better than volume 15

[Charlotte R.S. · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don’t even know what’s going on anymore. When did Fushi become such a bad, thoughtless person? Would have been better if this series ended with the Renril arc.

[Rodri · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5: this is getting so sad idek it all feels hopeless?

[KJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

bro got 0 social skill after how many 100 years????