Review: To Your Eternity

(Non-Spoilery)

Season Aired: Spring 2021 - 20 episodes

MAL Link: To Your Eternity

I watched it at: Crunchyroll

Review:

It is rare that I review a series before completing watching it in full, but the last twelve episodes have been an amazing storytelling experience and I feel pretty confident in scoring this one.

To Your Eternity invites the viewer into a world of courage, tragedy and ... more tragedy.  Depending on how emotional you are, it might just rip the heart right out of your chest.  But you'll keep watching, pretty much guaranteed.

It's a full plate of meaty storytelling drenched with pathos and served with sides of human suffering and triumph. I binged the series (so far) and was left filled.

The Plot in a Nutshell:

An Entity is put on Earth and given the purpose to evolve.  It begins its journey as a simple rock on the ground and remains so for countless years. In time, a dog lays down besides the rock to die. And so, the rock evolves into a dog.  The Entity thus gains mobility which will take it into the world of humans.

In the world of humans the Entity will become self aware.  The Entity passes through the lives of different humans in different places and witnesses their trials and tragedies. The Entity gains strength and learns from these experiences.

The Entity needs to grow and gain strength from these encounters because, it will discover, an enemy is hunting it.  An enemy with an unknown agenda who is just as alien as the Entity itself.

The plot probably sounds cryptic, but it comes into focus pretty quickly in the show.

My Verdict: 

To Your Eternity is an epic fantasy with a strong dramatic narrative and a solid cast of interesting characters living hard lives. It is mature content that presents a great deal of sadness to the viewer in poignant, character driven vignettes. However, it balances the tragedy with enough hope and adventure to keep it from becoming depressing.

I would say it is mentally stimulating storytelling and satisfying entertainment worth looking into.

Score: 4.5 out of 5

Review Rating Scale:

5     Brain wildly entertained. Neurons saturated with entertainment.

4.5  Brain extremely entertained. Neurons firing regularly. Outside world forgotten.

4     Brain entertained. Neurons well stimulated. Brain wants to look for the blu-ray.

3.5  Brain in Neutral. Neurons a little stimulated. Brain generally pleased.

3     Brain in neutral. Neurons flat lined. Meh, brain pleased just enough.

2.5  Brain in neutral but occasionally displeased.

2     Brain displeased and not entertained. Brain thinking about doing something else.

1.5 or less - Brain suffered through the show so it could tell you not to.