REVIEW: ‘To Your Eternity’ Season 3 Episode 12 — “Flying Bug”

To Your Eternity Season 3 Episode 12, “Flying Bug,” sees Fushi’s (Reiji Kawashima, Honey Lemon Soda) search for a way to drive the Nokker presence from Earth continue. But with little new knowledge, his chances to succeed aren’t looking good. And even if he can eventually win the fight, what will the price be for him and his friends?

The opening moments of this episode get off to a slow start. Fushi, in the form of a bird, observes Funa and Mizuha, vainly trying to deduce some new knowledge about the Nokkers and how they operate. His observations yielded few results, save to witness Yuki make a bizarre attempt to start peace talks with the Nokkers. Or at least, that’s how it seems. 

Yuki’s discovery elevates her character in To Your Eternity Season 3 Episode 12.

Strangely enough, To Your Eternity Season 3 Episode 12‘s biggest surprise comes from the often annoying Yuki. Rather than making a clumsy attempt to make peace with a handshake, the young boy used the interaction to make some keen observations about the Nokkers and how they communicate when others are around. He also devises a way for him and Fushi to communicate, using Eko’s pot. 

This moment of discovery with Yuki really elevates the character. While he makes some very clever deductions about the Nokkers, the logic his mind follows to reach them feels realistic. As someone who spends much of his time thinking about concepts like aliens, the occult, and telepathy, his observations don’t feel wildly out of bounds for him. A believable spark of brilliance for the side character. 

This spark of brilliance also leads Yuki to another conclusion. If the Nokkers want to get rid of Fushi, the best way to do it would be to eliminate the one who made him. This sends Fushi off to check on Satoru, arriving just in time to learn that Satoru does not need Fushi’s help and is not interested in helping Fushi.

Bon’s timely arrival calls attention to something interesting about him.

Satoru’s reasoning for permitting a Nokker to live in his space, as well as his arguments against pursuing a total defeat of the group, are compelling and make sense. The arguments are delivered excellently, both through the voice acting and their visual accompaniment. They drive home challenging arguments against Fushi’s blind determination to rid the world of them, not the least of which is that it seems completely beyond his power to do so. 

But perhaps the most powerful argument Satoru makes that clearly rocks Fushi is when he compares the two sides. Fushi says that the Nokkers are bad for stealing people’s forms. But Satoru points out that this is exactly what Fushi does. What has become his default form, the young boy he met in the frozen hut all those centuries ago, never permitted Fushi to wear his form. Fushi simply took it. 

To Your Eternity Season 3 Episode 12 leaves Fushi with Bon (Takehito Koyasu, Sk8 the Infinity) as he ponders Satoru’s words and what to do next. Bon’s timely arrival to console Fushi after another setback calls attention to something interesting: Bon is always showing up just after things go wrong to support Fushi and encourage him. But how?

To Your Eternity Season 3 Episode 12 continues on the same worn-out narrative treadmill.

It is possible, of course, that Yuki told him, or maybe one of his spirit companions let him know where Fushi is, but if that’s the case, it isn’t made clear. Bon may be up to something; perhaps he has his own vested interest in keeping Fushi on the path he’s on, but it certainly seems suspicious that he’s always popping up. 

To Your Eternity Season 3 Episode 12 delivers brief sparks of interest through Yuki’s search for answers and Satoru’s arguments, but much of the episode feels trapped on the same old narrative treadmill that the writing has been trapped on all season. It’s starting to put the show in a whole different light. 

To Your Eternity Season 3 Episode 12 is streaming now on Crunchyroll. 

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