Fumetsu no Anata e is probably a series with an above-average weirdness quotient to it generally. Just the extraordinarily large gaps between its best and worst material meet that threshold. But this arc does seem to take that to another level. It’s consistent with the history in that each arc has been quite different tonally from all the others (which is interesting, so no issues there). Beyond that this one is still pretty odd, though. Bonchien is at the heart of that – he doesn’t seem to fit with the rest of the story at all.
This ep at least goes a long way towards explaining some of Bon’s oddities – and his connection to Fushi. He can’t see the Creator (though he can see other things he shouldn’t) but he knows of his existence. And he openly asks him in Fushi’s presence what Fushi’s reward will be if and when he fulfills whatever his task is supposed to be. “I’ll grant him his freedom”, the Creator answers – though he wasn’t obligated to answer at all – and Fushi is left to ponder the meaning of that. As for Bonchien he observes that the Creator hasn’t done anything to justify Fushi believing his promises.
Another seemingly important character in this arc is the heavyset kid acting as Bon’s general dogsbody. His name is (well, “everyone calls him”) Todo (Watanabe Akeno). Except it’s pretty clear Todo is a girl, and that there’s something very weird going on with her. Is she the young girl making the handkerchief in Bon’s flashback? The hair – and hanky – implies she is, and Fushi can sense that she’s in love with Bonchien (though not that she’s a girl). But then, that flashback seemed to imply the blonde girl was a spirit (though I wasn’t totally sure of that). If she’s not a spirit it would be very odd that she seems to have aged so little in so long a time.
Ah yes, spirits. Bonchien can see them and speak to them, which seems to confirm the suggestion that he was speaking to Fushi’s entourage last week. But he can also speak with spirits unconnected to Fushi, which he’s been doing since childhood. That seems to worry his mother (so much so that she ties him up and has him bled) more than his father. His father has other reasons for doubting Bon’s fitness to be king, namely his temperament. So much so that he writes it into his will that his younger brother Torta will succeed him, which is what sets Bonchien off on his obsessive quest to find Fushi.
The strand tying all this together is Tonari, who apparently came to Bon in spirit form (somehow) and has been grooming him to be Fushi’s ally. While I can see the use of a royal in Fushi’s camp, I hope there’s more explanation to this Tonari connection because from where I’m sitting it feels kind of like an asspull. Eventually Bonchien convinces Fushi to join him on a journey where he’ll once again seek to prove his worth to his father, and orders Fushi to find some friends or a lover before they leave (he’s not particular about which gender).
I can accept that Bon seems to have some regard for Fushi’s emotional welfare and that his interest goes beyond the purely selfish, but he’s still one odd duck and this is a very odd turn in the story. The focus on Fushi’s spiritual exploration is a healthy development, and – given that the best part of the series was when he developed deep connections with Gugu, Booze Man and Pioran – I’d love to see Fushi in a deep relationship with somebody, romantic or not. As such I like where the narrative is going, though as yet I’m still undecided about its chosen means of transportation.
