The final episode of the TV anime "Chi. -About the Earth's Movement-", based on the manga by Uoto , which was also the subject of much discussion after being selected for the Manga Grand Prize at the 26th Osamu Tezuka Cultural Prize, aired on NHK General TV on March 15th. Set in 15th century Europe, the story depicts the lives and deaths of people surrounding the heliocentric theory, and the climax of the series, which shocked many viewers, is a mix of reality and fiction, and many viewers were probably surprised in a way that they had not seen before. We spoke to author Uoto about the final chapter.
◇ A mysterious final chapter: "I wanted to make it mysterious"
"Chi." was serialized in "Weekly Big Comic Spirits" (Shogakukan) from 2020 to 2022, and became a hot topic as an unusual manga set in 15th century Europe, depicting people risking their lives to study the heretical theory of heliocentrism.
The main character changes with each chapter, and the setting of chapters 1 to 3 was "15th century (early period) P Kingdom," but the final chapter specified the specific year and country as "1468, urban area of the Kingdom of Poland." "Chi.", which has been depicted as fiction, crosses paths with reality in the final chapter. Uoto thought, "This is the only way," and wrote the final chapter.
"From the stage when I started writing 'Chi.' I was thinking a lot about the influence of fiction and reality, so I thought the ending should turn out like this. I believe that fiction and reality are complicit in creating reality. There is no such thing as a lie that exists purely. Lies affect reality, and then fiction is created based on that reality. I wanted to depict something like that kind of circle, cycle, complicity."
No matter how many times I read the final chapter, it always leaves me with a mysterious feeling, wondering, "What does this mean?" When I told Uoto about this, he smiled and said, "I'm glad. I wanted to make it mysterious. And I also wanted to tell a strange lie."
"What am I reading right now? Is this a lie? It's strange to think of fiction as such - I think that's what makes meta-literature so fascinating. The ouroboros-like, infinite mirroring is true in reality, and it's also true when you come face to face with someone. Which is the real me - the me I think I am, or the me the other person thinks I am? And what do I think of the me the other person thinks I am? I find it fascinating how the modern self is born from this infinite cycle. Confronting a work of art is the same; it puts my own world into perspective. The world in the work doesn't exist in reality, but it influences my world. And my world also influences this work. This kind of interactivity is fascinating. I believe that strangeness is what connects to the strangeness of the world we live in today, so I'm grateful that people find the final chapter strange."
The final scene of the “mysterious” final episode ended with a question mark.
"I think that sense of wonder is similar to the surprise we feel about the world today, or the feeling of 'Why are we alive?' When we read fiction, it's a mystery to us, like 'Why does it seem like something is alive, even though it's not alive?' I also find it very strange that professions related to this 'mystery' include manga artist and publishing company. People who come into contact with fiction think about people who aren't present, and think about things that aren't being said. I think that's very strange, and very fun, isn't it? I think that's probably all manga artists have to draw."
Regarding the final chapter, Uoto said, "I hope that readers will watch and feel what the meaning is there," and added, "Personally, I like works that give me the fun of "participating" in the world or life of the reader while reading. I really like when it's not like "it's over once you've solved it," and it's not like a quiz."
The final chapter of "Chi." leaves us with many questions, such as "Is that Rafal the same Rafal who appeared in the first chapter?" and "What is fiction, and what is real?", which naturally makes us want to know the answers. However, it is not over once you have solved it. "Chi." may be a work that gives us the opportunity to continue thinking indefinitely.
