Earth Ends, but Gives Birth to Mother
Edens Zero Chapter 274 Review/Recap
To recap the last chapter of Edens Zero: 20,000 years in the past, the future Shining Stars and Dark Stars came up with a crazy plan to save Earth by forcing it to Overdrive. While they were doing this, Shiki was born to Regret and Leonard, AKA Witch and Wizard. Unfortunately, their attempts to save the world came too little, too late. It’s armageddon for Earth, and the birth of Mother is imminent!
Recap
The collapse of all life on Earth has begun. Disasters are striking all over the planet, countless people and animals are dying, and it seems to be the end of days. In the midst of all this, Ivry manages to pull Cooper out of some rubble and get them to Yuna’s lab. There, the future Shining and Dark Stars discuss how the government wouldn’t approve of Yuna’s proposal to make the planet go Overdrive. So, Mio hacks into everything and makes it happen, anyway. Once it starts, the Ether will purify itself while the Earth enters hibernation until its ready to reform.
By the time Ziggy arrives on the planet, though, things seem to be too late. Everyone is dead, including the Shining and Dark Stars; the only one he finds alive is an infant Shiki. As he ponders what to do with Shiki, though, the ground begins to shake underneath him. Earth’s enveloped in an overwhelming, bright light. Before Ziggy can understand what’s happening, the planet enters Overdrive. When the light subsides, Ziggy finds himself standing before a massive, ethereal woman, Mother.
Review
We knew that things weren’t going to end well for the Earth, but holy toledo, that was dark.
Firstly, it’s disappointingly realistic for the governments of the world to not approve of Yuna’s plan to save the world. Even when they are out of other options and time, not everyone is willing to get onboard with a plan that they might consider crazy. Thankfully, Mio managed to override them and make it happen anyway, thus leading to Earth becoming Mother. However, she and the others wouldn’t live to see it happen as Humans. We don’t know how they were remade into machines in the present day, but it likely has something to do with Mother.
As for how Ziggy is there, I do have a theory about that. Remember how Ziggy said he tried to make it to Universe 0, only to get attacked by a Chronophage and lost his memories? He woke up on the planet Granbell, but what if that wasn’t the first place he ended up? What if he did end up making it to Mother? Or rather, right before Mother was born? That would explain why he’s on Earth as it’s entering Overdrive and turning into Mother. Then, as part of whatever promise made, he had to lose his memory of the event and get sent 20,000 years into the future to create a stable time loop. It’s crazy, but for now, it’s the only theory I’ve got.
This chapter had a lot for us to unpack, and despite knowing how poorly it would end, it was still hard to look at.
I Give “Earth’s Destruction” a 3.5/5
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Earth was the Future Mother! We Were Right!
Edens Zero Chapter 272 Review/Recap
Since the flashbacks to 20,000 years ago started in the manga, Edens Zero has been teasing fans about something big. Hiro Mashima dropped hint after hint that the world seen in the flashbacks is, in fact, our present-day Earth, putting the entire series into a new perspective. Then, even more surprising, the manga foreshadowed that “Mother” came into being due to the planet achieving Overdrive. This chapter only confirms what we already knew: Mother is the future Earth.
Recap
Mother once again reiterates the choices that Shiki has: he can save Mother and guarantee the cosmos will survive or save all those who died and let her die, leaving their future in doubt. Rebecca, Happy, and Pino are shocked at the idea. Rebecca even urges Shiki to choose to save their friends over Mother, asking the latter what gives her the right to make Shiki choose like that. However, Shiki remains calm, wanting to get all the facts. Understanding, Mother says merely choosing to save her will do just that, while letting her die will lead to humanity’s eventual extinction, as seen in the future.
Mother then decides to show everyone what happened 20,000 years ago. In a vision, she explains that once, she was a planet called Earth. It was a beautiful, tranquil world. But the constant wars and harvesting of resources drained Earth of all its Ether. By 2025, the air was polluted, disease ran rampant, and natural disasters ruined the world. However, some tried to save it: Mio and Yuna, Hermit and Valkyrie when they were human. And they had help from Regret and Ivry, AKA Witch and Sister. Sister was sick with the illness killing people, and her doctor, Cooper (the future Clown), came up with a new treatment called Ether therapy.
That moment would change Mother’s destiny forever.
Review
As previously stated, this chapter confirmed what readers knew or suspected. Mother is, in fact, an embodiment of Mother Earth or Mother Nature, albeit on a cosmic scale. However, at the same time, it also revealed that the story’s been hinting at the truth about Mother for far longer than readers (or at least me) suspected.
This chapter also confirms, or all but confirms, several other things. If Mother is the Overdrive form of Earth, then it’s likely that Xiao Mei is the Overdrive form of the Moon. The Moon’s Latin name is “Luna,” which checks out. If the Earth becomes a cosmic entity via Overdrive, then the same could be said for our Moon.
In addition, this chapter also confirms that all the visions and flashbacks shown since the Lendard Arc were of the Shining and Dark Stars’ human lives. The fact that Pino’s the only one in the group unsurprised but has a sad look on her face drives the point home. While we still don’t know what happened next, it must not have ended well.
This revelation that the series takes place in a possible future 20,000 years from now takes everything into a new perspective and poses even more questions. How can a planet achieve Overdrive, much less become a cosmic entity? What’s the context of the deal Shiki made with Mother? And if Shiki chooses to save Mother and sacrifice everyone who previously died, would that include him and Rebecca? Is that one reason Rebecca asked Shiki not to save Mother despite the risks?
Overall, this is a chapter I’ve waited for for months, and it didn’t disappoint. It’s time to get the whole picture of the story. Learning the truth of the universe, about Mother, Shiki, and everything else should be interesting.
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Putting the “Pop” in Pop Culture!
