What's beyond the sea?
If you had asked me this before, I might have thought you just finished watching Attack on Titan and wanted to exchange code phrases for a meme. I would have replied, "Beyond the sea are enemies," to show that I'm an old-timer well-versed in famous anime quotes and scenes.
But if you ask me "What's beyond the sea?" now, I'll lightly question "What do you mean?" and then insist on taking a bite out of you.
Don't ask. If you do, the answer is the latest trend: the seaside three-panel comic.
Initially, this three-panel comic was quite philosophical.
"What's beyond the mountain?"
"You don't need to tell me"
"I'll see for myself"
This monologue, which sounds quite classic, has been quoted in countless articles and eventually became a golden quote, though its origin is now hard to trace. Its literary flair and cinematic feel always bring a subtle air of pretentiousness. Thanks to increasingly flexible AI tools, generating custom cinematic storyboards from these three lines has become a temporary trend.
Just copy the "Burning Formula" and paste it into any AI software, and you can turn any photo into a similar three-panel storyboard. Perhaps the dim seaside naturally carries a touch of literary flair, or maybe a solitary monologue on the beach evokes a strong sense of loneliness... Regardless, the initial presentation of this three-panel photoshoot focused on aesthetics and atmosphere. The character's vibe must be perfectly captured, and the storyboard must match the progressive layers of the monologue to fully unleash the power of AI.
But as you know, netizens never stop at the first stage. After satisfying their pursuit of aesthetics, they need to create something new to give everyone a little shock.
Soon, we entered the second phase of the seaside three-panel comic: dehumanization.
"Without AI, I see artsy youths pretending to be deep by the sea. With AI, I still see artsy youths pretending to be deep by the sea. Then what's the point of using AI?" Holding this attitude, the characters in the three-panel comics quickly stopped being human. Whether cats or dogs, those cute pets close to humans can be paired with similar copy and storyboards, creating a strange sense of contrast.
Anime characters can also be cleverly integrated. Some three-panel comics stay true to the original work's vibe, focusing on aesthetics, while others go further down the path of contrast, aiming purely to entertain everyone with their antics... But no matter how they change, the core remains the classic framework.
Some friends may have noticed: why do some of these three-panel comics start with mountains while others start with the sea? This is likely a distortion that occurred during the meme's spread. The reason isn't hard to guess—the background actually features a sea. So, the dialogue evolved into "What's beyond the sea?", creating a situation where mountains and seas coexist.
Actually, whether it's a mountain or the sea, the content expressed by this dialogue is consistent: how you react when facing something difficult to overcome. But coincidentally, everyone also knows a famous scene by the sea: "Beyond the sea are enemies."
This passage was originally a famous scene from Attack on Titan. Due to its widespread circulation, many people feel compelled to repeat it whenever they point towards the sea. This might also be one of the reasons why "What's beyond the mountain?" gradually transformed into "What's beyond the sea?"
However, there's no need to fuss over whether it's a mountain or the sea, because as it continues to evolve, something with even more contrast arrives—the Local Specialty Series makes its grand entrance.
As everyone knows, no chicken leaves Guangdong alive, no cow leaves Chaoshan alive, no duck leaves Nanjing alive, and no donkey leaves Baoding alive... If I could, I'd even recite a rapid-fire list, applying this pattern to every region across the country. Of course, except for the fish in West Lake.
Just having non-human characters in the lens isn't entertaining enough. If you really want fun, the humans inputting commands off-screen shouldn't act human either. So, in the evolved version of the seaside three-panel comic, every animal has its own "mountain," but they can't see what's on the other side because the twist comes so suddenly—they truly can't get out. Although these three-panel comics have a hint of dark humor for the animals, for the humans off-screen who have stopped acting human, everyone wishes these delicacies would take a trip through hell's fryer.
Even local tourism boards have started using this method to promote their hometowns, showcasing various local specialties. Although sometimes the ones delivering the lines aren't even biological creatures, the three-panel storyboard still manages to make people chuckle.
If you think playing around like this isn't exciting enough, even wilder creations are yet to come. Netizens ultimately followed the path of "seeing the mountain as a mountain, seeing the mountain not as a mountain, and seeing the mountain as a mountain again," returning to the realm of having people in the pictures. However, this time, the figures appearing are various internet legends.
Whether it's Northeast Rain Sister or David Dai Liangzi, various abstract internet celebrities who have been through the wringer take turns appearing. As long as you place them by the sea and pair them with this highly cinematic three-panel comic, that literary flair instantly emerges. Rain Sister becomes everyone's "Little Rain," and Liangzi reverts to his "Small Stomach" era. By the way, if you show this picture to Liangzi himself, he'd probably happily say, "Yes, yes, that's exactly how handsome I am." (Or possibly, "This picture isn't as handsome as me.")
In short, the seaside three-panel comic spares no one. Any internet celebrity who has left a deep impression or triggered a "this reminds me of something" reaction has a place by the seaside.
Thus, in its increasingly free development, the three-panel comic became a complete mashup of internet memes. Although those memes already have their own developmental paths, making people laugh based on understanding, placing them in the highly literary three-panel format adds a layer of contrasting filter, creating new fun and giving birth to the increasingly abstract and thought-provoking seaside three-panel comic we see today.
For instance, the completely clueless cat meme doesn't need a progressive emotional build-up when placed in a three-panel comic. A silent expression paired with dialogue showing total confusion is more than enough to describe the nihilistic state of mind many people feel when they first see this three-panel comic.
This evolution, which completely abandons the three-panel framework, moves from wanting to know what's outside, to being unable to know, and finally to not wanting to know. It ultimately stops at the opening line, "I just have to take a bite out of you." Of course, biting people works too, or chewing up slippers—anything lively will do.
This seaside three-panel comic trend, initiated by netizens, powered by AI tools, and fueled by countless internet memes, has spawned countless meme images through successive iterations—and it continues. After all, the "old timers" are scattering the "Burning Formula" everywhere; just copy one and you're ready to go.
However, if we reverse-engineer the development path of the seaside three-panel meme, you'll find it seems familiar. This is also the meaning that netizens, intentionally or unintentionally, create in the birth of countless memes.
When the first primitive fish crawled from the ocean to land over 300 million years ago, none of them could have imagined that their descendants would evolve to become terrestrial overlords, returning to shores where things are no longer fish-like to look back at the ocean and ask, "What's beyond the sea?"
This is a knowledge-based question that has fascinated generations of pioneers, posed by terrestrial creatures who have evolved into humans, looking out at the ocean that can be called the origin of life.
Tiktaalik, which lived 360 million years ago, was long considered the earliest vertebrate to land and the sole representative of Devonian tetrapods. That's some serious seniority.
But anyone who has taken geography class knows that oceans cover 71% of the Earth's surface, while land covers 29%. From the most superficial perspective of knowledge, you already know what's on the other side of the ocean. It's like when you unlock satellite technology in Sid Meier's Civilization VI, revealing the fog of war across the entire map and presenting a complete world before your eyes. The ends of the ocean and the world have changed from unknown to known through the exploration of generations of pioneers. All that remains for people to do is learn this knowledge and continue exploring thereafter.
However, beyond knowledge lies a fog—and that fog is ourselves.
What's on the other side of the mountain? What's on the other side of the sea? People aren't seeking factual answers, but the process of inquiry. Static knowledge isn't that important, which is why people want to see for themselves, to explore Everythinggj through their own experiences, even if it's known or reinventing the wheel.
This is why the three-panel comic was so popular from the start. "What's beyond the mountain? You don't need to tell me, I'll see for myself." It aligns with people's imagination of "freedom"—and perhaps coincides with the famous sea-viewing scene from Attack on Titan.
But the initial "I'll see for myself," while aesthetic, is somewhat cliché. Say it too often, and it becomes annoying. The teasing of animals trapped in specific locations is actually a gentle mockery of the three-panel comic itself. The world may not give you the answer you want; it's more likely to serve you up in a fryer.
Nevertheless, humans always recognize the absurdity of outcomes and find ways to enrich their lives. Sisyphus pushes the boulder up the mountain again and again, only to watch it roll back down. His labor is "useless," but it is a noble act of resisting absurd outcomes and proving the authentic meaning of his existence.
So, what's behind the mountain? What's beyond the sea? Who cares, I just want to chew your slippers to pieces. The three-panel meme has successfully reached this stage: after recognizing the potential absurdity of the outcome, it produces absurd mockery. Just like the classic meme from years ago: Where are we flying? What is the purpose of living?
Just going to the pier to get some fries.
Only after recognizing the meaninglessness and absurdity of the world can true resistance occur. So, if you're interested in what's beyond the mountain or the sea—well, beyond the mountain is the sea, beyond the sea is the coast, and on the coast is a pier. Let's all go to the pier and get some fries.
If you're not interested, that's fine. Just chant the mysterious spell and ascend to the Hakimi Planet: Hakimi North-South Mung Bean, Hayaku Nailong, Mambo!
