Every now and again you come across an anime series that truly captivates you
with its ability to break through those familiar creative bounds that so often
bog down the status quo.
Coupling a solid mix of mystery and intrigue with a dash of romance and
comedy, Eden of the East gives us a tale that will keep you watching and
wondering, episode after episode, as the full picture is ever so slowly
revealed.
With an intricately weaved tale of clandestine terrorist acts, Messiahs
attempting to save the world, mysterious phones with the power to fulfill
virtually any request and our supposed hero with no memories of his past, Eden
of the East is doing its best to stay unpredictable till the very end.
Review: Higashi no Eden (Eden of The East)
Akira Takizawa, if that’s his real name, has just found himself in the most
unfortunate of circumstances.
Not only does he have no memories of his past, but he’s standing, stark naked,
with a gun in one hand and a high-tech phone in the other right in front of
the White House. That fact isn’t going to stop him from helping Saki Morimi though.
She’s on a college graduation trip to the US and, after trying to throw a coin
into the White House’s fountain, has found herself in a slight dilemma with a
couple of officers.
Drawing the attention away from her with his armed and naked self, Takizawa
saves Saki from an otherwise undesirable ordeal and, after chatting her up
while she tries to avoid looking down, unsuccessfully I might add; she gives
him her overcoat in return for the help.
A nice gesture to be sure, but she realizes all too late that her passport is
in that jacket as she chases down this mysterious young man as he runs through
the streets of D.C. looking for more clothes and just where the heck he’s
staying.
That one mishap is about to inexplicably intertwine Saki and Takizawa together
as they head back to Japan to try and figure out just who he is and why he has
no memories.
This is only the beginning of the mystery however as Takizawa starts to
realize a couple things just aren’t quite adding up.
The first is his super high-tech phone, which wouldn’t raise much suspicion if
there wasn’t an operator on the other end who’ll fulfill any request the
“Messiah” has, for a price. It’s just lucky for him that he, for reasons unknown (noticing a trend?), has
8.2 billion yen stored on it.
Not only that but he can’t shake the feeling he was involved in an event known
as “Careless Monday,” a day a few months back when Japan was hit with ten
missiles by unknown adversaries.
They all caused great damage in highly populated areas, but somehow no one was
killed.
With so many questions surrounding him, Takizawa doesn’t even know what to
think let alone where to start. It’s only once they arrive back in Japan that
he starts to unravel the full picture.
Starting with the fact that he’s not the only Messiah with a phone full of
money and continuing on to his realization that his past actions may have been
much more unscrupulous than he ever imagined. That’s when the real intrigue begins.
Eden of the East is as much about slowly unraveling plot points as it is about
its two main characters who keep the series interesting no matter how long it
takes for them to let us in on their dirty little secrets.
Takizawa is suave and childish, frightened of shadows but always willing to do
what he thinks is right no matter what the circumstance.
He has a cool, inquisitive intelligence about him, a trait that has
undoubtedly kept him alive for this long.
Then you have Saki, a shy and easily embarrassed girl who’s slightly depressed
by what she sees as the unbreakable role that life puts on a person.
The only future she can see for herself once she heads back to Japan is one of
finding a job and becoming just another slave to the grind.
But with Takizawa around she finds herself constantly drawn to his eternally
optimistic outlook and mysterious life, full of excitement and intrigue.
The two of them make one of the most adorable couples I have seen, and while
the romance angles are slight, they are greatly appreciated whenever they crop
up.
As the series continues we’re introduced to all manner of side characters.
From a number of different Messiah to a group of Saki’s friends who’ve
developed a new search engine system based on images, there’s no lack of
characters or interaction to play out whenever Takizawa isn’t making some
great revelation.
They become more and more integral to the series as the episodes progress and
the situations take a much more deadly turn to them.
As every episode plays a key part in the series progression you’ll be best
served watching it straight from start to finish, preferably before you start
forgetting anything.
Not that this should be a problem with how well Eden of the East draws you in.
What’s truly amazing is how a series based almost entirely on character
interactions and dialogue was able to achieve such utterly impressive
technical merits.
With backgrounds that are simply breathtaking and a consistency in animation
rarely seen in a title such as this, Eden of the East is nothing short of a
feast for the eyes.
Add in its uniquely appealing character designs (especially with regards to
Saki), and you too will be stammered by the overall quality.
Especially when you view it in 1080p, one of the first anime series I have
seen to truly come alive in high def.
But it doesn’t stop there, not when you have a wonderful soundtrack that
starts with a song by the group Oasis called “Falling Down”.
Rarely has such a
song pulled from an outside source fit so perfectly with the tone and feeling
of a series.
This was a match made in heaven, and I for one not only listened to and
watched the opening before every episode but frequently watched it in and of
itself.
I just hope the dub will be able to keep up the same quality performance the
Japanese seiyuu gave, but as it is not out quite yet we will just have to
cross our fingers on that one.
Eden of the East is easily one of the best series I have seen. It’s funny,
charming and engrossing with a great cast of characters that you can’t help
but love to watch Eden of the East Crunchyroll.
With an open ended plot that will be finished off in two subsequent movies, I
can only wait with bated breath to see the conclusion of such a wonderful
series.
Higashi no Eden (Eden of The East) | |
| Genre | Mystery, Romance, Sci-Fi, Suspense |
|---|---|
| Episodes | 11 |
| Status | Finished Airing |
| Aired | Apr 10, 2009 to Jun 19, 2009 |
| Producers | Dentsu, Fuji TV, Asmik Ace, Sony Music Entertainment |
| Studio | Production I.G |
| Rating | R - 17+ (violence & profanity) |
| Themes | - |
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