Publisher: Funimation (USA)Format: Region 1, 2 and 4 DVD, NTSC, Japanese Dialogue with optional English dub and English Subtitles.
Length: 11 episodes x 22 minutes
Production Date: 2009
Currently in Print (as of writing): Yes
This is a very intriguing project by Kenji Kamiyama and Production I.G. The set up has a young Japanese woman named Saki Morimi who in front of the White House finds a young man with amnesia naked with a gun and a mobile phone. After a run in with the police, the young man, named Akira Takizawa, runs off only to have Saki hunt him down to his apartment. Akira discovers via the phone that he is one of 12 “Seleção”, and is part of a game where he can ring a concierge named Juiz who can provide him with almost anything or fulfil any wish. The aim of the game is that the 12 Seleção have been given ¥10 billion to “save Japan”. However if they use the money selfishly or run out of money before saving Japan, they will be eliminated. After the winner is decided all other players will be eliminated. Akira and Saki return to Japan, but soon discover that there has been a missile attack on Japan and Akira may be the culprit.
Due to the basic structure of the plot, some of the design elements, the style of the animation and possibly Kenji Kamiyama’s direction, this show does at times feels a lot like “Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex”. Kenji Kawai’s score also adds to that feel, though it also makes it sound like a “Patlabor” movie (it’s Kawai of course) at times. However with character designs by Chika Umino of “Honey and Clover” fame, as well as little touches of rather sweet and cute humour, the series has this shoujo-esque feel running through it. While there is a darkness running though it, such as the seemingly sinister way the game has been set up, plus some murders early on in the show, the last two thirds especially have a undertone of lightness and good natured humour. It’s a really strange mix that seems to work exceptionally well for the majority of its length. Intertwined is a few elements and sequences of surrealism. Though mostly dreams or hallucinations for the most part, they oddly blend perfectly into the strange mix of genres and styles in this story.
It’s not as if this show doesn’t know if it wants to be, but I think at times the light hearted nature of parts of the show do take some of the edge off of the thriller aspects, which is the main focus of the show really. The major problem of the show is that certainly a great deal of the major incidents are rather hard to swallow. The missile attacks and cover ups of murders (undertaken mostly by police officers) were a little hard to take seriously. Also the explanation of the missing 20,000 NEETs was just a bit too convenient and not all that well thought out in terms of the plot. I really liked the technology concepts in the film such as the Eden of the East search engine (seriously I can see such a utility being developed in the near future) and of course the Juiz system. If you can suspend a little disbelief at a couple of places in the show, then this is a really great series. Intriguing plot and story with a bunch of really interesting characters and fantastic animation, designs and music score to boot. I even thought the ending to this part of the series wasn’t bad at all (despite the fact they had two movie sequels set up to go beforehand). Sure there’s a couple of lapses in logic in the show, but it’s still a pretty damn good show. 8 out of 10.
“Eden of the East the Movie I: The King of Eden”
Publisher: Funimation (USA)Format: Region 1, 2 and 4 DVD, NTSC, Japanese Dialogue with optional English dub and English Subtitles. Region A and B Blu-ray, NTSC, Japanese Dialogue with optional English dub and English Subtitles.
Length: 81 minutes
Production Date: 2009
Currently in Print (as of writing): Yes
The first film is set six months after the events of the final TV episode. While the final moments of the TV series seem to indicate some sort of story reboot, luckily Kamiyama doesn’t resort to that. Again in this movie we have the suspense thriller playing heavily in this film, as well as the shoujo-like elements and a touch of romance. Also of interest in this film is the small group of lovable NEETs and Eden of the East system which they turn from a hobby project into full blown business a la Twitter. It soon becomes a popular utility on the web. However some with the group feel they have betrayed their NEET roots. Again there were some problems with this film. The most glaring was the fact that Akira was an incredibly famous man at this point, yet very few people in New York took notice of him. In fact only one acknowledges him. Wouldn’t the media be all over him? Of course this can be explained away by the whole Seleção/Juiz system, because as revealed in this film the person running the entire game has very close connections to the government. Apart from revealing more information about the game, the other thing which I liked in this film was the fact the Juiz can get rather narky and develop a set against the Seleção or even the opposite and have a deep bond with them. Like the TV series, this one has some lapses in logic, but god it’s a really fun ride. 8 out of 10.
“Eden of the East the Movie II: Paradise Lost”
Publisher: Funimation (USA)Format: Region 1, 2 and 4 DVD, NTSC, Japanese Dialogue with optional English dub and English Subtitles. Region A and B Blu-ray, NTSC, Japanese Dialogue with optional English dub and English Subtitles.
Length: 91 minutes
Production Date: 2010
Currently in Print (as of writing): Yes
The concluding film pretty much has what you’d expect of it. The man behind Seleção/Juiz system, Mr Outside, is finally revealed. While I found the ending to be OK, others might be disappointed by it. The theme running though this film is the clash of values between those currently ruling Japan and those in business with the younger generation. While some have commented on the rather nationalistic right wing aspects of the show, really they are just the opinions of some of the characters in the film. Others have opposite views. And those which hold them are defiantly not portrayed as “the enemy” as such. Kamiyama is not arguing that “Japan has lost its way”, like those on the right seem to argue, but what I think he is doing is showing the culture clash between the old order and the new. Well at least that’s how I interpreted it all. Mr Outside’s reasoning behind the whole game is rather odd. Does he really believe that the individuals he has chosen will really change Japan, or is it just a daft game dreamt up by an old rich man with a lot of connections just to keep himself amused? One would think it was the latter the way it is presented here. Akira’s back story is explored quite well in this part. The mystery of who his parents really are keeps you on the edge of your seat. You’re just not quite sure of the truth until the very end. I think the film sort of ends quite realistically in terms of the fate of the NEETs. In the end the youth still feel disenfranchised and the old folk still think Japan is gonna be ruined. Just like real life. In keeping with the other two parts of the series, some lapses in logic, but really high quality entertainment all the same. 8 out of 10.
Remaining Backlog: 25 months (it's much easier this way than listing the number of discs).
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