Spring 2009 Anime Roundup - Eden of the East
Production IG Provide a Mature Knockout for the Terrorist Age
May 4, 2009
Continuing the Spring 2009 Anime Roundup, this article looks at Production IG’s new original series Eden of the East, created and directed by Kenji Kamiyama (Ghost In The Shell: Standalone Complex). Comments in this feature are based on viewing episodes one to three.
Eden of the East: Story
The year is 2011 and Saki Morimi is visiting the White House on a graduation trip. As she is about to be arrested for throwing pennies over the gates, an amnesiac and naked man holding a fancy phone and a handgun appears, distracting the police and allowing Morimi a chance to escape. When Morimi thanks him by giving him her coat, she realises that she left her passport in one of the pockets and the two become intertwined.
Finding a room full of guns, terror targets, and fake documents upon returning home, the man takes the identity of Akira Takizawa and goes on the run, dragging Saki along as he flees the US and returns to Japan. While the two are waiting to board the plane, news breaks of a missile attack in Tokyo on the one year anniversary of a prior event where ten missiles hit the city in a casualty-free incident.
Upon their return, Takizawa discovers over 8 billion yen waiting to be spent on his phone and a computerised concierge at the Celeção organisation eager to help him use it for whatever he sees fit. But another Celeção member, this one a police detective, is on Takizawa’s trail and suspects him of being involved in an incident which resulted in the deaths of 20,000 young shut-ins.
As much as it seems that the above information gives away too much, the synopsis barely covers the first two episodes and only hints at the full content of episode three. Whereas 07-Ghost relies on plot-convenient amnesia delay exposition and make the main character more endearing, Eden of the East builds it into a larger series of mysteries and an almost cruel sense of humour. Every answer reveals more questions and the series clearly reflects the writing staff’s capabilities.
Eden of the East: Sound
Western viewers will be happy (and unhappy) to hear two things: first, the opening theme is a moody, eerie track by Britrockers Oasis. While not as catchy as Wonderwall, the song reflects the series’ tone and will certainly be missed if Western licensers are incapable of paying for the song’s usage rights. Second, there is a great deal of English spoken in the Washington DC scenes, and the English speaking characters all have Western names in the credits: there is no Engrish here.
The ED theme is more standard fare, as is Kenji Kawai’s BGM which is good, but not on par with, say, his work on the Patlabor movies. Both Ryohei Kimura (Takizawa) and Saori Hayama (Morimi) are relative newcomers to voice acting, though the latter is pulling double duty this season and also appearing in Basquash (she also sings that show’s opening theme.)
Eden of the East: Vision
Animated by Production IG and featuring work from who’s who of production companies, Eden is visually stunning with well integrated 3D and even boasting a bit of stop motion in the ending. Chika Umino (Honey & Clover) provides likeable if slightly generic character designs reminiscent of FLCL.
Summary
Fan bemoaning the state of anime these days would be well served by watching Eden of the East, as would those who appreciated works such as Monster. Well plotted, sharply animated, and nicely acted, the series is sure to be a hit among international fans.
