Eden of the East

Synopsis:

What would you do if you woke up one day standing on the side of the street across from the White House, stark naked, holding a pistol in one hand and a cellphone in the other? This is the predicament that Akira Takizawa finds himself in, but the main problem is he doesn't know who he is, how he got in front of the White House, or... why he's in the buff. But, he does take a little time to help a girl, Saki Morimi, who is being harrassed by the police for throwing a coin onto the lawn of the White House. Akira manages to get the attention of the police but also hides in time that they lose track of him. Thankful for his intervention but embarrassed by his choice of clothing, Saki gives Akira her coat and scarf and, accidentally, her passport. As Akira begins his quest for self identity, he wants to know why his phone is charged with 8.2 billion yen in digital money, who is this mysterious person named Juiz is that answers his phone and asks him to continue working as Japan's savior, and where to get a pair of pants. What he doesn't realize is that Saki has unwillingly joined his trek just because she chased after him to get her passport back.


Reviewer: Endosanity
Number of episodes watched: 11


Review:

Eden of the East has, perhaps, one of the greatest setups to a series that I've seen in a while and the surprising part... it works extremely well. This anime will have you hooked in just one episode, hell, it doesn't even need that to keep you hanging on. As the viewer will want to find out about Akira's strange past just as much as he does. And lucky for us, Saki's presence is not that of a timid helpless girl that gets strung along but instead uses her own connections through friends to help Akria's self discovery and progress the story along quite nicely. Another thing I have to give Eden of the East credit for is blending the main plot with the characterization as they are one in the same because the main reason you're watching the show is to keep finding out more about Akira, why is he considered a savior, and what's the deal with the cellphone. With all these things happening though, Eden of the East begins to stack more complicated issues on top of one another with things like terrorism, political issues, and integral fighting with others that carry the same mysterious cellphone, so now the main downside does turn it's ugly head... 11 episodes. As you can imagine, this is no where near enough to present any kind of closure which is why Eden of the East is to continue on into animated films in the future.

For now, this is a really good series that while it doesn't end in a major cliffhanger it's enough to make you wish it had a longer run. The animation may seem a little lacking at times but you come to realize that this is the intended style for the show by giving it it's own look and feel. With a cryptic plot that's too complex for the short run time, for what's there... Eden of the East is an excellent show with it's refreshing plot and level headed cast to present itself with, it should be on any anime fans "must see" list.

Eden of the East (opening)
*Note - Yes, that's Oasis you're hearing in the opening.

Recommendation: |High|