eden of the east (TV)

~BitCloud

Wed, 12 Aug 2009 10:22:20 -0400

I was really hyped about this series because it's not everyday that you get to watch an anime about themes like these and with decent English usage. By the way, I was intrigued about one thing though - 'Juiz' means indeed 'Judge' in Portuguese. I manged to watched it through till the end without being too disappointed. My thoughts on the last episode is this: Akira is still going to be subjected to the way everyone treats him; if they all knew him as a kind person that cared for everyone - or atleast tried to, he will believe it and follow the path that he created as a Selecao. This might change based on the interactions from the other Selecao yet to be introduced, or the development of Ohsugi as a rival to reclaim Saki and his manhood. However it's all speculation at this point.

I also don't see how having a King would help better Japan. It's been shown in history that there were benevolent Monarchs but most would end up becoming corrupted while looking for absolute power. Moreover I think that the way he unified the Neets on the roof for a common purpose would be the requirement for the rest of Japan in order to save it from the individualist nature that they've all grown accustomed to. By breaking that mold he probably helped to show them an alternative to life and how they know it.

~Mangopulp

Tue, 11 Aug 2009 20:52:51 -0400

The ending was a major let down. Well, it wasn't really an ending was it? I suspected the "prince" thing would hold some significance, but never thought it was meant literally. As for the NEETs helping, I think any old person could have used fighter jets to shoot them down. I was hoping for something a bit more inventive... In regards to the theory that Saki is Juiz, it's something I could follow. The taxi driver must also hold some importance since the director obviously tried to put some focus on him with the extended close-up. If he's Mr. Outside, who knows. I doubt he'd throw himself into the thick of things or get too involved. Either way, LOADS of questions are left unanswered.

It's just a shame they decided to go the "movie" route with the conclusion. I think it could have been much better if they went for 26 episodes. Instead, fans such as ourselves will have to wait well over a year for a DVD release. Ah well, plenty of other new series/season of shows to keep us busy until then. Let's just hope the movies are worth the wait.

~Eche

Thu, 16 Jul 2009 13:30:06 -0400

Ugh, everyone is ahead of me on this one. I'm on ep 9.. and I'm really concerned with how they're going to wrap it up. It feels like 2 more eps won't close everything and from what I've glanced in the forum... its a vindicated concern :(

Still, love the animation quality in this series. Feels really new/fresh. Kind of reminds me of the first 2 eps of Ergo Proxy (but lets not go into how bad THAT got.)

LOVING the end song. Gonna make myself sick of it on repeat.

~Pinao

Fri, 10 Jul 2009 20:13:34 -0400

Can't wait for the movies myself~ I bet the animation will be even better than the TV show!

Patiently awaiting the OST, since the TV show's music was really great. I wish they had released it earlier when it was still airing.

I loved the show personally, but I'm not sure why. It was always really fun to watch each week and I miss it now that it's gone. The plot was kind of weird at times, but I still found every minute enjoyable and fun. Here's hoping for more shows like this. :D

~punchii

Fri, 10 Jul 2009 10:12:25 -0400

I thought the ending was satisfying, inconclusive though it may have been (then again, what do you expect? it's been a long-time news that the series would only be an introduction anyway). Akira's resolve has come a long way, to think it's only been days since he met Saki.

As for his 'make me King' command, well, I'm not even entirely certain if we're supposed to take that literally. It felt too much like a metaphor, especially when taken into comparison with Saki's monologue in the first episode. That was clever.

Anyway, the socio-political commentary for the series has been a real treat in a sea of moe/faux bl crap this season. It is especially telling not just in regards to the NEETs, but with Saki herself, on facing the stagnant and unforgiving whims and philosophy of the older generation.

It was then the Neets who came up with the solution thru the Eden website, Juiz might have been able to do it by herself, but that would have been succumbing to the belief that the NEETs really are a menace to society, which Akira wanted to avoid at all cost.

~BaconMushroomMelt

Tue, 07 Jul 2009 06:06:23 -0400

Areyouhappy
The ending did seem a little too perfect, as if suddenly all the pieces of a puzzle were put together before actually seeing the seperate images (I don't really know how to explain it). In the end though I had the feeling that this kind of ending made the series and especially Akira (because of his actions) even more likable. It's really a shame the series is so short and that we have to wait ages for something new.

That's because it's not actually the ending. The movies are coming!

kingzephyr
I just saw the first 2 episodes of this as per a friend's suggestion. Really interesting so far! It has a really cool atmosphere about it and I can KIND OF see why my friend compared it to Darker than Black, but maybe I'll know for sure as it goes on. I really like the OP and the engrish in the first episode was pretty hilarious.

I don't think there's any similarity to Darker than Black in any way. And there was no engrish at all! All of the voices were good, if you look at the credits you'll actually see English names alongside the Japanese voice actors. I don't see what was so funny about it.

~kingzephyr

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 21:58:20 -0400

I just saw the first 2 episodes of this as per a friend's suggestion. Really interesting so far! It has a really cool atmosphere about it and I can KIND OF see why my friend compared it to Darker than Black, but maybe I'll know for sure as it goes on. I really like the OP and the engrish in the first episode was pretty hilarious.

~timothymarrone

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 16:36:10 -0400

Well now that it is over, waiting for the movies to come out. A lot was unresolves. I dunno, not sure if I was happy with the ending. seemed like it was starting out great but didnt end so well

~Areyouhappy

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 13:01:30 -0400

Eden of the east is one o the few newer animes I really enjoyed. I was hooked since the first episode and am glad that I continued watching the series.
I can't decide if I am satisfied with the ending or not, though. For some reason finding something to critize is quite hard because the whole series just seems right.
Maybe it just annoyed me that the series didn't have so many episodes.

The ending did seem a little too perfect, as if suddenly all the pieces of a puzzle were put together before actually seeing the seperate images (I don't really know how to explain it). In the end though I had the feeling that this kind of ending made the series and especially Akira (because of his actions) even more likable.
It's really a shame the series is so short and that we have to wait ages for something new.

~KaizokuOujo

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 23:28:49 -0400

Eden of the East was awesome! I can't wait for the movies!!

~punchii

Sun, 28 Jun 2009 07:43:56 -0400

Episode 11:

- Angry naked men want their phones!

- So that was it. Long story short, after saving thousands of people, Akira became a scapegoat - why would he know missiles were coming? Was he behind it? And then his recruits are stealing things. And he is the villain. Ouch.

- ...But they can't post the info about these strikes because... the laptop was left behind.

- Oh hey, OP!
- Bwhaha, the quest to retrieve the computer begins! The guys should be pretty safe, but Saki and Micchon are delving into a dangerous situation.

- HAH! Run run run! XD (god damn the CG in this episode is going way overboard)
- "Don't let it touch!" AHAHAHAHH!

- Oh lord I love Akira. I don't know what his plan is but he's pulling some really intresting shit right now. I get momentary Laughing Man flashbacks when he pops into the elevator with that coat and hood.

- PANTIES LIVE!
- ...Well that was awesome, even if the Selecao system is a great plot device for "WE DONT NEED TO EXPLAIN HOW IT HAPPENED!" or "A JUIZ DID IT". Bang!

...Wait what? Ahahah, so cruel. Fantastic ending, but what now? What nowwww? It'll be literally a *year* before we get the conclusion (whenever 'Paradise Lost' gets on DVD). ;_;

In some ways everything came together a little too conveniently in the end here, but it was done with such style and with such likable characters that I have no complaints at all. Hands down the second best one cour show of the season, and likely will stay the second best show of any type of the whole season, period. What an exceptional series.

~punchii

Mon, 22 Jun 2009 15:44:20 -0400

Episode 10:

- Wow. The entire sequence before the OP was... engrossing as hell and yet so simple. The music really helps too, the track that plays has been very effective every time it's been used. Damnit this show is so good.

- Oooh, so Saki is letting Micchon listen in too. How sloppy of Mononobe to let Akira secretly relay this conversation. He sure knows a lot though - even the identity of Mr Outside.

- "It's a pun." ::little anger icon:: XD

- This is unquestionably info dump wall of text talk talk talk pt 2... and I'm loving it.

- ...And Mr Outside is probably already dead. Hah. Though we don't know how far we can trust Mononobe.

- Well, hah, there goes my government/military angle theory. Mononobe (says he has...) retired from being a gov't bureaucrat and is doing this alone. Hmmmmmmm.

- Oh Juiz, you're so lovely.

- Another Selecao! ...Who seems pretty disinterested in all this. Man, how to even begin to comment on all the information? All I can say is that it's suitably fascinating for this show.

- SUDDENLY, THOUSANDS OF NAKED NEETS! Run, Eden gang.

- And we don't hear the pivotal piece of information...

- Hah! So who the hell *is* Juiz? And Selecao 12, who has never used money until now... The supporter? Or... Mr Outside? HAH!

Hahah, oh my god this show is genius.

~punchii

Mon, 22 Jun 2009 15:36:37 -0400

Episode 9:

- Heh! Dramatic backstory on missing pants. Akira and Itazu start working together after Akira proves he's worth trusting.

- Woah now. There's a Selecao that... kinda looks and sounds similar to Akira? And Mononobe more or less says that it was this Selecao who caused Careless Monday. Talk about an interesting twist.

- Hirasawa et al head out to find out what has Oosugi so spooked.

- And back at Itazu's place, we're getting the info dump episode we all expected. It's fascinating. Akira finds out that he didn't, in fact, massacre 20,000 neets although he did ship them off to Dubai in the UAE (as we knew). But what we also see is that... he seems to have orchestrated a mass evacuation in the day(s) before Careless Monday, so the word about nobody dying was actually true after all. And from the images they're showing while Itazu explains this, it seems like the NEETs were his workforce responsible for carrying out the evac. Of course he remembers none of this.

- And confirmation that Selecao X bombed the cities.

- Ahhh. So that's why Akira never looked at the old Selecao purchase history. He cleared it when he cleared his memory, thus he needed to use Kondo's phone to retrieve it. Somehow I had never quite caught what exactly was holding him back from checking.

- Ah I take back X looking much like Akira. He doesn't, not really. Maybe he could if he wanted to, but the multiple identities of Akira aren't necessarily tied to getting him mixed up with this guy, as I'd thought.

- ...Oh man Itazu, you are so fucked.

Yep. Mononobe runs Itazu over and kills him (not before Itazu is able to start uploading his findings to... Eden?), snaps Kondo's phone, and has Akira's address. Not only that, team Eden meets with Oosugi and sees (what they'll think is) the darker side of Akira's love shack. And Saki is growing increasingly wary and conflicted and worried about Akira's involvement with these "Selecao". How long will she be able to trust him?

From the shots at the end, Selecao 10 (Yuuki) is aiming to "Attack Japan with missiles to take us back to the post-WW2 era. And yet to see Yuuki's interactions with Mononobe, I have a hard time imagining it was completely his idea, or that he's the only one behind it. [Edit: Thinking about it more, he talks about how he's "working for bureaucrats" now. In other words, of course he's not the only one behind it. It's more like the government, or the military, or segments thereof, are behind it.]

Plot movement in the extreme in this episode, and it's all brilliantly executed. Which is good since we're so close to the end.

~punchii

Mon, 22 Jun 2009 15:33:19 -0400

Episode 8:

- Bwhaha, so yeah, it wasn't Oosugi. Amazing, though sucks for Akira that he used to much money in the process. Certainly makes Kuroha's actions a bit easier to stomach. I wasn't buying her claim to only target evil men when she took poor Oosugi in, but it wasn't him at all.

- ::insert random MICCHON IS LOVE rant for no particular reason::

- Oh right, he has the detective's phone. I'd forgotten about that. Eden refers him to someone who might be able to get the data out of it.

- Hey! You heard it here! Micchon hates panties! She must always go commando.

- So at Hirasawa's suggestion Akira goes to meet Itazu Yutaka, alias Panties, a brilliant programmer who supposedly built a computer that successfully predicts society. Micchon and Saki come too, because Panties is weak to cute girls (can't blame him) Panties is especially interested in the strange recent goings-on related to the Selecao. With Saki and Micchon off running an errand, Akira starts negotiations.

- (Oh, and Itazu is voiced by Hiyama Nobuyuki. HAH!!)

- Meanwhile Oosugi is getting a bit hysterical over the conflicting stories he's getting about who AKira is. He posted Akira's picture to Eden and like a dozen different names were suggested by users.

- And back at the apartment, Akira got Itazu to agree to check out the phone...

Absolutely brilliant as always. But damn we're close to the end of the TV run. And only two Selecao have been taken out with 3 eps and a movie left to go.

~satoushigeki

Sat, 20 Jun 2009 11:42:21 -0400

Eden of the east movie confirmed ;

will be showing in Japan on November and January 2010
entitled Higashi no Eden I: The King of Eden
and Higashi no Eden II: Paradise Lost

~punchii

Sat, 20 Jun 2009 06:42:40 -0400

Episode 7:
- The Eden members seem rather calm about this whole situation... and like we were saying, Akira seems to agree that this "20,000" is getting mixed up with another 20,000. Ah, urban legends.
- Oh this is getting so good. I wonder how Juiz handles simultaneous conflicting demands? What if someone just ordered her to "kill the other Selecao"? I'm guessing that she simply executes each command in the order it's received with absolutely no bias or regard for how they'd be contradictory. It's probably all she can do in this sort of situation.
- Looks like it. Being able to see what the other Selecao are doing at any time makes for some really intriguing battle tactics.
- He bought the hotel('s management, anyway)!! Holy shit! But wow, that wiped out 15% of the initial amount right there. Isn't that sort of... inefficient though? Why not just pay the police to storm the room and recover Oosugi?
- Regardless, he's there now. How interesting that Kuroha is convinced he's the Supporter.
- WAT. What the fuuuuuck, Akira? Crazy lady is chopping off penises, let me cure her with my own! Also, wow, I forget so easily that Saki didn't know anything about the Selecao. I wonder if Akira has left his phone on on purpose?
- Ah crap, really bad time to pass out, Akira.
- ...DOUBLE WAT. Levitation? Wings? Ahahaa jesus.
- "Super Illusion material"? I didn't truly expect this show to jump into the supernatural or anything, but, uh, honestly now? That's a bit... elaborate a setup. Seems she bought the hotel back first too.
- And like... that wasn't Oosugi at all? Oh god, that would be hilarious.

That was fucking incredible in every imaginable way. I'm so glad I can jump right into 8 right now.