Higashi no Eden

On November 22, 2010, Japan was hit by missile strikes, a terrorist act that fortunately did not harm anyone, becoming known as "Careless Monday." Quickly forgotten, society goes on about their lives as normal.

During her graduation trip to America three months later, friendly college student Saki Morimi's life is forever changed when she finds herself saved from unexpected trouble by Akira Takizawa. Takizawa is cheerful, but odd in many ways—he is stark naked and suffers from amnesia, believing himself to be a terrorist. In addition, he possesses a strange cell phone loaded with 8.2 billion yen in digital cash.

Despite Takizawa's suspicious traits, Saki quickly befriends the enigmatic young man. However, unbeknownst to her, this is the beginning of a thrilling death game involving money, cell phones, and the salvation of the world. Higashi no Eden chronicles Saki's struggle to unravel the mysteries behind her savior, while Takizawa himself battles other individuals armed with similar cell phones and returning memories which reveal his possible connection to the event from months ago.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Takizawa, Akira Main

Kimura, Ryouhei Japanese

Morimi, Saki Main

Hayami, Saori Japanese

Shiratori, Kuroha Supporting

Igarashi, Rei Japanese

Mameshiba Supporting

Katsuhara, Mikuru Supporting

Saitou, Ayaka Japanese

Juiz Supporting

Tamagawa, Sakiko Japanese

Itazu, Yutaka Supporting

Hiyama, Nobuyuki Japanese

Kondou, Yuusei Supporting

Shirokuma, Hiroshi Japanese

Hirasawa, Kazuomi Supporting

Kawahara, Motoyuki Japanese

Ohsugi, Satoshi Supporting

Eguchi, Takuya Japanese

Cook, Justin Producer

Yamamoto, Kouji Producer

Nishimura, Satoshi Producer

Ishii, Tomohiko Producer

Reviews

Jun 22, 2009

game8910

Recommended

Higashi no Eden (or Eden of the East however you want to call it) is a new anime series produced by Production I.G, and it was one of the most anticipated series of the Spring 2009 season. After quite an impressive trailer before the anime aired, I just knew I had to watch this show which looked like it had a lot of promise. Did it live up to my expectation? Read ahead to find out.

Story:
+ This anime definitely brings a very interesting plot.
+ The level of mystery and suspense will leave the viewer wanting more every episode.
+ Definitely one of the most refreshing ... stories in recent seasons.

- Its is only 11 episodes long, a very uncommon number for an anime.
- The ending leaves you with a cliffhanger that the movies are expected to resolve.
- Because of the # of episodes, plus the announcement of 2 movies. The anime ending does not feel like it brings any closure to the overall story.

Art:
+ Fantastic art in both characters and backgrounds throughout the anime.
+ Very artistic animations for both the Opening and Ending themes.
+ There is really nothing bad to say here, this anime brings some nice eye candy to the viewer.

Sound:
+ Very good OP and ED songs. They are really cool to listen to.
+ The soundtrack is also really good, complimenting some scenes really nicely.
+ The voice acting is solid through the series, specially for Akira.

Character:
+ Takizawa Akira is main driving force in terms of character in this anime. He is pretty much the only one who constantly shines.
+ Other Selecao members are all unique and different in personalities, and are also very interesting people and have some good development (as short as some may be).
+ Akira is as mysterious as a character as he is likeable, he doesn't take things TOO seriously and also provides some good comedy.

- Saki, despite being likeable, just doesn't seem to contribute much to the overall plot despite being a main character.

Enjoyment: This anime was highly entertaining, despite ending in a cliffhanger it left me wanting more every episode and it would never feel boring. With the movies set to bring a conclusion to the anime, I can't wait to see them.

Overall Higashi no Eden proves to be a very enjoyable and entertaining anime which brings some rather unique and interesting plot that will be able to keep your interest from its unique 11 episode run. However because the series itself is not complete without the movies, the ending might feel a little underwhelming to some. Regardless, this anime surpassed my expectations and its a fantastic show to those looking a solid plot, likeable characters, beautiful visuals, and enjoyable music. I highly recommend people try this anime out, I dont think you will be disappointed.

Reviewer’s Rating: 9

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Mar 30, 2014

Link_of_Hyrule

Mixed Feelings

**SPOILER FREE REVIEW OF THE SERIES AND THE TWO MOVIES**

After watching the first few episodes of Eden of the East (a.k.a Higashi no Eden), I was extremely impressed and very excited. I thought I had found a compelling mystery anime with lovable characters, a great storyline, and fluent animation. I couldn't wait to see what Eden had in store, so I sat through the entire series and both of the movies in a huge marathon. You want to know what it all amounted to? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. The storyline of this anime goes absolutely, positively NOWHERE at any point in any of the movies or ... episodes and gives the phrase "dragging it out" an entirely new definition. This is one of the most disappointing anime I've ever seen simply because it gets you so excited with it's engrossing beginning, and just plateaus for the remaining 90% of screen time.

Story 3/10
Synopsis: A man wakes up outside the White House stark naked with a gun one hand, a cell phone charged with 8.2 billion yen in funds in the other hand, and no memory of who he is or how he got there what so ever. The man, who goes by Takizawa (even though It's not his real name), goes on to find out that he is involved in a game in which he and twelve other contestants were given 10 billion yen and told to "Fix the country". He meets a girl named Saki and together they go on an "adventure" (if you can even call it that…) to discover Takizawa's past.

For the first few episodes, this is a compelling concept. Additionally, Takizawa jumps off the screen as a charming character with tons of personality and Saki (Takizawa's love interest) seemed like she would develop into a likable character. I thought Eden couldn't go wrong with so many stellar pieces in place. Well, it did. Very wrong.

The #1 problem with Eden is that the plot never builds into anything significant or exciting, with the exception of the end of the series portion of Eden, which was entertaining, but certainly not worthy of being considered a true climax. After that moment, nothing happens. Literally nothing. There are a few new developments that never lead anywhere, the contestants of the game start to get narrowed down, but that doesn't lead anywhere, and worst of all, the promising relationship between Saki and Takizawa doesn't lead anywhere! In the first couple of episodes, I absolutely fell in love with these characters! They had personality, they had chemistry, and they were unique! You want to know what it all built up to? Absolutely ZILCH.

And that brings us to the ending of the anime, which I won't spoil, but to summarize my feelings on it; it sucks. There are happy endings, sad endings, and there are bad endings. Bad endings are the endings that just leave an unfilled void in your soul; the unmistakable feeling that everything you just watched has been for absolutely nothing. That is the kind of ending that Eden has.

Oh, and I haven't mentioned the plotholes yet. For instance; there is one scene where a character sprouts wings and flies away. Yep, just for no apparent reason. It is never explained, it is never mentioned again, and it is the only supernatural thing that takes place in Eden. Those are the kind of plot holes we are dealing with here. It's hinted at that this could have been a hallucination but that honestly just raises even more questions if you ask me.

In short, the story to Eden had huge potential and capitalized on next to none of it. Wildly disappointing. 

Art: 8/10
The animation is probably the highlight of the anime. Everything is pleasant to look at and the animation is always fluent. I liked the animation style quite a bit. It never really has a chance to shine though, thanks to the general lack of action and climatic/exciting scenes, which a damn shame.

Sound: 7/10
The soundtrack is unique and pleasant to listen to. Eden also has one of my favorite EDs ever. The voice acting is pretty good in both versions, but I'm not crazy about Saki's voice actor in the dub.

Characters: 4/10
The only two characters worth talking about are Takizawa and Saki.

Takizawa, as I mentioned earlier, really stands out in the beginning of the anime as a charming character overflowing with personality. He is a great protagonist for the most part, and he receives a fair amount of character development, but he remains disappointingly static throughout the anime and his personality can only make up for so much. I liked Takizawa a lot, but he just feels like another wasted opportunity. 

Saki, as I also mentioned earlier, is Takizawa's love interest. She seemed like she could develop into a great character with a distinct personality but guess what? It never happens! Are you sensing a theme yet? She ends up being a stereotypical female character who is just sort of... there. She seems to be gradually written out of the show, in fact. The relationship between these two is built up more then anything else in the show, and that makes it all the more disappointing when even that ends without giving the viewer an ounce of payoff or satisfaction what so ever. 

The fact that these are the only two characters worth mentioning and both of them are disappointments is all the information you need to infer that Eden's characters fall flat in yet another, lets say it together this time, (ALL: Wasted Opportunity!)

To be fair ,there are a couple decent side characters, but none of them are relevant enough to the plot or entertaining enough to take the time to talk about.

Overall: 5/10
Eden of the East left a disgusting taste in mouth. It builds you up and builds you up and builds you up only to have no payoff at the end (or any other point) what so ever. It is a colossal waste of potential and I really can't recommend watching anything past the 11 anime episodes, if even those. It may as well of ended there, because the true ending is about as satisfying as if it had just ended after the episodic portion of anime; no closure and no real climax.

Reviewer’s Rating: 5

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Apr 17, 2010

mastertek

Not Recommended

This show really... gets on my nerve. I had to watch all the way to the last episode (11th) to find out the "truth" behind all the mysteries set up across 10 episodes. That is when all my enjoyment vanishes as the "truth" is literally "naked," empty, and stupid. This anime is really a lame implementation from the inspiration of the American movie Paycheck (2003).
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Story: (SPOILER)
A powerful old guy, called Ato Saizou or "Outside" (this is a Japanese pun), after being diagnosed with terminal cancer set up a big game by selecting 12 youngsters, giving each 10 billion yen, and a "magic" cellphone to save ... the country (Japan) in their own way. The 12 players are called Selecao - the country's Saviors. The 12th player is appointed as a Supporter, who supervises the other 11 and is obliged to kill them in case one of the four conditions is met.

The male protagonist, called Takizama, is the Selecao No. 9 who erased his own memory (in a mysterious way, supposedly thanks to the magic cellphone) before the time the anime starts. He appeared in front of White House, naked, and met a Japanese girl called Saki. They managed to get back to Japan with help of the magic cellphone by calling an omnipotent female concierge called Jitz, which is in fact a super computer concealed in a secret facility.

Takizama with help of Saki and her companions begins to collect pieces of memories by returning to his home and seeking for other Selecao to ask them questions. He was supposed to be involved in an event called Careless Monday - when Japan was assaulted with missiles but had no causalities - and the disappearances of 20,000 NEETs (no education, employment & training). Everything comes to a showdown at the last episode.

The "truth" is: There were one self-claimed Selecao No. 1 who wanted to take the helm of the game maker Outside and win the game. One of his two allies - No. 10 Yuki - was the one behind Careless Monday. He wanted to launch missiles to kill all NEETs who were supposed to be a drag to the country's economy. However Takizama saved all those NEETs by... playing antagonist to gather them all in one place, naked, to CROWD-SOURCE a way to prevent the missile impact. However, immediately after that, he was bashed by the NEETs themselves because their action to resist the missiles made them lose everything... As a result, Takizama... sent them all to Dubai (!) and erased his memory of being "betrayed" by those NEETs. When he had partly recovered his memory, listened to the second missile plan from No. 10 and his gang, he once again gathered the NEETs to prevent it.
----------------------------
The four stupidities in the Story:
1-MEMORY LOSS SHIT: Takizama had to play antagonist (so that he is later on bashed) to gather all NEETs in one place (this is considered to be an act to prove to No. 10 that these NEETs ain't useless beings at all) even though there's just no need to act like that. As a result of his being bashed by the NEETs later on, he was so sad, or disappointed, or having some fuked up feeling, that he had to erase his memory.. (this line of reasoning was explained by the female protagonist in around 2-minute span. Replay that whole episode several times but that's all she gave for the reason of Takizama's memory loss... bullshit, isn't it)

2-CROWD-SOURCING SHIT: The only thing he did when all NEETs were summoned was to say out loud "I want you guys to post the best way to bring the missile down directly on the [Eden] website." What comes right after is that a range of anti-ballistic missiles launchers appear and shoot down No. 10's missiles AND THAT IS SUPPOSED TO BE DONE THANKS TO THE NEETS' PROPOSALS JUST MINUTES BEFORE THE MISSILE LAUNCHING!?!?

3-PLANNING SHIT: Takizama has lost all his memory but still manages to prevent the second missile assault because... he was told by the one who launches the missiles himself!!! No. 1 took him to meet No. 10 and told him about the plan, knowing the Takizama had opposed them once before. They told him about the plan without a slightest intention to drag him to their side.. they just told him so that he could ruin their plan the second time... At the end when all the missiles were shot down, these stupid planners appeared, signed, said some nonsense, then disappeared...

4-ENDING SHIT: Well, the three SHITS above make the WHOLE ending. After the last missile is shot down, Takizama made the last request to Jitz that he wants to become the "King" this time rather than pretend to be antagonist like last time... Then the anime concludes... THIS IS UTTER STUPID-NESS!
----------------------------
Ok, I admit I did enjoy this anime for the first episodes since it is, as well said, a good experimental anime for this kind of memory loss mystery. It also has nice art, nice sound, nice flow, no more no less. I'm looking for their future production but I can't bring myself to watch this SHIT again! If you like it? Fine. But if you LOVE it? You are truly stupider than a NEET.

Reviewer’s Rating: 3

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