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Film: Eden Of The East: The King Of Eden
Year of production: 2009
UK Release date: 6th June 2011
Distributor: Manga
Certificate: 15
Running time: 204 mins
Director: Kenji Kamiyama
Genre: Anime
Format: DVD
Country of Production: Japan
Language: Japanese
Review by: Anastasia Catris
Beginning as a background artist on iconic anime films such as Akira and Kiki’s Delivery Service, Kenji Kamiyama has since created a name for himself through his work on Blood: The Last Vampire and his contributions to the Ghost In The Shell film series. After almost six years working in the Ghost In The Shell: Stand Alone Complex universe, Kamiyama has since stepped away to direct the fantasy series Moribito: Guardian Of The Spirit and the modern mystery series Eden Of The East.
Eden Of The East: The King Of Eden is the follow-up to the 2009 television series Eden Of The East. The original television series is offered as an extra in uninterrupted film form on the second disc of this collection, Eden Of The East: Air Communication.
The television series follows the events three months after a missile attack on Japan, known as ‘Careless Monday’. However, the missile attack mysteriously claimed no casualties and was disregarded by most people. The series begins with a young Japanese woman, Saki Morimi, who is visiting Washington D.C. on a graduation trip. After getting into a misunderstanding with local police officers, she is rescued by a naked Japanese man carrying nothing but a phone and a gun, who introduces himself as Akira Takizawa.
Akira is suffering from amnesia and uses his phone to attempt to recall his memories. The phone is charged with ¥8.2 billion in digital money and Akira uses some of this to escort Saki back to Japan. Akira soon discovers that his phone is part of a game and he is one of twelve participants called Seleção who have been given ¥10 billion to ‘save Japan’. By using the phone to call a ‘concierge’, known as Juiz, the participants are able to process virtually any request for a price.
As the series progresses, Akira learns that one of the Seleção is the person who launched the missile attack on Japan. This same Seleção decides to launch a second attack of missiles towards Japan but is intercepted by Akira, who orders new missiles to intercept the enemy. Akira decides that the only way he can save Japan is to use his remaining money to become King of Japan and, once again, erase his memory.
The Eden Of The East film, The King of Eden, follows on where the series left off. Saki is searching New York for Akira, who is missing and once again has no memory. As she searches, several of the other Seleção are attempting to assassinate Akira, so that his rise to monarch is not a success. Upon Saki finding Akira and reminding him of his past, he continues his plan to become King of Japan, despite the other agent’s attempts on his life…
A highly political set of films, one may, at first, be put off by the focus on unemployment issues, entrepreneurism and capitalism. Indeed, during the television series, the translated subtitles are oftentimes confusing and unable to explain things clearly. This is surprising considering the great awareness of Western culture that is shown in the series itself. The film, The King Of Eden, however, is far more Western-audience friendly, with the translation evidently having had more care taken over it, and many terms explained clearly.
The film itself is reminiscent of modern espionage, action dramas such as The Bourne Identity; however, it holds a unique innocence and likability. The animation is light and fluid, with a great display of digital animation coupled with a traditional, painterly look. The first episode of the television series, which has now been compiled into one feature-length film, is comedic with a sweet childishness; however, this recurring childishness jars with the rest of the series and consequent film.
The use of modern technology, including the Eden Of The East recognition system and Seleção telephones, is both innovative and believable, grounding advanced technology in reality. The characters are also well rounded and likable, with each of them having a well formed personality and background. Even occasional fantastical elements are loosely explained, such as Number 11’s transformation into an angel, which is explained as a high-tech ‘illusion’.
Each of the Seleção have unique agendas on how they believe they can ‘save’ Japan. The most intriguing and interesting character would have to be Shiratori (Seleção Number 11) who makes for one of the most exciting episodes of the original series. Shiratori juxtaposes against Saki wonderfully with her overt sensuality and control of men, whilst Saki has a childish and innocent view of relationships. Her character is sadly not expanded upon enough in the final film, however, which, after such an impressive entry into the series, is disappointing.
Both films are a mixture of genres and narrative styles from romance to espionage, action to comedy, which creates a dynamic and enjoyable series. However, the fluidity of the series is marred by the fact that this can often come across as a lack of direction. This is only enhanced by the mixtures of anime styles included in the films. Fluctuating between chibi, kawaii, manga and realism, the differing artistic styles meld with the differing genres to create a highly confusing piece of inconsistent cinema.
Consideration should be made of the value of this DVD box set, as you are, in essence, getting a full television series and film. However, the film is not a standalone venture and should not be watched without having first watched the original series as it is a pure sequel. One should question why the film was not released as a second series rather than a film, as it still leaves a lot of questions unanswered and seems rushed in its lack of resolution. Surely the next film will answer many of these questions, but in creating a film rather than a second series, Kamiyama has let interesting characters and plot developments slide, and we are left with a somewhat boring sequel to an innovative series.
Though confusing in its direction, the television series is imaginative and daring in its use of multiple genres and animation styles. The film, however, lets this series down; seeming tame and one dimensional in comparison to its predecessor.
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Series: Eden Of The East
Release date: 29th November 2010
Certificate: 15
Running time: 333 mins
Director: Kenji Kamiyama
Starring: Ryohei Takizawa, Saori Hayami, Rei Igarashi, Atsushi Miyauchi, Sakiko Tamagawa
Genre: Anime
Studio: Manga
Format: DVD & Blu-ray
Country: Japan
Director Kenji Kamiyama (Ghost in the Shell) is joined by respected character designer Chika Umino (Honey & Clover) for his latest creation, Eden Of The East, an original, gripping, intelligent animation series with a progressively unravelling plot that takes place over eleven intensifying twenty-minute episodes.
On 22 November 2010, ten missiles strike Japan. Because they were targeted at isolated areas, the apparent terrorist attack, referred to as ‘Careless Monday’, claimed no victims, and the incident was soon forgotten by most people.
Three months later, Saki Morimi is on her graduation trip from Japan, and is standing outside the White House. As she tosses some coins onto the lawn, two police officers come charging over, demanding to know what she is doing. Just then, a young man by the name of Akira Takizawa, who is stark naked, distracts them and leads them away from the scene. He shortly returns and informs Morimi that he has no memory, and can’t explain why he isn’t wearing any clothes and why he is carrying a gun and a mobile phone with credit of 8.5 Billion Yen. After giving Takizawa her coat, Morimi, intrigued by the whole affair, decides to help him find out the meaning behind it all, and so they head back to Japan together.
With the mystery concerning Takizawa’s identity, and the news of another attack being planned, Morimi and Takizawa seek the help of the Eden of the East Project, a group of computer boffins of which Morimi is a member.
Takizawa is told by Mr. Mononobe, the main antagonist, that he is one of twelve Selecao’s taking part in a “game” devised by Mr. Outside, a mysterious figure who is never seen. The rules are simple: each of the selected twelve has a special phone containing credit of 8.5 Billion Yen, and must use it to help bring stability back to Japan in any way they see fit. Whoever achieves this aim is the winner. But whoever breaks the rules, such as using the credit for personal gain or deciding to do nothing at all, will be exterminated. So, who is responsible for ‘Careless Monday’? Is it possible Takizawa is a terrorist?
Kamiyama dangles a carrot in front of us, cleverly feeding us enough information in each episode to make us eager to continue watching. This is also facilitated by the talent of the two main voice artists, Ryohei Takizawa and Saori Hayami, who deliver commanding performances, making the rapport between Takizawa and Morimi all the more convincing, allowing us to warm to their characters naturally. The American police officers, on the other hand, seen in the opening episode, are portrayed as dim-wits – perhaps Kamiyama meant this as a humorous implication in response to the opinion by many that America is the centre of the world. The script is complex, at times, but always mature and compelling, and one of the main aspects for the series’ success, as well as focusing on a theme that is still very much close to our hearts.
With 9/11 still fresh in the minds of most people around the world, it’s easy to see how the terrorist attacks in East Of The Eden can be seen as distressing for some, and why it makes a worthwhile premise for a TV series. It’s these feelings of insecurity that resonates so well with us, and makes the subject matter all the more real - even if it is being presented in the form of animation. With such believable characters, the threat of a terrorist attack is very much realised.
Terrorism has been the central theme of many forms of storytelling, and is much of a potential danger to society today than it’s ever been. Kamiyama intelligently uses this worldwide fear to make comment on the changing attitudes of the Japanese people, which have been evolving more radically since the end of the Second World War. From Mr. Outside’s perspective, the nation has lost a part of its identity, whilst the economic struggle has caused a malfunction within the country’s structure.
Individualism is threatening the collective mindset once employed by the social order. His opinion of the younger generation is irrational; he views them as “deadweight,” who contribute to, what he perceives to be, a “slacker culture,” and his measures for putting Japan back to her former glory are extreme. The “game” he has developed is a retaliation against the fact that once the wheels of change are put in motion, it’s inevitable that they will keep on turning. However, no matter how isolated and detached we may feel within this change, there will always be hope. Ironically, the threat of Mr. Outside’s neurotic ideology is what brings the people of Japan together as they aim to fight against it. And where modern technology is blamed as the cause of creating isolation among the younger generation, as well as the crumble of community spirit, it actually serves as a positive tool which unites the people as they oppose stale beliefs.
Eden Of The East is a riveting series and makes an excellent first choice for those of you new to this genre – although established fans will not be disappointed either. With strong, likable characters, and a well thought out plot, its appeal stretches beyond anime, crossing over into mainstream quarters worldwide – a rare achievement indeed for a production within this category. SLP
Created, written and directed by Kamiyama, the series has won numerous awards, including the TV Feature Award at the 2009 Animation Kobe Festival and the Best Television Series of the Year Award at the Ninth Annual Tokyo International Anime Fair.
On 22nd November 2010 Japan is struck by ten missiles, which incredibly land only in uninhabited areas and claim no victims. An apparent terrorist attack, the event is dubbed ‘Careless Monday’ by the media, and is quickly disregarded by most of Japan’s populace.
Three months later, Saki Morimi, a Japanese student visiting Washington D.C. as part of a graduation trip, is almost arrested during a misunderstanding outside the White House but is rescued by a mysterious and completely naked young man, Akira Takizawa, who shows up out of nowhere with no memory, and carrying a gun and a cell phone credited with 8.2 billion yen to its account.
Returning home to Japan together, Saki and Takizawa learn that a new missile has hit their country, and Taki discovers that his phone is a tool in a complex political game in which he is a participant. The game involves twelve participants, each of whom possesses a cell phone that was originally credited with 10 billion yen to be spent however the respective players see fit. The object of the game is for one of them to ‘save Japan’. However, if the money is used up completely, or for purely selfish purposes, the player responsible will be eliminated.
As the game progresses, it is revealed to Taki that it was one of the game’s participants who ordered the missile strike on Japan, and that it was the events of ‘Careless Monday’ that led him to have his own memories deliberately erased.
Series: Eden Of The East
Release date: 29th November 2010
Certificate: 15
Running time: 333 mins
Director: Kenji Kamiyama
Starring: Ryohei Takizawa, Saori Hayami, Rei Igarashi, Atsushi Miyauchi, Sakiko Tamagawa
Genre: Anime
Studio: Manga
Format: DVD & Blu-ray
Country: Japan
Special Features:
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Interview with director Kenji Kamiyama and character designer Chika Umino
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Interview with Ryohei Kimura (Takizawa) and Saori Hayami (Saki)
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TV spot
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Promotion video
