Eden of the East [Anime and Anime Movie review]

This is not just a review for the anime series, but it is also a review for the two movies as well. They are inseparable from the story. So lets get to discussing that story... below the fold, or after clicking 'read more.'

This is how our 'hero' is introduced. Yea...

This is both a innovative and well done series and a cliche filled series.

Which is why I'm giving it this rating.

3.5 out of 5 stars

This is not an easy series to explain or describe without giving away major chunks of plot.

Smoke in the background...

One cannot give away the plot. That would utterly ruin the entire series.

It basically begins with our erstwhile hero rescuing our heroine. He is naked holding a cellphone and a handgun and she is standing outside the white house being harassed by security.

The Obligation of Nobility - the idea that the privileged
bear the responsibility of society. They are to show
generosity and nobility towards the less fortunate.

Everything gets a lot more complicated very quickly.

We learn that our erstwhile hero is suffering from amnesia. This is the cliche that the entire series is in someways built upon. We get to discover the past as our erstwhile hero discovers it.

Why do I keep saying erstwhile?
Because it means 'sometimes' or 'one-time.' And that is a damn good description of our hero.  

What would you do with 20,000 naked people?

Bang.

What is absolutely fun in this series is the question behind it.

How would you fix a failing society? What if you had almost unlimited funds (not unlimited, but a lot of money) and a cellphone that could make anything happen for a price. However you had to use that money to make society better - in any way. You spend a cent of that money on yourself and you will be 'eliminated.' Noblesse Oblige.

This is actually a very interesting anime idea sociologically.

Japan is suffering under a gerontocracy. The elderly comprise 25% of Japans population.

Bang.

There is a growing NEET (Not in Education, Employment, or Training) population in Japan. Oddly NEET originated in the UK, but the world has become very significant for Japan. In 2002 there were 2,500,000 Freeters (people who can only get / take temp work) and an estimated 850,000 NEETs (according to the Asia Pacific Journal). This was before the world's economy imploded in 2007/8. I can only imagine the problem has grown.

So this is another one of those anime that is written with a sociological bent, reflective of the Japan seen by the creator(s). In some ways these are some of my favorite anime.

The animation was not the best... It was not the worst. There was one strange stylistic thing that every character suffered. Every single character had this weird shadow on their nose. You can see it in the pictures. It's supposed to represent the bridge of the nose I think... but it is just weird.

The final thing that bugged me was... different.
The first is that the story is certainly not over at the end of the anime series. The movies are required watching. I'm not sure I've ever seen a series where the movies were required viewing to complete the story.

I'm not going to complain that the story really does not end, because that is a common stylistic device in  many things. The arc ends but the story does not. Watching the series you realize that there is no way that the story could actually end. Yes, the one arc certainly has some closure, but that is all.

The anime is pretty good. I'd even suggest giving it a go. It certainly lacks rewatachability, which is a ding against it. This is simply because you know the key plot points and discoveries. Hard to enjoy their revelation as much the second time. 

It is probably worth giving it a go.
I can say this much, I'd watch more if any is ever created. I'm invested in the story.

Holy Shit Japan. You rule.
You can buy the seleção phone.