Eden of the East

Genre: Mystery/Romance/Drama
Format: 11 Episodes
Allegiance: Production I.G
Director: Kenji Kamiyama
Vintage: 2009
Intelligence Agency Report by: Drake
While on a trip to the United States with her friends to celebrate graduation, Morimi Saki decides to make a change of plans and leave New York to visit the White House in Washington, DC. While there, Saki gets in trouble with the police for trying to make a wish by throwing pennies into the White House’s fountain. Coming to her rescue is a mysterious naked Japanese man who suffers from amnesia, brandishing a gun and cell phone. Little does Saki know that her new friend is locked in a mysterious game linked to recent missile strikes in Japan, and that his cell phone holds all the answers.

Field Agent Report by: Drake
Plot
Characters
Impact
Visual
Audio
9.75
8.00
9.50
10.00
9.50
Overall 9.25
(not an average)

Terrorism, conspiracy, mystery, a secret cult out to better the world, weapons of mass destruction, and power over the world at the tip of one’s fingers are just some of the things one will find in Eden of the East. It is pretty rare to see an anime catered so delicately and appropriately to a broad audience of viewers who can relate to and understand the issues of terrorism as they affect the 21st century world. But that is exactly what Eden of the East is, among other things.

If the stunning opening sequence and beautiful music weren’t enough to hook you on this anime, I guarantee you’ll be hooked within the first five minutes of watching. The plot is captivating and mysterious, forcing the viewer to attempt to use the subtle points of the story and wording to figure out the answer to its mystery. Normally one can predict a general sequence of events within a plot, but I’m happy to report that this is not true here. Every time I think I have this anime figured out, something new happens to destroy my entire theory—pretty similar to the mystery and suspense found in Death Note between Light and L. However, by the end, you will find yourself with a great, if not concluded, story, which leaves the movies to handle the task of providing a complete ending. There is also a great deal of social commentary on Japanese culture, politics and the state of the nation and its structure. One of my favorite parts of this is seeing the way each Seleção interpreted the guidelines of the game best to fix the problems of his or her nation, or how each could contribute to making the country a better place.

All of this is mixed with some of the most gorgeous animation I’ve seen to date. The amount of detail and simple beauty in the animation is simply stunning and warrants the respect of all unconditionally. To top it off, the soundtrack’s opening and ending songs were amazing; however, most of the music is unmemorable, despite how well the songs fit.

Overall, Eden of the East is one of the best anime released in 2009, taking on some very deep themes, great storytelling techniques, and some of the best animation I have seen. I highly recommend this anime to everyone, but urge you to be prepared to watch the two movie sequels that conclude the story.