Eden of The East the Movie I: The King of Eden – Review

Fans of Eden of the East are in for a real treat. The story of The King of Eden continues where it left off from the Eden of the East TV series, and brings Morimi Saki back to the USA in order to find Takizawa Akira. Eden of the East is the type of anime that I wouldn’t watch under normal circumstances, as it is a refined mix of romantic comedy and politically charged suspense-thriller. Giving it a chance, I was hooked, and I became really eager to see the continuation of the storyline. To my surprise, what I enjoyed most in the movie is the love story.

Furthermore, otaku and people who don’t like anime can get something out of this. The surviving players are still out in full force, with Takizawa having disappeared under yet another alias. In addition, 10 missiles strike Japan in an apparent terrorist attack resulting in no loss of life but massive property damage. To go into details would spoil the fun, however, just make sure you’re caught up on the TV Series before diving head first into this film.  Six months after Takizawa disappears, Japan seems to be in a lot better off, united by the experience of the terrorist attack.

The animation is a notch or at the very least, on par, with the series which is a plus. Curiously enough, even though King of Eden provides many new information and new important players to the saga, I don’t feel like it has moved so far forward. Despite the hiccups, this movie was really refreshing, and hopefully the language barrier problem will be fixed in future additions to the franchise.  Fans of the series will be pleased to know that the identity of Selecao No. 6 is finally revealed while more information on Selecao number 12 is given. For those wondering, the identity of Selecao No 3, 7, and 8 are not revealed in this movie.

In conclusion, for an anime that debuted in theaters, I can see this film as a success. Also, given the fact that another movie is following this one, I can forgive the loose ends. It is mature in its presentation and doesn’t fall back on the Japanese animation cliches. To sum up this movie, it unfolds in a very interesting way and I’m looking forward to seeing Paradise Lost. The film ends with Takizawa is on his way back to Japan with Saki and all the other cell phone users moving against him. It makes for quite the cliffhanger, and although not entirely satisfying, it is successful in nearly everything it sets out to accomplish.