Le Communard Posted June 23, 2009 Share Posted June 23, 2009 (edited) I was originally going to post this in the Anime and Manga thread, but since I wrote so much I figured it deserved one of its own. I just finished Eden of the East, or at least finished it as much as one could possibly say to have at this point, and I must say, at this point this is shaping up to be one of my favorite pieces of fiction of any medium. I initially screened the 4 and 5th episodes of this at a con I was at a couple months back and had a pretty underwhelming first impression--at the time it just seemed like another one of those pretentious Anime’s with ludicrous premises that try and be substantial but really aren’t in any way, and I wouldn’t have given it any more than a 6, and even that was being generous. But about two weeks ago I decided to give it another chance, but this time starting with the first episode, and it was like I was watching something totally different. I think the first clue that I was into something good was the English voice acting. Although this second time I was much more aware of the quality of the art (back at the con I was bit of a daze by the time I got to watching this) and the dialogue, I still couldn’t shake the idea I was watching something that at its core was fundamentally weak and overblown. The second the first American Cop opened his mouth, though, and I could actually imagine, with only a mild suspension of disbelief, that the person behind the voice spoke English, it occurred to me that this might be something different. Not only did they make people who should speak English speak English, instead of taking the lazy way out and ignoring the language barrier as so many shows do, they did competently, which showed an attention to detail that immediately made me perk up and pay attention myself. 7, this is at least a 7. It was at that point, also, that I really started noticing the high quality of the dialogue and the art too, which, I might add, is simply spectacular, especially in terms of the environment, with great seamless CGI that enhances instead of distracts from the hand drawn stuff. I wasn’t totally over my initial aversion at by then, but I was definitely intrigued and was definitely going to continue. As I watched the next couple of episodes, my fundamental concerns that I had had since my first viewing began to be addressed. I quickly realized, that, yes, the series had a absurd premise as I had initially supposed, but unlike nearly everything else with such casual ridiculousness, it was self-aware of its own absurdity--and not in a cheap overly-genera-savvy sort of way either--and was able though it to create a sense of vague surrealism that worked very, very well. (Great Science Fiction is not classified by the realisticness of the events and technology it portrays, but by the way the characters within react to those in context.) By the time I had caught up to what I had seen at the con, this show was a 9, no question. Well, almost no question, that is. For you see, the feel of the show depended on a very, very delicate balancing act between its absurdist edge and its grounded base, and one wrong plot exposition could bring the whole thing tumbling down, and ruin the entire experience. So it was that I watched the episodes unfold with great trepidation (and enjoyment) of the rest of the series, and as I did this, another realization came down upon me about episode 8—this was all going to come down to the end. It was obvious now that they had the meat of this figured out already, but the project was pretty ambitious, and it was totally beyond me how this could ever be wrapped up by the eleventh episode. Well, I wont give any specifics at this point how it wrapped up, but suffice to say that if fell together perfectly, with just the right mix of mystery, left hooks, surrealism, and awesomeness to do what had come before more than justice, easily propelling this in my book to a 10, and, as I said at the beginning, one of my all time favorites. (On a side note, Cowboy Bebop, of which has a tiny similarity to the ending sequence of this, was for me the same way, and I don’t think I would have liked it even half as much had it not ended so spectacularly.) The movies are still yet to come, of which I can’t wait for, and could still torpedo the whole project, but at this point I’m not betting against them. Oh, and I also very appreciated the social criticism—it was very interesting, even if it isn’t totally clear what exactly it is right now—it was a fun intellectual exercise trying to figure it all out. Also, the movie references were great, and really well worked in, especially the naked-NEET-Zombie-apocalypse thing which was just pure epic. The one things that concerns me with this is wheather it will weather the test of time--it does have certain quailties about it that point to the possibility. At this point looking at it my reaction is very positive, but what about a year from now or five or ten. Will what seemed creative looking at it today be trite to the eyes of the future, even th near future. I guess only time will tell. Anyone else have any thoughts on this? It’s be really cool if we could get some discussion going. Edited July 22, 2009 by Le Communard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jyosua Posted July 21, 2009 Share Posted July 21, 2009 I am surprised nobody replied to this. The anime is great, and the ending was a total cliffhanger, which will be wrapped up by the movies . It was truly a good series. I too, was really glad that in the US, the characters spoke English, and it wasn't shitty. Also, the inclusion of an opening them that wasn't Japanese was a nice change of pace, and actually kind of fit the series, even for me, someone who hates dubs because I prefer the original language. I am ecstatically awaiting the movies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kiba Posted July 21, 2009 Share Posted July 21, 2009 I just heard about this at otakon, it was a really great show for me. The characters and plot were both good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Le Communard Posted July 22, 2009 Author Share Posted July 22, 2009 (edited) ...and here I was thinking that I'd wasted all the effort for this. How pleasantly surprising. Also, the inclusion of an opening them that wasn't Japanese was a nice change of pace The theme is by Oasis, whom I understand are a pretty famous British rock band. I just heard about this at otakon, it was a really great show for me. The characters and plot were both good. I'm glad it's getting some screenings in other places too--it seems to me to be awfully underappreciated and could do with some more publicity. Edited July 22, 2009 by Le Communard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jyosua Posted July 22, 2009 Share Posted July 22, 2009 The theme is by Oasis, whom I understand are a pretty famous British rock band. I'm glad it's getting some screenings in other places too--it seems to me to be awfully underappreciated and could do with some more publicity. You're right, it is by them. I still think it's fitting though. It really does need to get more publicity, it was screened at MetroCon in Tampa, FL recently as well, but that con is not as popular as the larger ones, like Otakon. It's really a shame when the good anime is overlooked. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Le Communard Posted July 22, 2009 Author Share Posted July 22, 2009 You're right, it is by them. I still think it's fitting though. Oh, don't get me wrong--I liked it. I was just trying to be informational. It's really a shame when the good anime is overlooked. Doubly so considering how few of them we get these days. CURSE YOU POKY GUZZLING OTAKU FOR DICTATING MARKET TRENDS! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jyosua Posted July 22, 2009 Share Posted July 22, 2009 Oh, don't get me wrong--I liked it. I was just trying to be informational.Doubly so considering how few of them we get these days. CURSE YOU POKY GUZZLING OTAKU FOR DICTATING MARKET TRENDS! I won't say I'm not a fan of things Like Bleach, Haruhi, or Lucky Star, but I also like the underrated anime that not everybody knows about. I do wish there were more of these though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Esau of Isaac Posted July 22, 2009 Share Posted July 22, 2009 I have seen the anime up to around the fifth or sixth episode; I quite liked it, and want to download more of it when I find the time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uguu Posted September 6, 2009 Share Posted September 6, 2009 Just watched this. It was cool. "bang" I wonder if the other Selecaos will appear in the movies. They probably will but eh. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Defeatist Elitist Posted September 8, 2009 Share Posted September 8, 2009 Saw a bit of it. Holy fuck though, didn't know the opening was by Oasis. That would explain why it seemed so familiar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jyosua Posted September 8, 2009 Share Posted September 8, 2009 Saw a bit of it. Holy fuck though, didn't know the opening was by Oasis. That would explain why it seemed so familiar. It seemed familiar to me too, but I'm not sure I heard of Oasis before the anime came out... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Le Communard Posted November 28, 2009 Author Share Posted November 28, 2009 (edited) Just FYI if anyone is still interested, but the new movie comes out today. It looks quite good, and I eagerly await the fansub--should be around in about a week or so. Edited November 28, 2009 by Le Communard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uguu Posted November 28, 2009 Share Posted November 28, 2009 Isn't it in theaters? We'll probably have to wait until its' DVD release of something. Also the second movie was delayed but they're adding 30 minutes to it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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