This week, I watched all the episodes of the anime series Eden of the East (Higashi no Eden). At first, I was hesitant on watching the series due to the artwork style, but I was hooked instantly after watching the first episode.
The Plot
The anime revolve around the Selecaos – 12 people who were given phones that have a value of 10,000,000,000 yen each. This money cannot be converted into cash and must be used to save Japan. The money must also not reach zero while not being able to save Japan, if that happens the penalty is death. These Selecaos are in a game they can’t refuse to accept were there is only one winner, and will be the only one to survive in the end.
The interesting part about the story is about the personas the phones were given to. Each of these people have different beliefs, passions and personalities. But the story centers on the 9th Selecao and his quest to stop the evil plot of the other Selecao members.
The Artwork
At first I didn’t like the artwork, the characters have a weird look on their face, due to the big smiles and flat-looking nose. I really didn’t like the shading on the mid part of their noses, since it adds up to the “flat-nosed” effect. Besides that, I have no complaints. They have good backgrounds that uses vibrant colors which easily catches attention. In some parts of the anime, they used 3d objects like cars, building and even the thousand buck naked running men. I would have preferred those 3d objects to be drawn traditionally, since the characters and the backgrounds would blend more naturally.
Also. their opening theme has a good art style. I like the combination of good typography, contrasting colors and vector shapes in the video. It greatly adds to the modern effect, and they pulled it off perfectly.
Conclusion
Overall, I loved the series, Eden of the East now belongs to the list of my favorite animes. I would recommend it to anyone who wants a unique story and great entertainment. I can’t wait for the release of their first movie on November 28, 2009.
