Ranked #96

Eve no Jikan (Movie)

Eve no Jikan is a story about the lives of the customers who visit a café where you are not allowed to disciminate against robots/androids to the point that when your in this café you have no idea who is human and who is an android. The film asks many questions concerning whether androids really should be treated as mere things or as people, and you get to meet people who are extremists for both sides of the point.

The setting is stated as 'probably Japan' and is set sometime in the near future, i like how they took a few current inventions that you see today such as cameras and keyboards and beefed them up a little without going overboard Star Trek style.

The art for the show is very good, each character is drawn and designed nicely, they do use quite a bit of CG but they use it well and i does not stand out and adds to the feel of the story, i really enjoyed the movement of the camera, at points it spins on the spot and we get to see the cafe in its 360 glory, there is the occasional zoom to the other side of the room seemlessly and we are even treated to a hand held feel when it show the view point from the eyes of a character.

Voice actors did their job spledidly, though it is not surprising as they are 'big name' actors, the music was really nice, theres some decent piano tunes and the rest really highlighted the atmosphere and fitted the sci-fi setting, the ending tune played with the credits is the best part and is some beautifully.

The characters play a huge role for this series, the cafe has patrons of all types, the two main guys are similar to each other but are different enough at the same time and have to deal with their own issues throughout, there is also an enegetic girl, a nice waitress who treats everybody equal, a couple of love birds, a mysterious guy guy who references Blade Runner and an old man with a young child who thinks she's a cat, they all play a part and have a small amount of drama and issues to understand and deal with.

The genres given for this movie are sci-fi and slice-a-life and Eve no Jikan gives off a great feel of atmosphere of both the genres and the movie is something that can be easily enjoyed with its calmness. As a whole there are a few points that make you wish it was a full fledged television series, just to answer a few questions that were left and to see deeper into these characters lives, that is how good this is that it makes you wish i wouldn't end. read more

In a future where every family is in possession of androids, for which all basic human chores and tasks are delegated to, how does the relationship between humans and their robotic creations pan out when androids seemingly have artificial intelligence?

This isn't a new topic in the science fiction genre by any stretch of the imagination, but as a film Time of Eve manages to be a huge breath of fresh air with both its approach and execution to the topic.

The setting of the film mostly takes place at a cafe, called Time of Eve, where inside the cafe there is a rule that there will be no discrimination between humans and androids. Because of this rule, the androids which enter the cafe do their best to be like human beings, blending in with all the customers. Normally androids are not allowed to act like humans in the outside world, but the rules of the cafe dictate that they must.

It is through this setup that we explore the story of two friends Rikuo and Masakazu, and how they manage to deal with the unsettling notion of androids acting independently of humans and pretending to be humans in a way that makes it impossible to distinguish them as androids. Throughout the story we are constantly shown how androids are put into a demeaning, subservient role for the humans and it really raises some interesting questions to its audience. Can human beings learn to accept artificial intelligence as equals to themselves? As beings worthy of the respect we can give other human beings? Or are they merely to be reduced to mere slaves? I give Time of Eve considerable praise for its spectacular job at expressing these themes and managing to make its audience actually think while watching.

While of course the film raises interesting philosophical questions, it also is merely a great drama. Too many scifi works get caught up in trying to show off lots of action rather than just explore interesting aspects of its setting. Time of Eve keeps its focus very simple, a slice of life story about humans and androids in the future, and it is incredibly successful at it. The character interactions and the emotional highs of the film all strike the right notes at the proper times. Everything just feels very genuine and fulfilling. It manages to pass through moments of sadness, laughter, dark moments, light moments, and offer an overall very satisfying experience. In particular, the final moments of the film are very touching.

On top of all this is a generally pleasing to the eyes art work and animation. The camera work is absolutely spectacular. There are several shots in the movie that convey so much emotion without even a single word. Even the completely mechanical looking androids shined in moments through mere clever camera focuses. It's hard to not be impressed by the director's techniques throughout the film.

If there is any reason why I didn't give this movie a perfect score, it is because there are many questions it leaves unanswered, though this may be on purpose. While the film is great as a standalone, the plot going on the side of all these things was too interesting to just not explore it (Though there are several indications out there that there will one day be a sequel). If some more closure is ever given to this film in the future, I'd have no qualms calling it a master piece.



read more

This is definitely the "Time of Eve" version you should watch now that it's out. It shows a few more details and adds a little more exposition when compared to the original episodic version, but these small additions are enough to clear some ambiguities or to confirm some things that the series only implied. Not to mention that the whole thing is better in a feature film format in my opinion, since it makes the experience more coherent and continuous. And since I've started with the end - don't skip the film's ending credits!

Now, why do I like the Time of Eve. Well, it's a pretty cool homage to Isaac Asimov's works. What's holding it back from being even better? The same thing - the meat of the film/series is pulled straight out of Asimov's head. It never really went beyond its "source material". The film's story still manages to differentiate itself enough to be interesting, even if it was a little predictable. What drew me in the most is the world that the series/film builds its story around. There have been plenty of works about the future interaction of humans and their creations, both within, and outside the medium. From the start you'll see that Time of Eve is not one of the more original takes on the idea, but it's still one of the much better ones and a sufficiently fresh take on the theme. The story itself mainly revolves around Rikuo, Sammy and Nagi and their interaction at the 「Time of Eve」 cafe, the perfect scene to explore the differences between a human and a human-like synthetic intelligence because... the cafe's etiquette states that one should not differentiate between androids and humans while inside. I think this was a pretty interesting set-up for a still very interesting (if done before) idea. There are hints however that they're just a part of the bigger picture and the story is very open to a sequel, which I hope they will eventually make.

The characters are pretty good, and surprisingly fleshed out even if it will be a little easy to guess their backgrounds, reasons and motivations for being who they are. Masaki (Rikuo's best friend) for example, had a very predictable backstory which I found a little disappointing. Still, he and the other characters play a well defined role in the story, and they fit those roles well. Characters that will steal the spotlight are, as you would expect from watching it, Nagi the 「Time of Eve」's cafe owner/barista, and to a lesser extent, Sammy. I would've liked to see more of Sammy especially, seeing how she is after all Rikuo's reason for attending the cafe and also what drives his development.

The sound, animation and voice acting are very good and help make this stage and its actors all the more convincing and appealing. Since this was originally a relatively short web series you should expect the production values to be a little higher than the average anime's. Just like in "Aquatic Language" and "Pale Cocoon", the director's previous works, the animation is a blending of 2D characters in 3D backgrounds. Here it's done much better than in the previous two however. The film fares slightly better than the series of course, both in the animation and the sound department. The film's ending theme, "I have a dream" composed by Kajiura Yuki and performed by her group Kalafina, stood out for me... but the rest of the soundtrack is pretty good as well.

While as I said, the film is definitely the "to watch" version of Time of Eve, you can still tell it's a reworking of a more fragmented experience since the delimitations of the episodes are still there. You can treat them as acts in the movie however, so that doesn't really impact your viewing negatively, even if it could've been done a little bit better. Regardless, "Time of Eve" is well directed and Yoshiura Yasuhiro's work that convinced me to keep an eye out for whatever creations he might come up with in the future. if you're a sci-fi fan, i'd say give it a try. You're going to like it, probably. read more

How "human" are we?

I've been asking myself this very question after watching Eve no Jikan. I'll go ahead and save you some minutes of reading: watch Eve no Jikan. It's intriguing, it's engaging, and above all else it's entertaining. For those interested as to knowing why, I'll explain below.

I just came across Eve no Jikan by accident one day in someone's list, and I gave it a shot. I guess I'm just the type of person who can't say no to shows that tackle androids. However, I was expecting some tacky storyline with androids as human partners and all that. Eve no Jikan, however, defied my expectations and gave me an engaging story that made me ask myself "What would I do if I was in his shoes?" once the movie ended. Few shows, never mind movies, give me that kind of aftereffect; Eve no Jikan manages to do it so well I'm still thinking about it now.

Story: 10/10
This is probably the strongest point of the movie. The story tackles a distant future where humanoid robots called androids are working among us humans, doing some of the jobs we humans are too busy to do. It tells of a student named Sakisaka Rikuo who discovers a weird log on the operational log of their household android named Sammy. He is then led to a café named Time of Eve (or Eve no Jikan, hence the title of the movie), with a rule that states that there should be no discrimination between humans and androids.

The movie is simply a combination of three short animations, so you'd expect some disjoint stories. Eve no Jikan, however, manages to stitch them all together due to the presence of the café itself, with regular customers and the occasional newcomer.

What makes the story strong is how it handles the ethical and social issues that are bound to be present in a society that uses robots that resemble humans in every outward physical detail. The movie presents some rules on androids that every androids (and every androids manufacturer) must follow. It tackles people who think of androids as equals, people who think androids are unnecessary and are detrimental to society, androids who think and behave like normal humans and everything else in between. It does so fluidly and in an ordered fashion so as not to impose multiple issues on the viewer at once, yet still somehow interrelated and just as significant as the previous issue presented.

Art: 8/10
I have a bias for good, clean art; this movie does it very well. With bright, neon-colored signs typically present in futuristic settings, and styles that make androids differ so little from normal humans (androids have light rings on their heads to differentiate them from humans; the café instructs androids to turn the said light rings off so as not to cause discrimination between humans and androids). Nevertheless, art is very nice and fitting for the movie.

Sound: 7/10
If you're looking for some upbeat backtones, you won't find it here (no one fights shounen manga-style here). However, the background music is just enough to stir emotions within the viewer or to present undertones within the scene, and does not overpower the scene itself. I might say that it's quite fitting for a movie like this that makes its viewers think for a change.

Voice acting, on the other hand, is excellent. Each one does his or her character justice, and if on voices alone, even the viewers can't differentiate a human from an android when inside the café. As a point of interest, Fukuyama Jun voices the main character Sakisaka Rikuo--the same guy who did voice acting for Lelouch in Code Geass. How awesome is that?

Character: 9/10
In hearing "androids" as characters, you're probably expecting some clunky voices reminiscent of Stephen Hawking (no offense to the man; he's a great man with a great mind), as I did. However, I was completely mistaken, as the characters are equally well-presented. Each is given a sufficient backstory to keep our curiosities satisfied, and expounds when necessary. Each one, human or android, possesses a different personality when in the outside world or when inside the café; in fact, viewers won't even know the difference unless the main characters encounter them outside the café.

Also, don't let the "android" thing confuse you; the androids have as much personality as any other human in the movie. All the more reason to ask yourself the questions presented in the movie, I say.

Enjoyment: 9/10
Overall, Eve no Jikan is a treasure of a spectacle that everyone deserves to watch. It caters to no specific class of viewers, so everyone can appreciate it no matter what your inclinations to animé are. It brings you a story that makes you question how human you really are, and makes you ask what a human really is. read more

The Time of Eve is a café hidden well beneath the towering skyscrapers of Japan in the near future. As the customer opens the door to the café, a bell rings signaling their arrival. The atmosphere is quiet and cozy save for a little girl running around and calling herself a cat. A couple cuddles with each other and whispers sweet nothings into each other's ears. A man is sitting on a couch reading a book. With a bright smile, a woman greets the customer and welcomes the customer into their second home. With an order, the customer asks for a coffee to be brought at their table. It is warm, fragrant, and sweet. Before the café owner leaves, she asks that the customer treats every as equal. Of course, the customer would be happy to oblige...but for some, this is easier said than done, especially when that customer lives in a world where he or she is taught that humans will always be superior to robots.

This is Time of Eve: The Movie, a film that rightfully deserves more recognition as one of the more superior anime films based on pre-existing TV anime and/or OVAs. The way the café is portrayed in the film could be an appropriate metaphor for the film as a whole. It's a quiet movie that slid under the radar of most anime fans, but through the help of some outside sources, my interest in the movie was piqued. Keep in mind that I did not watch the Time of Eve OVAs prior to watching this film, so whatever knowledge I have of the series is solely based on the film.

One of the greatest achievements of the movie's story is that it makes the viewer grow along with the protagonists. I noticed myself warming up to the androids as much as the main characters did and felt a brief, small sense of betrayal when I found out which characters were androids. I think that that is part of a test that the movie is trying to bring upon the viewers as well as the two main characters, Rikuo and Masaki: try to get to know a person not by what they are, but who they are. The fact that this mirrors the way judgement is clouded in the real world by racism, homophobia, and other forms of prejudice is almost chilling. The robots even have rings over their heads so humans can identify them as such. If those rings were to be eliminated, no one could tell one from the other. The movie takes most, if not all of its time to make the main duo divert from the public norm and start embracing these robots as their companions rather than furniture.

Another thing about the movie that caught my eye is that there are prevalent occurrences of television advertisements in the movie as distributed by the "Ethics Committee" that keeps a strict watch on all robot activity. The Committee airs these advertisements in an attempt to drill into people's heads that robots are machines and nothing more. This sort of "Big Brother" influence that the Committee has in the movie gives the world it takes place in an almost dystopian feel, making the secluded café a more precious setting than one should expect.

As for the main characters themselves, Rikuo's development into his final opinion on the robots is more or less straight-forward, making him a sort of bland character, but Masaki proves to be the one to have more difficulty handling the situation, making him the more complex character between the two. The different levels of development eventually balance the two out, giving them enough chemistry to add dramatic flair to some of the film's more heart-wrenching scenes. The moral conflicts between the two, in addition to the other characters' moral support, make for a story that's just as touching as it is introspective.

For an anime film that was released only a year ago, the animation isn't astoundingly beautiful, but there are some parts of the film that are nice to look at, like some of the computers when put into use and the inside of some of the buildings in the city. Some pieces of the café are rendered in CGI, which doesn't look bad when placed next to the 2D characters and makes for some interesting camera angles, but it's pretty obvious that those pieces are done in CG. The fact that the film is colored in an almost monochromatic tone makes for some slightly uninteresting animation. The animation isn't bad; it's just a little bland. This is a movie that you should try to watch for the story more than the art.

I was pleasantly surprised by the voice acting in this movie. Half the cast doesn't sound all that anime-esque, which made the performances all the more believable. The right voices were chosen for each of the androids in the movie, down to some of the older models that were featured. It made the older robots sound human, but detached enough to make them sound like they don't know how to carry on a conversation with another being. There's more of a layer of realism in that than the newer, more human-looking androids. Some of the more comedic scenes have some of the most rapid-fire conversation I've ever heard in an anime. It was almost like the characters were having a tennis match with their words. Speaking of which, the scene where Akiko is introduced is something that must be seen to be believed. While the voice acting is good, the soundtrack is distractingly unbalanced. Some of it is good, but the synth in it is so blatant that it tries to make some of the most touching moments seem melodramatic. Fortunately, the ending theme is performed by Kalafina, who are also known for performing the theme songs to the Kara no Kyoukai films and both seasons of Kuroshitsuji. The song is rather pleasant and the lyrics tie in to the main theme of the film well. If it weren't for the soundtrack, the audio would have been ranked a point higher.

I really want to give this film a 9, but i can't seem to find it in my heart to do so. Looking back at this film, I know I'm going to remember it, but not well enough to make me say, "Wow, was that a great film,". Even though this is cliché, to answer the film's eponymous question, "Are you enjoying the Time of Eve?"...

Yes, yes I did, but it don't think I'll be coming back for a while. Maybe I'll like it more when I do decide to visit it again. Only time will tell. read more

This the first sci-fi anime I've seen that is real sci-fi.

In the near future androids will be involved in every part of our lives, cooking, cleaning, childcare, healthcare, education etc. Androids appear emotionless and are treated as objects by their owners but what if they did have emotions and were capable of independent thought and we just didn't know it and if we did would we treat them differently?

The story involves Rikou who discovers that his house android, Sammy, has visited a café called a Time of Eve on its / her own free will. Investigating the café with his friend Misaki he finds the café is a place where humans and androids can mix and be as equals. This causes a huge amount of confusion in his mind of the morality of whether androids should be treated equally and how should he treat Sammy if he meets it / her there.

There is a lot of dramatic and emotional moments yet they are finished with humour which works very well as through the film you get to like the characters yet the film stops short of trying to get you to love them. Instead tries to get you to understand their motives be it human or android.

The concept is very interesting. The androids in the film are on the outside indistinguishable from humans and it is only a ring above their heads that makes them stand out as androids so once inside the café you really can't tell. This means that neither human or android can tell who is human or android.

The concept raises a number of philosophical questions. Should androids feel emotions, should they be able to have their own free will, if they did what would they do if their owners are not around and how would this fit in with Isaac Asimov's 3 Robotic laws. Change the androids to a race or social group philosophy turns into morality so much so it will make your head hurt. Either way seeing the androids treated as mere objects, be it a tool, doll or anything else, during the film may make you feel slightly angry. Whether you see the androids as androids or something else really doesn't matter but you should let the film challenge your opinion.

The animation goes from good away from the café to very impressive inside the café with some imaginative camera work which gives the café added importance and focus in the story.

The characters on their own are nothing special but in the context of the story are very good, each one with their own background yet the film does not go into unnecessary detail on each one.

The music emphasises a dramatic moment well and the end song is very good.

I can't not give the film a 10 but it is a weak 10. It is very very good but it misses an x factor to make it a true masterpiece. If you can help me figured it out it would be very helpful.

I hope a sequel is made to finish the story as the film finishes with a lot of unanswered questions. read more

Time of Eve poses questions which most of those who have access to the internet, and certainly all of those with any interest in social issues, have at some point pondered. They are questions regarding the ethical use of technology and, in their simplest form, ask the following:

How far is too far, and if we’ve gone there, how do we cope?

Of course, my moral code and your moral may be very different, which suggests these questions have no easy answers. Perhaps our society has a strong moral capacity and some general boundaries can be established, perhaps this is not the case. Time of Eve’s success is in its approach to this debate. It maintains an air of sensitivity, whilst not shying away from its own questions. Through this bold yet delicate analysis of a topic that is ever increasing in importance, Time of Eve comes to some powerful conclusions.

Time of Eve’s place among the ranks of great anime films is secured by the extremely well-crafted aesthetics, which stand toe-to-toe with the intriguing content. The art style works by contrasting relatively simple characters with highly detailed environments, giving the movie a sense of realism. Their world is, albeit very different from ours, believable. Outfitted with softer colours and supported by fluid animation, Time of Eve is certainly easy on the eyes. While music is used rather infrequently, it is well placed. The soundtrack provides some zest once or twice, but mainly consists of softer piano pieces, which lean scenes towards one feel or another.

I won’t indulge you in specific plot details, but it useful to note that the plot is built around the protagonist’s personal experiences with his android and how said experiences change his stance on the ethics of owning an android. The protagonist has a very genuine personality, his actions and reactions feel familiar. The remaining characters have been designed with equal care, and empathy comes quite naturally as a result. In terms of genre; friendly dialogue, a touch of comedy, and more than a hint of romance lean Time of Eve towards its slice of life categorization.

If the ethics of technology debate is one that interests you, or if you are simply after quality aesthetics and characters, this is not a movie to miss. Although Time of Eve will extract a whole range of emotions from you as greats often do, its individuality is what’s most important. Time of Eve will make you question your own feelings and perspectives, as you attempt to provide answers to the difficult questions at hand. read more

The premise was interesting if overdone, the idea of a future world in which robots/androids are becoming more and more human-like, and there is some kind of ethical problem which questions whether it is acceptable to treat these androids equally to humans

The main character in such cases usually has some kind of stigma against androids at first, but as they realize that these androids are "similar" to humans and have emotions, accept them. Our main character in this case was the same.

Story-wise, it was very good at first, but I started to get impatient and bored about halfway in.

My problems:
1. There was not enough interaction between Rikuo and certain characters to warrant such a drastic change in Rikuo.
2. The ending was too open-ended, with too many loose ends.
3. I found Masaki's involvement to be completely random.
4. Too many little details that were crammed in.

What I liked:
1. The artwork was nice enough.
2. That's about it.

The movie attempted to be symbolic, metaphorical, whatever--I suppose this is about accepting those who are different from us and learning to co-exist, but really, this theme has been done over and over, and this movie is not one of the greatest examples of it. The movie might appeal to those who like artistic, slow-moving pieces, but if you're someone like me, someone who likes a good plot and well-developed characters (Rikuo's bit with the piano-playing was good, and Masaki's whole character was quite nice, but the others were mostly filler)--this is not a fun movie.

Nothing in this movie stood out to me, and though it was decent enough, I would not recommend watching it. read more

easily one of the best sci-fi anime.
redefinition of humanity is certainly necessary with the emergence of self-awareness of AI. Conflicts will not always take place. Coexistence and mutal understanding can be easily acheived after breaking that 'barrier' of rigid definition of humanity.

I wish someone could tell me why most reviews I read on this site are plot summaries and not reviews.

The setting and art of this film were great. The directing was fairly interesting as well. The story however was nearly non-existant, and there was no real character build-up.

Overall, not alot going on in this movie, but it was well drawn. If you want to see a better android-human conflict story, watch the Animatrix.

Eve No Jikan..

This for me is the very Artsy detailed relaxing anime in my list..

When they have started airing the first episode, you would find yourself deadlock of the time for the next episode to come out..its about f** month long for each ep as far as i remember..i think tis divided into 6 to 7 eps all in all.

however, the great thing here is the storyline and the very artistic/futuristic art it displays to the audience eventhough the story almost revolves inside the Cafe bar.

The Story in short is about two school friends who discovered a secret Cafe bar where Androids and humans chill-out freely out of robotic laws and without discrimination. Our Protagonists point of realization is the understanding of the house-roid androids have also "feelings of care" towards their masters despite of human treatment to them..
Outside the cafe, the house-roids act as an ideal normal robot helping out their masters in all chores etc, but inside the cafe bar, the androids become free and act as a human, as the Cafe bar is bounded by its Rule..No discrimination.

The storyline i would say is a slow and sad type but i believe that in a very short series, the director already shows all emotions and actions of the casts and its plot in a very smooth way, plus the theater-camera-like shots and moves which i personally liked, that is why it becomes very powerful..
It also adds up to the music score..very relaxing..i love it.

Now the anime is already an OAV packed all together ready for you.. all you have to do is watch it.. and you will be breath-taken away..enjoy;) read more

I had already watched the ONA before the movie and I must say that the ONA didn't quite affect me the same way as the movie did.

It's a very interesting anime indeed and it truly makes your thoughts spin. What are emotions? Are they limited to only humans or are there other whom harbors the same emotions as us that are still unknown to us? If they don't have feelings are they unable to hurt us? Can we not hurt them?

I've seldom found an anime that intrigues me this much and makes me truly contemplate a lot of things that we perhaps have taken for granted. If you want to watch something that's deep and yet easy for anyone to understand and take to heart, then truly this is an anime that should be watched and enjoyed!

It is by far, and only a few, have been so well-made and well-thought anime. It truly was a pleasure to watch. read more