Higashi no Eden Movie I: The King of Eden

I know I gave the movie low mark, but please read the review instead of immediately voting down with fanboy rage. I am writing the review for people who haven't seen the King of Eden yet, but who've watched Eden of the East/

I begin by stating I loved the original Eden of the East. The story was fresh and the main characters were loveable. The art style was modern and realistic and the show didn't take itself too seriously, even with a political plot.

This isn't always the case with the movie.

---Story--- score: 5
As always with a movie, time is a limit, a story ... can't always be carved out with the depth afforded by a season. The King of Eden is a direct continuation of the original Eden of the East. That means it doesn't try to stand alone as a movie. It requires a lot of prior knowledge - if you haven't watched Eden of the East, stop reading now!

This need for prior knowledge is the first problem: with such a diverse cast from the first season, the movie tries to give everyone some screen time for the sake of it. Characters flit in and out for no apparent reason, all the time detracting from the dynamic between the central couple. In this respect there is very little development, if fact, I would argue that the entire movie is a zero sum game, as Takizawa has lost his memory and most rebuild a relationship again - in preparation for the movie's sequel.

The second problem is that the story feels stretched. The plot, the bits which have any meaning to the story, is quite simple, and it feels like it was one episode fleshed out in order to make money as a feature film. The movie has moments of long stills and pauses after speech. Long monologues are what's to be expected here. Don't make excuses for the movie as other reviewers did by saying things like "it's not afraid to be slow in order to develop the characters". It is clearly being slow for the sake of stretching this meandering conclusion over 3 hours.

The characters are forced to give long monologues as exposition to the plot. One particular discussion of the inheritance tax system really destroys any pacing or credibility that the film has as a non-money grabbing venture.

The third problem is partly covered above. There are unnecessary plot points popping up for no reason, much of which goes unresolved, such as a random object wielded at a playground. In addition, the story introduce another Seleção that apparently provides comic relief, but fails. The person also doesn't add any value to the plot. After watching the movie I feel empty inside as nothing of importance actually happens.

--Art-- score: 8
Not much to mention here. It is still the high standard set by the television show, with the addition of more obvious cgi that looks out of place. You can decide for yourself whether it's a sticking point that it hasn't changed from the TV series, but this is a movie base on a TV show, I liked it then and I like it now.

--Sound-- score: 5
The movie has an OP just like a regular episode, but the new opening lacks the same impact and catchiness as Oasis' Falling Down.
ED was standard.

I really enjoyed some of the background music, but why a 5? Well, the sound is great, when it's there. The music was totally and notably absent for much of the first hour of the running time. No music that would make those long awkward pauses, unnecessary cutscenes and wrist-slittingly long monologues more bearable. When it is there, for the climax, the suspenseful music is so dominating it was like watching Wagner. Bombastic music coupled with the poor dialogue about nothing in particular made certain scenes more unintentionally hilarious than gripping.

--Character-- score: 7
The cast is the same as the one we all got to know and apprecaite in the prequel. However, while it takes on the guise of an extended episode, The King of Eden is still a movie. A movie that falls into the classic trap, where other characters are paper cutouts apart from the leads. Having scenes of other characters "interacting" by talking at each other or repeating behaviour traits from the first season in a vain bid at humour does not constitute character development. What makes up for are the main characters, while there is also very little development, Takazawa and Saki are both loveable and believable, and their (re-)budding relationship is the only redeeming feature of the movie. However, their screen time is encroached on by pointless dialogue from other characters. If you were to watch this for the characters you will not be disappointed by inconsistency but rather the shallowness.

-- Enjoyment -- score:5

I've watched this twice, once by myself and again with my friends. I can tell you my friends laughed 3 times in this film. The biggest laugh came from the unintentional Engrish. It's not a bad film, it's just that after you finished you wished that you had spent your time better.

--Conclusion--

As a fan of Eden of the East, the King of Eden is a requirement for concluding the story, however, it's not necessarily enjoyable. Nonetheless, just because the movie isn't great, you should not treat watching it as a chore. The artwork is intricate and incredibly realised, and some backgrounds are worth seeing. Unfortunately, the other parts are very bad and really bring down what could have been a shorter, tighter and more focussed sequel.



I'm just starting to write reviews so any feedback would be kindly appreciated! =D, agree of disagree, just write me a comment and I'll be happy to discuss it (or any series I watched) with you.

Unique and likable characters, a plot that utilizes its relative sluggishness well, suspense, and excellent animation made Eden of the East a very enjoyable series, but unfortunately was let down by the fact that it only had 11 episodes, which combined with a slow plot meant that the ending was incomplete. However, the slow plot didn’t feel pondering nor did it incite in me a desire to have it move faster, since the advancement of the story and development of the plot and characters was utilized to the fullest extent. Things were revealed slowly but the story kept moving forward- not a moment ... was wasted, making it disappointing that more episodes weren’t earmarked.

Now, the logical thing to do for the movies in this case would be to pick up where the series left off and then continue on from there, since with only 82 minutes to utilize, time is of the essence. Sadly, however, the producers decide to stall the plot’s movement with a seemingly unnecessary use of amnesia and a splitting of the main characters. There is also a time skip used in this case, which while short, is more than enough to waste valuable time in explaining what occurred in the few months between the series and the movie and also to get the main characters back together again. The intertwining of plotlines of several minor characters plus two main plotlines in separate locations was successfully utilized in the series, and is utilized well here as well. However, getting the 2 main plotlines to converge in the series and then splitting it again before the movie is extremely unnecessary since it hinders progress of the story. As a result, by the end of the movie, the two separate plotlines are still in the process of reconverging.

The characters’ personalities and chemistry was a high point in the series, but unfortunately was tapered and diluted here due to the split plotlines, amnesia, and time skip. That’s not to say they’re terrible, but the quality and impact that they had in the series is much less noticeable here in the movie. This is not as bad for the secondary characters, however, since they maintain more of their distinctiveness and helps soften the disappointment. The lack of time also doesn’t do much to introduce new characters, and as a result, there are several Selecao whose identities are still unknown and others who have died with only a hint of an explanation.

As a result, despite containing art that’s as good as the series, the first Eden of the East movie as a whole falls short of my expectations. The high standards of character chemistry and suspense that were set in the series weren’t met in the movie, and the utilization of time in combination with the slow plot led to constant longings for the story to progress faster and either build up to a climax, expand on its depth, or start on its conclusion. It does move forward and doesn’t come across as horrid, but there was so much more that could have been done in those 82 minutes, the equivalent of nearly 4 episodes of a series. The movie, at most, accomplished the plot development of at most 2 episodes. Here’s hoping that the second movie will be able to bring the series to a close.

Please watch Higashi no Eden (Eden of the East) before watching this movie.

I loved Higashi no Eden, but everything went downhill from there. King of Eden is such a disappointment. Since the prequel ended with a big cliffhanger, I felt the need to watch this movie.

“What’s going on?” That question popped up periodically throughout the entire movie. There is no logical explanation for the prequel’s ending or the new plot. Before the majority of the questions are analyzed, there are even more questions thrown out near the end of this movie. Since there is only one more movie left for the series, it’s impossible not ... to think how everything will be interpreted in less than 1.5 hours.

Apparently, Takizawa now holds the role of the successor to the King of Japan, and everyone knows about his right to the throne but him. The entire story about Takizawa’s life as a Seleção has to be repeated, since he erased his memory and created a new alias again for some unknown reason. It is bad enough that no one can easily predict the reasons behind Takizawa’s actions, but it’s even worse when he can’t even answer for himself.

The primary objective of the series is misled. The whole game with the Seleção is ruined, and it gave me no hope for a good ending. The game has rules that brings excitement to the entire series, and it makes you anxious to discover how a winner will be determined. There is no thrill to the game anymore, since some of the rules are disregarded. It literally takes the fun out of the whole anime.

There are signs of love and compassion like in the prequel, but there is not a passionate love story that most people would expect. Nothing sucks more than when the person you love doesn’t remember who you are. Poor Saki. However, Takizawa does consider her feelings prior to erasing his memory by leaving her a message that only they can understand. Saki goes against all odds to find Takizawa and help him regain his memory once again. Despite the fact that Takizawa has no memory of her, he shows her compassion. However, it is the same kind of compassion that you would show any kind or beautiful stranger. Based upon Takizawa’s considerate personality, Saki is not a special case. He’d do the same for any girl.

There are the same naïve portions of the story. As in the Higashi no Eden series, the setting takes place post-9/11 and guns are brought into the U.S. as if people just magically go past airport security. There is no law enforcement present, and the American characters didn’t show enough fear or concern at the sight of the firearms.

Thanks to Eden of the East’s miraculous technology, some things were clarified about the status of Seleção and the game in general. By receiving updates from the Seleçãos’ activity logs, they were able to predict their next moves and the level of danger from their intentions. The Eden team, especially Panties, made this anime a little easier. Admittedly, they didn’t understand much about the logic behind Takizawa’s present position either.

Overall, I was highly disappointed and really confused. There was little to no romance. Stories were repeated for the sake of a character. The objective of the anime is ruined because of misled rules of the game. Basically, I see no hope in a cool ending.

Eden of the East was one of the better anime programs in recent years and it is probably reasonable enough to argue that the amount of good quality animes have decreased consistently since the mid-naughties. The King of Eden does suggest that the audience should have prior knowledge of the show either as a display of the writer and director's confidence or as a suggestion of its popularity in Japan.

It is difficult to grasp that the film begins six months after the show's climax in the program as the characters hardly discuss the events that have passed. The fantastic character of Takisawa appears fairly late ... in the film which wasn't hoped for as the other lead character, Saki Maromi, is a dull and one-dimensional character who is far to obedient towards Takisawa's erratic requests; Even the film poster displayed on the left-hand side looks as though Moromi is just being dragged around Times Square against her free will.

All of the other recurring minor characters were lumped together in one room and the scenes that contained them were particularly dull and the problem they suffer at the end of the film was too laid out as the solution to the problem was referenced earlier in the film (regarding the phone). The new characters that were introduced did not seem to have much personality and it added to the sense that little time or effort had gone into the script-writing. The character named Number Eleven, for example, refers to herself as being a guardian angel - therefore the way her scarf blew in two directions (to metaphor angel wings) seemed slightly obvious and incomprehensible if stood near a plane engine.

The story itself was never particularly engaging, at least not to the levels of its previous program and very few locations seem to be explored, despite the backdrop of New York City. The animation was beautiful and the music was also gratifying, though the theme-song was again, a step down from the program.

Overall, it is a disappointment that does little to add to the franchise that lacks the pace and mystery of its ancestor. It is a perfectly acceptable watch in which the sheer beauty of its animation alone could be worth watching - but it seemed fairly unnecessary and lacking in conviction.

This review will be a summation of the anime series and the two sequel movies.
(~21 Episodes in length)
[General]
The anime sets this series up promising... with a very interesting concept to go about the plot along with likeable characters. However, the series quickly falls off and by the end of the second movie, leaves it's watchers with an unsatisfactory ending.

[Nitpicks]
I feel the response to a threat in Japan is very unrealistic and takes away from the immersion this series tries to envelope it's audience in a game of thought. Additionally, many side characters and characters of interest felt lackluster, and ... there never really is a good villain or rivalry in the path of our character. Entirety of the anime plot can somewhat be summed up in one phrase. "Ok boomer." Still leaves it's audience unfulfilled.

[Overall]
There is still some good to be had in watching this series in it's entirety, but I can't help but feel there was so much potential here that was clearly wasted and a lot of plot decisions here that did not follow through completely and are merely just forgotten about.

Spoiler-free (nothing outside of the MAL synopsis) should-you-watch review:

If you're watching this before seeing the series, stop and watch that first. However: the series doesn't stand alone, the movies are clearly filling in for the second arc, and you should treat them as the remainder of the same season. To see my notes on Eden of the East as a whole, check my review of the series.

That said, this movie chose a weird chunk of the plot to cover, and you're better off forgetting that it's a movie and just watching the series and both movies in one run as 20 or so episodes. On ... its own, this part of the plot is fine but kinda lame to choose for a movie. They do this weird thing at the beginning that I can only guess was 1) meant to punctuate it from the series, and 2) meant to re-create some of the success of the series: the movie starts in a different place, and Takizawa has lost his memories again. It clearly isn't supposed to make sense, as the "why" is pretty plainly ignored throughout the film. It really just invites a lot of questions and weakens the original ideas.

Watch it if you liked the series, then watch the second movie, which doesn't have the same problems.