Eve no Jikan (Movie)

Brilliant film. Short but fulfilling ;)

Adaption of the web series. Stitched together with some added scenes.

Think I Robot but with 0 action and its all set in a cafe with talking.

Boring?

Well you are wrong.

... Story -

Androids made to serve humans that find a cafe that allows them to act like a human. I found the story very very interesting and thought provoking. IT develops well throughout and is satisfying start to finish. I did not find it boring throughout.

Art -

Art is great, especially when it was an indie team who produced this. There are some scenes that seem to get a little choppy or slow but for the most of it the art is beautifully drawn.

Sound - To be honest nothing really sticks out for me. I cant remember a single tune from the film which is a shame as its one of my top animes. Every other anime I enjoyed I can atleast recall a single song.

Characters -

Characters are all fun and have their own mysterious sides. Focus is on the relationship between a school boy and his own android. They gradually interact with the numerous other patrons at this cafe and you can eventually put stories to each of the face you see.

Overall -

Solid film, great plot and pretty design. May bore some looking for action and big flashy lights but if you want a fun easy watch then I would recommend this!

We humans are in fact similar to androids in many aspects. We are programmed in our genes and minds to feel emotions, love, and apprehension. If our amygdalas, the parts of our brains responsible for emotions, were removed, our behavior would be along the lines of an android with a ring on its head in Eve no Jikan. As we saw in Eve no Jikan, the androids, when given the chance, will show human-like emotions and feelings for those around them. With the added fact that the androids look and act identical to humans, we must ask ourselves: in the future, will there be any ... differences between humans and androids?

Eve no Jikan had a very "contemporary modern" feel with the cafe, artwork, androids, and soundtrack. What is known as pop culture today is not evident in Eve no Jikan; instead, the setting had a very tranquil and creative mood.

Eve no Jikan's artwork was very unique in that scenes were shown in more of a fixed camera point of view as opposed to the point of view of the characters. The artwork was very consistent and devoid of blemishes. The voice acting and soundtrack were also very considerable. The influence of the piano in both the plot and the soundtrack is very creative; the piano is not only a symbol of an ultramodern theme but also a symbol of emotion.

Eve no Jikan was a very engaging anime that had a lot of big ideas incorporated into its plot. The ultimate questions regarding the relationships between humans and robotic humans are presented in a very discussable and arguable manner.

Please refer to other peer reviews if you are looking for a plot summary.

Story

Time of Eve is a 6 episode long ONA series/nearly 2 hour movie directed by Yasuhiro Yoshiura, director of works such as Aquatic Language and Pale Cocoon, and animated by his very own studio, Studio Rikka. The story centers around “Probably Japan” in the near future where androids have come to be as common in one’s household as you average pet dog or cat. Our main character, Rikuo Sakisaka, finds that his very own android, Sammy, has been suspiciously visiting some place tied to the line “Are You Enjoying the Time of Eve?” which he find in her activity log. With the help of some ... coordinates and science! Rikuo and his friend Masakazu Masaki find their destination.

Now, the first thing you probably think of when androids and suspicious visits to suspicious places come to mind is probably a secret meeting place for a robot rebellion or something of that sort. At least that’s what I think. What with the same worn out plotline coming to fruition in many, many works of science fiction, it isn't a surprise either. Thing is, what Rikuo and Masaki had stumbled upon was a cafe, more specifically, The Time of Eve cafe, where, in a society of general bigotry and intolerance towards androids, it is not possible to distinguish between man and machine and prejudice against any race is prohibited.

What easily could have been another “Oh, the robots are taking over the world” scenario turned out to be a “Oh, let’s have a nice cup of coffee while we discuss our day with our robots” scenario and I really appreciate that. As a work of science fiction, Time of Eve doesn't struggle to find its own identity rather than reusing the same premise and relying on breathtaking production value to make up for it. In fact, there are no outstanding moments in Time of Eve to begin with as it is a slice of life anime. Now before you start backing away this isn't any kawaii-desu moe moe kyun super sugoi make you heart go doki doki high school slice of life bullcrap you’re used to. Time of Eve uses its slice of life elements to convey a serene, melancholic experience whenever possible, not as an excuse to throw every high school anime cliche at your face. It isn't exciting, it isn't breathtaking, it isn't going to cause explosive diarrhea any time soon and it isn't trying to. It is literally an anime about a cafe but, by god, is it the most interesting anime about a cafe I've seen! 6 short stories, one for each episode of the series, are presented each with their own cesspool of thought-provoking ideas and themes that expand on a wildly fascinating world that we see so little of, purposely hidden to evoke genuine curiosity from the viewers and keep them involved in the story that is being presented, purely brilliant.

No show is without flaws though. I won’t lie, the ideas and themes that Time of Eve portrays sometimes are quite cliche. They’re the same “Can robots feel emotions?” and “Can we function in a society with robots as our equals?” type of questions that we’re all so tired of hearing from so many works of science fiction. These ideas are interesting enough though and the way Time of Eve executes these ideas through the stories and lives of the patrons at the Time of Eve cafe prevented it from being overly generic. Still, its a problem worth addressing.

Another thing to note: the show ends, it just ends. Six episodes in, nearing the end of the movie, and the show seems to be coming up to a climax, but then it just ends. Sure, some questions are left unanswered but they’re really so insignificant it isn't much of a bother. Its only when we get a little scene of some unnamed mysterious character masked by shadows where it becomes an issue. It was a bad move on Studio Rikka’s part to foreshadow a possible sequel when they aren't the most well to do when it comes to anime studios. Although, they did manage to successfully kickstart the movie version of Time of Eve so there’s still hope there.

Characters
Time of Eve doesn't have a particularly interesting cast of characters. They all fit perfectly into a multitude of cookie-cutter archetypes and all come off as no more than flat and one dimensional...is what I thought at first, but the Time of Eve cafe itself is almost like a fruit salad. Bear with me, this is is a good analogy, I swear. The Time of Eve is a fruit salad in the way that all these different personalities, all different yet so similar, can meet, socialize, and share their experiences. It's place where they can all relate on a human (or in this case, fruit) level despite being, say, an orange as opposed to the person you're having a chat with, an apple.This is what really captivates me about the characters, their stories, their past, their experience in this world, and their outlook on mankind and robotics as a whole. A bulk of the Time of Eve experience lies in these stories where, as mentioned before, a new layer of the this futuristic world is added constantly, only further promoting interest. The characters themselves are decent though and, regardless of the length of the movie/ONA, were all well-developed, especially Rikuo's pal, Masaki, who really surprised me by the end.

Animation

The animation is definitely a highlight of Time of Eve. There are no over the top action scenes to boast the show’s budget but Studio Rikka finds a way to show off otherwise. The lighting is very realistic but not so prevalent that it nearly blinds you from the mediocre base animation *cough* Fate/ Zero *cough* which isn't a problem with Time of Eve in the first place.The character designs aren't very exciting but they look nice, clean, and very flat as is the art style of Time of Eve. It’s very quote on quote "futuristic" but it doesn't oversaturate the motif to the point where everything is completely either gray and lifeless or filled with too many goddamn neon colors. Yeah, I'm looking at you, Tron.There is CG and its used quite often but it wasn't a bother because, firstly, it was good on the general spectrum of CG, and secondly, it's rarely in the forefront so its hard to notice in the first place.

Sound

The music in Time of Eve was composed by Tohru Okada famous for...not much, but his work here is rather good, no masterpiece, but definitely good. It fits the mood of the show, serene and calm but, almost, wild as well, exciting, interesting in some parts, like your exploring the African savanna or something of the sort. The only problem is that when it is used its usually in the oddest of moments, usually for some comedic effect rather than in serious moments where it sometimes feels needed. The music also drowns out the characters for the most part so I'm quite content they didn't use it very often but also kind of sad because it really is a good soundtrack.

I’m most definitely not an expert on English voice acting nor Japanese voice acting, but the seiyuus do a good job and no characters feel as if they were mis-casted. There is no English dub for comparison and I highly doubt there will ever be since, currently, Time of Eve is not licensed by any big names. No, we only get it here in the States because its over on Crunchyroll. What can you expect from an ONA series?

Final Verdict

Time of Eve is a calm and thought-provoking look at a futuristic world I can definitely get behind. It doesn't overdo itself with some generic “robot rebellion” story nor does it take itself too lightly as some generic high school slice of life (except with robots). It conveys a realistic future with well-done animation and quite frankly, a disappointing use of music. Time of Eve is a breath of fresh air as not only an anime but a work of science of fiction in general. I would recommend it to anyone with an interest in anything sci-fi, anime fan or not. Time of Eve gets an 8 out of 10.

If you so wish to watch Time of Eve, the ONA series is over on Crunchyroll although the movie is most definitely the definitive version. If you wish to be rebellious and break the rules, go check out the movie but I won't give you any means to do so.

When thinking of science fiction concepts, images of futuristic technology and the vast frontier of space are the first things that comes to mind. Arguably the most popular item in the former category is that of the robot. A machine that exists to serve a person or perform a designated function is nothing short of useful and can almost be seen as necessary depending on the setting of the story. Upping the ante are androids, "advanced" versions of robots that take on a human-like appearance. Though they have an advanced AI system and they can look as real as you or me, they are still ... machines bound by the 3 Laws of Robotics (not harming a human, obey human orders, protect its own existence). But how well defined are the 3 Laws? That's what Time of Eve wishes to explore over the course of its run time.

Time of Eve is a film that, like the androids of the movie, masquerades its depth early on. In a "not too distant future", androids are seen serving humans in daily tasks and treated no different than any other kind of machine one would use. Adding to this is the propaganda created by the Ethics Committee, a group that has roots in radical anti-robot activities. Serving as a stark contrast to the outside world is the cafe known as the Time of Eve, a hidden location where these androids meet to talk and have coffee. In the outside world, androids have to have a pink halo above their heads constantly to let the world know they are robots. The cafe's golden rule goes against this, saying that all androids must turn off their halo as to not form any discrimination. You would think that even with the halos off, identifying androids would still be quite easy due to robot mannerisms. However, the androids themselves change quite a bit when in the cafe, with personalities and behavior that strikes closer to being made of flesh than metal. It becomes a guessing game observing each customer, wondering who is real and who isn't.

This is what ultimately makes Time of Eve so interesting to watch. The androids of the future aren't a weapon of mass destruction or some perfect human - rather, they are robots that use this independence as a way of better serving their designated master. They learn by observing others and they too have things that make them happy or sad. Just look at the bizarre love triangle of Koji and Rina or the absolutely heartbreaking story of Katoran. Though it is sci-fi on the outside, it's a slice of life at heart - personal stories are shared amidst coffee and the atmosphere of the cafe. Despite the laid back tone it sets, the film is not free from conflict. The main characters Rikuo and Masaki both have had their share of robot problems in the past, planting seeds of jealousy and distrust in their minds. Coupled with a society that condemns humans for seeing androids as more than mindless servants, they can't be blamed for their suspicion of this grey area. It takes the efforts of bartender Nagi and the histories of the customers to sway their opinion.

What makes this film enjoyable stems from how the minds of the androids work. The androids are still bound by the three Laws of Robotics, but they try to grasp as much they can from around these laws. Lying, for instance, doesn't fall under this rule. Yet with all these nifty loopholes the androids have found, they use this towards better providing service to their owners/masters. It forms a strangely heartwarming experience, seeing how these robots wish to be seen as caring loving people instead of emotionless distant machines. With every law examined, it brings up questions of ethics not just for the characters but for the viewer. Is it OK to lie now if it brings something better in the future? Can you follow an order at the cost of hurting another? What appears as a basic human rights campaign is actually that of philosophy.

The film is also a joy to watch due to its excellent pacing. It is told in a series of vignettes, and when director Yasuhiro Yoshiura feels a scene is over, he smartly cuts away or lets it fade into the next one. With a lot of ground to cover in just an hour and 40 minutes, we are given just enough to feel the impact of the characters without them growing tiresome. By the time the movie ended, it left me wanting even more and even feeling a bit upset there was no Season 2 or continuation. As quickly as I learned about this futuristic world, I left it with just as many questions as I started with. Even if there never will be a follow up, Time of Eve exists comfortably in its own world and can work just fine standing alone.

A few problems do impact this film. A little bit of suspension of belief is needed to get into its world setting. I don't think that a future like this with near-human androids would be met with such backlash. Additionally, as human as the androids act, they are still programmable and as complex as the feelings that these robots show, they are still ultimately artificial. Yoshiura's directing style can also be yay or nay with some. His camera angles shift between first and third person quite often and frequently use a motion blur effect. Though it makes scenes more dynamic (I personally loved it), its alternative style can be distasteful to some (and could possibly invoke motion sickness)!

The art style is a mix of 2D and 3D. This can usually be disastrous, but with a smart director (and a decent movie-sized budget), it gives the scenes more depth. In Time of Eve, there's no clash in these styles and things lay naturally in space. I like the character designs in particular - they're not particularly "loud" with huge expressions and distorted features but not plain enough to make it seem like a forgettable mid-2000's title. Outside of the typical "anime feature" of highly detailed eyes, I could probably see these character models as real people, from their noses to their hairstyles. The movie does fair audio-wise. Aside from the pleasing credits song "I have a dream", the soundtrack is more or less sound effects and short pieces to enhance a mood. The voice actors also did a good job in this film, in particular the main characters with a down to earth and realistic tone (though the mania that Yukana gives Akiko is loved as well).

With this in mine, I give Time of Eve a 7/10. I admit that I was a bit skeptical on starting the movie, thinking it was going to be one of "robot rebellion" or overtly preachy. What I got was a mature film that was as welcoming and relaxed as the atmosphere in Nagi's cafe. Fans of shows like Mushishi or Natsume Yuujinchou will adore this movie, as well as sci-fi fans who are looking for something different than a thriller. On every object in the cafe, it asks if "you are enjoying the Time of Eve?" I certainly can say I did.

Do you like or dislike this anime? If you haven't watched it, are you encouraged to watch it or not? Leave a comment on my profile telling me what you think of the anime and/or my review.

Thanks for reading and have a blessed day!

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.

Among the few things to leave a lasting memory - the setting of Time of Eve is perpendicularly awesome - that is a serene tea-bar like hangout. With that established, it builds upon many peoples dream to have a place that is home away from home - and still a place to converse and contrast with other people.

While the characters and plot particularly is entirely memorable, he entire product is something impressive with it's thought provoking narrative about the humanity of a machine, and trying to understand the creations we may eventually create. It is a definite watch and maybe something that you will ... remember for its uniqueness down the road.

I really really loved this. I mean really really. And even though ending had some closure, I felt lot of things ended up being unaddressed, some plot threads even dropped, and the character relationship I found most compelling only half explored. That last remark was my only big issue with this, I really really wanted to see more development there.

That, along with plot threads about cracking down on them, were two most promising directions, and I was dying to see them unravel. But then they kinda got half-wrapped up quickly just barely enough to make it passable and ending capitalizes upon a thread that ... was only raised just recently? Ok sure it was grounded in character that was here from beginning, and his character development was spectacular there, but it wasn't our protagonist. That has to be a significant part of why ending didn't feel like an ending to me. To me it seems like this screams for a sequel. I feel as if I've seen only the first season of Code Geass or something. I need more of this, it's way too good! How is there not more?! Argh...

What I loved about it... ah well everything else literally. Art and direction are beyond words. Themes are amazing and I love the way they are naturally explored through character interactions. Pacing is perfect.

This is the end of this review, following is my take on what I would have liked to have seen in a sequel/conclusion sort of sense:

SPOILERS AHEAD:

Due to Tex (THX) incident, and spy (Setoro) witnessing it, organisation launch a full scale crackdown on gray zone gathering places. Sammy gets captured in the process, but the rest manage to escape. Using Rikou's newfound understanding and implied love for Sammy, as well as Masaki's knowledge of robot law, and a help from Time of Eve regulars they're harbouring, they manage to rescue Sammy before her memory is wiped and suppression circuit restored. Nagi somehow plays a key role in this.

Back during the Katoran incident, introduce plot thread that is key to finale in some way (to make it more relevant to overall story). While rescuing Sammy we learn the suppression circuit was necessary because the only way to bring androids to this level of sophistication was to model their minds to how our minds work, which comes with individuality. Masaki's father goes through a personality twist, that sprouts from the seeds of spying on Tex-Masaki (current finale). It's what makes the rescue of Sammy possible at the last second. After the public reveal about suppression circuits, public is leaning against institution and with Masaki's help, new bill of robot rights comes to pass and Androids of certain version and up, that have similar minds to ours, are legally protected from abuse.

Time of Eve becomes legal and is reconstituted. After Rikou almost lost Sammy, they reunite with a crying hug, Rikou realises how much she's grown on him. Upon his suggestion, she starts behaving normally outside as if she was in Time of Eve (as it's now legal/okay to do so). Half of androids had their memories erased before the organisation is quelled, one of them happened to be Shimei. In Time of Eve, the regulars reintroduce Shimei to everything, and he slowly redevelops his usual self.

Rikou teaches Sammy to play piano, she's still not good at it but she's slowly improving and Rikou's attention makes her really happy. There is a bond of platonic love between Rokou and Sammy, that hints at maybe becoming more than that. Naoko ends up stalking her brother and discovering the Time of Eve. Show the look of wonder in her eyes as she glances across the room. Roll credits.

Set in the near future, Time of Eve explores the interactions between humans and androids as the latter have come into common use for humanity’s conveniences. High school student Rikuo Sakisaka owns a home android named Sammy and realizes she has been behaving unusually independent as of late. Investigating Sammy’s activity, Rikuo and his close friend, Masakazu Masaki, encounter an unusual cafe called the Time of Eve where humans and androids are allowed to interact with one another normally without fear of prejudice.

Over a decade ago, my first exposure to Time of Eve was through its ONA adaptation released online. I will admit it was ... one of the very first titles of the ONA format that I developed a strong liking to between its visuals and the amount of storytelling and character exploration it was able to flesh out over its six episodes. This film version of the series includes a few new scenes that don’t necessarily add much new to Time of Eve. Still, this version retains every little scene from the ONA without anything cut from it, which is a plus over most compilation films I see based off any TV anime. I guess I can consider watching the movie as a refresher to explore what I think of Time of Eve after last seeing it over 12 years ago.

Time of Eve’s greatest strength comes from how much of its world it’s able to explore with human and android interactions in around 100 minutes of runtime for both its ONA and film formats. Rikuo and Masakazu’s time within the Time of Eve cafe makes both come to gradually realize how humans can take their androids for granted, as many people in their time tend to regard them no different from electrical appliances that serve a purpose until they break down, get replaced for the latest thing, and disposed of. Most episodes of the series explore Rikuo and Masakazu interacting with one of the frequent androids who visit the cafe and come to learn of their varying experiences interacting with humans. Each character focused on explores a different element of android and human interactions, and there is enough explored with them to build a connection to them in spite of Time of Eve’s tight runtime.

Outside of events playing out within its titular cafe, Time of Eve also offers some rather subtle details it explores regarding some major elements to its world. Limiting spoilers, the series is pretty subtle with dropping hints throughout its run that further flesh things out with a number of major elements involving the world and some major characters of the series that may require a few rewatches of the series if not spotted upon initial viewing. This adds a bit of rewatchability to Time of Eve for those interested in wanting to learn more about the series outside of its main focus on Rikuo, Masakazu, and the other cafe patrons.

Visually, Time of Eve is quite a great-looking production to see in action with believable looking character designs sporting a wide range of facial expressions, gorgeous and highly-detailed scenery shots, and a great deal of effort put into its animation with its believable character movements and depicting some unique robotic designs and actions animated at points throughout the film. The only low point I really have with the visuals is the camera’s occasional habit of focusing on up-close shots of characters during some tense moments in Time of Eve. It looked like this was an effort to try conveying the drama of some particular key moments in the film, though this use of the camera did look a bit awkward in execution.

Still for how large and complex its story is, Time of Eve is able to tell a tight and compelling story regarding human and android relationships within its limited runtime having complicated themes about these relations dabbled into and the characters being well fleshed out to explore how current societal views on human-robot relations affect them. If you’re looking for a sci-fi anime which does more to dabble into humanity’s treatment of robots besides using the latter as window dressing, Time of Eve is a title I’d highly recommend looking into.

*Time of Eve* is another one of those sci-fi movies depicting Androids of the future as capable of achieving sentience and autonomy.

Unlike others, *Time of Eve* takes the slice-of-life approach and takes place mostly in a cafe where humans and androids alike are treated equally without distinction. While the main theme of the movie is about android discrimination, *Time of Eve* also discusses minor issues such as human dependence on technology and by extension human attachment to technology.

Overall, *Time of Eve* shouldn't be taken too seriously in terms of philosophy. It's meant to be a visual delight showing what our future might be with regards ... to sentient robots and androids.

I would personally rate *Time of Eve* 7/10.