Jun 24, 2020
I liked Higashi no Eden, you could even say I enjoyed it, but I think it's ultimately a lot of wasted potential. It could have been great.
The anime tries to put a lot of things into one, but it ends up being a mess. The battle royale plot is not its strongest aspect - but, you know, it's fine, because I don't think it should be considered a battle royale anime like Mirai Nikki, for example. I wish it was more of a strange and surreal (but ultimately charming) story instead of a battle royale mystery story. The most entertaining parts were those
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moments when Takizawa did something out there, all those elaborate schemes that are not very realistic but fun to watch. The show seems like it's trying to do both instead, and fails at both.
I don't really see anime as a medium for social commentary, but maybe making the issues it tries to comment on even more absurd, showing how bizarre the situation is, would have been great. The anime shows only hints of it, unfortunately.
Same with the characters. They had a lot of potential, but just... Not weird enough, but still likeable. The romance aspect is there, and I liked how non-anime it is. It happens naturally. I don't mind Saki being a bit boring because I think it balances Takizawa's weirdness out and grounds him a little bit. I think making the romance plot the only non-weird aspect of an overall weird show is a great idea.
This is why this show is fine to me. It not terrible, but you end up thinking about improving and rewriting it instead of fully embracing it.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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