Saki Morimi is visiting Washington D.C. on a trip to celebrate her graduation from University. She is about to enter the work force, having a work interview scheduled as soon as her intended return time to Japan. This plan gets derailed when she meets a naked man with no possession besides a gun and and cellphone, and no memory of who he is, in front of the White House. She give her his jacket to cover up and they part ways, however, as it turns out her passport is in the jacket and she misses her flight. Meanwhile, the man has finds the apartment room he has apparently been staying at, just to find that he has many aliases and passports, and that he might be a terrorist. He also finds out his phone has an insane amount of money credited on it. After being tracked down by Saki, he decides to go by the name Akira Takizawa, and together they return to Japan. There Takizawa begins to investigate his past, one which may or not involve recent missile strikes on the country and the disappearance of 20,000 people; while Saki finds herself becoming more and more involved with this mystery man.
Here is a premise that just hooks the audience immediately. Having a main character that is enigma even to himself is a simple but brilliant narrative quirk. As a viewer, you find yourself craving the truth behind his identity. His past is interesting to say the least, involving a twisted game set up by the faceless Mr. Outside, in which the constants have to "save" Japan with the 10 billion yen given to them, and any who fail to reach this first, or uses the money for personal reasons will be eliminated. However, this is just the tip of the show's mystery. Even as bits and pieces of his past are relieved, it is never made clear what exactly is Takizawa's role in the bizarre events that have taken place in Japan until late in the series; leaving the viewers in the dark and dying to know the truth.
However, this intrigue with the main character is not not the only thing going for the show, not by a long shot. The story reaches much further and into some very interesting issues. The Japan depicted in this anime is a county in disarray, trying to recover from a disastrous incident. The show does a fine job capturing the understated desperation present in this kind of atmosphere, and what people are willing to believe in such times. It also effectively portrays young adults struggling to find a place in, or rebel against, society and how they have the power to reshape it. Ultimately, the series shows what people are capable of once they band together. Admittedly, these themes are somewhat diluted my the mystery story centering around Takizawa, having less punch than they should have and leaving a few loose ends on the mystery-side, but for the most part they come together very well.
What really makes Eden of the East stand out from other political thrillers is its characters.Their presence is far more inviting than the rigid, distant military-types found in GitS:SAC. Takisawa has a loose and relaxed personality, rather than the cold and deliberate character he easily could have been. This actually works for the best, as his unique personality makes him incredibly likable, and has the audience genuinely invested in him. Saki also has a charm of her own, and is the perfect face for the generation just entering the work force. Both are a joy to watch whether they are together or apart. The rest of the colorful cast is just as interesting. The other participants in Mr. Outside's game, called Seleção, each have there own interesting intentions with the 10 billion yen they have been granted, some with grand schemes to reshape the country and win the game, others with more personal endeavors. Even Saki's group of NEET friends is a collection of likable personalities, each with their own quirks.
On the technical side, Eden's visuals are some of the finest visuals you will see in a TV anime series. Kamiyama's works have all been known to look fantastic, and Eden is no exception. The backgrounds depict the busy city streets of New York and Tokyo, as well as many other locations, in stunning detail. Taking in the scenery is a joy all of its own. Even more notable, however, is the show's use of softer looking character designs, more typical of a slice-of-life than a political thriller. This may seem like an odd choice, but it is surprisingly less jarring than one would expect, actually the character designs fit the show perfectly. The designs give the characters an expressiveness and charm that would not be achieved by a harder, more realistic look. You can just see Takizawa and Saki's personalities shine through their facial expressions and body language. The visuals here are simply the best that can be expected of a TV series. Likewise, the music here is incredibly well composed and superbly used. Whether the music is absent in a scene, or sounding the greatness of a scene, Kamiyama's use of it is always appropriate and brings the out the full effect of the scene. The only thing that can be said against the sound here is that it does not quite reach the level of integration of music and story that Cowboy Bebop, Princess Tutu, and very few others do.
You can tell from its first episode that Eden would be something special. With a refreshingly new take on its genre, the show definitely delivered on its early promise. While it is probably too light for hardcore political thriller fans, it is more accessible to a wider audience, one of the few shows that can claim near-universal appeal. And as for any loose ends the show has... there are two squeal movies to fill that void.
