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.
