Michael is Low on Hit Points
Johnnies are out in full force as Eden of the East hits a high note before the long wait for the true finale
- Posted June 23rd, 2009 at 1:48 AM ET
- Subjects Eden of the East
- Tags impressions, final look
- Image sources
1- Eden of the East [unknown]
2- 2d girls indeed [unknown] - Video searches
none
The longest running dick joke in the history of anime has ended... or not. I'm happy as hell that Eden is (assumed to be) continuing, as there is so much this series has still to offer. The characters, setup, and themes all were given plenty of attention, but they also hold promise for even more greatness. But then there's always the fine print: November. Ugh.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but these 'movies' are going to be actual theatrical releases, right? If that's so, then November '09 really becomes god knows when in 2010. While waiting for that usable DVD-release, spoilers will be floating around the net. That would be fine if bloggers actually put spoiler warnings on their posts or blanked out off-topic spoilers, Jason Miao! *ahem*
But enough bitching at what was overall a fantastic series. Even if the show had indeed ended here with all that is still left open, I don't really have much to complain about or critique. There seems to be a growing dissent against the show, for reasons simply beyond me. Popularity brews contempt, I guess. I'll let them do their bitching, and instead focus on some really good things I liked about the finale.
The NEET / shopping mall / zombie postulate came true, and it was even more glorious / hilarious than I imagined it could be. I'm genuinely surprised at how well the comedy worked, never distracting from the dramatic finale. The studio behind Eden -- Production IG -- really does an excellent job here packaging serious and deep content in a candy-coated shell (idea stolen from this Epic Win post, under entry #2).
lol irony! You are 2d girls! I almost expected them to break the 4th wall here, but that wouldn't have fit the series. Consider it a subtle touch then.
Speaking of subtlety, nice job with the taxi driver! If you missed this -- I did -- the taxi driver in the final episode is either number 12, the supporter, mr. outside, or all of the above. Don't believe it? Go back to episode 4 and watch the flashback where Akira interacts with a car driver across from him. That's the same chin! That's the same guy! It's too coincidental not to be.
Any other series would have focused in on the taxi driver right at the show's closing, along with an overdone "dun dun dun," just in case you didn't get that he was the main antagonist. Eden is too respectable to do that. Credit given where credit is due. And I know I'm pulling this out of my ass, but the first movie reference in the series is of Robert Deniro in Taxi Driver! *ahem*
Finally, I love crowd-sourcing the NEETs, "shooting" down the missles, and the song during that finale containing lyrics from the OP backgrounds. How much more 'win' can an anime get? Eden is certainly one of the best I've ever seen, no caveat to add there. It comes with my full recommendation.
For all those out there that bitch about moe killing anime, this is your series. If I see anymore complaints about Eden of the East coming from that camp, I'll buy every piece of K-ON! merchandise to spite you. All kidding aside, feel free as always to leave your opinion of the show in the comments below.
1 zzeroparticle
Eden stood out as the best show of the season in the way it's wrapped in its tightly-written script along with characters that were really fun to watch. Like you said, the movies just can't come soon enough.
2 Omisyth
A good series, though I think the comedy was too prevalent at times. Also, I still don't particularly like Saki.
3 owq
Lol. I didn't notice the irony behind the 2D girls thing. GOOD ONE!
4 Gargron
Eden was great, simply great, but I must admit the Johnny-joke was kind of presented as base of the show. No, really, through the whole anime! (Not that it wasn't funny at all)
I lol'ed at the 2D phrase too btw, but hey, on the other hand, what was Saki supposed to say otherwise?
I think the wait time for the movies is bearable, since actually, this anime's story ended. If you remember, the prologue talked about "how he became a prince in a world with no princes left" — and that's it.
5 Kabitzin
Oh man, that irony is delicious! If only Mikuru and Saki knew...
Interesting note about the taxi driver, although the movie references didn't hold that firm in the TV episodes.
Re Michael is LoHP
@ zzeroparticle
The writing was tight, across the board. When what we've seen so far has been so well put together, I can have great confidence that the movies wont let me down.
@ Omisyth
If anything, Saki serves to bring out characteristics from our hero, Akira. Because of her, he grows... but he does come off as the kind of stud that would have pulled through with / for any girl. At the very least, she isn't overtly annoying or fall into more typical female character tropes.
@ owq
Maybe because I've also been watching Hayate this season, but that one had 4th wall potential written all over it.
@ Gargon
I don't think that Johnny joke would have ever gotten old. But then, maybe that's just the level of my humor...
Saki could have said, "Maybe they only like 3d girls?" Otaku 3d guys want cut-and-paste 2d girls and 2d otaku want well-rounded 3d girls? I could see a gag anime where all the nerds in it want more fleshed out girls, since all the ones they know are two dimensional!
I will agree that the ending was a clean one. The main themes of this season have been wrapped up, to some extent. The show could have ended here and still been alright. But more is welcome, and I can't wait!
@ Kabitzin
I really liked the movie references sprinkled throughout, since me and my friend that I watched it with are both big movie buffs. Good times!
6 kadian1364
Yeah, I liked it overall, best from Spring Season of what I've seen.
Which is not to say it's perfect. For an eleven episode series, I felt pacing was hurt whenever the characters would sit around expositioning plot, which happened more often than I liked. Stuff like that fits better in a slower-paced series like Monster.
Small potatoes really. I think these things will be avoided in the follow up films just because of the shorter format = snappier pace.
7 Glo the Legend
When I saw the first episode I knew it would be a winner, as both Taxi Driver and the Bourne series were both dropped. I wasn't wrong, I really enjoyed this series.
Hopefully I'll be able to stay away from spoilers of the movie before it comes out. I bet I'll accidentally stumble upon something though.
8 Kairu
Eden of the East is fucked up..
.. in a good way.
Re Michael is LoHP
@ kadian1364
Well, if you think about it, Eden really isn't an eleven episode series. If the movies span one and a half hour each, then 3 hours of content is essentially ~8 more episodes. Thus, you could say that the series runs closer to 20 "episodes," which gives it more time to slow down the pace and exposit.
@ Glo the Legend
The first episode set the standard. It was definitely a great start to the series.
I'm sure I'll stumble upon spoilers too. Happens all the time when I'm not paying enough attention to what links I click on. Unfortunately, the time frame between the movies' premiere and its likely subbing is too long to just avoid the internet until it's out, which is what I did back when Code Geass R2 was airing.
@ Kairu
The show has a good, twisted humor to it all. It doesn't seem too absolute in any of its champions, and freely rags on both sides of any fence it touches. I'm glad that so far it's managed to avoid getting overtly preachy on any particular subject.