Eden of the East: The King of Eden (Review)

Answers Beget Questions in Eden of the East: The King of Eden.

Picking up a few months after the end of East of Eden, Eden of the East: The King of Eden seamlessly picks up in the series’ footsteps. The movie keeps the same tone as the series, though at times it just feels like a few additional episodes tacked on. However, since the original series’ biggest problem was that it was so anticlimactic, the supplemental film was quite a pleasant surprise. Still, even this time around audiences are left stuck with the bill when it once again ends without a satisfying resolution.

Returning to the series is Saki Morimi (Leah Clark), who has taken up a desperate search to find Akira Takizawa (Jason Liebrecht). It seems Akira has lost all his memories again. She makes her way to New York City, where she finds herself being used as bait in a sick game of cat-and-mouse as another Seleção, one of a chosen few given cell phones and access to 10 billion yen, and a liaison with the ability to grant to accomplish any of their whims. The catch is, they have to change the world or be killed. Unfortunately for her though, Akira has no memories of her and won’t be coming to her rescue. That is until they accidentally bump into each other.

The King of Eden introduces a number of new elements to the series, and while it does answer many of the questions that audiences had from Eden of the East, it ultimately only raises even more. Director Kenji Kamiyama has a unique talent for only giving audiences enough information for them to come up with more questions. While this is brilliant, by the end of the movie it can be a little irritating still being left in suspense. With that said, The King of Eden still crafts a deep web of intrigue, and it never tries to trumpet its own themes. Instead, it simply lets them wash over the audience.

As with the series it’s based on, The King of Eden is filled with profoundly likable characters. The remarkably optimistic Akira has an almost-childlike sense of naivety about him. It’s not that he doesn’t understand that bad things happen in the world, though: It’s more like he hopes for the good and refuses to give up on his hopes for the future. It’s a sort of charisma that seems to work on almost everyone else in the movie, and it even draws the audience to him. While cynicism has its place with the hard-boiled characters anime fans have come to know and love, it’s refreshing to have a character that not only fights for what he believes in but does so with a smile on his face. Of course, there’s also Saki, who pursues Akira to a degree that is almost heartbreaking. She isn’t necessarily filled with unrequited love, but her hopes and devotion are admirable and something that audiences can relate to.

For anyone who was a fan of Eden of the East, this is a must-see followup. Those that haven’t had a chance to watch the original series might want to check that out before they try tackling the movie. It’s hardly a typical anime experience and is great for those who want to branch out from brawls and cheesy romances. And luckily for fans, the English dub of the next Eden of the East came out recently; maybe it answers a few more questions.