Hello, hello, today’s little attempt at being clever and bringing you fair but opinionated reviews is aimed at Eden of the East, also called Higashi no Eden.

This is the story of Akira Takizawa and Saki, two young people in 2011 Tokyo trying to find their future. In this universe 10 missiles have hit the city without making a single victim. Why’s that? Is this a conspiracy? What’s the government doing? Where are the 20,000 NEETs that have disappeared? How will our protagonists manage to survive in this environment? Which place can hold love in their lives? And, most important question of them all, will Mr. Outside get the punch in the face he deserves?

As usual I knew nothing of Eden of the East when I started except for the promo picture, at least I was surprised, in a good way. However, it’s an anime series that’s only concluded by the two movies following it, that’s something you should know before starting.

The plot of this is quite interesting if you ask me. It takes a very Battle Royale cliché kind of plot and turns it into something always surprising. Because the characters are surprising.

It’s nothing incredibly original, as characters are trying to save the world, each with their own means and ideas. It’s interesting to watch how they each take the word “saving” in a very different way; it shows that there are always different ways of doing the same thing, different ways of understanding the same word, the same goal.

It’s all coherent with each character–Mononobe is negotiating, a doctor is building hospitals, the assassin is killing people she thinks are bad for society. It’s all coherent and in a way, they’re all doing something they think is good, no matter what society thinks.

I really liked how new characters kept appearing, each with their own agenda, helping or going against Akira and his beliefs, and, just like them, we’re drawn to him. We want to see everyone at Eden survive, be successful, be happy and accept themselves, no matter who they are.

I think this anime is very up to date with today’s situation: it’s about trying to do something you think is good for others, no matter what it is (obviously, killing people is not recommended) and I think that, on top of being really entertaining and easy to get into, it’s inspiring. I definitely don’t regret watching this and strongly encourage everyone else to do the same!