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Anime Aside: Eden of the East – The King of Eden

Saki and Takizawa are back in the full length OVA Eden of the East: The King of Eden. Taking place six months after the ending of the television series, King of Eden continues the story of the Seleção striving to win the grand game with the help of Juiz.



The Gist: Going to be a little vague here since I don’t want to give away all the details. 🙂 At the ending of the television series, Takizawa has his memory wiped and disappears.  Saki is left with only his phone and a message that provides a clue where to find Takizawa. Hoping to reunite with him, Saki travels to America where she believes she will find Takizawa. Meanwhile in Japan Eden of the East has gone corporate and the gang are all working to support Saki in the background.  After following clues to his whereabouts, and escaping several disasters, Saki encounters Takizawa.  She brings him up to date, while the rest of the Seleção are on the move.  Takizawa is one of the main targets due to his wish to become the King of Japan, and he and Saki are once again thrown into the grand game that continues to play out as more information is uncovered. The movie ends with the two on a flight back to Japan.




A movie - or a memory?

The Characters/Romance: Hmmm. I’m not sure if it was the format of the OVA, with the time limit and all, but the chemistry that snagged me in the TV series just wasn’t as strong in King of Eden. There are a few factors that could have caused that – one being the time limit, as I mentioned above. Another may be because we already had one personality of Takizawa from the TV series, and since he wiped his memory, he’s not exactly the same as before. I just felt really sympathetic to Saki, because she was seeking him so desperately and he doesn’t really remember her. So the attraction is not the same. Despite that, there were two scenes I really loved – one occurs at the “Dumbo” movie theater, the other on the carousel.



The Artwork: Just as good as the TV series, if not better. Some of the landscape scenes almost look realistic. Cute costuming on Saki in this film. I like the pink dress with the military jacket. Takizawa looks nice in a suit, but it just didn’t resonate with my previous perception of him – most likely intentionally on the writer’s part. Backgrounds were once again fantastic.



The Voice Acting: Once again – well done. Kanpai to Jason Liebrecht and Leah Clark.



The Music/Sound Effects: The opening song for the movie is in English. The song, Invisible, is by artist LEAH. Couldn’t find anything on this artist, and I don’t find the song all that remarkable. The theme song for the film is by the previous band School Food Punishment.  Their song Light Prayer is a great upbeat fit for the movie. (Can’t believe I haven’t downloaded this from itunes yet.)



The Audience: I would go with older teen to adult viewers. Not as strongly as I would with the TV series, but there are still complex subjects addressed in the film.



The Media: Eden of the East: The King of Eden was released in the states by Funimation in April 2011. Finally, we have a release date for the finale OVA Eden of the East: Paradise Lost – August 2, 2011.

Heart of Manga Rating: ♥♥♥♥

If you like the TV series then don’t miss the continuation in the OVAs!

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