6.8 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
The conclusion to the story begun in the Eden of the East TV series and continued in the theatrical movie The King of Eden.
Starring: Ryohei Kimura, Saori Hayami, Sakiko Tamagawa, Nobuyuki Hiyama, Masakazu MoritaAnime | 100% |
Foreign | 98% |
Mystery | 2% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.78:1
English: Dolby TrueHD 5.1
Japanese: Dolby TrueHD 5.1
English
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
DVD copy
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A, B (C untested)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 3.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
It might be a footrace to decide which anime franchise has the most convoluted storyline. Two definite finalists would no doubt be Ghost in the Shell and Eden of the East and both in a way share several similarities. As with many animes, both of these franchises posit a technology-laden universe where man and machine tend to at least have a symbiotic relationship, if not an outright melding. And both series also harbor a sort of paranoid vision of governments run amok, steamrolling over the general populace with careless abandon. Ghost in the Shell has longevity on its side and may in fact outdistance Eden of the East for that and several other salient reasons, but Eden of the East is certainly one labyrinthine enterprise itself, one which requires a certain focus and dedicated memory in order to unravel. For that reason, it’s highly recommended that jumping headlong into Eden of the East: Paradise Lost without having spent time getting to know the franchise either by virtue of its original episodic television outing or two subsequent films (one of which is a highly edited and redacted version of the original television series) is not just unwise, it may in fact be counterproductive to the point where it will turn potential fans off of what is really a very interesting and entertaining thriller in the Ludlum Bourne vein. While Eden of the East: Paradise Lost ostensibly ties up all of the loose ends of the story, as should be expected, there’s a sort of open door left agape in the film’s brief coda which may hint at the fact that Eden of the East may be giving Ghost in the Shell a run for its money for years to come.
Eden of the East: Paradise Lost, like its previous siblings, arrives on Blu-ray with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.78:1. This is a clean and precise looking presentation that offers nice, robust and well saturated color and excellent line detail. This particular outing has a peculiar design choice where several characters seem to walk around with a grey smudge on their noses, but otherwise the character designs are appealing and well done, and the Blu-ray presents them very well. Backgrounds, as with the previous Eden of the East outings, are very well done and help to maintain a high level of believability throughout the film.
Both of the lossless Dolby TrueHD 5.1 mixes included on this Blu-ray, one with the original Japanese language track and the other a very good English dub, offer sterling fidelity, excellent surround activity and some thundering LFE. Purists of course will want to stick with the Japanese version, but those who don't like reading subtitles should know they're getting a good translation and some superior voicework, as with the previous outings in this franchise. Immersion is nicely handled in a lot of the cityscapes which make up Paradise Lost, and such effects as planes landing or the Juiz trucks roaring around Tokyo freeways provide some awesome low end with great regularity. Dialogue is crisp and clean, underscore is well mixed, and both of these tracks should delight audiophiles, no matter which language they end up choosing to listen to.
Eden of the East: Paradise Lost might be a bit of a letdown, after the incredibly convoluted set up presented both in the redacted version of the television series as well as King of Eden. Suddenly we're more concerned with a kind of soap operatic exploration of Takizawa's parentage than we are with the outcome of the seleção game. There's still a lot to like here, especially if expectations for a gripping wrap up are somewhat mitigated, including some nice interplay between Takizawa and Saki, and some interesting side characters who come into play. But for a series and film franchise which wove such a complex story out of so many different elements, this outing seems more like a place holder than a "wow" wrap up. Despite these qualms, Eden of the East: Paradise Lost still maintains interest without too many issues, and it looks and sounds fantastic on this Blu-ray. Recommended.
2009
2009
Higashi no Eden / 東のエデン
2009
2010
2010
Evangerion shin gekijôban: Jo
2007
2008-2009
Evangerion shin gekijôban: Ha
2009
Anime Classics
1998
Essentials
2014
2009-2010
ストレンヂア 無皇刃譚
2007
2006
2011
2012
Limited Edition | パプリカ
2006
言の葉の庭 / Koto no Ha no Niwa
2013
2010-2011
Premium Edition
2007-2008
Kôkyô shihen Eureka Sebun: Poketto ga niji de ippai
2009