Time of Eve: The Movie Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.5

Time of Eve: The Movie Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman October 7, 2015

Lovers of Isaac Asimov’s so-called “Laws of Robotics” and offshoots of those writings like I, Robot, may well want to check out the often intriguing Time of Eve, even if they’re not particularly interested in anime. This 2010 reworking of an earlier set of OVAs which ran online, attracting quite a bit of attention for writer/director Yasuhiro Yoshiura, has an unavoidably episodic quality to it, preferring to work out its philosophical musings over the course of interlocked vignettes, rather than an organically unfolding narrative whole, but it’s quite interesting as it explores the “differences” between humans and (increasingly) self aware androids.

A slightly cheeky subtext seems to suggest that future androids, tasked with helping humans around the home and at the office, are in fact little other than robotic Millennials, content to while away their free time at a local coffee house, sitting around looking hip whilst drinking beverages and reading existential novels. Time of Eve in fact refers to that very emporium, where two human guys named Rikuo and Masaki end up after Rikuo discovers that his own droid has been going there. That opens up a “conversation” of sorts where the very nature of being and consciousness is explored in a perhaps surprisingly accessible manner. While a bit slow moving and unavoidably talky, Time of Eve is intellectually engaging virtually its entire running time.

Time of Eve: The Movie Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Time of Eve is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Pied Piper with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.78:1. Time of Eve's design aesthetic is not overly showy, and so this presentation has few of the visual bells and whistles that often accompany anime science fiction tinged efforts. The palette plays out in shades of white and beige quite a bit of the time, with little pops of color coming from elements like a barista's bright orange hair. The androids all have "status rings" that hover over their heads like digital halos, and those also provide a bit more hue to the proceedings. Line detail is generally very sharp and precise, and there are no issues with image instability. Contrast and black levels are similarly solid, offering no issues whatsoever.

Time of Eve: The Movie Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Time of Eve features LPCM 2.0 mixes in both the original Japanese and an English dub. As with the visual component, the sound design here is not overly showy, tending to offer dialogue more than anything else. Fidelity is fine, offering that dialogue and occasional effects cleanly and clearly and with good prioritization.

Time of Eve: The Movie Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Short Film: Pale Cocoon (1080p; 22:54)


• Opening Day (1080i; 11:31)


• Behind the Scenes (1080i; 6:41)


• Audio Commentary is in Japanese with English subtitles, and features several members of the cast and crew.


• Short Film: Aquatic Language (1080p; 9:07)


• Trailer (1080p; 1:42)


• Sign Gallery (1080p; 38:03)


• Jun Fukuyama (Rikuo) (1080i; 8:21)


• Rie Tanaka (Sammy) (1080i; 5:40)


• Rina Sato (Nagi) (1080i; 7:53)


• Kenji Nojima (Masaki) (1080i; 6:48)


• Yasuhiro Yoshiura (Writer/Director) (1080i; 16:10)

Additionally, this Deluxe Edition contains the following non disc supplements:

• Soundtrack CD


• Illustrated 56 Page Booklet containing interviews and production data.

Time of Eve: The Movie Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Time of Evewas something of a phenomenon at the time of its original streaming, and went on to some crowdfunding success, as evidenced by the Kickstarter logo adorning the Blu-ray case. That renown is still somewhat lacking on this side of the pond, but those with an interest in artificial intelligence and the seemingly inescapable dawning of sentient robots may well find this a rather thought provoking if kind of slight entry. Those wanting to save at least a little scratch may want to check out Time of Eve: The Movie, which offers the Blu-ray and soundtrack CD without the big packaging and other swag. Either way, Time of Eve comes Recommended.