Eden of the East: Paradise Lost
dir. Kenji Kamiyama (2010)
This feature-length finale continues direct from ‘The King of Eden’ (and thus the ‘Eden of the East’ series). Kamiyama ties up loose ends, yet the plot is a flaccid, shoulder-shrugging attempt to just walk away from the corner he’s painted himself into.
Eden of the East: The King of Eden
dir. Kenji Kamiyama (2009)
This anime film has a cinematic aura but is far from self-contained. It functions instead as a not-quite-feature-length continuation of the original series, though even here its efficacy is questionable. The plot comes across as a mid-trilogy sidestep leading into Paradise Lost.
Eden of the East
by Kenji Kamiyama (Fuji TV, 2009)
Anime writer director Kenji Kamiyama pursues an intriguing premise and develops two understated (yet compelling) lead characters. The story unfolds at good pace yet ends abruptly after eleven episodes, leaving the distinct impression of a longer, more ambitious series being cut mid-run.