Eden of the East

Lore & Background

The series begins on November 22, 2010, when ten missiles strike Japan without casualties, an event called 'Careless Monday'. On that same day, university graduate Saki Morimi meets a naked amnesiac Japanese man outside the White House. He uses a cell phone with ¥8.2 billion in digital money and learns he is one of twelve 'Seleção' given ¥10 billion each to save Japan, guided by an AI concierge named Juiz. The protagonist, adopting the identity Akira Takizawa, discovers he was involved in Careless Monday, transporting twenty-thousand NEETs to Dubai after they helped evacuate missile targets. He encounters other Seleção, including a police officer, a neurosurgeon, and a serial killer, and learns the game's organizer is the elderly businessman Saizō Atō. The series ends with Takizawa erasing his memory again after asking Juiz to make him the 'King of Japan'.

Reader's Guide

Eden of the East is significant as the first original animation series broadcast on Fuji TV's Noitamina timeslot, a block known for innovative anime. Its blend of mystery, social commentary, and technology—centered on a cell phone with vast digital funds and an AI concierge—resonated with audiences. The series spawned two theatrical sequels: The King of Eden (set six months after the series) and Paradise Lost (set hours after that), which conclude the story of the Seleção game. Licensed by Funimation (later Crunchyroll, LLC) for North America, the series premiered in the United States at Anime Expo in 2010. Its legacy includes exploring themes of memory, identity, and collective responsibility, with a plot involving missiles, NEETs, and a game to 'save Japan'.

Did You Know?

• The first original animation broadcast on Fuji TV's Noitamina timeslot was 'Kujibiki Unbalance' (2006), not this series.
• The protagonist's cell phone carries ¥8.2 billion in digital money.
• The event 'Careless Monday' involved ten missiles striking Japan with no casualties.
• The series and both films were licensed for North American release by Funimation (later Crunchyroll, LLC).