With so many shows easily available, it's important that a show makes a statement of intent in the very first episode. Why would anybody follow a show that can't grab attention right off the bat? Fortunately though, Kenji Kamiyama's “Higashi No Eden” caught my attention from the get go.

The show's opening theme is “Falling Down” by Oasis. Although that really doesn't have much to do with the show itself, it was the first time I had heard Oasis in an anime soundtrack. Pretty hipster move from an anime perspective. Anyway, the show kicks off with Morimi Saki, a Japanese student who is visiting the US. She gets into hot water after the police catch her trying to throw a stone into the White House's fountain. She gets saved, however, when a Japanese streaker distracts the policemen, letting her run off.

The streaker in question turns out to be a man by the name of Akira Takizawa. At least, that's what his passport says. This man remembers nothing and has nothing apart from three fake passports. He takes the Japanese one with the Takizawa name and, along with Saki, returns to Japan. This is where the plot starts to unravel. Going to the address on Takizawa's passport, he and Saki find that Takizawa owns and used to live in a shopping mall. What's more, his phone is loaded with nearly 8 billion yen in digital currency.

Takizawa later learns that he is a 'Selecao', one of twelve individuals who have been chosen by “Mr.Outside” to save Japan. Each Selecao has been given ten billion yen and a digital telephone operator as
assistant. This operator, “Juiz”, can get everything done, from making the Prime Minister say uncle to having anybody anywhere assassinated. The depths of the game confuse Takizawa. What confuses him further is why he doesn't remember anything. This game has one further catch, though. If a Selecao uses up all his balance, he dies. If one Selecao manages to win the game, i.e., “save Japan”, the other Selecaos die.

Ten missiles were fired on a densely populated area from a Japanese military site by accident but mysteriously didn't cause any casualties and Takizawa is apparently involved. Nearly 20,000 NEETs (Not in Employment, Education or Training) mysteriously vanish. And apparently Takizawa is involved with that too.
The plot is very intricate and as bits and pieces of Takizawa's memory return to him, we start to get blown away by the eccentricities of his character. In the midst of all this, a strange but fascinating romance brews between him and Saki. Although, with all the mystery surrounding him, Saki and her friends naturally become very suspicious of Takizawa.

Other Selecao members show up, with some supporting Takizawa and others trying to outright eliminate him. What unfolds between them towards the end of the show is a battle of wits of nearly “Death Note” proportions.
The show lasts eleven episodes and then continues onto two movies; “The King of Eden” and “Paradise Lost”. While “King of Eden” is, for lack of better word, boring and bereft of any significant plot development, “Paradise Lost” is packed with twists and turns that leave you stunned at the depth of the story.

Akira Takizawa is probably the most creative anime protagonist to come out in recent years. In fact, he is somewhere along the lines of Yagami Light and Lelouch Vi Britannia but is deprived of the epic settings the two get. Morimi Saki is more of an observer. But it's probably fair to say that a dominating heroine would clash more with Takizawa. Her silent observer role guides the story better.

Very unconventional in its setting, “Higashi No Eden” is a hidden gem. Do unearth it.