Eve No Jikan Part 1
Me being the artsy fartsy douchebag that I am, I always look forward to independent anime productions and try to get my hands on as many as possible (though, I’m kind of lame in this respect– I needs me some more indie anime.) As such, I have been looking forward to Eve no Jikan for a while– probably for something like… two years? Whenever the first poster came out. Right when I saw it, I was hooked. It just looked good.
And about two years later I can say with confidence that, yeah, it looks good.
But before I talk about how it looks, let’s focus on the story. You don’t get much from this first 15-minute part, but I liked how it played out. The concept is kind of been-done SF stuff, but it’s done well and works. The characters are all also been-done archetypes, but once again are all written well and don’t really detract from anything.
Where this thing really shines is in the artwork, animation and direction. Eve no Jikan’s directorial approach is closer to that of a film, rather than that of a cartoon. The crew treats the world as one that exists in three-dimensions, resulting in a number of cool shots. Sure, there is a good helping of anime flatness in the piece, but at times there will be the odd shot taken from the first person view of the main character, or things will go all Akiyuki Shinbo-styled shaky-cam for a bit.
The animation itself is also gorgeous, and compliments the ambitious camera work perfectly. Scenes are always well lit, characters always look good, and the backgrounds look way cooler than Shinkai backgrounds. Character designs subscribe to typical anime rules of design, but at the same time look unique and attractive. Everything is rich, well detailed, and does well in immersing you into this (perhaps) not-so-distant SF future.
I have hope for Eve no Jikan, and feel it is a strong contender for best anime of the year already. While the basic parts are kind of cliché, the show more than makes up for it in its execution. This is style of production is what all anime should strive for.
Holy shit, that was amazing. I had heard nothing about this before this post. Thank you for introducing me to this superb piece of art. The style and camera effects in this were great, and the story seems pretty interesting so far too. I can’t wait for more. Thanks again, wildarms!
Can’t wait ’till it’s subbed!
>> LWL
http://www.nyaatorrents.org/?page=download&tid=27120
It was okay but nothing worth talking about. Yoshiura’s works never really caught my interest, they’re somehow “dry”. That shiny stuff was a bit too much – I mean every shot had that special effect, professionals don’t use special effects the whole time.
Great post! Like you, I’m expecting this to be one of this year’s highlights. The effects are a bit overdone at points, as if the director believes he still has to prove his worth; at this rate he ought to have nothing to prove by the end.
I’ve read a small number of reviews since writing my own on this episode, and the reaction seems to be quite positive – there’s quite an interest building up here. If that gets an indie piece like this the recognition it deserves, so much the better.
I’m also noticing how every one of them highlights something different that makes me appreciate the series more – in this case you’re dead on with the direction and camera angles. It’s very cinematic – hardly anime-ish at all – but gives the show its own unique style and atmosphere. ‘Dry’? A little, perhaps, but I think that might be intentional as the ‘coldness’ was in Pale Cocoon, to reflect its worldview.
The animation is a trivial matter. The ideas are of most importance.
Of course, when we mix Original Ideas+Neat Animation+Perfect Music we get Mushishi ;)
I watched this episode 3 times to catch all the little details that were going on. Other shows also explore the “How do we live with robots/androids?” question (e.g. Chobits). However, this one seems to go further in portraying a society where anyone who treats robots as anything other than machines is seen as a deviant person. It is closer to a master/slave society.