EPTYesterday I watched the movie version of Eve no Jikan (was told to watch that over the original since it explains more). The English title for the movie is “Time of Eve.” The movie is basically about what constitutes a human being. It was released on March 6, 2010 in movie theaters across Japan, as is based on a series of six seventeen minute episodes originally streamed on the internet. Both the ONA (original net animation) and movie are made by Studio Rikka.
In future Japan (the movie itself only says “probably Japan”) the norm is to have a housekeeping android called a “houseroid.” At first glance, the androids look like completely normal people. They have human flesh, hair, normal clothing, etc.. But upon further inspection, one can see a halo above their heads. I’m guessing that this is not only to distinguish humans from androids, but to also give the android’s status at a glance. The androids are shown to refer to their owners as “Master.” They don’t speak like computers, and instead talk like any normal person would. It seems that they also take verbal commands.
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Rikuo and Sammy, showing the halo thing above her head.
The movie picks up with the central theme rather quickly, as the second scene shows a TV commercial in the main character’s house with a robotic hand picking up a tomato and crushing it, causing a bunch of gears and screws to come out. There is then a text that says, “Would you eat a tomato created by machines?” It then shows a human placing a tomato on the ground with the caption, “In such an age, treasure warmth.” It then shows the logo of an organization called the “Ethics Committee.”
![[image loading]](http://imgur.com/IMHKl.png)
4320i? Holy shit.
![[image loading]](http://imgur.com/Qmcjl.png)
![[image loading]](http://imgur.com/1F5ig.png)
See? With the Ethics Committee, everything is happy.
I will be honest: my first thought when I saw this ad was that the Ethics Committee was full of the kind of people who watch Fox News (sorry if you are the kind of person who watches Fox News). I thought that this commercial did a great job at creating the setting for the movie. In a future where household robots are expected, there will surely be dissenters who believe that robots could never replace an actual human being. These people even have their own insult. A common slang term for an android lover or sympathizer is the phrase “dori-kei.” It seems that there is much peer pressure regarding being a “dori-kei.” At one point in the movie, a girl thanks her android. Her friend asks her “What, are you turning into a dori-kei or something?” In fact, most people in the movie are portrayed as acting coldly towards their robot servants. The robots that serve the schoolchildren wait in the hallway outside the classroom, holding various things for the students, such as their umbrellas. However, these brats don’t even say please and thank you. They just shove their bags or whatever into the arms of the androids and walk away, leaving the android a bit puzzled. All for fear of being called a “dori-kei.” The phrase is commonly used throughout the movie, even by the main characters.
The story itself revolves around a high schooler named Rikuo. Rikuo and his best friend, Masaki, are just normal high school kids, living average lives. One day, Rikuo is using his cell phone to check the navigation data for his household android, Sammy. He sees some coordinates that he doesn’t recognize, and notices that Sammy has been out at weird times lately. He and Masaki head to the coordinates, only to end up at a door in some alley. They watch another man head through the door, then build up the courage to enter themselves. Inside the building is a little coffee shop, called “Eve no Jikan (Time of Eve).”
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The Time of Eve cafe. The customers all appear human. But is there more than meets the eye?
The café has but one rule: Don’t discriminate between humans and androids. This is written upon an electronic chalkboard, right in front of the entrance.
![[image loading]](http://imgur.com/MGQEQ.png)
The chalkboard with the golden rule.
Unfortunately, they never show what happens if you violate the rule. The main character does once, but all he gets is a demerit point. I'm just assuming that if you get x amount of them you get kicked out or something.
It is in this café that most of the story takes place. In it, Rikuo will learn the stories of its customers, learn a bit about himself, and watch his surroundings change forever, for better or worse. Everything in the café (the walls, cups, plates, etc.) bears the ominous message “Are you enjoying the Time of EVE?” The message goes with the central theme of what constitutes a human being, and really makes the viewer think about it. I felt that all the characters had a unique story behind them, and the movie’s goal was to really make the viewer feel that the androids should be treated as equal to humans.
In the art department, the movie was beautifully made. The art wasn’t anything unique, but it was still solid, and looked pretty in the glorious 1080p. Most of the character designs were good looking, especially Sammy, IMO.
As for various film techniques, I was very turned off. The film had a habit of playing weird sound effects at times, or acting all serious then having something funny happen. It made it impossible to tell sometimes when the movie was trying to be serious or silly. There was also a problem with the shaky camera. I hate the shaky cam thing anyway, but why is it in an animated work? It’s not like there is a camera to worry about holding still >.>
Overall the music was decent. It ranged from happy to scary/suspenseful songs. And the credits had an awesomely beautiful Kalafina song.
Overall the movie was extremely touching. You know that feeling after you watched Finding Nemo for the first time and you’re like “Fuck humans. Fish forever ;_;?” This movie gave me a feeling like that, but replace the fish with robots. The filmmakers did a great job at portraying the advanced society, building characters, and delivering a touching story, all in 106 minutes. Probably one of the best few anime movies that I have ever seen. Definitely at least Tier A. It’s a must watch for any lover of science fiction, especially involving robots.
Also, Sammy is my robot love.
Your guide to Ferrose's rating system:
God Tier: 11/10. Very few shows can attain this tier. These are the best of the best. Make sure to watch them.
Tier S: 10/10. Shows that are once in a lifetime.
Tier A: 9/10. Wonderful shows, but they have a fatal flaw that won't let them get Tier S.
Tier B: 8/10. Still good and an auto-recommend.
Tier C: 7/10. Pretty average. Watch it if you're a fan of the genre.
Tier D: 6/10. Shows I didn't really like. A lot of these get dropped. Don't bother with them.
Shit Tier: <6/10. I hate these shows. They are a disgrace to anime. Perfect example: Code Geass R2.
I already added this to my "planning to watch" list. I might speed it up even, after reading this. Obviously you put some time and work into this with adding screenshots and the wording. You described the general outlines of the movie without spoiling too many details. I also like the jabs you take at foxnews watching people hahahahah. Poison adds flavour ;d
