The pacing was super slow and some of the fight scenes were completely unrealistic. Like plenty of manga, Eden has some rather interesting concepts and great ideas. The scientific premise and even the details were particularly interesting. However, the implementation was pretty disappointing. Flashbacks which jump out of nowhere, without much narration and even characters which *gasp* miraculously take down an entire crowd who've sufficient ammunition to destroy a series of buildings with careful planning. Folks might comment that I'm over-thinking but don't forget that the mangaka of many shounen and even seinen series tend to write up rather complex storylines. If one doesn't think enough, how does one appreciate such a storyline then?

And to think I actually read the manga quite a few times because I hoped it'd be better as I read more chapters.

Note: It is actually all right to jump to and fro from one setting to another but without careful introduction and even some narration(duh, to summarise of course!), it's like speeding on an expressway in a car without brakes.

And found that there were some valid points made by all parties. I can probably get away with posting a wall of text about it since so many other people have done so.

The pacing and narration remind me strongly of 20CB. Often there will be a switch to a new location & new characters to reveal more intrigues / aspects of the plotline. For the most part these plotlines either converge after a short time or don't at all. This story is nowhere near shounen, it's clearly an action / drama that's heavy on plotline and themes of morality.

Much of the story deals in conflicts of the type which involve conspiracy, hackers, set-ups, snipers, explosions. That's why it's action. But it's also plot-based. The plot is science fiction in the sense of technology but equally in the sense of "political science". And the sci-fi is far from a distortion of scientific principles. The author understands what he talks about. The Propatria is no evil empire, by the way. They practice diplomacy, and are influenced/subject to the media and public opinion opinion.

The author's style also changes over time slightly but noticeably. There're a lot of moral and social rhetoric early on (it's not random intellectualism as Chas decided, btw), but then it starts to focus more on plot & character development with rhetoric usually thrown in only at crucial times when it's appropriate. There are also a lot more plotlines going on at once by volume 13, in earlier volumes there was often only 1 plot/perspective at a time.

The first several volumes are from the perspective of Elia as a sensitive kid who comes to experience some harsh realities, but focus a lot more deeply on the people who meets than he himself. Volumes 5-8 finally demonstrate the depth of his character and start to truly develop it (masterfully). Around volume 8/9 the author also starts to show a sense of humor (a "cute" side) to the story. And starting from volume 9 the author starts to incorporate a lot more complexity into the story, with new characters and plots.

We have multi-chapter flashbacks. Often entire story arcs have no apparent relevance to the main plots of the series except to develop characters and offer a look into the lives people live (like volume 9). If you pay attention you can quickly tell when a flashback is a flashback, otherwise you should assume a sudden shift in location/characters just means that the story's timeline is progressing uninterrupted elsewhere and not let the context bother you.

So what I like: the depth of storyline, the attention to detail, the unique characters and style of character development, the author's tendency to not pull punches. What I don't like: the sudden decision on the part of the author to add a "cute" side to the story ~volume 8/9, the plot which often becomes so complex I can't follow the details or remember names that all sound South American, the learning curve required to understand exactly how all these plotlines fit together and realize what is and isn't related to the central plots of the series and realize that volumes 6-8 really /don't/ have any relevance to those plots except character development, and as Chas mentioned the very fragmented plot which leaves so many questions unanswered it can become difficult to make sense of.

Let me comment on Chas's controversial post, by the way.

That the action is bad is just false. It's very cleverly orchestrated and suspensefully set up. The one exception to this is Kenji (the Jesus of knives), who is most likely the object of the term "storm trooper effect", but Kenji's part is less than 20% of that whole story arc. The enemies were never as easy as mindless drones, and the "invincible anti-heroes" were far from it. I can't reveal details but if you read the fight Chas is referring to in volumes 2-4 you'd see how incorrect he is.

That the story takes an obvious moral stance is also totally incorrect. Much of the story, in fact, has consisted of bringing up moral conflicts without really resolving them. A major theme of the story as I interpret it is inability to protect those you love without committing acts of sin (the idea of sin is very present as well). Even if the "obvious moral stance" is the declaration of that as a fundamental conflict, doesn't that fundamental conflict give rise to enough moral difficulty by itself?

the political stuff are rather complicated, and i like the philosophical value about sinner.

for sure its really a chaotic world, which is not really different from what our world is going to be in future

Although lots of Chas' criticism is just, it does -not- warrant a 3/10.

It's a very good manga, I won't comment further than that since it'll take too much effort to write an essay on the manga as some here have done.

Check it out

Eden has held a conspicuous spot in my personal top 5 since I first came across it. Scope of the story is ambitious, to say the least ... post-apocalyptic bioterror mafia epic is not the most copious genre out there, but damned if Eden doesn't make it one of the best-represented. Lots of surprises, as well (I'd call the story anything but predictable). Just the fact that characters in whom we have some sympathetic interest get killed/maimed on a regular basis is enough to keep you from ever getting too comfy with things, and the plot takes plenty of creative turns in its own right.

I wouldn't call the violence in Eden gratuitous, but it is extraordinarily graphic. To me, this builds out another aspect of an unusually acute reading experience, but some might find it heavy.

Aside from the predictability thing, have to take issue with two other points made by Chas below. One, I don't see the manga taking "an obvious stance in what's considered right and wrong" ... every single character in it is morally compromised. We have sympathetic allegiances to some of them, as in any story, but there are no "good" guys here. Governments are not paragons of virtue; underworld power brokers are not paragons of virtue; regular people trying to get by in the rough-and-tumble of society are not paragons of virtue. Chas is saying, I guess, that some governments are "good" (i.e., it's the identity of these that he wants to decide for himself) ... but then who's being unrealistic?

Second, his comments about the storytelling pretty much condemn themselves, but it's worth calling them out. "Basically, it plops you down in the middle of the story, without really revealing much of the background information of the characters" --- yes, this is called "in medias res" plot development, noted as one of the hallmarks of literary mastery in Shakespeare and Homer, for example. Eden isn't literature on that scale, but it is one of the more skilfully told stories in manga, for damn sure. There are a few (not very many, honestly) timeframe jumps that require you to pay attention, but well-crafted non-linear storytelling is again usually counted a bonus by those who appreciate a good read. As to whether there are "huge holes" in the story --- shouldn't that be decided after it's finished? Seriously, is there a page limit within which complex developing threads are required to be tied up? If you insist on straightahead plot with orderly introductions of characters and prompt resolution of episodes, Marmalade Boy is pretty good (and no worries, its depiction of early-90's ice-cream-scoop technology is scrupulously realistic) ...

-------------------------------------------

I've just finished the series, and came back to update my rating and my comment. Because my earlier comment was part of a larger conversation, I'm leaving it as is (above). It's also useful to see what I was thinking back around volume 10 or so. My final thoughts follow ... some quasi-spolier stuff is in there, so be warned.

In the end, I thought the manga didn't quite live up to the promise of the first 8-9 volumes. That opening half was masterful, and I was definitely willing to give Endo a lot of leeway to develop things as he saw fit in the second half; but despite some moments of brilliance, this latter part didn't have the same effect on me. I would put that down chiefly to

- long digressions into the lives of characters who, in the end, only tie back into the main story when everyone gets together for the final resolution (and then sometimes only at second- or third-hand); I was hoping for an integral weaving together of threads along the lines of what we saw in the opening half.
- a panning away from a story focused on the lives of Eliah and Ennoia, to one about the whole human race as a race, which leaves me just a little bit ... meh.

Honestly, this looks like a case of the classic Sudden-Editorial-Cancellation-and-Hasty-Wrap-Up problem; but if there was a cancellation, it probably owes a lot to the minor-character-digressions that seem to take over the action at a certain point.

Still a great read, still worth your time (when it's great it's really great), but I'm downgrading from a 10 to a 9. Sincere thanks to all who've worked to make Eden accessible to English readers over the last many years.

... Last updated on April 27th, 2010, 7:53pm

I think that Chas is taking the series far too seriously and expecting something far more ideal that is possible with manga. But, I have to somewhat agree with certain points of both sides of the arguement here. In truth, its really only realistic in setting, since it takes place in the not so distance future (around 2110) and falls back on much of modern history. But I don't think the lack of realism in the action sequences necessarily detracts from the series. When it comes down to it, they're just a medium for progressing the story. Simply put, realistic fighting generally fails in an action series. It gives the people what they want.

I also have to agree that the author does force his beliefs on you. But even in literature, a stance is assumed when you're bringing these kinds of sociopolitical issues into play. Very few books at all (outside of manga) give you an objective stance on the subject. And other mediums, especially documentaries and movies, often have even heavier stances than the one Hiroki Endo takes. If anything, I think it should be praised for even dealing with such issues. And I don't think having a difference of views will necessarily detract from your enjoyment of the series.

Overall, I really enjoy this series. It has a strong uniqueness and a strange ability to make "filthy" things seem almost beautiful. But if you have problems with certian topics, then you should stay away. After all, even the "good guys" in the series are murderers, drug dealers, gangsters, mercenaries, and prostitutes. Its more about how those kind people can still have "pure" intentions for what they're doing.

@chas, man you're ridiculous, your expecations might be met with a book, but not with a manga. You cannot deal with racism in 200 pages and then expect it to be sold off. If I'm wrong then tell me a comparable manga series which has such a deep story, deals with sociological and policital issues realistically and has more then 2 volumes.

If you come up with Monster or Pluto then don't be hurt if I laugh out really loud.

silverado

I really wanted to like this manga, but it ended up being a waste of time. It tries to give off an air of realism and has a lot of pseudo-philosophy, but you have to be pretty superficial to be impressed by it. The worst part about it, is that the author takes a very obvious stance in what's considered right and wrong, and doesn't allow you to choose for yourself. It brings up a lot sociological and policital issues, such as racism and oppression, but rather than dealing with them realistically by discussing why people turn to racism, it takes the easy path and simply makes racists evil, and the oppressed good. You'll also find your stereotypical "evil, militant, high-tech organization", and invincible anti-heroes with ridiculous skills that have no place in a manga that tries to pass itself off as semi-realistic. In the end, the whole thing is very predictable.

Another negative points it that the action is very poor, as it relies heavily on the dreaded stormtrooper effect. The best example of this, and the thing that really made me lose complete interest in the manga, is when a small, poorly armed group, consisting of three civilians and four ex-soldiers take out an entire enemy division consisting of attack helicopters, elite soldiers in power armors, genetically enhanced, mutant soldiers, and a lot of basic, though heavily armed and armored infantry. Basically, a real life counterpart would be a small group of ragtag Iraqi insurgents taking out an entire company of US soldiers, including apaches, combat vehicles, marines, paratroopers.. you name it. It's just not going to happen.

Another thing that's poorly executed is the storytelling. Basically, it plops you down in the middle of the story, without really revealing much of the background information of the characters. It jumps a lot back and forth in time, something which is very confusing, as it's not always obvious when this happens, a problem that is further enhanced by the fact that many characters look very similar. Either way, after several volumes, there are still huge holes in the story that aren't filled. It's such an obvious storytelling device, which basically tries to force you to read on to find out about their background, but it comes off very poorly, since it seems to tell you that the present story isn't interesting enough to keep you reading, without having the the proverbial carrot of their background history dangling before your nose.I simply don't enjoy reading a comic where the main character is a nobody, simply because the author refuses to tell me anything about him or his background story. How am I supposed to sympathize with him during all the volumes where you know almost nothing about him?

The only positive aspect I can think of is that the art is very good, almost on level with Gunnm and Akira.

Edit: A reply to the comments above.
Monkey-Boy: Your comments show a very naive world view. Sympathizing with the poor is a common, even if they act horrible, and making villains of the government is typical Hollywood fare. Obviously, the author just goes with the typical clichè view of right and wrong.
As for storytelling devices, yes, those techniques are often used in movies and books. But movies and books are finished works when they are released. Manga is released one chapter at a time, so the same techniques can't be used. To top it off, it's implented very poorly, and comes off more as a plot device to keep you reading, rather than an actual literary device.

... Last updated on April 5th, 2007, 10:48am

I wasn't expecting to like this because I generally don't like Sci-fi stuff, but I was pleasantly surprised. The plot lines are intricate, but really good and the characters all develop and grow as you read. Definitely one of my favorites.

This manga has great and realist plot, anyone who like science fiction such as ghost in the shell should like this too. Unfortunately no group translate this further, is
Illuminati-Manga still translating this ?