Before Christmas this year, I watched an anime I had been searching for for a year. It was called Eden of the East, and was definitely worth the wait!

It starts off with one of the main characters, Saki, is going through old photos on her phone, talking about a boy she had met. The intro doesn't last longer than a couple minutes and before you know it, the opening theme song to the pilot episode is playing.

After the opening theme is finished, we see Saki again. She is dropped off at the White House despite the fact that the group she came with is still in New York. She walks up to the fence and is upset...the fountain is too far away for her to throw a quarter into. Despite the policemen behind her, she attempts to throw the coin anyway. When it doesn't go all the way to the fountain, she digs out another quarter but is questioned by the police before she is able to throw it.

While she is debating what she should say to the cops, we hear tires squealing and somebody yelling before a truck speeds away. Here enters Akira Takisawa, walking up to the officers and poor Saki as he holds his cell phone...and a gun..with no clothes on. He realizes at the last second that perhaps this isn't the best way to appear in front of the police, especially in front of the White House, and manages to hide at the opportune moment. Once the police leave, Akira walks up to Saki and gratefully accepts the clothes she gives him.

As the anime goes on, we follow Akira, who is plagued with amnesia and a destiny he cannot escape, and Saki, a college graduate who is mystified by Akira and the mystery that follows him. It doesn't take long for Careless Monday to come into play-a day in the past of the show when ten missiles struck uninhabited areas of Japan around the same time 20,000 people disappeared. It soon becomes clear that Akira was somehow involved in the missile attacks and the disappearance of the 20,000 shut-ins, but why? Is he one of the good guys or one of the bad guys? And why does he have a cell phone with only one contact, a woman who can get him anything he wants (from getting the Prime Minister to say "Uncle" to making him King of Japan), and access to 8.2 billion yen? Yes, that's right, 8.2 BILLION yen.

Eventually, we meet more people like Akira. There is the Detective, who is probably the most illegal detective in the history of mankind or even anime. There is the Johnny Hunter, a woman who punishes rapists. Then, there is the Supporter, the mystery man of the Selecao group that all the people like Akira are a part of, for their destiny is all a part of a Game. The Supporter is one of members with an extra privilege: he can kill any of the members if they use up all of their money (the original 10 Billion yen), or use the money for selfish reasons.

So, while learning about his own past, deciding what to do with his future, and madly in love, Akira, along with Saki and her friends, learns about life and growing up.

While there is so much more I can say about this anime, it would be hard to do so without providing any spoilers.

The best parts of this anime are the music, the Rememberance of 9/11, the realistic view of life and the plot (which is one of the best plots of any movie or show that I have ever seen).

The not so best part of this anime was not necessarily bad...it was just awkward. As I mentioned, Akira did show up naked at the White House. Nothing is revealed, though...I would just be cautious if you consider allowing children to watch it.

I would honestly give this anime 5 out of 5 stars!