Eden of the East: The Complete Series

This race through an obstacle course of conspiracies and traps begins with an attention-grabbing opener: Japanese college graduate Saki Morimi's trip to Washington, D.C., is disrupted when she has an unlikely run-in with the local police, and help arrives in an unusual form—an amnesiac young man carrying a gun and a cell phone, who happens to be completely naked. After he calls a number on his speed dial and the answering voice informs him that his memory was erased as part of a brainwashing program, the man takes the identity of Akira Takizawa and returns with Saki to Japan, where the country is suddenly under attack by missiles from an unknown source. Giving away too much more would spoil the bizarre twists and turns facing Akira and Saki, although Dubai (of all places) fits into the mix. Sporting violence and adult situations, Eden of the East is a giddy anime series that keeps the target audience of older teens and adults on edge with its utter weirdness and subversive wit. Compiling all 11 episodes originally aired in 2009 on two dual-language discs, rated TV-MA, DVD extras include behind-the-scenes interviews. Highly recommended. (P. Hall)