Time of Eve
Encyclopedia
is a six-episode ONA
anime
series created by Yasuhiro Yoshiura
, the director of Aquatic Language
and Pale Cocoon
. Produced by Studio Rikka and DIRECTIONS, Inc., the series streamed on Yahoo! Japan
from August 1, 2008 to September 18, 2009, with simulcasts by Crunchyroll
. The official website mentions the series as "first season", leaving the second season a possibility, but it has not since been confirmed. A theatrical version of Time of Eve premiered in Japan on March 6, 2010.
The first few episodes involve conversations between Rikuo (usually accompanied by Masaki) and the cafe regulars: the bubbly Akiko, child Chie and her elderly guardian, the lovers Koji and Rina, and others. These conversations make frequent allusion to Isaac Asimov
's Three Laws of Robotics
, often highlighting surprising interpretations of those laws, some of which form apparent loopholes. The overarching plot involves the beginnings of independence displayed by the androids, what they do with that independence within the bounds of the three laws, and what motivates them. Secondary plots involve the individual stories of each android the protagonists encounter in the cafe, and how they come to discover which patrons are androids and which are not.
on August 1, 2008 and ended on September 18, 2009, airing six episodes. Crunchyroll
simulcasted the series shortly after the Yahoo! Japan premiere, both with English and French
subtitles. DVDs of the episodes were released between January 1, 2009 and October 28, 2009, and was later released on Blu-Ray
on December 20, 2010. The ending theme in episode 6 is , performed by Rie Tanaka
, the voice actress for Sammy. The song was later released in August 2009 as a single CD. Episodes 1-6 with English subtitles were released on Blu-Ray Disc
s from January 1, 2011.
and performed by the pop-group Kalafina
. Special-edition DVDs were distributed with pre-sold tickets in December 2009. A DVD/BD of the movie was released in Japan on July 28, 2010.
's manga magazine Young Gangan in its February 2010 Issue. A light novel
adaptation called Time of Eve: Another Act, written by Kei Mizuichi and illustrated by character designer Ryusuke Chayama, was published on March 18, 2010 by Shogakukan
under its Gagagabunko imprint. An official fanbook was released in Japan in February 2010 by Kotobukiya. Shaddy Co. Ltd. is releasing an original EVLEND coffee blend based on the blend used in series.
Screenings:
Original Net Animation
An original net animation is an anime that is directly released onto the Internet. ONAs may also have been aired on television if they were first directly released on the Internet. The name mirrors original video animation, a term that has been used in the anime industry for straight-to-video...
anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
series created by Yasuhiro Yoshiura
Yasuhiro Yoshiura
is a Japanese writer and director of animated short films. Born in 1980 in Hokkaido, and raised in Fukuoka, he graduated from Kyushu University's Faculty of Design in 2003. He moved to Tokyo following the release of his critically acclaimed film Pale Cocoon in 2006. Yoshiura's production company...
, the director of Aquatic Language
Aquatic Language
is a short nine-minute film written and directed by Yasuhiro Yoshiura. It aired 26 October 2002 in NHK BS1's, 10 min. theater slot.-Synopsis & Style:Aquatic Language tries to relay to the audience the importance of language; and the need for communication...
and Pale Cocoon
Pale Cocoon
is a one-off OVA anime directed and scripted by Yasuhiro Yoshiura, and released on 18 January 2006.-Synopsis:It has been many years since a group of humans retreated to an artificial colony below the planet surface. The colorful world that used to exist was ruined by pollution and possible war,...
. Produced by Studio Rikka and DIRECTIONS, Inc., the series streamed on Yahoo! Japan
Yahoo! Japan
is a Japanese internet company formed as a joint venture between the American internet company Yahoo! and the Japanese internet company SoftBank. It is headquartered at Midtown Tower in the Tokyo Midtown complex in Akasaka, Minato, Tokyo.-History:...
from August 1, 2008 to September 18, 2009, with simulcasts by Crunchyroll
Crunchyroll
Crunchyroll is an American website and international online community focused on streaming East Asian media including anime, manga, drama, music, electronic entertainment, and auto racing content...
. The official website mentions the series as "first season", leaving the second season a possibility, but it has not since been confirmed. A theatrical version of Time of Eve premiered in Japan on March 6, 2010.
Plot
In the not-too-distant future, androids have come into common usage. Rikuo Sakisaka, who has taken robots for granted for his entire life, one day discovers that Sammy, his home android, has been acting independently and coming and going on her own. He finds a strange phrase recorded in her activity log, "Are you enjoying the Time of Eve?". He, along with his friend Masakazu Masaki, traces Sammy's movements and finds an unusual cafe, "The Time of Eve". Nagi, the barista, informs them that the cafe's main rule is to not discriminate between humans and androids. Within the cafe, androids do not display their status rings, and, when patrons depart, the door is automatically locked for two minutes to prevent someone from following them to discover their true nature.The first few episodes involve conversations between Rikuo (usually accompanied by Masaki) and the cafe regulars: the bubbly Akiko, child Chie and her elderly guardian, the lovers Koji and Rina, and others. These conversations make frequent allusion to Isaac Asimov
Isaac Asimov
Isaac Asimov was an American author and professor of biochemistry at Boston University, best known for his works of science fiction and for his popular science books. Asimov was one of the most prolific writers of all time, having written or edited more than 500 books and an estimated 90,000...
's Three Laws of Robotics
Three Laws of Robotics
The Three Laws of Robotics are a set of rules devised by the science fiction author Isaac Asimov and later added to. The rules are introduced in his 1942 short story "Runaround", although they were foreshadowed in a few earlier stories...
, often highlighting surprising interpretations of those laws, some of which form apparent loopholes. The overarching plot involves the beginnings of independence displayed by the androids, what they do with that independence within the bounds of the three laws, and what motivates them. Secondary plots involve the individual stories of each android the protagonists encounter in the cafe, and how they come to discover which patrons are androids and which are not.
Main characters
- Rikuo is a high school student and a very talented piano player. After winning the grand prize at a competition where a robot was the guest pianist, he decides to give up playing, since the robot played so well that he was moved by the performance. Like most other people, he treats robots and androids like appliances. He becomes curious of Sammy's activities when he notices that she comes and goes from the apartment at odd times. While reviewing her activity and GPSGlobal Positioning SystemThe Global Positioning System is a space-based global navigation satellite system that provides location and time information in all weather, anywhere on or near the Earth, where there is an unobstructed line of sight to four or more GPS satellites...
log, he finds an entry that says, "Are you enjoying the Time of EVE?" Retracing her steps, he discovers the cafe, Time of Eve, where humans and robots are treated as equals.
- Initially fearful of Sammy's independence, he begins to learn that she is more human than he first thought. This enables him to let go of his former prejudice against androids and take up the piano once more.
- His father consistently calls him Masakazu or Masa, although Akiko once refers to him as Masa. Everyone else simply calls him Masaki. Masaki is Rikuo's best friend and an honors student. Masaki claims not to have robots at home but in actual fact has a household robot designated THX, whom he calls Tex. He distrusts robots and helps Rikuo to investigate Sammy's covert activities. His distrust of robots stems from feeling betrayed by Tex as a child. Tex was Masaki's primary source of emotional support at a time when his mother and father were separating. However, Masaki's father, an anti-robot activist, commanded the robot never to speak again. Masaki blames Tex for being undependable at a time he needed him the most and believes they are incapable of emotions and empathy.
- At the film's conclusion, Tex was able to defend Masaki from an android sent by the Ethics Committee. At the same time he was able to relay his true thoughts and emotions that he was holding back for several years. This resulted in Masaki accepting androids once more.
- Sammy is the Sakisaka family's household android, who has the appearance of a young woman. At home, Sammy's behavior is passive and emotionless. At the Time of Eve, she refers to Rikuo, Naoko, and their parents as her family. She wishes to make the members of her family happy, but is aware that demonstrating independence, even for their benefit unsettles Rikuo who is the only one aware. Sammy therefore lies about doing anything out of the ordinary when Rikuo questions her activities.
- While Sammy appears emotionless as an android, she is very insecure and afraid of hurting others, especially Rikuo. She would therefore do things covertly such as taking detours during her regular schedules or attempting the piano late at night when no one is awake.
- Nagi is the barista at the Time of Eve. She carefully manages the coffee shop and enforces the rule that there must be no discrimination between humans and robots. Nagi is occasionally unsure of how to handle some of the situations that occur in the cafe, leaving open the question as to whether she is an android for most of the series. It is eventually revealed that, as a child of five, she is the human that the Ethics Committee injured in the notorious Tokisaka Incident 8 years prior to the series.
- At the conclusion of the film, Nagi is seen visiting a friend while sporting a pair of glasses. When she places her hand over his on the desk, a faint outline of cybernetic joints can be seen just below the skin. Not only does she lack a ring above her head, she also miraculously recovered from a fatal accident in her youth, alluding to the possibilities of cyborgs (humans partially fitted with machines).
Time of Eve regulars
- Akiko is the first customer whom Rikuo and Masaki meet at the Time of Eve. She talks very fast, asks a lot of questions, and jokes around. While at first thought to be human, Akiko is later revealed to be an android when she goes to greet her master at Rikou's school. Like Sammy, outside the cafe she is passive and emotionless, even to Rikuo and Masaki. Although passive to the duo, Akiko is aware of them as she is seen secretly smiling after walking past their window.
- Along with Rina, Koji is a customer that Rikuo and Masaki formally meet after Akiko. He is a male-form android whose master is a woman who prefers his company to that of human men. Believing that Rina is a human woman very similar to his master, he befriended Rina at the Time of Eve in order to learn how to be a better boyfriend to his master. Koji would later grow to like Rina for herself. He conceals his nature from Rina because he believes that she would leave him if she were to find out that he is an android.
- Koji was initially thought to be a human dori-kei for almost half the film as he carries their characteristics. This was later revealed to be false which opens up the possibility that love can form between androids the same way it does between humans.
- Rina is a female-form android bodyguard who has been illegally modified by her former master, an unidentified VIP, to be capable of sexual activity. Her right leg was damaged during an assassination attempt on her master, at which point he abandoned her. Her leg malfunctions periodically, threatening to reveal her identity as an android. Since she's been illegally modified, she cannot go back to her manufacturer for repair without embarrassing her former master. Without a current master, she is technically on the run from the authorities. She befriends and falls in love with Koji as he is both kind and thoughtful. Rina believes that Koji is human and fears that he would abandon her if he were to find out that she is an android.
- Shimei is the foster parent of Chie. He is a prototype android designed to act in place of a human parent, undergoing a secret public test. Presumably, as an android being publicly tested in secret, he would not display a halo in public. However, he freely admits that he is an android, but only when Nagi (and Chie) cannot hear him do it. Shimei has yet to reveal his nature to Chie.
- Chie is a young girl of about four years old, although her age is never revealed. She loves to steal and hide the belongings of others in order to get them to play with her. Rikuo meets her, along with Shimei, when she becomes fascinated with Rikuo's glasses and soon steals and hides them. She is fond of declaring herself to be a cat. She does not understand why Shimei leaves her in the care of others once a month for his regular maintenance check and does not even suspect that he is an android.
- Setoro is a mysterious man who reads most of his time in the cafe. When Masaki tries to trail Setoro outside the cafe, Setoro easily evades him. While he initially reports to Dr. Ashimori that Masaki may be working for the Ethics Committee, he agrees that they would never send such an obvious and inept agent undercover. It is unclear whether he is human or android, but outside the cafe he has no halo over his head, suggesting that he is human.
Other characters
- Rikuo's older sister and a college student. She often stays out late at night drinking and partying and is embarrassed whenever Sammy comes to pick her up. Naoko accuses Rikuo of being a dori-kei as he begins to treat Sammy more openly.
- Atsuro Masaki is Masaki's father and is the Chief Information Officer of the non-governmental organization known as the Robot Ethics Committee, usually called simply the Ethics Committee, even in its own public advertisements. The Ethics Committee was once a radical anti-robot organization founded 10 years prior to the series, but was heavily censured after one of their activities harmed a human being. Since then, their activities have mostly been conducting anti-robot advertising campaigns advocating the segregation of humans and robots and encouraging the government and police to crack down on perceived violations of the Laws of Robotics. When he observed his young son and his household robot becoming friends, he ordered the robot never to speak again and told his son that it was broken.
- Dr. Ashimori is Setoro's supervisor, an influential person with access to protected information and is not a member of the Ethics Committee. Other than that, it is unclear what her role is, neither her motives behind sending Setoro to investigate the Time of Eve cafe.
- In the film, Dr Ashimori can be seen at various times again raising her purpose. She can be seen bashing an android with a pipe, visiting the Sakisaka family and arguing with Shiotsuki.
- On her desk, there is a book titled Android Promotion Committee which may be a counter force to the Ethics committee. Although it was never confirmed, the way this information was portrayed could certify that this is indeed the committee that both Dr Ashimori and Setoro are employed in.
Terminology
- A degenerate term used to describe a person who treats an andriod like a human being.
- Android
- A machine made to resemble and act like a human. They may range from the older LUH and THX models sporting a metallic or hard shell to more advanced and human like machines that sport a halo ring above their head.
Anime
The anime, produced by Directions, Inc. and animated by Studio Rikka, is directed and composed by Yasuhiro Yoshiura, produced by Tom Nagae, music by Tohru Okada, and characters by Ryusuke Chayama. The first episode streamed on Yahoo! JapanYahoo! Japan
is a Japanese internet company formed as a joint venture between the American internet company Yahoo! and the Japanese internet company SoftBank. It is headquartered at Midtown Tower in the Tokyo Midtown complex in Akasaka, Minato, Tokyo.-History:...
on August 1, 2008 and ended on September 18, 2009, airing six episodes. Crunchyroll
Crunchyroll
Crunchyroll is an American website and international online community focused on streaming East Asian media including anime, manga, drama, music, electronic entertainment, and auto racing content...
simulcasted the series shortly after the Yahoo! Japan premiere, both with English and French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
subtitles. DVDs of the episodes were released between January 1, 2009 and October 28, 2009, and was later released on Blu-Ray
Blu-ray Disc
Blu-ray Disc is an optical disc storage medium designed to supersede the DVD format. The plastic disc is 120 mm in diameter and 1.2 mm thick, the same size as DVDs and CDs. Blu-ray Discs contain 25 GB per layer, with dual layer discs being the norm for feature-length video discs...
on December 20, 2010. The ending theme in episode 6 is , performed by Rie Tanaka
Rie Tanaka
is a singer and voice actress . Notable among her numerous roles are Lacus Clyne in Gundam Seed and Gundam Seed Destiny, Chii and Freya in Chobits, Minna-Dietlinde Wilcke in Strike Witches and Suigintou in the anime adaptation of Rozen Maiden.-Personal life:As a child, Tanaka took singing classes...
, the voice actress for Sammy. The song was later released in August 2009 as a single CD. Episodes 1-6 with English subtitles were released on Blu-Ray Disc
Blu-ray Disc
Blu-ray Disc is an optical disc storage medium designed to supersede the DVD format. The plastic disc is 120 mm in diameter and 1.2 mm thick, the same size as DVDs and CDs. Blu-ray Discs contain 25 GB per layer, with dual layer discs being the norm for feature-length video discs...
s from January 1, 2011.
Episode list
| # | Title | Original airdate |
|---|---|---|
Theatrical film
A theatrical version, called , premiered on March 6, 2010 at Ikebukuro Theater in Tokyo and Umeda Theater in Osaka. The theatrical release version features a new theme song called "I have a dream", composed by Yuki KajiuraYuki Kajiura
, born August 6, 1965 in Tokyo, Japan, is a Japanese composer and music producer. She has provided the music for several popular anime series, such as one of the Kimagure Orange Road movies, Noir, .hack//SIGN, Aquarian Age, Madlax, My-HiME, My-Otome, .hack//Roots, Pandora Hearts, Puella Magi...
and performed by the pop-group Kalafina
Kalafina
Kalafina is a Japanese band formed by composer Yuki Kajiura in 2007, mainly to perform theme songs for the anime Kara no Kyōkai. The band debuted in January 2008 with two original members from Yuki Kajiura's FictionJunction project, Wakana Ōtaki and Keiko Kubota...
. Special-edition DVDs were distributed with pre-sold tickets in December 2009. A DVD/BD of the movie was released in Japan on July 28, 2010.
Other media
A manga adaptation of Time of Eve illustrated by Yuuki Ohta began serialization in Square EnixSquare Enix
is a Japanese video game and publishing company best known for its console role-playing game franchises, which include the Final Fantasy series, the Dragon Quest series, and the action-RPG Kingdom Hearts series...
's manga magazine Young Gangan in its February 2010 Issue. A light novel
Light novel
A is a style of Japanese novel primarily targeting junior high and high school students . The term "light novel" is a wasei-eigo, or a Japanese term formed from words in the English language. Light novels are often called or for short...
adaptation called Time of Eve: Another Act, written by Kei Mizuichi and illustrated by character designer Ryusuke Chayama, was published on March 18, 2010 by Shogakukan
Shogakukan
is a Japanese publisher of dictionaries, literature, manga, non-fiction, DVDs, and other media in Japan.Shogakukan founded Shueisha which founded Hakusensha. These are three separate companies, but are together called the Hitotsubashi Group, one of the largest publishing groups in Japan...
under its Gagagabunko imprint. An official fanbook was released in Japan in February 2010 by Kotobukiya. Shaddy Co. Ltd. is releasing an original EVLEND coffee blend based on the blend used in series.
Festival screenings and awards
Awards/honors:- New York International Children's Film FestivalNew York International Children's Film FestivalThe stated mission of the New York International Children's Film Festival is to promote intelligent, passionate, provocative cinematic works for ages 3–18 and to help define a more compelling film for kids....
2011 (NYICFF) Official Selection, New Features in Competition (Time of EVE: The Movie) - Pusan International Film FestivalPusan International Film FestivalBusan International Film Festival , held annually in Haeundae-gu, Busan , South Korea, is one of the most significant film festivals in Asia...
2010, Official Selection (Time of EVE: The Movie) - 14th Japan Media Arts FestivalJapan Media Arts FestivalThe Japan Media Arts Festival is an annual festival held by Japan's Agency for Cultural Affairs since 1997. The festival for a nominal year was usually held during February or March next year, rather than at the end of the nominal year. For instance, the 2010 Japan Media Arts Festival, where...
2010, Animation Division/Jury Recommended Work (Time of EVE: The Movie) - New York International Children's Film FestivalNew York International Children's Film FestivalThe stated mission of the New York International Children's Film Festival is to promote intelligent, passionate, provocative cinematic works for ages 3–18 and to help define a more compelling film for kids....
2010 (NYICFF) Official Selection, Flicker Lounge Program (Act 01 Akiko) - 2010 Tokyo International Anime Fair's 9th Tokyo Anime AwardTokyo Anime AwardThe Tokyo Anime Award started from 2002, but was named in 2005. The first, second and third awards were only named simply 'Competition'. The award ceremony is held at the Tokyo International Anime Fair....
, Original Video Animation Category Excellence Award (Episodes 1-6)
Screenings:
- Anime Matsuri 2010, Australia (Time of EVE: The Movie)
- Japan Expo 2010 (Episodes 1-3), Japan Expo 2008 (Episode 1), France
- SCI-FI-LONDONSci-Fi-LondonSCI-FI-LONDON , is a UK based film festival, dedicated to the science fiction and fantasy genres, which began in 2002.-About the Festival:...
2009, UK (Episodes 1-6, OKTOBERFEST 2009 event) - Camera Japan Festival, Holland (Episodes 1-6)
- ICon Festival 2009, Israel (Episodes 1-6)
- Future Film Festival, Italy (Episodes 1-3, non-competition special event)
- Polymanga 2009, Switzerland (Episode 1)