(L) Eve no Jikan (Time of Eve)

[monir]

Wow.. what a show! Every episode seems to outdo the previous one. This is a delightful little series that is asking some of the toughest question that humanity may face in the near future. The presentation of the series simply elevates the mood of the story at a higher plane. I wholeheartedly agree that this series remains one of the very best ones of 2008. Episode 3 was wonderful. I was really wondering that when we will see similar tension/situation between two androids. Question answered.

[Vexx]

argh... no can stand it (off to see)....

[NaweG]

Originally Posted by monir

This is a delightful little series that is asking some of the toughest question that humanity may face in the near future.

Well, if they're REALLY going to hit the tough ones, I'd like to see what they do with Kurzweil's conundrum - In the future when you can download your personality into an android, what do we do with the remaining "meat machine"? Legal ramifications to having two of "you" around, and legal ramifications to making sure there's only one of you...

[monir]

Originally Posted by NaweG

Well, if they're REALLY going to hit the tough ones, I'd like to see what they do with Kurzweil's conundrum - In the future when you can download your personality into an android, what do we do with the remaining "meat machine"? Legal ramifications to having two of "you" around, and legal ramifications to making sure there's only one of you...

Ah, the Transhuman-nutter. He is a true New Yorker alright. GitS: Stand Alone Complex covers the topic to a certain degree. A lot of philosophical questions were raised there also. Give that series a try if you haven't already. Fortunately for me, I won't have to think about it as I'm convinced any such transformation won't occur in my lifetime. I'll leave such complicated thought process and the ramification of all sort that follows with such thought to my grand-children's grand children to sort it out. How is that for ducking?

[Blaat]

Wait... I have to wait until spring to see the fourth episode?

[Deathkillz]

"You look again and I'll slap you"
*Rikuo looks*
*Almight slap across the back of the head*



But oh my gosh what have I been missing out here, I definitely put blame on this being an under the radar series.

I think what is totally unique about this series compared to other android focused ones (not that I can name all that many anyway) is the fact that the mood throughout the episodes have not been either too depressingly dark or overly light. The feeling that I am getting from this series is realism, yes, realism in that something like this might become true in the future...long future I am guessing

The relationships between humans and androids and all their aspects are shown like how some take them for granted or others even developing feeling for these human look alikes. I find it really interesting that the series heavily focus on the discrimination humans have towards robots. It is as if humans are using the robots but also fear that some way down the line the robots become intergrated with society. To stop this happening they are therefore discriminating my making the robots as robotlike as you can expect.

This is where Eve cafe comes in to remove the barrier and act as a utopia for both "kinds" (almost as if machines have become as seperate species ).

Still I am really taken into the story of this complex world. The interactions between the individual characters are just simply stunning and again "so real". I can really see and have become fond of the individual personalities as well as taken a liking to the nice touch og having those awkward (and sometimes freaky where you have Akiko opening her mouth and pausing) silences as the robot awaits for the humans to reply. Really nice touch the have there.

So the most important question now is whether Rikuo will accept his feelings or not

On the otherhand I completely love Sammy...my goddess T Rie

And episode of this every two months is quite the torture...

[Kaoru Chujo]

The same director's great little OVA Pale Cocoon has just shown up in the cyberspace library, apparently subbed by CoalGuys.

In my review of favorite 2008 shows, I found myself placing Eve no Jikan in my top three (with Natsu no Sora and Kannagi).

And by the way, if you are interested in seiyuus, try voting in my poll of top seiyuus of 2008 -- link in sig below.

[iMoco13]

I just watched the 3rd episode earlier today.
fantastic~

Spoiler:

so andriods can't tell when they are near other androids. feels somewhat counter-intuitive. I guess it could be a privacy setting of sorts.

[Siegel Clyne]

A Sammy image song, sung by Sammy's seiyuu (voice actor) Tanaka Rie, is slated to be released in Spring 2009. The Sammy image song will also be used as an insert song in Episode 6 ("act06") of the Eve no Jikan (The Time of Eve) online anime.

Episode 3 of Eve no Jikan, "act03:KOJI&RINA," is scheduled to be released on DVD in Japan on April 1, 2009. Episodes 4-6 of Eve no Jikan is scheduled to be delivered on May 1, July 1, and September 1, respectively, of this year.

Source: Anime! Anime!

P.S. One wonders whether the Sammy image song, which will be heard as an insert song during the final episode of the Eve no Jikan anime, will hold a special moment for Rikuo and Sammy, similar to the way that the Chii character song "I hear you everywhere," heard as an insert song during the final episode of the Chobits anime, held a special moment for Hideki and Chii.

Tanaka Rie also played Chii in Chobits, and sang "I hear you everywhere" and a bunch of other Chobits songs.

Many have drawn parallels between Eve no Jikan and Chobits, such as Tanaka Rie playing the android Sammy and the persocom Chii in each, respectively. Their image or character song being used as an insert song in the final episode is one more example.

[Kaoru Chujo]

Further to what Siegel Clyne says, the next episode, "Nameless," will be streamed beginning 1 May, on Yahoo Japan. Episode 5 will come out in July and ep6 in September.

NicoNico Douga has also established a page for the show on the Niconico Anime Channel. I'm not certain, but I believe you can watch the anime channel even if you aren't registered on NicoNico.

The Eve no Jikan official site says they had an all-night showing of the three episodes of Eve no Jikan at Theatre Shinjuku, with Nojima Kenji as the guest.

It also says that the DVD of ep3 went on sale April 1, and that if you buy the limited edition (Y1300) through the website you get newly-made trading cards of Sammi, Rina, and Kouji.

With info from Ota-Suke.

The comparison to Chobits, while apt in many ways, is also quite misleading. I can't think of many anime that are more different from each other than these two, in style and in substance.

[Vexx]

This is... a really compelling little series. Very quietly creeps on you...

[Proudleaf]

Originally Posted by Vexx

This is... a really compelling little series. Very quietly creeps on you...

Definitely. It's only unfortunate that the gap between the release of each episode is so large.

[M.Marangio]

The fourth episode, act04: NAMELESS, began streaming on YouTube on May 1 (this link works only for japanese IPs). The subbed version will be streamed on Crunchyroll on May 2 (18:00 PDT). The DVD of this episode will be released on June 1.

The last two episodes will be streamed in July (act05: CHIE&SHIMEI) and September 2009 (act06).

A movie version and a release on Blu Ray Disc are also planned.

Links:
http://timeofeve.com/e/
http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news...anese-theaters

[Ashlotte]

Some of the SFX went abit overboard, but maybe thats just because I'm used to the show being a quieter subtler affair...Episode 4 was quite good all the same though.

While them tackling the issue of the old models was fascinating what really caught my attention was the way it made me think just how incredibly hard it is to program an AI that can interact normally with humans to the degree that these do. The shots from his view point where especially thought provoking in that way...

I can be accused of thinking of computers as being able to do most things easily, but when you take the time to think what goes into free thought and Autonomy especially when you place in the unpredictable real world where conditions and situations are always rapidly changing...Ah I don't envy AI programmers thats for sure.

[Vexx]

I suspect they'll end up "cheating" and using brain tissue elements for the core autonomy/self functions (reference: a few years ago, a group used rat brain tissue as the core neural circuit for a jet fighter autpilot systems --- it worked and learned to keep the jet flying in the requested manner under any flyable conditions (they were using a full-scale flight simulator, of course). Organic neurons are simply far more complex than silicon neurons or simulated neurons by an order of magnitude).

[Manji Midou]

what was sammy doing at the end of ep4?
0.o

[Kaoru Chujo]

Ep4 was good, but less good than the others, for me. Maybe I just want more humanoid robots. But the Mono no Aware blog has a great piece on this ep, and it almost convinces me. Good point from kimichi about the complexity of the technology, and the excellence of those shots from the robot's point of view.

[NaweG]

Anyone else notice at the very end that they show a close-up of the sign at the "Time of Eve", and it turns out that the number 1138 is repeated over and over again? I assumed at first since it came after the comment about how Sammy only acts "that way" at the Time of Eve that it might be a number of different codes that would activate a different mode in robots... unless 1138 repeating has some special significance...

[Ashlotte]

Originally Posted by Vexx

I suspect they'll end up "cheating" and using brain tissue elements for the core autonomy/self functions (reference: a few years ago, a group used rat brain tissue as the core neural circuit for a jet fighter autpilot systems --- it worked and learned to keep the jet flying in the requested manner under any flyable conditions (they were using a full-scale flight simulator, of course). Organic neurons are simply far more complex than silicon neurons or simulated neurons by an order of magnitude).

Shows you how much I keep up on Technology...

I guess it shouldn't suprise me considering how Organic LEDs seem to hold the promise of being the next step in lighting tech...I guess some of the biggest advances in the future might not be purely man-made tech, but rather a blending of the organic and the technological.

I do know what you mean about preferring the stories about the more humanoid androids kaoru...I think the show works best when its being subversive and blurring the lines between whats a robot and what isn't to a ,some might say, uncomfortable degree.

[Deathkillz]

I really do love this series and ep 4 is another stunning example of why. I think all the underlying tones was done really well and while the humor was more of a theme easily seen here, the beauty of the episode was ultimately the feelings of an obsolete robot which brings back the circular argument of "whether AI can think or feel". No wonder why Nagi got so emotional and she clearly explained why to the viewers ;_;.