English version of the site is very good to know, I can watch it again and know more of what is going on. I love the event though, they are showing an episode on the hour so everyone is seeing it at the same time. Most of the time streams start once you enter the room and it loads. Each week I think they’re showing a new one? So far it’s alternating between Sammy and Akiko.

Lol. After watching the first 2 episodes, the scenery and world of time of eve have captured my imagination. Really. The art reminds me once again of Makoto Shinkai’s 5CM. Awesome work for an indie-type production company. I wouldn’t mind waiting for the other episodes, now that I know how much dedication and hard-work they’ve shown in producing quality anime like this. And oh.. My guess is that Nagi must be an evolved type of android with almost-human capabilities ^_~

- KO-chan

Thank you for the go-ahead! We posted the link on the Time of Eve page on Crunchyroll. BTW, streaming of episode 3 began a few days ago; episode 4 release is scheduled for April 2009. It’s a long wait, but it’ll be worth it : )

Best,
Ann

I’m writing to say ‘hello’ from Directions, Inc., producers of Yoshiura’s work, including the “Time of Eve” series.

If you don’t mind, we’d like to link to your site from the Time of Eve page on Crunchyroll (our primary streaming platform and community for the series). Would this be okay with you?

It’s really a pleasure to read about Yoshiura’s work as seen through your eyes. You are the kind of critic that creators dream of, and we look forward to your future reflections, insights and critiques of “Time of Eve” and other works in the vast worlds of anime and manga.

with much respect,
Ann
Directions, Inc.

Xeroxs last blog post..Macross Frontier - The End, or Oh god, I’m in love, oh, I’m in love.

I’m quite intrigued as to why Nagi’s running the cafe - a detailed knowledge of how similar to humans androids are, and how badly they’re being treated is the most obvious thing but I’m beginning to formulate a theory relating to the Ethics Committee and their investigations. Could the Time of Eve be playing the part (with or without Nagi’s knowledge) of some field experiment into android behaviour and their relationship with humans? I must say though, I’ve never scratched my head so hard over an anime since, well, Ghost Hound probably.

But yeah, Nagi’s keen perceptiveness goes so far in depicting the sophisticated humanity of the androids in Eve. It’s not just a matter of ‘omg, it feels love and hate, it’s the same as us!!1′ but a much more refined, subtle likeness. Which then makes the segregation and abuse they suffer sting all the more.

Heh, it feels like an age since I’ve got so carried away thinking about an anime like this. It makes you understand why we spend so much time writing about the medium!

Higes last blog post..Eve no Jikan – Identity Expressed in a Hairband [Act 2]

@TheBigN: cheers for the link - I’ll give it a read in a minute. I’m really glad that so many great blog posts are coming out of this - the series didn’t make many waves at first but it’s becoming more and more popular, which is a really good thing I reckon.

I feel awkward every time Nagi tries to teach Rikuo that he has to pretend that the androids in the room were just like humans.

I think it’s purposefully meant to be awkward to us as it is to Rikuo. We get the idea that humans and androids are separate entities, so in a way, it’s kind of like saying apples and oranges are the same: it depends on how you look at it. You could generally make a case that humans and androids are the same, or at least fit into the same category, but when you get more specific, that statement isn’t true. So I think that Nagi’s trying to tell Rikuo and Masaki to look at the bigger picture, which takes a while to occur. And repetition on that point does help.

I do really want to find out more about why Dori-kei are focused on so much at such a negative light. I think this is a starting point about where I’m coming from, with the worry that if Dori-kei were accepted, humans have are forced to recognize how poorly they’ve been treating androids that seem to have been faithful to them. :3

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i usually dont watch this genre of animes - if time of eve could be put into one.

but this series is utterly fantastic, it is a work of art.
the storyline was created with brilliance.

amazing anime and animation. and did u guys notice how precise their
musical choices were? and how they implemented each -in each scene?

it really is a masterpiece.

My thoughts exactly! I was just trying to make a post about the 2nd episode yesterday (I finally got around to watching it), but then, I was just lost for words. And now, having finished reading your post, I can only agree with everything you’ve written ….

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@Sasa: yeah, there’s pretty much a post’s worth of ideas in your comments alone! *hint, hint* icie explained the camera work well though - it’s great at drawing you into what’s going on and that ’spaciality’ is really effective in making it feel lifelike.

And if anyone I know is planning on opening a coffee bar or book cafe and advertises for full time staff, I’d be there like a shot! Like you, there is something about packaged media that I prefer over downloads for some reason too.

I think you’ve put it greatly into words that we are dealing with prejudices concerning superiority and inferiority. If the androids can have emotions and dispose of intelligence as well, then a society that gives them an inferior standing surely is problematic. With that kind of environment, the Time of Eve is probably the only possibility to create a world where androids would be able feel comfortable.

You mean the shots that look like a hand-held camera?

Ah, not really. What I actually meant is the same zooming in and out without visua cuts that icie has described so aptly. It gives the Time of Eve a feeling of spaciality, as if you really are inside of it. After all, in real life, you don’t have camera cuts.

When I was younger, I have dreamt of opening a book café, hahaha. Concerning Crunchyroll, I figured that you probably haven’t heard of it much before it started selling Gonzo’s episodes - before, they were infamous for asking money for fansub downloads, it was quite a debacle. But today, nobody seems to care about that anymore. I, too, would rather buy DVDs rather than downloads just because I like hard copys, but if it turns out there is an anime that I want to see and that is easily available as a buyable download, I will use it.

With all these discussions on this posting, needless to say that I cannot wait for the next episode to come now!

It’s a method which was also used in Mizu no Kotoba, where the camera and audio played on a complex layering of conversations and sub-plots.

For example, the scene where Chie goes up the stairs after stealing Rikuo’s glasses, and the camera zooms right beyond this initial focus to Masaki and the subsequent Blade Runner conversation, or where the conversation between Sammi and Nagi is overlayed, and quickly transferred to Rikuo and Akiko’s conversation regarding the rules of the cafe vs the Robotic Laws.

These seamless transitions are made without a visual cut, making for a very fluid and coherent flow.

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@Sasa: wow, epic comment! I love the way in which these short episodes offer so much food for thought.

I don’t necessarily think so. I agree that Rikuo isn’t really sure of what to do, and I also don’t think he would ever have any malice, but it is hinted (by Nagi I think) that he wants his android to act upon his wishes and not to be too indepedent. It would be rather human to feel hurt that somebody has secrets in front of you after all; this is not necessarily limited to androids. But, the desire of controlling an android is probably even stronger because humans fear to ‘lose’ to them maybe?

That scene can be interpreted in several ways I think, which made drawing my own conclusion a bit problematic. It seems that society has drummed the idea of robots=servants into his head, which might cloud his own, less biased, feelings. The overwhelming feeling there though is that something unexpected is happening so yeah, there’s definitely an element of fear there too.

As for the rule of Time of Eve, I think it makes for a great haven or escape from the prejudiced outside world, but I’m not sure either if that rule would be practical everywhere. As with the feminism issue, there isn’t any superiority and inferiority so prejudice along those lines is unacceptable. At the same time though admitting mere difference is acceptable. In other words, treating androids as inferior is unfair but admitting that differences between humans and androids is fair, and will make life easier. I think it’s great to have a place that androids can be free and respected, but outside of the Time of Eve this policy will solve some problems but create new ones too.

I’m a big fan of the shot from the very top that do not just switch to another shot, but pan to them.

You mean the shots that look like a hand-held camera? I found them awkward at first, but now I appreciate why that technique is used, and I guess it’s quite a tricky thing to do from a technical point of view.

Nagi, barista. Android or human? You decide

I’ll go for human.

I like your arguments there. I’m still unsure of Nagi to be honest (why is she defensive of android equality to the point of opening the cafe?) but the character in Aquatic Language that is similar to hers is an android too, which took me by surprise. Interestingly, the nature of Chie and the old man could swing either way - assuming that androids can eat ice-cream! My money would be on a child given an android carer that makes a substitute grandparent/babysitter.

I’d love to open a cafe like Eve, possibly a blues bar in the evenings or something. As for Crunchyroll, I’ve never bothered with it before - I still prefer a mix of retail DVDs and the labour-of-love of fansubbers, mainly because I’m old-fashioned and prefer hard copies of music and video on disc as opposed to download-to-own like CR and iTunes.

@Hanners: the great thing about this series is that individual angle thing - the comments from Sasa and yourself make me chew on the ideas all over again, which will make viewing #3 even more rewarding! I can’t wait to see how the idea of romance in the Time of Eve is explored in ep #3…which ought to be out early December by my reckoning.

Keep the thoughts coming, people! ^_^

It’s fascinating to hear your personal thoughts on the various character interactions, while I’ve found myself coming at the series from a more philosophical standpoint, considering the “Why” instead of the “What”.

I guess that’s what makes this series a little slice of genius (which I really would rate it as thus far), it has so much going for it that I can’t blame you for re-watching it before putting your thoughts together, it’s certainly a series that has more to offer every time you look at it I suspect.

Hannerss last blog post..EVE no Jikan - Episode 2

I suppose the shock comes from seeing a side of his own android that isn’t evident in any other situation because Rikuo doesn’t react with anger and indignant demands as to why she acted on her own

I don’t necessarily think so. I agree that Rikuo isn’t really sure of what to do, and I also don’t think he would ever have any malice, but it is hinted (by Nagi I think) that he wants his android to act upon his wishes and not to be too indepedent. It would be rather human to feel hurt that somebody has secrets in front of you after all; this is not necessarily limited to androids. But, the desire of controlling an android is probably even stronger because humans fear to ‘lose’ to them maybe?

I am not sure how I feel about the rules in the Time of Eve myself, to be honest. The world that does not allow people to treat their androids accordingly (because if they have feelings, they “deserve” to be treated nicely) is very problematic, but I am also not sure whether enforcing these kinds of rules onto people’s actions is the right way to fight against such a society. To me, this is a little like the type of feminism that I dislike so much. Of course there are differences between men and women (and unlike humans and droids, these visible differences cannot be hidden that easily), and just by pretending that there is no difference, an equality created in such a way does not feel ‘real’ for me; it’s like healing symptoms without going to its roots. In an ideal world of true harmonic interaction between humans and androids, saying out loud that somebody is an android or discussing human and android matters should not be a danger to the harmony. I feel awkward every time Nagi tries to teach Rikuo that he has to pretend that the androids in the room were just like humans.

Nagi, barista. Android or human? You decide

I’ll go for human. Why? First, because it is likely that humans are still somewhat superior over many androids when it comes to independent thoughts. Second, because history has shown that the people who have taken the lead in fighting for the benefit of less privileged people in society were often at the very top of a society themselves. It is more likely that somebody from the top has money and time to take the challenge of doing ’something good’ for society, while I can imagine that androids are very restricted in what they are allowed to do.

What I like about this anime the most are still the visuals and the great cinematography - I’m a big fan of the shot from the very top that do not just switch to another shot, but pan to them. (Does that make sense?) Of course it helps that the story is brilliant too.

All in all, I have liked the exposition of the first episode more than this episode (although Sammy does look very cute with her hair tied up, heh). And I am expecting quite a lot from the next episode focusing on the couple. So, shall we open a café together that’ll look like the Time of Eve?

PS. I can’t believe you are linking to that evil, evil Crunchyroll site, sigh.

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