Do you want to play a game? No? well, you don’t really have a choice…

Imagine waking up just outside the White House in Washington D.C.. The only possessions on you are a small hand gun and an odd cell phone – no clothes, no identification, oh and did I forget to mention, no memory.  Upon tossing the gun and opening the fingerprint locked cell phone with the words “Noblesse Oblige” written across the face panel you hear a woman’s voice on the other end, “This is Juiz”.  Juiz is your concierge; and between her incredible resources and the 10 billion yen at your disposal on your phone, you and 11 other “saviors” are to use your every ability to change the world for the better.

However, this game is not a simple suggestion – it is a matter of life and death.  Of the twelve saviors only one can truly win the game.  Should a savior not use their talents and resources correctly one of the saviors (known as “the supporter”) will eliminate that savior; this will also occur should the savior run out of money on their phone before accomplishing their goal.  This is a group called the Selecao, a game created by an individual known only as Mr. Outside, and the story of a girl who gets mixed up in the dealings of one of these mysterious saviors – a savior who could be a terrorist or a hero.

Saki was just your average college graduate looking for a little extra adventure before returning home to Japan to start job hunting.  On a graduation trip to the States she detours from the New York City expedition to visit Washington D.C..  To Saki, the White House was like the center of the world, and to come to America without seeing it might as well be a crime.  Just outside the gates to the White House is where she first meets a mysterious naked boy who runs to her rescue armed only with a gun and a cell phone.  After evading the police Saki generously gives him her jacket to wear and they go their separate ways.  It isn’t long before she realizes her passport was in the jacket and she frantically runs in the direction the boy went.

When the boy reaches the place marked on his phone he finds a small apartment with some of his things within.  After adorning some much better fitted clothes he finds a series of passports all with his picture on it.  Randomly selecting one he burns the others and begins to call himself Akira Takizawa.  Saki catches up to Takizawa and the two of them make their way back to Japan; Saki to return home and Akira to figure out why he wiped his own memory and hopefully get some answers.

The title Eden of the East actually refers to a special program created by Saki and a group of her friends.  It is a mass social network type site where people are always connected and can learn anything and everything instantly while on the server.  This program soon becomes pivotal in Takizawa’s mission of saving Japan as time is of the essence with missile strikes imminent by order of opposing Selecao.  All the while trying to discern who is ally and enemy amidst discovering who Takizawa truly is.

Humor, romance, adventure, and technology make up this short 11 episode anime (plus two additional movie sequels).  It reveals just enough information as each episode passes without giving too little or dropping it all on you in one fell blow.  The concept is captivating and the characters lively and clever.  It poses a question many people often seek the answer to.  If you had the resources, the ability…what could you achieve to drastically better the world in which we live? Do you think you could win the game?

“Understood. Noblesse oblige. I pray for your continuing service as a savior.”