- Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
- Video Codec: AVC/MPEG-4
- Resolution: 1080p/24
- Audio Codec: Japanese Dolby TrueHD 5.1, English Dolby TrueHD 5.1
- Subtitles: English
- Region: AB (No C)
- Rating: Not Rated
- Discs: 3 (1 x Blu-ray + 2 x DVD)
- Studio: Funimation
- Blu-ray Release Date: April 26, 2011
- List Price: $34.98
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Overall
[Rating:4/5]
The Film
[Rating:4.5/5]
Video Quality
[Rating:4/5]
Audio Quality
[Rating:4.5/5]
Supplemental Materials
[Rating:3.5/5]
Click thumbnails for high-resolution 1920X1080p screen captures
(Screen captures are lightly compressed with lossy JPEG thus are meant as a general representation of the content and do not fully reveal the capabilities of the Blu-ray format)
Also Read our Blu-ray Review of Eden of the East: The Complete Series
The Film
[Rating:4.5/5]
The intrigue of Eden of the East continues in Movie 1 of the franchise, The King of Eden. Once again helmed by director Kenji Kamiyama of Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, Eden of the East: The King of Eden continues with the beautifully crafted animation and character design and the superb drama and character development.
Going international, it’s been six-months since Takizawa saved Japan from what would have been a devastating missile strike equal or worse than the near apocalyptic “Careless Monday.” He then disappeared, leaving Saki behind, worried and searching for him everywhere, a search that would lead her all the way to New York City. She’d eventually find Takizawa, only to realize that he’d once again wiped his memory clean and had no memory of her.
Meanwhile, the Seleção have restarted their dangerous game of win or die and someone has moved against Takizawa. It seems they want him out of the way. Is it because his last request to the mysterious, all-powerful Juiz over their Noblesse phone system was to make him the king of Japan? It’s possible. The process has begun to make the legend who saved Japan, now known as “the Air King,” the king of Japan, and someone is using the newly upgraded and more powerful Eden search engine not only against Takizawa and Saki, but against their friends, the owners and developers of the system
The King of Eden may not look as exotic as the Eden of the East series to anyone from the U.S., especially not a New Yorker like I am, since most of it takes place in New York City, but it is still just as beautifully animated plus has the same slow-burning drama and mystery that made the series so interesting and wonderful to watch.
Video Quality
[Rating:4/5]
The native HD transfer is provided in a progressive AVC/MPEG-4 1080p/24 encodement. The imagery looks detailed with clean line art and good color reproduction, but there is some noticeable video noise, and a slight patina or veiled appearance to the image, make it look just a bit hazy.
Audio Quality
[Rating:4.5/5]
The original Japanese and the English soundtracks are provided in lossless Dolby TrueHD 5.1 mixes. I used the Japanese track as my reference. Like the series, the movie is a quiet mix, but still a good one. You’re not bowled over by a constant barrage of sound effects like explosions or gunfire, but there is a lot of ambience and atmospherics. There is also a lot of motion through the channels following the motion and clean dialogue.
Supplemental Materials
[Rating:3.5/5]
If you haven’t seen the original Eden of the East series, then the Air Communication “prequel” included on here will be of the most value to you. It also acts as a good refresher for anyone who has seen the original series. It basically condenses Eden of the East into a 2-hour mini-movie, of sorts, setting the stage for The King of Eden. Everything else is strictly promotional material with little in the way of replay value.
The supplements provided with this release are:
- Air Communication (1.78:1; 1080p/24; 2:03.07)
- Movie 1 News Flash (1.78:1; 1080p/24; 0.01.20)
- Movie 1 Preview (1.78:1; 1080p/24; 0:00.49)
- TV Spots (1.78:1; 1080p/24; 0:00.49)
- Trailers:
- RideBack
- Hero Tales
- El Cazador de la Bruja
- Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood
- Soul Eater
- D. Gray-man
- TO
- Eden of the East
- DVD – 2 standard DVDs are also included in this 3-disc combo pack.
The Definitive Word
Overall:
[Rating:4/5]
The King of Eden is thoroughly enjoyable. It’s mysterious, lush, and a near perfectly realized animated thriller. This is good stuff.
Additional Screen Captures
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[amazon-product align=”right”]B004GZZGW2[/amazon-product]
BestBuy.com:
Shop for more Blu-ray titles at Amazon.com
Also Read our Blu-ray Review of Eden of the East: The Complete Series
Overall
[Rating:4/5]
The Film
[Rating:4.5/5]
Video Quality
[Rating:4/5]
Audio Quality
[Rating:4.5/5]
Supplemental Materials
[Rating:3.5/5]
