There is something very enticing about survival stories. They show how bad the wild can be while putting our characters in these daily conflicts towards the unknown and also creating bonds in the process. Eden No Ori is no stranger to this topic.
A plane with almost 200 students and 100 other usual passengers falls in an unknown island. Our main character in question Akira Sengoku was returning to Japan with his coleagues after a school trip to Guam. We are brought to the 15 year old boys eye lens that decides that the best to do is finding his friends starting with Shirou Mariya the smartest student from Akiras class. To both kids and the other survivors surprise the island is full of prehistoric animals which living periods are nowhere close to one another. Shirou also finds out that the small place doesnt show up in the world map. Of course this turns to be a big issue considering that the group main objective is to leave such wild location as soon as possible. With a shortage of choices regarding a way out Akira needs to find and unite his friends with a priority to Rion Akagami and Kouhei Arita but soon the survivors learn that the island hides more than meets the eye.
One of my favourite points in Eden is that it doesnt care to limit itself to political acceptations. It is very honest to its own ideas and to the reader. Its like a brakeless rollercoaster. It knows exactly what to say and is never afraid of trying. It wouldnt be farfetched to state that this storm of experiments would go even more ahead if only the manga wasnt cancelled. People tend to complain about the ending but is the conclusion really the only thing that matters? Dont get me wrong. A story has most of its ideas connected and explained in the closing act but the main point of Cage Of Eden is to bring the reader to a wild ride into the unknown.
The fun lies in the pieces of the puzzle fitting little by little and witnessing a figure taking form. Its nice and satisfying to have the puzzle completed but it isnt the funniest part.
Every main character has something to tell a story to present. We learn how different their lifes were before the crash and we root for them. Akira and Rions bond grow as a result of mutual trust in dangerous situations and understanding. Miina learns to lean on his/her friends and to be more open and honest. Shirou even though highly methodic learns with Zaji the importance of caring and union. Yarai and Akira friendship development rises in mature and conscious respect for each other strength along with determination.
Yes we dont know who Hades really was and the reason for the time skip remains a mystery but there is so many in Eden to reflect upon. Yoshinobu Yamada wanted to tell a story of survival and kind trust even with all the odds. And he succeeded in this task.
The art is okay it does a good job in what it aims to do with a special note regarding the wild animals. Sometimes it seems a little off especially face/head/expressions but nothing that bothered me that much. The anatomy of female characters tend to vary from the ones with smaller and bigger breasts with nothing remarkable in other parts. Which is not a problem at all since I liked most ecchi scenes. Even though I wouldnt mind if a percentage of them were removed since panties shots were unnecessary in action scenes and river bath scenes became repetitive to the point of predictable. I like to see well drawn female bodies and I enjoyed some good fan service but when it detracts from the main point it becomes unneeded
Another point worth mentioning is how obvious it is to identify a secondary soontodie character. Their deaths wear off quickly and its possible to tell when it will happen. At one point when we were introduced to Mami two characters die as a result of her supernatural prediction. However one of those two guys have his past shown and how he hated people that advocated esper powers and religions in general and how his mom became a cult fanatic and almost killed him.
The thing is: we dont need to know about this since the dude will suffer a death only to serve as a ladder in order to give Akira his time to shine. Other departures were out of place and dont add much like Toorus. If most of those were used the same way Zajis death was used they would have more impact. However this is just me thinking and philosophizing here.
Many other interesting ideas could also be better explored. Why did Yarai had so many knowledge regarding medicine to the point of even offering himself to operate Kurusu? What caused the incident in the island? Will the dead characters somehow find the alive ones again? They cant die again so do they drop somewhere into the island?
I enjoyed the whole story so some of those points would add more. As I said previously there is not need to explain everything. Leaving one or two ideas as a mystery is great but I can only wonder what those answers would be if the manga could be serialized a bit longer. However I think that these open ideas lead to Eden No Ori being more and more discussed through time. I wouldnt be writing this if this wasnt the case.
Overall Cage Of Eden is a mustread manga. An unforgettable experience that doesnt stop to surprise and try new ideas even in the spur of cancellation. You wont regret reading it.
Story 6/10
Art 7/10
Characters 6/10
Enjoyment 9/10
Overall 8/10
80
/100