Eden: It's an Endless World!
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Eden: It's an Endless World! is a Japanese science fiction manga series written and illustrated by Hiroki Endo. It was published monthly in the Japanese magazine Monthly Afternoon.
PremiseEdit
The story is set in the near future, following the "closure virus" pandemic has killed 15 percent of the world's population, crippled or disfigured many more, with catastrophic effect on global politics. Its themes and many character names are taken from Gnostic mythology.
PlotEdit
The series begins with a long introduction, with the characters Ennoia and Hannah living a peaceful life on a remote and isolated island called Eden, with researcher Lane Morris, who is their guardian and a victim of the pandemic. The events that led to this situation are revealed in flashbacks, leading up to the return of Ennoia's father, along with the forces of the Propater Federation.
Following this, the story moves forwards twenty years, and focuses on Ennoia's son, Elijah, the main character, and his own conflict with the powerful and monopolistic Propater federation to save his sister, Mana Ballard, kidnapped by Propater when he was very young. She is being held to threaten Ennoia Ballard, father of the two characters, who has become a powerful drug lord in South America, feared and despised by many, including, to an extent, his own family. During a terrorist attack, Elijah, aged 15, is separated from his mother and his sister is kidnapped, along with his mother Hannah and now has to handle things on his own. Eden is about his coming-of-age as a man and trying to survive both bodily and morally in world that is too complex for mere "black and white". He encounters many other characters, both allies and enemies, all sharing the same struggle to survive in a post-apocalyptic dystopian world.
Many stories are included of the people Elijah meets, telling their past or following life, sometimes volumes later, furthering understanding of the characters and giving increased depth to the world of the book as a whole.
Later in the series, the story once again moves forwards in time, jumping four more years ahead. The Closure Virus, the cause of the original pandemic, mutates, this time assimilating non-organic matter as well as organic, known as "colloid" (or "Disclosure Virus"). The story rejoins Elijah, now 19 years old, as well as many other old characters, and some new, as the world begins to deal with this new threat that is swallowing many cities in the world, leaving lakes and craters, and many people. It is later discovered that the several colloids in the world, are linked with a net of underground auto-built "cables," and that the colloid itself, stores all the memories of the people it swallows.
CharactersEdit
Elijah BallardEdit
Elijah is introduced while on the run from Propater. He becomes involved in his father's criminal activities, and undergoes a coming of age into adulthood.
Ennoia BallardEdit
Elijah's father.
Hannah MayallEdit
Elijah's mother.
Mana BallardEdit
Elijah's sister, who remains in Propater hands whilst her mother is rescued. Elijah's fight to free her is a focus of the later parts of the story.
Colonel KhanEdit
The Colonel is an old soldier from Azerbaijan. He leads the Nomad group (including Kenji and Sophia) fleeing Propater at the start of the series. Khan became Kenji's mentor after killing his brother, and the two share a slightly strained, but at the same time, trusting, relationship.
SophiaEdit
A powerful Greek computer hacker, and full-body cyborg.
MayaEdit
A nearly godlike AI, which seems to roughly correspond to the savior of Gnostic mythology.
KenjiEdit
The brother of a low-level yakuza boss. A sophisticated robot built to protect the research facility on Eden but used to destroy it.
Helena MontoyaEdit
A prostitute now working in a brothel. Has a complex relationship with Elijah and acts as a surrogate big sister.
ReceptionEdit
Eden was named Wizard magazine's best manga of 2007.<ref>Dark Horse Comics > Profile > Eden Volume 1: It's an Endless World! TPB</ref> David F. Smith of Newtype USA has called Eden one of the best manga American money can buy.<ref>Reviews > Reviews Archive</ref>
ReferencesEdit
External linksEdit
- Eden: It's an Endless World! at Dark Horse Comics' official website
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