Review of "Time of Eve": A fusion of moving story and beautiful images

"Time of Eve": A moving story that questions the boundaries between humans and robots

"Time of Eve: The Movie" is an animated film directed by Yoshiura Yasuhiro that was released on March 6, 2010. The film is based on the short series "Time of Eve" that was released online from 2008 to 2009, and is a theatrical version of the six episodes, edited down to a theatrical length with additional revisions. The film combines director Yoshiura Yasuhiro's unique perspective with meticulous drawings, providing the audience with deep emotions and room for thought.

■ Story

In a certain era in the future, it has become common sense for people to treat androids as "home appliances." Androids look indistinguishable from humans, but they can be identified by the rings on their heads. However, young people who are overly dependent on androids have appeared, and they are called "Android Holic" (android mental addiction), which has become a social problem.

Rikuo, a high school student, has been taught since childhood to use androids as tools, but one day he finds a suspicious string of characters in the activity log of his personal android Sammy: "** Are you enjoying the time of EVE? **". To solve this mystery, he and his best friend Masaki rely on the activity log and arrive at a coffee shop called "Time of Eve," which has a rule that "we do not distinguish between humans and robots in our shop."

At "Time of Eve," the androids remove their rings and behave like humans. This is a violation of the Robot Law, and Masaki points out the dangers of this. However, he meets Akiko, a regular customer there, and learns why she comes to "Time of Eve." To Akiko, humans and androids are family, and even if they look alike, they are different inside, which is why it is important to ask them the question, "What do you think of me?" Inspired by these words, Rikuo's heart is shaken.

■Explanation

"Time of Eve" is a work created by director Yasuhiro Yoshiura in collaboration with Studio Rikka and video content production company DIRECTIONS. Released online as a series of short episodes, each 15-25 minutes long, the number of views gradually increased, eventually surpassing 3 million in total for the series. Following this success, all six episodes were edited to theatrical length and further revisions were made into "Time of Eve: The Movie," which was released nationwide in 2010.

Director Yasuhiro Yoshiura put digital workflow into practice, and completed this work that is both entertaining and artistic. Although the production period was not easy, it is also a work that brought a lot to the director.

■Cast

The cast of this film is as follows:

• Rikuo: Jun Fukuyama
• Masaki: Kenji Nojima
• Sammy: Rie Tanaka
• Nagi: Rina Sato
• Akiko: Yukana
• Koji: Michio Nakao
• Lina: Miki Ito
• Chimay: Motomu Kiyokawa
• Chie: Miyuki Sawashiro
• Seto: Tomokazu Sugita
• Naoko: Yuko Mizutani
• Dr. Ashimori: Yuriko Yamaguchi
• Catlan: Unsho Ishizuka
• Kayo: Atsuko Enomoto

■ Main staff

The main staff of this work are as follows:

• Original story, script, storyboard, direction: Yasuhiro Yoshiura
• Character design/chief animation director: Ryusuke Chayama
• Animation directors: Ryusuke Chayama, Takashi Shinohara, Masayuki Shimizu, Chizuru Miyawaki, Hiroko Yaguchi
• Original illustrations: Chayama Ryusuke, Kurosawa Osamu, Sakuma Hiroaki, Nakayama Miyuki, Maehara Kaoru, Maehara Rie, Matsumura Kazuko, Uemura Miho, Kamiyaron, Maru Yuichi, Kimura Tomomi, Hasegawa Toruo, Miyawaki Chizuru, Yamaguchi Mami, Ideno Yoshinori, Fujii Hitomi, Shinohara Takashi, Hiramatsu Takeshi, Kano Masashi, Nakajima Chiaki, Shimizu Masayuki, Iimura Shinichi, Koshida Miki, Oyabu Kanako, Beijing Sharaku Art Products Co., Ltd. (Chen Zhan dong, Lu Yu, Li shi fen, Pan mai, Rong hai xia, Zhao jun gui, Gong chun yan)
• Secondary animation: Ayuko Ogawa, Kae Takakura, Nana Miura, Gong Le, Masako Sakai, Naoko Masui, Shigenobu Ishita, Tezuka Productions, Doga Kobo
• Video inspection: Kumiko Otani, Nozomi Ichijo, Megumi Matsumoto, Hirofumi Okita, Kumiko Terada, Zhao Jun gui, Rung Hai xia
• Animation: CODE (Shiina Ritsuko, Kaburagi Tsutomu, Miki Nobuhito, Aoki Ritsuko, Terunuma Miki, Takeda Yusuke, Harada Rie, Hiramura Naoki), Doga Kobo (Ishii Kunitoshi, Zen Goei, Machida Kayo, Oda Michiko, Yoshida Kanako), Wish (Tanaka Hiromi, Zhang Zai Feng, Kotani Natsuyo, Murai Kaori, Matsuura Kana, Nishiyama Chinatsu), Takuranke (Ito Kaori, Okada Natsumi, Nishikawa Hiromi, Naoi Yuki, Ichimura Nozomi, Otsuka Akiko, Sakamoto Tomomi), Beijing Sharaku Art Products Co., Ltd. (Piao Zhi xuan, Xu Yun zhu, Xin Zheng xi, Ling Zhen gen, Yang Xiao juan, Yue Xian yun, Wang Yan ting), Nomad, Shin-Ei Animation, BIG BANG, Studio Boomerang, Anime Spot, Rising Force, Asahi Production, Tamazawa Dogasha, Diomedea, Nakamura Production, Anime Spot, Studio Victory, Studio Cockpit, G&G Direction, TripleA
• Digital illustrations: Yasuhiro Yoshiura, Takuya Hasegawa
• Color design: Akiko Inoue
• Color designation: Akiko Inoue, Miyoko Suzuki
• Finishing inspection: Akiko Inoue, Miyoko Suzuki, Miyoko Kobayashi, Megumi Kawazoe, Yumi Aburaya, Minako Yashiro
• Finishing touches: Wish (Emiko Okui, Chizue Saito, Akemi Nagao, Yuka Abe, Maya Kusumoto, Chitomi Maeda, Kumiko Yamazaki, Yosuke Amanomoto, Mako Kumada, Yoko Chiba, Emi Kadono, Mika Sugihara, Erika Tanaka, Michiko Watanabe, Yoko Wakabayashi, Izumi Inoue, Haruka Yoshida, Daiki Egusuma, Hiromi Mitsutome, Yu Takahashi, Yuri Shiozawa, Marie Koga, Junko Fujimaki, Katsuhiko Shirato, Tomoko Toki, Michiyo Otani, Kayo Ishikawa, Sunahara Naoko, Terashima Shinya, Kanemitsu Hiroyasu, Fujiwara Yumi, Mochizuki Junko, Narazaki Mitsuhiro, Kato Akemi, Matsumoto Yumi, Takigawa Hikaru, Okamiya Shiho, Furukawa Hisako, Kushima Sayako, Hasegawa Mie, Yamashita Sayaka, Sasa Manami, Omoto Maki, Tanimoto Miyuki, Yamase Hitomi), Doga Kobo (Makabe Genta, Yamamoto Chika, Sakaino Yuta, Aihara Ayako, Numahata Sayaka, Ishiguro Kei), Beijing Sharaku Art Products Co., Ltd. (Liu Zeng hai, Zhao De sheng, Li Hai dong, Wang Di di, Ma Wei, Yang Xiao dong, Jiang Xiao yun, Zhao Xiao fang, Zhang Zhi hua, Cui Jian wei, Zhao Bao heng, Wang Hong cheng)
• Production cooperation: Animation Time, Studio Gimlet, Artemis, Rising Force, Studio Zain, AIC Takarazuka, D-COLORS, Studio Ad, Studio OZ, Barefoot Pro, Egel Nest
• 3D background modeling: Yasuhiro Yoshiura, Osamu Ono, Yasushi Matsumoto, Ishikawa Holdings, Takeshi Ishikawa, Atsushi Matsumoto
• 3D background modeling assistants: Takuya Hasegawa, Shuichi Agui
• 3D background retouching director/mapping: Shuichi Yasugi
• 3D background retouching: Shuichi Akui, Satoko Yamamoto, Nobuyuki Ando, ​​Eri Watanabe, Takuya Hasegawa, Miki Ito, Hirokazu Yasumoto
• 3D character Catran modeling and animation: TRICK BLOCK (Sasagawa Keisuke, Iwasaki Kenji)
• 3D Character Catlan Subjective Interface Design: Takuya Hasegawa
• 3D Character Text Modeling Animation: Studio RF
• 3D character modeling: Kei Nakabayashi
• 3D character animation: Kei Nakabayashi, Tomohiro Miyaguchi, Roma no Fu Higa
• 3D character production progress: Masami Abe
• 3D character retouching and mapping: Shuichi Yasugi
• 2D Background: Kodama, Inspired (Masuyama Osamu, Senga Tomoe), Miho
• 2D Art Designer: Kazuhiro Hotchi, Hiroko Ichise
• Ending illustration original: Kaoru Maruyama
• Ending illustration retouch: Shuichi Agui
• Photography and editing: Yasuhiro Yoshiura
• Digital Works, Assistant Directors: Shuichi Akui, Takuya Hasegawa, Nobuyuki Ando
• Music: Toru Okada
• Saxophone: Hiroyasu Yaguchi
• Sound Director: Yasuhiro Yoshiura
• Sound effects: Kazumi Okubo
• Sound design: Masashi Furuya
• Sound Editor: Shigeru Fujibayashi
• Recording studios: Studio T&T, Maruni Studio, Tabak, Abaco Creative Studio
• Dubbing studio: Aoi Studio
• Music Rights Management: Hayashi Kaname
• Production staff: Abe Yuji, Ikebe Hiroya, Maie Yuya, Shioya Takashi (Tezuka Productions), Sugimoto Shinichi (Doga Kobo)
• Screenplay cooperation: Masaya Tokoro, Yuko Nagae
• SPECIAL THANKS: Yusuke Dan, Satoshi Sawamura (Tokyo Theatre), Takeshi Aida, Emiko Yoshino (dwango), Tetsumasa Kumabe (Suite Room), Hide Nakatani, Wacom Co., Ltd., Ryosuke Inagaki, Ryusuke Hikawa, Satoshi Watanabe, Kyoko Tokoro, Peter Nelson & Family, Sumiko Hanyu, Yasuyo Takise, Natsuki Mikami, Keita Obara, Tetsuya Urata, Miori Kumagai, Kyoko Murakami, Anne Yamamoto, Sachiko Akiyoshi, Katsumasa Akiyoshi, Mitsuko Yoshiura, Motoki Yoshiura
• Distributor: Asmik Ace
• Publicity Producer: Mikio Ono
• Publicity: Mika Saiki (Futabadou), Yuko Nakamura
• Trailer Production: Motor/lieZ, Sato Atsuki
• Advertising art: Takeshi Kusano, Takahisa Abe
• Official website: Keiichi Hasegawa
• Animation production: Studio Rikka
• Produced by: Directions
• Producer: Tsutomu Nagae
• Director: Yasuhiro Yoshiura

■ Main Characters

The main characters of this work are as follows:

• Rikuo: A typical high school student. He doesn't like being called a "doriki" (a type of boy), but he can't be completely cold towards androids. He's knowledgeable about digital tools, and learns about "Time of Eve" after reading Sammy's activity log.
• Masaki: Rikuo's best friend. He is in the advanced class and hopes to major in robotics law in the future. He says he doesn't understand Rikuo's troubles because he doesn't own an android, but he has mixed feelings about robots due to past events.
• Sammy: Rikuo's houseroid. A typical female model. Her principle of action is to serve humans according to the Three Laws of Robotics.
• Nagi: The owner and waitress of the coffee shop "Time of Eve". She has a bright and straightforward attitude, but gives off a somewhat mysterious air. She cares about her shop and is very strict with customers who don't follow the rules.
• Akiko: A bright and lively girl. She loves to talk, and even during "Time of Eve" she talks to anyone and everyone, making more friends.
• Koji: A simple and plain man. He and Rina form an unbalanced couple, clingy with each other.
• Rina: A sexy woman with a mature sexiness. She has a strong possessiveness towards Koji, and never lets go of his arm when they are together.
• Shimei: A regular customer at "Time of Eve". A kind-looking old man. He seems to be Chie's guardian, but Chie seems to be bossing him around. His words are full of meaning, but he also has a cute side, as he practices imitating cats to get Chie's attention.
• Chie: One of the regular customers at "Time of Eve". A lively girl who always imitates a cat. She loves Shimei very much, and when he is not around, she becomes introverted and cannot hide her loneliness.
• Setoro: A regular customer at "Time of Eve". A man in a suit with a scary appearance. He sits on the sofa reading a book and doesn't seem to communicate much with the other customers. When he opens his mouth, you can see that he has a surprisingly easygoing personality.
• Catlan: A domestic humanoid from the previous generation. It was an unpopular model due to its rugged appearance and lack of versatility.

■ Related works

The related works of this work are as follows:

• Eve's Time

■ Theme songs and music

The theme songs and music for this work are as follows:

• ED1: In a Gentle Time
• Lyricist: BANANA ICE
• Composer: Toru Okada
• Arrangement: Toru Okada
• Vocals: Rie Tanaka

■ Evaluation and impressions

"Time of Eve: The Movie" was highly praised by many audiences for its unique theme and detailed drawings. In particular, the story, which questions the boundary between humans and robots, made audiences reconsider the existence of AI and robots in modern society. In addition, the film was praised for its portrayal of the characters' emotions and the sensitivity of human relationships, and there were many touching scenes.

The story of Rikuo's growth was also worth watching, and the way he deepens his humanity through his interactions with Sammy and the regulars at "Time of Eve" deeply moved the audience. In particular, Akiko's use of the word "family" and the relationship between Shimei and Chie touched the hearts of the audience.

Director Yasuhiro Yoshiura's small-scale workflow production method also drew attention, demonstrating new possibilities in modern anime production as digitalization advances. The film's visual beauty and music were also highly praised, and the ending song, "Yasashii Jikan no Naka de," in particular, captured the hearts of audiences with its beautiful melody that symbolizes the theme of the film.

■Reasons for recommendation

"Time of Eve: The Movie" is highly recommended for those looking for a work on the theme of AI and robots, those looking for a moving story, and those who want to enjoy detailed drawings and beautiful images. It is also recommended for those who are interested in the works of director Yasuhiro Yoshiura and those who want to know the possibilities of animation produced by a small team.

This work delves deeply into the relationship between humans and robots, making the audience think, while also soothing the soul with its moving story and beautiful images. Please watch the theatrical version at least once and experience its charm for yourself.