Eden: The Manga that Was ALMOST a Masterpiece
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- Опубліковано 3 гру 2024
- In today's video, we'll be taking a look at what may be the very most conflicting manga for me, Eden: It's an Endless World by Hirkoi Endo.
Twiter: / evangaard
Music used:
Persona 5 - Life Goes On
Trails in the Sky - Kohaku no Ai
Hollow Knight - Greenpath
Xenoblade Chronicles 2 - Mor Ardain (Night)
Berserk - Behelit
Persona 3 - Living With Determination
Shenmue II - Guilin Forest
Zero no Kiseki - Revache & Co.
Ao no Kiseki - Things Have Started Moving
The Devil on G-String - The Devil #3
Tekkon Kinkreet - This City Is Hell
The Impressions - People Get Ready
#Manga #EdenItsAnEndlessWorld #Seinen
Listening to the song in the End, while reading it for the first time and seeing all those things unfold on a planetary scale just gave me pure joy
The repetition *is* very much intentional though. Once is happenstance, twice is coincidence, three times or more and we have a pattern.
Eden is very much about the repetitive cycle of violence that plagues mankind's existence, and how we are unable to break free from it as long as we attach ourselves to other people. We can see that ever since the first chapter with Lane's flashbacks, and how his friendship with Enoa's father was what led him to betray humanity in the first place.
Sure, I can agree that it may seem cheap to kill off every female character that Elijah attaches himself to, but that's also part of the point of the story, no one is safe from violence, the same way no one is safe from sin, which is a major thread connecting every arc together.
Not only that, but I find that this sort of predictability makes these scenarios even more heart wrenching, because you *know* what's coming, and yet you're powerless to do anything about it, which instills a feeling of hopelesness to every major death that honestly kept me engaged to the end, because there's nothing as refreshing as knowing that literally no character's life is sacred, and that no one has any semblance of plot armor.
Point being, as much as repetition can seem as a deterrent to some people, it can also be an asset depending on how you choose to interpret the story. Cyclical narratives are my favorites, and I honestly think that Eden is one of the best in the medium.
I don't read books to be surprised by the author's clever and cunning tricks and to see how they explain the worlds they built so intricately, I read books because I want to connect with the character's I'm being shown, and I think that Eden does a great job at that, and you yourself show this perfectly in this video. Is there a better way to say that you've connected with Elijah than to have stopped caring about the story at the same time he stopped caring about life? The moment something evokes this level of empathy from someone, it's when you know it's doing something right.
I rest my case.
And yet despite all its flaws, It's in my top 5 along with Blame!, Gunnm, Made in Abyss and Akira. There is just something "real" about this manga.
I absolutely agree. It has such a unique feel to it compared to other manga. Also that's a great list
@@Evangaard Have you by chance Read Boichi's "Hotel" and "Origin"? Also great though Origin's ending felt a bit hasty.
Blame! 🔥
@@savlosavage #1
I haven't read any of Boichi's stuff yet. Though I've been meaning to, as everyone alwayd recommends it, Sun-Ken Rock in particular
I kind of have to disagree about some of your points. I do think that the later half is weaker compared to the first half. Also, the final could have been paced better, it felled rushed and dragged on at the same time.
But, the repetition is part of the theme. I think one of the characters lampshades this even (Might have been the doctor, whose love-interest got killed). It's a vicious cycle, no matter how much time passes, hate and violence will return. This mirrors Elijah story/situation.
Even the title might be a reference to this, endless as in being a cycle (Although I have no idea what the original Japanese title was and if the translation makes sense).
Elijah might have been the MC based on traditional story-telling, but it was more about the world itself and the cycle of violence. There's pretty much no connection between the colloid and him, other than at the very end and even then it's tangential at best. The "World" or the cycle isn't something you can break out from unless you leave it completely ... in this case by leaving to a new dimension.
Also something important to note, this was a serialized release, with chapters being release monthly over a span of 10 years. The repetition might not have been this glaring. if you haven't read it in one go.
Overall it's a great story, and is probably in my top 10 best Manga of all time, but this is hard to qualify. I still like to return to it every couple of years.
Man that manga was a roller coaster of emotions for me
I think most of the things u disliked or had issues with was done purposely by the mangaka because all the deaths made sense thematically. You’re supposed to become desensitized to people constantly being killed cause it aligns with how many of the characters feel. They feel hopeless and numb which makes them want to give up living and join the colloid.
I also don’t understand how u can feel nothing with some of those brutal deaths. Like even if u could see them coming did u not care at all for the characters and not want to see them die.
The fact that no one is safe in this manga made it so much more intense for me whenever characters I cared about would get involved in a fight. Like with Miriam for ex. I was so scared for her at multiple moments cause I knew she had a close bond with Elijah. So in the end it felt so much more special that she survived because of that.
despite its flaws something about this manga connects with me in a way no manga ever has before. one of my favorites
I still have eden in my top 10 because it's still relevant even today. Yes it has flaws like every series have but eden always went above cliché stuff with no plot armor
i love your videos and your tastes, man ! Never stop making them.
Thank you! I'll hopefully be back to my regular uploads from here on
one of the most based and thrilling mangas i've ever red in my life. this story was like a rollecoaster of emotions..
One of the best mangas. Thank you for making this video!!
[SPOILER] Small correction: Cessie got stabbed because that was the mission, the mercenary probably wanted to have her killed in a remote location but had to resort to kill her there in the end. It's no coincidence Elijah a few chapters earlier is surprised that Pedro only bought 3 tickets to escape: one for him, one for Manuela and one for his brother. Cessie didn't die by accident, it was Pedro's goal to kill her and Manuela choosing Pedro instead of Cessie is like selling out a son again. That is why Elijah takes revenge, he knows it was not an accident and that Manuela chose the plan "kill Cessie and run away with Pedro".
Best Manga of all time
just finish reading this manga and love it definitely one of my top 5 manga
It was so close to perfection, yet it faltered at the end under the weight of its own ambition. Last couple of chapters basically dragged on and on after the Mana arc and just like you said, I stopped caring.
That being said, weirdly enough, it’s still my favorite manga overall. Something about the themes really connect to me that I couldn’t find in most other manga out there. The plot and characters just have this magic to them that’s able to keep me caring, despite characters being killed off at the push of a button (though I don’t think it does it worse than say Chainsaw Man for instance). It’s flawed, but much like Inio Asano’s Dead Dead Demons manga, I still love it nonetheless.
It’s also the first actual seinen manga I read so it left a massive impact on me personally and really did push me into trying out more manga. I’m a huge sucker for stories exploring the human condition, and Eden really ticked all the boxes for me.
Since you said for some reason something about the themes really connected with you i would suggest trying xenogears. It's basically like eden+evangelion. It shares many of the same themes with those two. The gnosticism influence and tackling racism/class division is very similar to eden while the psychological/psychoanalytical, jungian and freudian influences are very similar to eva (with some minor influence from kabbalah/jewish mysticism as well).
Those three in my eyes make up like the late 90s similar religion influenced anime/manga/video game trilogy. Back when japan was obsessed with the esoteric, mysticism, magick, psychoanalysis etc. So we had some of the most in depth works in terms of plot, characterization, themes etc. in those mediums. Dark and serious works that dealt with human condition instead of otaku pandering bs like modern anime.
Also something else they coincidentally all have in common is, having an ending that had to be somewhat rushed and because of that weren't fully satisfactory yet still are amazing works that are absolutely worth giving a chance nonetheless.
One of my favourite manga
mine 2
Great video! Adding this manga to the list of things to read!
Thanks, mate! It has its problems, but I still think it's definitely worth checking out
I still think this is one of the best manga I've read. I consider it to be above Vagabond, Berserk, Vinland Saga, and monster.
Is it really better than berserk? I've been struggling to find something to fill the void berserk left for some time now.
I would say that it's different than any manga I've ever read. I can't even compare it to Berserk because they are so different.
@@konodioda1268 not really.
@Zold me and most people massively disagree, but sure I guess. Everyone has opinions.
@@htoras_ ahh the classic mid. If berserk is mid, then there isn't any animanga in this world which comes close to a 7/10. And demon slayer is considered a 10/10 by mainstream new teen fans, I was talking about the community in general. So that was a horrible point.
Eden still has the best depiction of scifi warfare ive ever read. The first 6 mangas are an epic action ride you will never be able to find again. The pacing is just a bit weird, it starts with 100mph goes to 400mph just to put the wrong pedal to the metal ending with 30mph^^
Yo! He is back!
Where can people buy volumes 15 and onwards in English?
Unfortunately Dark Horse discontinued the English translation, so the last few volumes are only available as fan translations
@@Evangaard that's too bad.
Love your videos
Hey man, i love your videos! Do you read your manga digitally? What's your opnion on physical vs digital manga?
I'm fine with either digital or physical, honestly. If it's a series or edition that I really like, I'll get it physically, but I only have so much space. I like reading digital manga, though I'll only do it if it's on a tablet. Reading manga on your phone is barbaric (I've been there myself, though)
this needs a finished localization. and a deluxe version a la berserk and blade of the immortal
word!😊
Hey dude great video, if you’d like a good recommendation and a manga that will probably blow up once the anime comes out it’s, jigokuraku hells paradise
I really like Hell's Paradise; it's one of my favourite modern shounen manga. I talked about it briefly in my 'great manga without anime' video. Good recommendation
Heh, I never even looked at this manga like that, it was just cool cyberpunk for me.
I wish the author would go back and redo this manga. Probs to hard of a project for how little attention it got tho. But still one of my favorites. I personally liked the virus and I think the ending and what the virus was had to do with all the suffering (to show us how painful life is and that’s why, ultimately, so many people ‘accepted’ the virus at the end of the manga) but yea I still got very annoyed with all the deaths
I prefer the later half tbh but I do have a bias since its my favorite manga
New upload!
But it is a masterpiece
One of the most annoying thing people tend to use this manga for is to compare it with Game of Thrones. It’s not a good comparison.
So if you’re looking for a manga that is like Game of Thrones, this ain’t it, buddy.
My top 5 = Eden, NANA, Baki, JoJo, Akira
the last 4 volumes were a straight up rip from end of evangelion, but he pretty explicitly says that was his plan from the start in the first volume's epilogue/author's notes.
You are saying it like NGE/EoE itself didn't rip off from other media a lot.
Cristals = urusei yatsura lum forever
I dont say this often but you got filtered
Two of my biggest problems with the manga is the whole colloid thing, kind of felt like they jump the shark on that one TBH, and the bigger problem imo, the amount of needless killing. I get that it fits the themes of the story and what the author was trying to portray, but at some point the deaths just held no meaning and I felt nothing when main characters got killed.
I think it is a masterpiece flaws and all second to only berserk
👌
I'd like to hear your thoughts on Solo Leveling. I don't understand the praise for it, other than the art. It's essentially a worse version of Bleach and Sword Art Online. An unlikeable, overpowered protagonist, poor character arc, undeveloped side characters, a plot that is paper thin, and perhaps one of the worst endings in written media. The second main arc is a rip off the Chimera Ant arc from Hunter x Hunter but done extremely poorly. It completely misses the idea about humanity's depravity and of all the symbolism Togashi specifically put into the story. Yet, it is the highest rated manhwa on MAL
About a year ago, I was actually gonna do a video on manhwa, since I barely have any experience with it. I started off by checking out Solo Levelling, and reading that, knowing it was the highest rated manhwa out there, kind of killed my motivation to keep reading anythig else, so I temporarily scrapped the video. Pretty much had the same impression as you: great art, but that's about it.
Anyway I've gone back to working on that video now, and I have managed to find some series that I like a lot more. So I'll probably have a manhwa related video out in the next couple of months
Isn't this pretty much the summary of almost every Isekai type of Manga/Manhwa out there? Although I'm sure some people will argue that it's' actually not an Isekai.
I'm not gonna defend anything else you criticized about Solo Leveling but saying the Jeju raid is a ripoff of the Chimera Ant arc is just dumb; literally the only similarity is that the enemies are called "Ants."
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it was alright
Who is Maya? (I skipped all the boring political parts)
i keep wondering if this person is doing okay, constantly gasping for breath while talking
i stopped reading it when they made the guy in the wheelchair gay.
Dude that was the first chapter 😭
First chapter 😭😭
@@ImZen5K lmaooo
You stopped in the beginning?
I've always heard that this manga was grrat, but never managed to read it. I liked this video.