Eden of the East (II)

Right. I remember now. Nextflix and Hulu Plus both have it. That's fine. Netflix always goes with the subbed versions, which makes me die a little inside when the voice acting is bad. A couple of TVs have gone out the window because of that, so I don't watch them subbed much anymore.

So it's like a cross between Battle Royale and the Bourne Identity, with a little bit of romantic comedy thrown in for seasoning. A lot of that rom-com is in the music.

Anyway, it starts with these two:

The girl on the right, that's Saki Morimi. She's a 22-year old, finishing up her last year of college, and on a trip to Washington D.C.. That's where she meets the clown on the left, Akira Takazawa. She's about to get in trouble with some cops for tossing something at the White House, when he shows up naked, with nothing but a fancy cellphone, a gun, and a hole in his head where his memories used to be. Since he distracts the cops (and since he's, you know, bare ass to the wind) she gives him her hat, scarf, and pretty pink coat, which he runs off in, looking like a flasher with a terrible fashion sense.

Of course Saki's passport is in her coat, so she runs off in search of him.

Basically, he's part of a game. There's twelve "seleçāo" -- that's Portuguese for "selection," and they're playing this "game" set up by one "Mr. Outside". Each one was given ¥10-billion, and a cellphone that connects them to "Juiz" -- a helper who can make anything happen, for a price. They're trying to be the first to "save Japan," in whatever way they can.

But there are some catches. If they use the money selfishly, or if they run out of money, a guy named "The Supporter" will find them, and kill them.

It's an interesting series. Akira's a great liar, but he always seems to use it for a good cause, even if it makes you worry that he's really some terrorist or something. Saki's kind of hopeless, but endearing enough, always looking for her prince charming. Her friends are pretty cool. They start this social networking site for NEETs (Not in Employment, Education, or Training) called "Eden of the East" -- one of them kind of reminds me of this kid I know in Ikebukuro, but whatever -- and it becomes pretty important in the way things turn out.

I don't want to ruin it though, so go watch it yourself. I give it four and a half naked Akira Takazawas out of five.