Copyright © Tennouji Kitsune / Kadokawa Shoten

While I am not really a big fan of children's anime, preferring the intensity of SHAMANIC PRINCESS or UTENA to the lightheartedness of, say, POKÉMON, there are many series for children that I do enjoy. Sadly, EDEN'S BOwY is not one of them. Based on a manga by Tennouji Kitsune, BOwY chronicles the adventures of one young boy who loses his father and who, together with the help of a grizzled veteran fighter and a cute girl with magical powers, sets out to fulfill his destiny that will change the fate of his world while mysterious people with vested interests try to stop him, etc etc—you get the idea. How many times have we heard this plot line before?
To be fair, the anime industry is built mostly upon recycled ideas, sometimes given new twists which surprise and delight us by showing the sort of solid product that can rise out of a tired genre. Stealing or reusing ideas is nothing new, and you can forgive the mediocre works when you uncover that one gem. So it is not really the lack of originality that is bothersome about EDEN'S BOwY.
Rather, it is the feeling that this anime could have been done so much better had they taken a different attitude towards it. The story certainly has potential: in a world where most of the population eke out a miserable agrarian existence whilst a privileged few live in floating paradises in the sky above, there are old legends of "God Hunters" who are born to destroy the God who created this world. Yorun is a young boy leading an ordinary life with his father on a farm. One day, his latent "God Hunter" blood is detected by those in the floating city Eden and, in a move to preserve the status quo, they send someone down to eliminate him. Before the final blow though, a mysterious young girl appears to help. With his father killed in the fighting, and the arrival of swordsman who claims that his real parents lie elsewhere, Yorun reluctantly sets out to confront his heritage and destiny.
If you look below the veneer of "shonen action adventure" pasted upon it, EDEN'S BOwY actually embodies some very interesting concepts. There is an almost segregated class system, reminiscent of Hinduism where the poor masses can only hope to ascend by doing good deeds. (Those of you familiar with Roger Zelazny's "Lord of Light" can imagine the possibilities of exploring such a society.) At the same time, there is also the theme of emotion, or love, as a driving force for change. Patterned after Romeo and Juliet, Yorun the God Hunter and Elisis the angel from God fall in love despite the dichotomy of their roles. Then there is the formation of complex alliances based on politics and power balance.
EDEN'S BOwY could have been one of those gems in a pile of adventure anime. Instead, the producers decided to go for the children's market. With limited knowledge of the original manga, it is difficult to say exactly what has been changed, but the adaptation of the original "Kamigoroshi" or "God Killer" to "Kamigari" ("God Hunter") is one compromise. The general feel of the anime is that of a story for young adults tailored down to appeal to 7 year-old boys. The clumsy slapstick humor, two bumbling "Larry and Moe" type characters, the overly straightforward presentation—these serve only to cheapen the original concept.
Not content merely with children, the producers made yet another cast with their marketing fishing reel: this time for teenage anime enthusiasts. As if the gratuitous (and otherwise pointless) transformation sequence of Elisis from cute young girl to generously proportioned ass-kicking babe was not enough, they also decided upon idol singer/seiyuu Shiina Hekiru to provide the voice, as well as the opening song.
Then it seems they used what was left of their budget to buy coverage in major anime magazines, with the result being that you have what is, at best, acceptable art and animation. It is a great pity too, since the character designs, by Kazui Hiroko whose credits include RANMA 1/2 and OH! MY GODDESS!, are detailed, clean and very appealing.
I could accept all these flaws in return for the rich variety of characters and for the story itself, if not for one thing—the highly irritating,whiny personality of Yorun. Voiced, no less, by the eternally typecast Yamaguchi Kappei, he is one of the most annoying major anime characters I have had the misfortune to come across. Childish, thickheaded, clueless, and, it seems, just plain stupid, this simply is not a character that you want to cheer on.
It is my guess that the opinion on EDEN'S BOwY is sharply divided. On the one hand, there are many people who enjoy this sort of humor and action. On the other hand, there are those people, yours truly included, who would rather it not get in the way of a decent story. There's nothing wrong with either opinion, so don't be afraid to try this anime out if you think you might enjoy it. At only four episodes, it is probably unfair to judge it so harshly, and it might yet head in a better direction. If nothing else, it has a damn good opening song.

Import
Production: Studio Deen
Currently running: TV Tokyo Tuesdays 6pm
Where to buy