Eden no Ori
Cage of Eden

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Have you seen the show Lost? Most people agree that it had a good set up, atmosphere and mystery to it in the early seasons, but good mystery is rendered pointless by shitty conclusions and a lack of character development. Eden no Ori ended up far worse than Lost did, seeing as Lost actually compensated for its poor plot choices by focusing more on characters. (A strategy which got less and less effective as time went on, but I digress.) I mention Lost because this manga seems to have gotten much inspiration from it and failed in the worst way possible. Ultimately, nothing was answered ... and indisputable plot holes were everywhere. Who is Hades? Who the fuck knows. Who unleashed the bacteria/fungus? Who the fuck knows. How did they leap through time? Who. The. Fuck. Knows.

People were giving this “10” reviews when just a dozen chapters had come out, without considering the fact that it's easy to set up a "mystery island" plot; what matters is the ultimate delivery, and this manga had none to speak of. This manga is actually pretty good at tricking you in early chapters, but the fact that it’s spitting in your face becomes less and less subtle as it progresses. As both of the top reviews were written by people who hadn't even made it a third of the way through the series, their praise should be ignored.

The art was all centered around fanservice. That is the only notable thing about it, which isn't saying much seeing as it is a staple of most modern shounen manga. It's not particularly good or well-placed fanservice either. The girls are not well drawn and many of them look almost exactly the same, although they can sometimes be distinguished form one another by breast size. Also note that no dramatic scene is complete without a panty-shot, making these important scenes impossible to take seriously in any capacity. Basically, the art was generic and bad. The fight scenes got very repetitive, and while this was also due to a lack of creativity in general, it was usually because they were all drawn exactly the same way. I felt like I'd seen the same panel hundreds of times.

The characters were either "good" or "bad" and either "expendable" or "important." Did you get eaten by a three headed saber tooth lizard tiger? Don't worry, you're an important character. You'll be fine somehow. (No joke. It's that bad.) The main character is a Mary Sue who remains calm and brave in the face of any danger and becomes athletic and smart overnight, despite the fact that he's just a slacker. He has a love interest that has no personality other than "tits." He has a friendly rivalry with a delinquent with a heart of gold who, despite being a middle schooler, can crush professional boxers and overpower wild animals bare handed. The delinquent has a relationship with a woman who only exists for him to protect her and look cool while doing it. The main character also has a friend who is a plot device nerd and has a laptop with infinite battery plus an encyclopedia of extinct animals and other programs that are useless in day to day life, for god knows what purpose. How does he always find the animals just by their appearance anyways? There are a lot of extinct animals to sort through. Point is this: the characters are one dimensional and simply poorly written. Some of them had half-assed backstories thrown in, but these seemed, well, half-assed. There is also a big titted flight attendant and a trap-loli. Why? Because tits, traps, and lolis. Also more damsels in distress. Another thing: this series loves damsels in distress. A whole lot of them. There are a lot of damsels, and they are all frequently in distress.

All of the dialogue between the characters is clunky and unrealistic. It is never entertaining or compelling. Not even once did I crack a smile or think about what deep things they had to say.

The juvenile ideas and general factual errors were a minor issue in comparison to everything else, but still worth mention, in my opinion. The author made up historical, physiological, and scientific facts whenever it was convenient and decided that logic in general was a crock of shit. It also featured some very unintelligent (read: incorrect) psychological ideas mixed in with a bit of political commentary with a depth that I would expect from my 9 year old cousin. It threw in the supernatural out of nowhere and quickly broke those rules as well. Why do the predictions sometimes come true and sometimes not? Because the eternal power of friendship can overpower fate?

So what was the point of Edon no Ori? What can you get from it? It failed as a mystery, an action, and as a romance. It ultimately had no positive points or redeeming qualities to speak of.

The creator should learn to plan ahead in his next work. This manga seemed very thrown together and generally all over the place. It showed not a modicum of originality or intelligence and I would recommend it to nobody. Even those with poor taste must admit that the conclusion was no conclusion at all. This manga should only be read as an example of what not to do when telling a story.

Story: 0/10
Art: 3/10
Character: 1/10
Enjoyment: 0/10
Bonus: 0/10
Overall: 4/50 or 8% (.8/10)

A 21st century Japanese apocalypse/horror (or more accurately, "no hope") manga; your first thought? Tits. Your second? Ass. This is the drawbacks to all those fan services, those juicy, bouncing, voluptuous drawbacks. Something about the end of the world or death, and women (who's "accessories" make her fit more on a farm in montana than an urban Japanese environment), make the Japanese (and probably tons of Americans) scream MOAR!!! Does this honestly make sense? If the world ended, wouldn't small girls with washboards survive better? So shouldn't all horror apocalypse stories star creepy old lolicons and doll-size girls instead of reckless selfless and otheradjective-less guys ... and his herd of cows?

These were some of my first thoughts when I read the synopsis for Cage of Eden; When in the first chapter, the guys are watching a video of their classmates in swimsuits. I thought, this is just another fan service filled action, adventure, comedy, romance, horror manga.

And man, was i wrong.

It was strange to think that I read a manga, where the Male:Female ratio was 3:2, and not 1:20. It was strange that even though the main girl has tits, she shows them ONLY when she bathes (BLASPHEMY!!). I'm going to make comparisons to Highschool of the Dead, not only because of the similarity of the story's feel, but because they counter each other in so many ways, and in the end, i still like CoE better.

Plot: Cage of Eden blends a good amount of action, adventure, and horror. Comedy and romance are the bench players, chilling out, rooting for the team, and every once in awhile they come out and play. CoE blends these genres very well and there are good timings of romance and comedy. When HSotD characters are surrounded by zombies, their first thought is "Will so&so fuck me if i save her?". HSotD had too much melodrama. It made me think, people are fighting for their lives and your trying to figure out which pair of breasts likes who? Cage of Eden focuses on survival, and only throws comedy/romance in when completely necessary and in times when everything is fine or when it fits. My favorite element of CoE; however, is the horror. When your surrounded by zombies, but there's a military force somewhere, it offers some sanctuary. CoE doesn't excel because it's on an island with tons of extinct monsters, it excels because of several scenes that just tell you, "it's fucking useless, you'll die here".

*Mild Spoiler, but a spoiler nonetheless*
The only signs of salvation CoE every offers, are often shut-down immediately. Settlements of people often go from normal, to insanely dangerous in several chapters. One of the most horrifying moments was very early on, when the protagonists and several other students try to sail to safety. The protagonists are betrayed and kicked off the boat where they return to the island. The others sail to a 10 ft rock, tricked by a mirage that caused them to believe it was an island. They are then eaten by a extinct sea monster. Not that scary?

Spoiler End

CoE isn't BOO horror, it's that creeping horror. It's like watching a slasher flick; everybody knows the killer, but what can you do? CoE gives that feeling, that you can't escape, you'll never be safe, only death is salvation

The story is a blend of plot and character driven arcs, with only one big goal in mind for our protagonists: Survival. There aren't any outstanding characters, but each character has something to offer to the groups overall survival. None are sitting eye candy, they all work, and there isn't a character i feel you can call a waste of space. Arcs are interesting and are filled with mystery. There are some good twists to the plot, which simply add to the terror.

Art: I had a hard time believing the synopsis when i read it. The characters look fragile and Yuyu hakusho-ish, but unlike Yuyu, most people who died weren't highschool girls/boys who were eaten and stomped and brutally murdered. I can best compare it to happy tree friends, characters are simple and very shojo looking, only to get fucking chomped on as a midnight snack. Animals look great and detailed as well as death sequences. I can't tell if the animals that show up are real or not, but the author definitely did his research.

A great series altogether, action is around every corner as well as horrifying deaths or monsters. Not alot of fan service, but fan service is either something you look for or don't care about. I found the amount here is satisfactory without it turning into full on porn. Cage of Eden proves that putting a body and brain behind those tits can still make a series great.

Story: 9
Art: 9
Character: 8
Enjoyment: 10
Overall: 9

Go read it bitches

I constantly read reviews and ratings in order to choose the next manga to read and anime to watch and for the most part, those reviews tend to reflect the overall essence of the series. I decided to write this review (which happens to be my first) because I was outraged at what the others commented. Upon encountering this manga and reading their reviews I thought Cage of Eden was some kind of stereotypical lame story with no character depth and bad plot. Thankfully enough i decided to give give it a try and was hooked up since the first chapter.

A plane suddenly crashes ... into a mysterious island inhabited by creatures that were presumably extinct. The protagonist, Sengoku Akira, who arrives due to the plane crash, starts to explore the island and gather an entourage in order to escape from the hell of the island. Although the first few chapters might sound much like a combination of Lost and High School of The Dead, the story progresses in a unique manner. Akiras entourage encounters different creatures and even a strange disease, but what is truly frightening about the island are the other passengers of the plane. Murders, betrayal, desperation befalls many of the different crash surviving groups, and the story focuses on how Akira's entourage encounters and deals with them.

Story-9
Although it has many similarities with Lost and High School of the Dead, the development of each event is truly original and realistic. The developments, and psychological situations that the characters experience are the same as those I would experience if found in a similar situation.

Art-10
The art is somewhat simplistic but at the same time detailed and realistic enough to convey the essence of the plot. I do not prefer an art style over another (I enjoy the Shoujo art style as much as the Shonen art style), what I ask is for the action scenes to be clear and for the emotional scenes to be moving. This manga does a good job in both. While escaping dinosaurs or explosions, you can clearly understand what is going on. While grieving for the death of someone, you can feel their sadness.

Character-10
As the people join Akira's entourage, more and more is revealed about each character. Akira goes through a bunch of moral dilemmas and it is clear how they change him. The other characters are also very well portrayed. You can clearly understand their insanity and stress about what they are going through. Akira's character is also quite admirable and pleasant to observe.

Enjoyment-10
I loved it. I started it in the morning and reached chapter 30 around 4 hours later. I skipped a biology lecture and decided to not each lunch before I finished the manga. Each chapter gets you hooked up to the next, the ecchiness and everything seems appropriate.

Overall-10
This is one of the rare mangas where I honestly could not stop reading. Although right now the after manga hype is starting to get low and I am starting to think of it as a 9, while still reading it, the manga definitely deserved a 10.

Cage of Eden is something you’d get by tossing Lost, Jurassic Park, and Battle Royale into a cheap blender, with heaps of fanservice seasoning on top of it. Reading the manga is kind of similar to devouring greasy junk food; instantly gratifying, but insubstantial and probably left you mostly unfulfilled by the end. That last bit is particularly significant.

The premise is an instant sell for lovers of roller-coaster suspense story: an airplane carrying a high-school class crash landed on a mysterious island in the middle of nowhere. But, that's not all: before long, the main protagonist has to round up his missing friends, ... encounter the island's less than friendly inhabitants in the form of various grotesque beast creatures, deal with various people's psychological breakdowns, and figure out the big mystery behind the exact circumstances of their predicament. It's an inelegant mish-mash of the franchises I've mentioned before, while the fanservice (both the violent and lewd nature) could get hilariously over the top: nothing depicted the manga's tone better than the panel where a big wolf thingy devours someone's crippled body, while on the foreground there's a huge pantyshot of a terrified girl.And yet, I'd be lying if I say Cage of Eden isn't an engrossing read. The psychological/emotional level is mostly skin-deep, but the main cast of characters is likable enough to root for, and Yoshinobu Yamada really excels in stringing a series of cliffhangers one after another and a pile of intriguing mysteries on top of each other...

This, unfortunately, brings us to by far the Cage of Eden's biggest flaw. Normally, I don't like spoiling or even hinting a mystery/suspense series too much, but in this case it felt absolutely imperative for a potential reader to know what they're getting into. So, here goes: Cage of Eden's ending is wildly unsatisfying, left a lot of plot threads unresolved, answered the central mystery in a baffling manner, and in general displayed a shocking lack of long-term planning.Some series could get away or even enhanced by an open and ambiguous ending, but something like CoE really has no business playing "the journey mattered more than the destination" card. A lack of proper resolution is a death knell to a series so reliant on clifhangers, and as it is, most readers would soldier through 21-volume worth of constant build-ups and excessive fanservice hoping for a big pay-off that doesn't exist.

A bit of a shame, really. Cage of Eden is trashy as hell, but most of the times it's a fun and exciting kind of trashy. It deserves a better closing, at the very least, and I could only wonder if perhaps too much energy is spent on drawing all the boobs instead of, you know, making a plot outline.

I started reading Eden no Ori, or Cage of Eden 4 years ago. My first impression of this manga is that of mystery, excitement, and shounen-ness. I remember I was fascinated by discoveries that the main characters had, and was able to enjoy the story to its fullest.

Of course, that was when this manga only have 40 chapters and during a period when I was fond of an overabundance of fan-service.

4 years later, I have become a much more mature person, one that is able to critically judge the merits and weaknesses of a story. I again picked up Eden no Ori, finishing it ... in one swoop. I hope I can write a somewhat objective review on this title.

Here goes.

Eden no Ori is a shounen manga that tires to encompass too many genres and themes in its story. I don't want to spoil the story, so I want go into any details. Suffice to say that it dabbles in Action, Adventure, Mystery, Romance, Fantasy, Sci-fi, Psychological, and Ecchi categories. Now, was it successful? The answer is maybe, depending on how seriously readers want to take it.

Art
The art is by far the best thing about this manga. It is impeccable. The character designs was excellent, with much varieties. The background was drawn beautifully in a consistent manner.
The only drawback that I would contribute to this section is not the art itself, but the amount of fan-service it has. Normally, I wouldn't mind an appropriate bit of "healthy" fan-service, but it is clearly too much in this manga. It is getting to a point that it distracts the readers from the main plot. Thus, I have decided to take the liberty of docking two points from the otherwise perfect score.
8/10

Story
In a sci-fi, adventure story with so little based on our real society, it is difficult to write a solid story without any plot holes, if not impossible. Thus, the goal is to create a story that involves as little illogical elements as possible (in the context of the story). In this respect, Eden no Ori did not achieve a convincing success, neither did it fail. I could identify several gaping plot holes, and/or clues that were not followed up on in the story, not to mention the numerous small unreasonable parts of story development. However, Eden no Ori does not have a bad script by any means. I was able to enjoy the richly creative story till the conclusion, with my critical thinking organs half turned-on. This opinion is strongly supported by the satisfying ending. Even though it does not achieve the mind-blowing conclusion that some manga did, neither did it seem unbelievably stupid, like so many more other manga.

In the end, if you aren't nick-picky about minuscule details in Eden no Ori, you would find yourself a overall satisfying story.
7.5/10

Character
In terms of shounen male lead, Akira Sengoku is an interesting character who is resourceful, genuinely compassionate, charismatic in his own way, and not endowed with an overpowered ability that is so typical of shounen. Likewise, many other members of MC's entourage show interesting characteristics that feel very refreshing to the readers. For example, we have Mariya the genius nerd, Miina the cute little kid, and Yarai the badass fighter.

On the negative side, while some members of the huge female cast are actually useful (to the story as well as to the team), other members are simply there to be fan-service for the readers. I know that I have already docked the point for fan-service, but I will do it again here because it is such a big problem in this manga. Perhaps ultimately, us readers are to be blamed for our idiosyncratic taste in panty shots and G-cup boobs. After all, mangaka has to draw what the readers demand in order to keep up the sales of their manga.
8.5/10

Enjoyment
Enjoyable enough that I was able to read from chapter 100 to 185 once I have decided to read it again. It is richly imaginative, vividly sketched out, and a story that does not disappoint the readers in a major way.
8/10

Overall
For fans of adventure-shounen and/or mystery-adventure and/or psychological-mystery-action manga, I would highly recommend it.
8/10

This Manga had a lot of promise to it right from the start,The thing that gets you hooked on this Manga is the mystery behind the island, Everything thing in this show just makes you ask WHY?

The use of characters on this Manga was really fantastic, It had every type of loveable guy to every-type of hated character.

The only thing that let this manga down was the ending as it was asked to finished the show in 3 chapters , when there were more than a handful of questions not answered, the author tried his best but did not get to all lose ends leaving ... this manga with a questionable ending , hopefully one day this manga will get the justice is desired.


**** Update almost 10 years after this review ... Make an anime ! Change the ending *****

--- [ Cage of Eden / Eden no Ori ] ---

Note that Cage of Eden is a new manga, and only a few chapters are out. The review is based solely on those chapters, up to the latest (10 at the time of writing). If there are updates, I will change this review accordingly. Also, Cage of Eden is very new, and there is not much to say yet. Consider this review as a preview instead.

One-liner: For a starter, this manga looks promising overall. Nice art style. Interesting storyline. Average-y characters till now.

Total Rating: 7 / 10

Quick Synopsis: A ... plane full of students crashes on a mysterious island, and there are survivors. The island at first seems deserted, but strange things happen there. You are thinkling Lost, right? That's correct. Cage of Eden is Lost with weird animals and fan-service!

- - [ Story: 7/10 ] - -

Can't really say much about story when only 10 chapters are out. For now, I can say that the story resembles that of the TV series, Lost. Survivors on a seemingly deserted island, where strange things occur. Whereas in Lost, there are strange occurrences, in Cage of Eden, there are strange animals. Well, for now. I don't know what will come later in the series. Up to the current point in the story, the characters are still trying to get to know the island, and try their best to survive. There is also some fan-service such as lots of panty-shots, but not much apart from that. The story has a good enough flow, and at some points you do feel the sense of urgency and danger, but still not very heart-thumping. But that's only 10 chapters. I believe that the story will progress nicely if allowed, and offer some nice twists. Cage of Eden does make a nice read if you like survival-mystery type.

The part about the animals is good too, and there can be lots of development here. I'd just like to see them discovering some friendly animal, instead of just meat-eating angry ones that only want to harm or eat them.

- - [ Art: 9/10 ] - -

The art in Cage of Eden is alright. You have good enough details in the backgrounds that represent the trees and plants of the island, the characters are well made and pleasing to the eye. There are not much to say about Art for now, considering the small number of chapters and scenes already seen, but it's good enough. There are better arts out there, like in Berserk, but Cage of Eden manages to hold its own against others, and is certainly better than other manga. The characters look realistic enough, as manga characters of course. The animals depicted are well drawn, considering their nature. (I cannot tell you more without spoiling.). Overall, nothing to complain about here.

- - [ Character: 7/10 ] - -

We haven't seen many characters yet. If I were to compare it with Lost, I'd say that you have the Jack, Kate and Locke equivalents at this point. For those not familiar with Lost, you have the main male lead which acts as a leader, the main female character - I think she'll be the main female, not sure, and the other guy/geek that seems to have an idea about what's happening around. I liked the fact that not all the survivors were seen immediately at first, and that we are getting to know the characters better at a good enough pace. There is not much background story given yet, so I cannot comment on character progression just yet. Unfortunately, till now, they don't seem to have particularly interesting backgrounds. They look like normal students to me, so maybe their whole stories will develop on the island. There are, after all, just school children. There are some (one, till now) adult character in the cast, but they are mostly just following around the kid-leader which is a bit weird.

One thing I don't like is that only one character is getting the airtime, while the others are just having secondary roles. It's as if everything revolves around the main male lead. The female lead seems to be just a scared little girl that needs protection at every turn. She's not been of much use lately, except when considering her panty-shots and chest-shots. I don't like it when the female characters are just there for show and fan-service. Too bad. I hope this changes soon.

- - [ Enjoyment: 7/10 ] - -

I like series about mysteries and strange happenings, so I am enjoying Cage of Eden. I also appreciate good art styles in Manga, and Cage does provide me satisfaction here too. Not much to say about the characters yet. Cage of Eden makes a good read, in between the normal releases.

- - [ Overall: 7/10 ] - -

The series has potential to grow into a good mystery series. The art is certainly there to back it. There is also ecchiness to fill in the void in the boring parts, but not much till now to cause concern. Character development is still limited but that's ok considering the recency of the series. Overall, I can say that Cage of Eden makes a nice read and will be worth your time everything goes as it should. It's a typical shounen, including the usual fan-service, big-chested girls and panty-shots, but it does offer interesting mysteries and good action scenes. For now, let's wait and see what happens.

Thank you for reading! :P

I really don't like when people are writing reviews by the truckload after only reading the first dozen or so chapters of the manga. And considering the age (and the scores) of the reviews currently present on the site, all of them seems to be from the time when only the first half of the manga was available. That explains all the 9s and 10s. Heck, I would've give it a 9 or 10 around the 30th or 40th chapter. But after the strong start the quality only goes down until the end, which is quite honestly the worst trainwreck of an ending I've seen ... in a long while. So, let's get started.

Story - 3 (Poor)
The set up is good. A bunch of high-schoolers stranded up on a strange, mysterious and quite hostile island. Add together the first season of Lost and the Lord of Flies and you get the early chapters of Eden no Ori. Awesome? Yes. Promising? Yes. The problem is, that the manga never really fulfils this promise. In the early chapters there's no real story to speak of: our heroes move from one place to another trying to survive, while constantly expanding the settings and the characters. However, this becomes kind of stale soon enough: in every arc, the manga introduces a bunch of characters, some good guys and a greater number of douches (yes, it's that easy to distinguish). By the end of the arc, the good guys usually survive and join up with the protagonist team (and becoming insignificant almost instantly), while the baddies get eaten by something nasty. Rinse and repeat for around a hundred chapters. There are a few surprises along the way, but what keeps you reading is the number of mysteries piling up. You want answers. You want explanations and conclusion for the also increasing number of plot-threads. And this is why I gave such a low score: you'll get NONE of these. The explanations come in a form of science, that does not work that way. Some plot-threads get completely forgotten (Hades for one). And as for conclusion, the last few chapters were supposed to be the big reveal, putting everything to place and explaining all the mysteries. Supposed is the keyword here: they explain nothing. They just add to the number of question marks. The entire conclusion is illogical, rushed and nonsensical in general. I could rage on for pages why and how, but I don't want to give away any specific spoilers, so I refrain from doing so. Now add complete asspull plotwists, cardboard cut-out, cartoonishly evil bad-guys, ridiculous monsters, science defying the laws of nature, abundant fan-service and the fact that all of this is played 100% straight; so you are supposed to take everything here seriously, when some parts would be just too stupid even for a parody, and you get the reason behind the score given for this segment.

Art - 8 (Very Good)
Ok, I admit that this is not my field of expertise. I'm a writer, but I couldn't draw anything to save my life. So maybe I go too easy on the manga in this aspect, but I loved the art. The ancient mammals really came through as fearsome animals. The surroundings are also really atmospheric, sometimes downright eerie. My only serious complaint would be that while the main characters are well-drawn, some of the sidecast (especially the guys who are only around for one arc) are not so, and sometimes I got them mixed up. But with this huge cast, that's forgiveable I guess.

Charactrer(s) - 4 (Decent)

Decent, although barely. The characters are flat and never really get any development. They're go through this typical shounen change: shit happens, and they are suddenly either become complete jerks, or heroes. Now, in the first part, this isn't too much of a problem, since it's somewhat compensated by the number of characters getting introduced constantly. However around the time when the survival part ends and the evil doc comes into the picture, the constant flow of new charactes stop and the manga focuses on the already existing team. And this is where it becomes painfully obvious, that beyond the little background info shared in their own arcs, there's nothing else going for any of the characters. The relationship between them is just as stale, as the characters themselves. Take the "romance" between the protagonist and his main love interest. Both of them are donkans. Yay. At one point, while protecting Rion's (supposedly) unconscious body, Akira literally shouted this in one of the antagonists' face: "This is my woman! Got a problem with that?!" And even this didn't pushed their relationship even an inch forward. No comment.

Enjoyment: 5 (Mediocre)

Well, on an average at least. The survival part is friggin' awesome, I loved every chapter of it. After that, as the story was becoming more and more idiotic and I lost interest. In the last few chapters the only "enjoyment" I got was awkwardly laughing between facepalms. So starts out as 10, ends as 1, thus on average 5.

Overall: 6 (Overall)
It's a real shame what has this manga become in the end. When it started it had some much potential, showed so much promise. Hell, it easily could have been a timeless classic. But as time and chapters passed by, it descended lower and lower in the abyss of asspull and bad writing. I could still kinda-sorta recommend it as long as you don't have any expectations. It's awesome in the beginning and even later it's still kind of fun for a while.

Cage of Eden. Well.

I started reading it because there were several volumes already out at the local bookstore, and online the manga is shown as finished, so I knew I wouldn't have to wait for new chapters. It has an uncommon scenario, an uncharted island where dinosaurs roam free.

Character Development:
Much of the series is the main character(s) overcoming obstacles, with unnamed characters dying along the way. There is also (sort of) quite a bit of fan service, with panty-shots aplenty, and as you get deeper into the series, the girls bathe more and more often, however, the artist doesn't draw nipples and ... certainly not "home base", and with the internet just kind of sitting there, these "almost nudity" pages seem to be a waste. Aside from a small group of the main characters, no one really has a personality of their own beyond "pervert", "bad guy" or "jobber", and about two-thirds of the way through the series the author gives the remaining characters names, and no one else really dies after that. I'm not exactly a Star Trek fan, but it was very clearly segregated into 'crew' and 'red shirts'. Furthermore, even though the 'crew' are really put through the ringer, they never die. Kind of detracted from the suspense, for me. Also, all of the girls are *stacked*. I'm talking, nine of every ten girls has double-F-cups+, which is probably not so common for Japanese middle-schoolers.

The Art:
Well, As I've mentioned, the characters aren't the best, but the scenery isn't bad at all, and the animals are drawn very well. Also, unlike a lot of the battle manga I've read, the "fight scenes" are not at all hard to follow. I've seen plenty of attacks in other manga where you can't really make out what was supposed to have happened, but I never once had this problem when reading Cage of Eden. Still, the characters expressions don't vary that much, between fear, joy, surprise and determination, so while the background work and motion are well drawn, that's about all I can say is positive about the artwork.

Enjoyment:
Well, it was a comfort to know that I could always get online and read more of this work until I finished it, since it's all been released, but I never really felt like "Man, I can't wait to see what happens next!". There were a few twists that I wanted to know how they would be done, but nothing really grabbed me. Furthermore, a little past halfway through the series, when a plot looked like it was starting to be formed, the writer set up several different routes that could be taken to end the series on, and while some of the later chapters really went through a lot of effort to explain how the things the characters have faced were plausible, the ending just plain didn't make sense. I won't give out spoilers, but it kind of just seemed like the mangaka was like "Fuck it, I don't care if this doesn't make sense, this is how it ends", which really pissed me off, 'cause it could have been ended on a very reasonable note. It make me feel like all the previous effort was just tossed out the window.

Overall, it's not the worst manga I've read, not by a longshot (I'm looking at you, Hot Gimmick, you worthless piece of garbage), but it's nowhere near the top. It started off differently than other manga I've read, and I while I'm not a mangaka, I just feel like there was too much about Cage of Eden that could have been done better. I have no desire to watch the anime, at least (if there is one). I don't regret reading it, but don't expect this work to change your life.

i do not want to give away any spoilers but at the time i was looking for a manga similar to HSOTD (its just plain awesome) when i came across Cage of Eden. Personally, its nothing like i had imagined. The story seems to be going no where and every chapter repeats the same thing old thing!!!!
But if you liked the USA drama LOST, you may like this!! but this manga just doesnt seem to progress at all!! Although the art of creatures is good!

Great story with a wonderful plot. Similar to mangas like 7 seeds.

Rather than horror, I think its more a psychological thriller. The artist doesn't rely on very detailed graphics and scary and bloody monsters or scenes to create those horror and scary effects, but rather, they are something that came together with the natural flow of the plot. I had never been a fan of horror or gore, and my natural instinct is to look away when I know its going to get bloody and disgusting. But in my opinion, the gore and horror in this manga seems so natural to be there and instead ... of pushing me away, it actually got me hooked and wanting to know what is going to happen. However, I do agree that the truth that has currently be revealed was not as mind-blowing as I expected it to be. But the revelations of mysteries are satisfying enough and I would not complain about it too much.

What I liked most about this manga is actually the other aspects of the manga. The way the author develops the characters is good. There are many different age groups present but the main characters are around the age of high school, or teens. Many of the characters have their own unique strengths, but being strong doesn't necessarily mean they will survive. It's hard to tell whether a character is just a disposable character or secondary main character in this story. Except for the few main characters as you would have expected, you can never be too sure that the rest of them will survive or not. Even some of the characters who die in the end get quite a fair bit of character development. In fact, I actually liked some of them and wished they need not have to be disposed of.
Also, the pace of the story was good. Not too rushed nor too slow IMO.
Then there is also the psychological aspects of people, what they are capable of when faced with danger and desperation. Things like teamwork, selfishness, protection, betrayal, trust, doubt, love, hate, sympathy, indifference, friendship, enemies, relationships... etc often show up like nothing throughout the entire story.

Finally, the fanservice. The author tries to do this as normal as possible, making nothing too exaggerated. Unlike some other manga like elfen lied where the girls seem to feel that walking and fighting naked all the time is perfectly fine, this one seems to be more 'realistic' with the 'right things' at the right time, for example, during baths... when they get injured... or when they fall... etc. So it doesn't really get in the way of the plot and is only reserved for calmer moments.

In conclusion, I think that this would be a good read. One of my favourites. If you have time on your hands, why not give this a try?

I have got to say by far this is one of the best manga that I have read. This is better then Bleach in and maybe Naruto in terms of its story. I put off reading this manga because of the cover page and it did not look so interesting but once I start reading it I can't stop. For those that have seen the US TV series Lost they may feel a sort of likeness to this and maybe the Asian film Battle Royal ( a bit).

The only sort of bad this I would say is that sometimes the art can drop in quality ... but mostly it is top notch and suits the storyline.

Now it starts of with kids getting on a plane to return home from a trip. The plane passengers consists of many people totalling to 300. During their flight they experience turbulence and the plane suddenly starts to dive. The plane has crashed and everybody is in a panic because there are weird creatures roaming and attacking the people. People dying off leading which heightens their human instincts for self defence, killing others to survive, sexual scenes and just going crazy. You start to see people veering of from the group to start their own personal group. Here is where it all starts for their survival and to discover the secrets of the land. You are presented with two main characters who are school kids and many enemies who are kids and adults. They strive to stick together and keep sane while trekking this unknown land and defending against the monstrous animals.

You have great characters who play their part very well from both the evil and good side. There is quite a bit fan service for the public and a few horny boys. The story is so interesting and engrossing that you don't want to stop. You feel like beating the bad guys yourselves and cheering for the good guys.

Hopefully you have understood my passion and once you start reading you won't be able to stop. I can't wait for the latest chapters...

I will try to be as objetive as i can (sorry for my english):
This story has somethings in common with Lost (if you liked lost you should read this manga), the first thing in common is that the story take place in a strange island and it start with a plane accident.
The characters are really magnific, all the characters has his/her own point of viuw and a diferents sense of humor, that make all the characters well defined and makes easier to the readers to love some of them.

There are two things that i dont like of this manga (POSIVILITY OF SOFT SPOILER):
... - The stroy do not tell us how end Hades or who really is.
- How did the accident took place (if you have riden you will understand what im talking about)


9/10 Because the characters and the story are so great

I don't really write reviews, but I thought this manga needed it. Overall this manga wasn't that bad. The idea of the manga was very unique and original and thought the graphics and characters were very nice and the plot twist at the end was mind blowing. But If I had to say something about this manga it would be like a race. It was slow in the beginning, but it picked up quite nicely and then it was getting really really good until you reached the ending. It felt like it was going really well and all of a sudden you trip before ... the finish line and lose the race, That feeling of disappointment is exactly like the ending of this manga in my opinion or maybe more like the feeling of falling off a cliff. I was going to give it a 9/10 half way through, but after that train wreck of an ending 6/10 it is. I expected a more epic ending or something. I don't know if the manga was getting cancelled (probably was), but I felt the author really rushed the ending. There were a lot of unanswered questions and it would have been nice to see a few more chapters explaining things and built up to a more elaborate ending. I doubt there's going to be a continuation of this manga so warning to readers already reading or future readers, all those questions you think you'll have answered at the end of the manga and expectations for a epic ending..yeah it's not going to happen and when you're like "really that's it, all they did was....." at the end with frustration yeah I can totally sympathize with you. If I had to recommend this to someone, I still would but I'd say it had a *flip the computer over the table in anger* ending and would read with your own risk of disappointment.

Cage of Eden what more can you say than "I can't stop reading it..i want more" and all that is thanks to mr Yoshinobu Yamada's talent. After reading the first manga and chapters i was so into it that i couldn't put it down even on those night that I should be sleeping instead of reading this great manga. This manga puts your in a position that ask what would you do if you were in a similar position. Would you band up with others or go at it alone. So if you want a manga that would keeping you glue and wanting ... more this is the manga for you.

This isn't like the usual manga you see....This takes survival onto a whole new level and I can tell you just this... It is too realistic... I love this manga because the protagonist is the one who tries to not leave anyone behind....Yes, he is naive but that is why it is so unpredictable...This naivety can take over him or he will take over that naivety...What is the truth behind the truth? Tension after the another this is a really good manga.. This was a REALLY GOOD manga

This manga started out as "ok" and ended as "bad", I guess I'll break it down into story, art, character, and then add a last part for enjoyment and overall rating.

Story: 3/10
The story in this manga started off well, but it became really predictable really fast. In the first half there were a couple twists that got me by surprise, but those started to run low pretty fast once I caught on to some of the hints that are sprinkled in the story arcs. The reader can pretty much tell what happened on the island by the time they find the second or third major ... clue. This stays pretty consistent throughout the rest of the manga. The reader is fed clues that they can decipher pretty easily, and piece together what is going on. However, towards the end of the manga the author throws in a final twist that doesn't really make sense, and the ending comes pretty fast leaving a lot of plot holes and unexplained loose ends.

Art: 4/10
The art in this manga is sub par to say the least, I didn't find the character design for the male characters to be very appealing, I can only say that really one or two male characters seemed memorable to me as far as their physical appearance went. The girls were decent looking, and being an ecchi manga this is important; however, the ecchi gets really stale in this. What do I mean by that? I mean when the girls are nude their bodies all pretty much look the same. They look good, but they look the same. Also, the ecchi scenes really are all the same. By the time you get to the third scene of the girls taking baths together it just starts to be immersion breaking and you wonder if the author ran out of ideas to make the dialogue interesting. Other than that, there were really no memorable landscape shots that I can recall, so reading for the scenery doesn't seem like a good idea. Overall the art is just okay, it's not bad per se but its just not memorable.

Character: 3/10
This, aside from the ending, is where the manga really drops the ball. I just found the characters to be extremely predictable and stereotypical. The main character is a dude who, for probably two thirds of the manga, doubts his abilities as a leader despite the fact that he leads his group through all their obstacles. This makes it extremely stale when every single time the group faces adversity the main character says to himself, "Oh no, is this it? Can I not get them through this?" and then they use the classic power of friendship to persevere. Other than that, the characters just seem flat out dumb sometimes. The author suspends their understanding of a clue, when it is so painfully obvious what it means. I don't know if this is because the author thought he didn't want to reveal his ideas too soon or what, but it didn't work and it just makes the characters seem mentally deficient. This contradicts other scenarios where the characters will come to a conclusion about something that makes no sense whatsoever. A good example is when the stereotypical "smart kid" calculates an islands distance using the Pythagorean Theorem, despite only knowing the distance of one side of the triangle. Basically, the characters show no continuity with their intelligence.

Enjoyment: 5/10
I cant say that I didn't enjoy reading this manga. There were a couple times where the author did things I didn't expect, and there were a good amount of interesting facts sprinkled throughout that I learned about. It was cool learning about extinct animals I didn't know existed, and the characters seemed to know about some historical events that I learned about because of this manga. Other than that, the entertainment is a shallow type of fun I guess. It's cool to see fight scenes or survival scenes and the ecchi scenes appeal to the primitive human brain. I cant say that I would recommend this but I cant say that I regret reading it either. It wasn't bad enough to drop. I can't stress how bad the ending was though, it really seemed like it must have gotten cancelled or something. There were so many loose ends that never got tied.
Overall rating: 3.75/10 rounded up to 4/10.

The entire thing was great until the end when it made no sense. They didn't finish explaining 50% of the stuff like what the whole island was about. I get that Akira's mom made it with itsuragi's help but they did t explain how they were transported to the future or the actual reason for the extinct animals. Up to the last 2 chapters the story was incredible. The artist kept me guessing and added an incredible amount of interesting facts. Other than the end it was an incredible story which showed the good and bad aspects of human beings and the deadly forces of ... nature. It is a must read manga if you like the mystery/suspense genre.

This sucks.

Considered dropping this after 40 chapters but kept reading out of spite. Annoyed me enough to complain in a review.
The only redeeming parts of this manga are the 7/10 art and a decent concept it had. Those should be raising this to a 4/10... But they dont.

As the story and characters were horrible. Kinda weird how a plane can have so many compeletely flat characters, half of which are serial rapists, pedos, murderers or just your typical 10-14 year old superhumans.

The story consists of a few parts on repeat:
> Main group discussing the island
> A animal or a human attacks
... > Someone is killed/lost/poisoned
> MC or other main cast character makes a plan
> ???
> A bathing scene for fan service after victory (necessary to have atleast 3 in every volume)
> Repeat

Eden no Ori is a masterpiece of a tale that falls short due to its overwhelming amount of fanservice and cancelled ending. With amazing characters, art, pacing, story and emotions, it is one of the best pieces of fiction ever written, disappointment shifting many peoples views. So now, Ignore all the 4s and 5s you see in the ratings, and I'll show you why this is one of the best pieces of fiction ever.

Like many of the classics, Eden no Ori is heavily plot-based, depending on its riveting narrative to counter its first weak and uninspired characters. After crash landing from a trip back ... from the Caribbean, the various Japanese passengers of the plane find themselves scattered across this impossible island, all communications tech simply "not working." It doesn’ take more than 5 seconds for the people to realise what resides on the island. Dinosaurs. After being viciously attacked and separated, we follow Sengoku Akira and the passengers on their journey to survive the island, as well as finding everyone else. Time goes by, and after more than enough time has passed for a rescue mission they realise they are on their own. And it soon becomes apparent that if they want to leave the island, they first have to find all its secrets. However, the mystery doesn't end there, as each seemingly answered question adding to more. Unraveling masterfully, the story presents us with obstacle after obstacle, new mysteries surfacing each time they seem to complete one. They are constantly dwarfed and outclassed by the island, as they don't get a single time to rest, the island always holding something new to keep them on their toes. Shown through the different groups and different people scattered across the island, it slowly unravels the mystery, almost taking its time, as each clue and mystery are not easily solved.

One thing this manga does extremely well is the suspension of belief. If I picked up a manga with regular high school students battling dinosaurs in the first chapter, I would want answers straight away, as they were just previously in a plane. However, the story does well in allowing you to believe and not focus on it, using the mysterious island as its scapegoat. Again and again, they seem to get in what seems impossible situations, each mystery different and more unique than the last. Each time they seem scarier and more impossible, but easily explained, each missing those one or two pieces of information. Each thing the manga introduces appears to be not of the earth, but in the moment, another mystery to solve.

The evolving threats are another part that the manga does amazingly. Even with Dinosaurs, it gets pretty old and repetitive fast, as all they need to do is avoid them and find ways to beat their unpredictable nature. And unlike Dragonball, which triples the enemies' powers each arc, the show uses the setting to raise the stakes. The setting is phenomenal as it just seems to defy logic. Dinosaurs from different times are all there, a nonexistent island they are on, evidence that it could be fake, and 4 structures that seem to have answers. The setting also appears to be their enemy, as it is a foreign land. Plants we never knew existed, each having different consequences good and bad appear, traps and terrain these dinosaurs seem to know, continually changing geography, as they move across the island. Each set of chapters somehow bring a new threat more unique and different than the last, leading to new things for them to watch out for. Each builds upon the other and triggers so many things as they make up the setting. For example, while the poisonous plants aren't mentioned after their first misdemeanor, they subtly hint and take actions to avoid poisonous plants, learning from their mistakes. Constantly adapting and changing, the characters bump into problem after problem as each solution to a problem opens up another can of worms. The setting is one of the main antagonists, second to the characters themselves.

Many people (correctly) consider that man's greatest enemy is itself, mankind, which is shown amazingly through its characters. While you might think that their main enemies are the animals, plants, or million of dangerous things on the island, the manga makes clear that their greatest enemy is themselves. Diving into the depth of human psychology, it adds upon books such as Lord of the Flies and other classics, as it shows the cruel and manipulative nature of human beings. They explore it in each mini-arc, the antagonist and very often friends acting in ways you would never think, often the antagonist being that friend they all trusted. They focus on six characters, each leaders and essential characters in the story. Each change drastically, their ideals regularly tested with each "trial." You have the friend of the main character who just keeps falling deeper and deeper. While he started good, he gets forced into circumstances and situations that slowly take a toll on his mental state. The once dependable and loved by everyone character becomes a mentally unstable paranoid killer who constantly keeps getting lower. Constantly flip-flopping, he helps and harms the group, constantly wavering every other chapter. You have the nobody medical assistant who creates a police state in one of the camps, using his medical knowledge as leverage. Just wanting to be noticed, he quickly morphs and turns into a horrible person, maybe not his real personality, but one representing the human sin of greed. Characters Like Zac and Yarai show themselves to be flawed characters who were picked on by society. But when it comes to others and their friends' safety, they sacrifice themselves for the greater good. And we have the main character, like many shonen main characters, a completely moral guy who is the compass and our point of reference. And the story also points his way as wrong, as many times, it is naivety, his willingness to help and trust people that harms him and many others later.

Even the characters who don't ascribe to a particular belief or mindset impact the story. They each have literal and figurative roles, as they are each essential parts of their society and have jobs in general. They unconsciously reflect and oppose ideals while still being characters. They each bring different things to the table, their personalities and abilities random, and expected of the characters. Somehow they feel like average highschoolers, the incredible feats they perform seeming natural. Using conversations and emotions conveyed, they somehow feel like they would fit in a high school, each acting as you would think. The boys act rambunctious and sometimes pervy, playing like bro's. Some like other girls and get in fights, and some deepen bonds with each other. The girls also feel like girls, getting in conversations that you might expect from them. While the author uses them mostly for fanservice, one or two of them shine hard as they are great characters, even without having a backstory. The adults also act how adults would, and the ones heavily involved in the story fit amazingly and are fun to watch upon the screen, and others not.

The story also dabbles in romance, the majority failing aside from one. Like many of these shonen, there is a main couple, and despite not being a wholesome manga, their moments are so wholesome. While they don’t have all the development that all these specifically geared to romance anime/manga, it comes pretty close, their interactions each wholesome and that of a couple. The mangaka even seems to care, as he takes time to flesh it out from all sides, giving them small backstories and moments between the two.

With a series like Eden no Ori, it is guaranteed to have plenty of character deaths. While I won't count every death, it is safe to say that at least 30-70 people die. The deaths in the series are handled quite well, however a lot predictable and somewhat deserved. Around half of the deaths are handled greatly, each a reminder that they are never safe. Just whenever they thought they were safe, another threat would appear, causing some more people to die, sometimes dying in anticlimactic ways, as someone was just a tiny bit careless about a past problem they solved. While it was the generic death per 2 chapters, it was handled in a way that subverted it, and made them feel like character deaths, not the scheduled ones that they were. The other half of the deaths are decently handled and still had impact, leaving the 1% of extraordinary deaths. There were about 2 or 3 deaths in the manga that are amazing and unpredictable. A small problem with the series is that the characters (Of course) have huge plot armor, as realistically, so many people would die in the beginning, and in all the attacks. There are often deaths of people expected, but two of them are dealt amazingly. As mentioned, many characters go through mini character arcs, not always being the story's focus. When a show can enhance their main cast with small pieces of backstory and development that happens on the side, it makes their characters much stronger. Fear of death seems to be what keeps the characters on their toes and constantly adapting, many dying in total fear or without even knowing it; the worst part that they never got fulfillment, never wanting it. However, death completes people. It ends our cycle. The 5 main characters go through more than what seems possible, having so many experiences that it sometimes drives them insane. However, like said, death completes us, and for 2 of these characters, the completion of their arcs. And seeing them accept their death with no struggle, feeling fulfilled what they have done, with their original characters completely different, makes their death impactful, mixed in, with the reaction of their friends.

The art, while not on the same level of realism as Vinland Saga, does exceedingly well. The Dinosaur designs are flawlessly choreographed, each panel looking like their dinosaur counterpart while still fitting in with the manga 2d art style. They each move in fascinating ways, sometimes contradicting what scientists thought. Instead of a terrifying power, they ooze an air of the joker, crazy, unpredictable, and the definition of creepy. The setting and backgrounds are also filled with detail, with plants, trees, and wildlife looking that of 65 million years back. Each plant and tree seems different and prehistoric. And while not gory or full of blood, the deaths are still shown enough for the shock factor. Their deaths happen in different and more expanding ways; their final expressions are always that of shock, horror, or even a last smile. I suggest you find the most official or even the official scans as they are amazing, the illegal scans all terrible compared to the actual art. The panels are also amazing; some panels giving you scary jump scares and sometimes goosebumps. There are amazing 10/10 panels that will stay in your mind, but the art isn't only used for good.

The biggest problem with the manga is the amount of fanservice. The artist seems to be worse than a Horny teen, the girls sexualized in increasing ways. The amount of times the girls take a bath, wash their clothes, skirts lift, or the dinosaurs rip their clothes apart is unironically in the thousands. While there are 2 amazing female characters(and 2 decent ones), the rest are living fanservice. And to those intellectuals who say that there is no such thing as too much fanservice, I say there is. As a person who has read the modern classic Tu-Love-Ru, I can safely say that Tu-Love-Ru was a kid's show compared to the number of shots this author displays. The fanservice is so abundant that you get annoyed at the female characters and half the time hate them, their fanservice happening almost every PAGE of the manga. The camera angles were literally designed to sexulaise them, and detract from the stories genius. Combined with the fact that the author censors certain parts, it allows him to draw their watermelons without having branches cover things.

The manga also has one other fatal flaw that makes people rate it a lot lower. Despite this flaw(Which I am about to mention) and the staggering amount of fanservice, I would still rate it a nine and even consider it ten, the manga's greatness causing a bias—the ending. In December of 2012, Eden no Ori was cancelled and was instructed to end before January 23rd, allowing for one of the worst conclusions ever. It wasn't a bad ending so much as an ending that tried to wrap up the hundreds of mysteries involved in 3 chapters, a physically impossible feat. It would be like ending One piece after chapter 956 or episode 957, impossible, even considering the info added in the last 4 volumes. Using a flashback ignored half the mysteries involved and solved the others by incorporating a fantasy element in what was a wholly realistic and survivalist manga that took place in the same world, it then ends on a time skip.

Overall the manga had quite a long runtime that helped you get close to the characters. While at first, the situation seemed a bit forced and the characters bland, you grew to love the characters, and closer than other manga that were triple the runtime. While it was shaping up to be a 10/10, the last 4 chapters' impact hurts people's experiences of the manga and hurts all the island's mysteries and experiences. Factoring in the last 4 chapters can easily make it a bad mystery with way too much fanservice. However, knowing that the author intended something completely different will allow you to look past those chapters and see it for the amazing journey, and thriller, it was.

Story 10/10
Art 8/10 (-2 because of all the fanservice)
Character 9/10
Enjoyment 10/10
Overall 10/10
(Objective 8/10)