Expelled from Paradise Movie (2014) Review

Anime

TL;DR

Expelled from Paradise Movie (2014)

楽園追放 (Rakuen Tsuihō)

Synopsis

Angela, a girl in her twenties, was raised in a Matrix-like computer system on a space station orbiting a post-apocalyptic Earth. But after a hacker from the devastated planet below breaks into the system, she is tasked with finding and stopping the hacker in the real world. To do this, she is transferred into a clone body, given a mech, and told to meet up with an agent living on Earth named Dingo. Thus begins her fish-out-of-water tale as she not only finds herself in a strange land she knows nothing about but also has to deal with a life trapped in a body that, unlike her digital one, requires food and rest. Together, Dingo and Angela travel across the frontier-like ruined Earth, trying to solve the mystery of the hacker’s identity and his true goals.

Directed by

Seiji Mizushima

Written by

Gen Urobuchi

Screenplay by

Gen Urobuchi

Music by

NARASAKI

Movie

1 episode(s)

Tones

Frustration, Serenity

Genres

Action, Adventure, Drama, Mystery, Science Fiction

Demographic

Men (Seinen)

Language

Japanese

Premiered

November 15, 2014

Run-time

105 minutes

Elements

Adult Lead, Crime, Dystopia, Fan-service, Female Lead, Gunfight, Kaijuu, Male Lead, Mecha, Military, Music, Philosophy, Post-apocalyptic, Satire, Strong Lead Character, Violence

Rating

Good

Poor < Fair < Good < Great

Animation

Great

Poor < Fair < Good < Great

Story

Good

Poor < Fair < Good < Great

Pros

Character design
Character development
Combat/Action
Dialogs
Visual
World building

Cons

Character design
Fetish
Visual

Overview

Expelled from Paradise (Japanese: 楽園追放 Hepburn: Rakuen Tsuihō) is a 2014 Japanese animated science fiction film. The film is directed by Seiji Mizushima, with a screenplay written by Gen Urobuchi, produced by Toei Animation and animated by Graphinica.

Alternative title

– Expelled from Paradise
– Rakuen Tsuihō – Expelled from Paradise
– 楽園追放 -Expelled From Paradise-
– Exiled From Paradise
– Wygnani z raju

TL;DR Review

Expelled from Paradise is a simple plot that question what does it mean to be human? We see this question from the viewpoint of three different perspectives.

The animation utilize 3D CGI, similar to Ajin. You’ll get used to it after a few minutes. I completely forgot this was 3D CGI as this is my second viewing. From a still image, you likely wouldn’t even notice it was 3D generated.

The only memorable song is the ending theme “EONIAN” (-イオニアン-) by ELISA.

The anime isn’t particularly deep, but a mixture of CG action with some light philosophy as the backdrop make it an enjoyable movie. Overall, the anime is pretty fun to watch and not overly preachy in its message. The mecha fight scenes are visually impressive and fluid.

Whom are they are trying to fool with using a 16 years old clone body sub-plot? It was just an excuse to have a lolita type female main protagonist. All the fan-service shot doesn’t help their case.

I still recommend this anime for sci-fi action fan that wants something a little deeper, but not overly deep philosophy. This anime contains graphic violence, suggestive themes/dialogs, and some nudity.

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