Time of Eve was playing as part of the Scotland Loves Anime festival in Edinburgh, and my mother, brother and I watched it as part of a double bill with Lupin lll vs Conan. All I can say is. Wow. Tears were flowing out of that theatre.
In the not so distant future, androids have become a part of every day life for human beings-working as housekeepers, cooks, assistants, teachers,nannies, servers or even slaves. The androids look exactly like human beings, and can act and think like them too. However, the problem is, androids aren't allowed to act like humans and are forced to display a holographic ring around their heads to show they are androids whenever they are out running errands for their masters. A young man named Rikuo Sakisaka discovers that his woman-form android Sammy who is only supposed to pick up groceries and cook, clean and make coffee has a mysterious message in her activity logs-"Are you enjoying the time of eve?" Along with his friend Masukazu, Masaki, he finds that "Time of Eve" is actually a hidden café where humans and androids can meet and not discriminate one another. The bar lady, a girl named Nagi is one of these people who enforce these strict rules. No one wears a ring and no one discriminates. Among the café regulars are a feisty hyperactive redheaded girl named Akiko, the couple Koji and Rina, Shemei an old man and his foster child a baby girl called Chie and Setoro a man who constantly comes in to read. Rikuo's eyes are slowly opened that androids are no different than he is, but Masukazu has a harder time opening up until a distant memory makes him think otherwise.
This film's style and atmosphere is very similar to that of The Girl Who Leapt Through Time and Summer Wars. It's very soft with it's colour pallet and since it's the future, everything has this very metallic and chromed look to it. The voice actors are all great ( I only saw the Japanese/English subtitled version) and they sound as though they really are in that situation. Te characters themselves are very believable-Rikuo learns that androids are people too, but he is fearful at the advancement of Sammy's programming. Masukazu is a funny, sarcastic character, however the language he uses can be a directly drawn parallel to racism to black people in 1960s USA. His eyes take an even slower time to open before he eventually remembers THX (TEX) his old robotic nanny who cared for him more than his parents and that his father shut down like a piece of junk. Sammy the housekeeping android does what she is told ans patiently awaits orders and commands from her master. However she still sees Rikuo as more than just a master. She loves him as family, and considers his kin to be her own, thus why she is so loyal. My favourite had to be Akiko who never sat still, always got excited and behaved exactly like a real human girl, as well as Chie the adorable toddler android who constantly pretended to be a cat! "Miaow!"
Finally, I would like to address the themes of this film. Imagine the androids are not androids, but rather a different race of people. They do all the chores and jobs humans usually don't want to do and are mercilessly picked on and seen as something that doesn't matter and is below everyone else. Ringing any bells? The fact that they aren't treated as equals and are usually the butt of awful jokes can be equated to the treatment of black people many years ago. The ring above their heads that they are required to show whilst going out can easily be equated with the Jewish people in WW2 who were forced to wear a yellow star, shaming them, telling others to keep clear. It is very heartbreaking to think that if this IS the future, it looks very bright for some and very bleak for others, just as the 60s were to many. Even if racism amongst humans or even animals disappears completely, people will still find ways to discriminate. It's a vicious cycle. Time of Eve is a title with the meaning a "slice of heaven," a place where no one judges or is judged. Outside this beautiful bubble, life for the androids are hard as hell. Akiko, a carefree teenager in the café, is still a misused, poorly treated slave to her master, a schoolboy who commands her to "Carry my Bag!"
Once again, the Japanese Anime industry has given us something wonderfully unique and clever. This is a perfect example that we are all equals and that racism should not be tolerated. I hope others will enjoy this and feel the same way.
