The advancements in robotics and Artificial Intelligence over the last few years has been tremendous. Every week there seems to be an online video of a humanoid robot working independently. The other day they demonstrated how a robot can become a bartender by pouring draft beers and serving them just like Sam on Cheers. My friends who are teachers are going nuts about students “writing” paper by having them cranked out by an AI program. They read as well as those term papers you used to buy from the classified in Rolling Stone magazine. On top of it, we discover people who have become addicted to chatting online with an AI bot that acts like a normal person. People are falling in love with a non-existent person on the other end of the computer. When Time of Eve came out in 2008 as webisodes and 2010 as a movie, those scientific leaps weren’t happening. In 2024 (almost 2025), so much in the film is appearing in our lives. Time of Eve is even more potent now as we are approaching the reality seen on the screen.
Rikuo Sakisaka (Jun Fukuyama/Yuri Lowenthal) is a high schooler in the near future. Things at home are rather dull as his parents are non-existent and his sister is constantly napping from hard nights out. The only one around the place is their female android Sammy (Rie Tanaka/Elizabeth Boyle). He notices when checking where the android went during the day is that she stopped being tracked when she entered a place. He’s curious where she went. He gets his pal (Kenji Nojima/ Michael Sinterniklaas) to come with him to the mystery spot. Turns out it’s a coffee shop called Time of Eve. But it’s not a usual place because androids are able turn off their holographic rings above their heads and be able to have normal conversations with humans and other androids. Rikuo gets to see how much androids have been holding back in being human as they interact inside the Time of Eve. He learns this quickly he meets a person he assumes is human when they meet at the coffee shop. They run into each other at school. She turns out to be an android owned by a classmate. Time of Eve place is considered outlaw because the government is doing its best to stop humans from getting attached to their androids. Can Rikuo keep treating Sammy as a home appliance when he knows how human she can be?
Time of Eve is a perfect film for today’s headlines. The fact that in a few years there will be a robot bartender working at your local Applebee’s should scare you. People will get emotionally attached to the robot pouring your beer. If the robot is using A.I., they can fake being a real person as they talk to you. There’s a great moment in the coffeeshop where two androids swear the other one is the real human. Will we be soon reaching a moment where an AI controlled robot is more human than a person? Probably. How many people do you meet that you sense they could be replaced by a robot? You look at their social media posts and think they’re not really creative or introspective. They could easily be duplicated. We’ve made it so much easier for the AI robots to be the smartest person in the room. Will people be having carnal relationships with robots? Think of stories about what that kid at school did with a household appliance that wasn’t controlled by AI. It’s all going to happen. People used to be in love with their cars, but soon you’ll be able to take your mechanical obsession out for drinks. You must watch Time of Eve with a sense that this is probably going to be happening in your neighborhood shortly. You better find the coffeeshop to get your special table claimed.
I enjoyed the Time of Eve even though it also scares me.
The Video is 1.78:1 anamorphic. The 1080p transfer brings out the details of this near future that’s rapidly approaching. The Audio is DTS-HD 2.0 stereo in Japanese and English. Both mixes sound fine. The movie is subtitled in English.
Original Web Series has all six acts of what was turned into the film.
Behind The Scenes (6:41) takes us back to 2008 at the animation studio. There’s a line reading of the script followed by going in the audio studio. The web series got a preview at a convention. There’s the premiere of the movie. They had special coffee tumblers for the first weekend. The film played a longtime in Tokyo.
Opening Day Event (11:31) has a packed lobby waiting for the film. They have stage greetings before the first morning screening with the director. They even come back in the afternoon with more voice actors. They are so grateful to the fans for getting coffee tumblers.
Original Trailer (1:43) opens with the image of the android charging the phone. We see how Rikuo Sakisaka discovers the coffeeshop.
US Blu-ray Trailer (1:18) has the human and android elements.
Audio Commentary has stars Rina Sato & Kenji Nojima talking with writer/director Yasuhiro Yoshiura. They talk about elements they brought into the movie version that weren’t in the web series. This is in Japanese with English subtitles.
Sign Gallery (38:03) has the various signs in the movie translated. There are street signs warning people about vagrant robots.
Vintage Interviews include Jun Fukuyama – Rikuo (8:22), Rie Tanaka – Sammy (5:40), Rina Sato – Nagi (7:53), Kenji Nojima – Masaki (6:48) and writer/director Yasuhiro Yoshiura (16:01). They talk about their characters and the future.
Retrospective Interview with Yasuhiro Yoshiura (16:15) is from September 2024. He wasn’t trying to look into the future. It does surprise him at how much of the film is becoming true.
Aquatic Language (9:23) is an early short from Yasuhiro Yoshiura that features life in a coffee shop. This is a bit of a testing ground for Time of Eve although a bit different. There’s also a Trailer (0:38).
Pale Cocoon (24:30) is another science fiction short about life in a massive computer memory archive. The soundtrack is in Japanese, French and German. The Trailer (1:29) has him working in the archives.
Yoshiura Interview (37:12) has him talking about all that went into the short film that was much longer. He wanted to mix sci-fi with a musical.
Animeigo presents Time of Eve: Complete Collection. Directed by Yasuhiro Yoshiura. Screenplay by Yasuhiro Yoshiura. Starring the voices of Jun Fukuyama, Rie Tanaka, Rina Sato, Kenji Nojima & Elizabeth Boyle. Running Time: 111 minutes. Rating: Unrated. Release Date: December 10, 2024.
