'Eden' asks tough questions on humanity's place on Earth

The first original anime offering of Netflix, “Eden,” takes viewers into a post-apocalyptic world where the Earth is no longer habitable for humans and robots are left to rehabilitate the environment.

Directed by Yasuhiro Irie (“Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood”) and created by Justin Leach (“Ghost in the Shell 2”), the show has a total running time equivalent to a feature film but broken into four episodes.

“Eden” takes place thousands of years into the future, at a time when nature has been successfully restored thanks to the efforts of the robots. Humans have been forgotten to the point of being a myth, while robots have been programmed to think that humans are dangerous.

The story begins when two robots accidentally find a human child named Sara in Eden 3, a place which cracks down on any sign of humanity. They decide to leave in order to keep her away from harm, settling down in a small community of runaway machines.

The most touching parts of the show lies in Sara’s relationships with the robots, who experience human emotions for the first time. Joy and sorrow, as expressed by non-sentient machines, become distilled into their most innocent and purest forms. Sara’s parents, E92 and A37, tug the heartstrings as they devote themselves to raising her.

^{Photo courtesy of Netflix}

While Sara accepts the robots as her family, she grows up aware that she is human. When she hears a voice from an abandoned robot asking for help, she grabs the chance to meet and save a fellow human like her. The encounter leads to the discovery of her existence, which prompts Zero, the leader of the robots in Eden 3, to send troops to capture her.

The conflict in “Eden,” however, isn’t as simple as humans versus machines. In a distant future where robots serve as the guardians of nature, humans must ask themselves whether or not there is still room for them in such a perfect world. Add to the mix a complicated villain and the question prompts a serious moment of self-reflection.

In the end, however, Sara stands out as a protagonist full of positive outlook for humanity. She does not shy away from making a difficult choice and looks into the future, believing in the potential of humans to get it right, given a second chance.

In a world facing a climate crisis and a pandemic, “Eden” shows us a picture of the doom and destruction that could lie ahead before us. Yet it also offers a glimmer of hope that we can turn things around, if only we believe in ourselves. We are our own enemy, but we can also be our own heroes.

It’s a perfect message for the moment. Without a doubt, it’s worth pressing the play button. —JCB, GMA News