Edens Zero

Edens Zero (stylized as EDENS ZERO) is a Japanese science fiction manga series written and illustrated by Hiro Mashima. It has been serialized in Kodansha's Weekly Shōnen Magazine since June 2018, with its chapters collected into thirteen tankōbon volumes as of January 2021. The story follows a boy named Shiki Granbell who embarks on a voyage aboard the titular starship across different planets in search of a cosmic goddess known as "Mother". The manga is published digitally in six other languages as they are released in Japan, with Kodansha USA licensing the series for English publication in North America on Crunchyroll, Comixology, and Amazon Kindle. An anime television series adaptation produced by J.C.Staff is scheduled to premiere in April 2021. A video game adaptation has also been announced.

Edens Zero
First volume of Edens Zero, released by Kodansha on September 14, 2018 in Japan
Genre
Manga
Written byHiro Mashima
Published byKodansha
English publisher
MagazineWeekly Shōnen Magazine
DemographicShōnen
Original runJune 27, 2018 (2018-06-27) – present
Volumes13
Anime television series
Directed by
  • Shinji Ishihara (chief)
  • Yūshi Suzuki
Written byMitsutaka Hirota
Music byYoshihisa Hirano
StudioJ.C.Staff
Original networkNippon TV
Original run April 11, 2021 – scheduled
Game
DeveloperKonami
GenreAction role-playing game
EngineUnreal Engine
PlatformConsoles (third-person),
Mobile (top-down)

Synopsis
Main article: List of Edens Zero characters

Setting

Edens Zero takes place in a fictional spacefaring universe inhabited by humans, aliens, and sentient robots. The universe is divided into smaller "cosmoses", with the Sakura Cosmos[Jp. 1] serving as the primary setting. Most planets and locations have futuristic elements, some of which are combined with classic fantasy.Ch. 1 All technology in the series runs on a magical power source called Ether, which forms the basis of the story's "fantasy" aspect;Vol. 1 afterword one recurring device is the B-Cube,[Jp. 2] a video recorder that allows content creators, called "B-Cubers", to access a same-named video sharing website based on YouTube.Ch. 2[4] Ether also causes a variety of planetary phenomena such as airborne rivers of water,Ch. 2 clouds that produce crystal pillars,Ch. 4 and the growth of gargantuan trees visible from space.Ch. 20 Several characters directly harness the Ether in their bodies with Ether Gear,[Jp. 3] a power from the universe's dark ages that grants its users superhuman abilities,Ch. 1 which are further enhanced by a transformative "Overdrive"[Jp. 4] state achieved by pushing their Ether past its critical point.Ch. 81 The universe is also home to various cosmic entities, such as cybernetic dragons that swarm in a sector bordering the Sakura Cosmos called Dragonfall,Ch. 15 and a Chronophage[Jp. 5] that devours planets and permanently rewinds their time, creating alternate histories without causing time paradoxes.Ch. 11

Plot

Shiki Granbell is a human Ether Gear user who lives among robots on the planet Granbell, a deserted theme park world in the Sakura Cosmos. One day, the park is visited by two space traveling B-Cubers – Rebecca Bluegarden and her cybernetic cat companion Happy – whom Shiki befriends while they are there recording videos for their online account, Aoneko Channel. After the park's robots force them off the planet to save Shiki from being stranded before their batteries die, Shiki, Rebecca, and Happy set out to explore the universe by searching for Mother, the fabled goddess of the cosmos. In the process, Shiki obtains the interstellar warship Edens Zero, which was captained by his grandfather figure, the mechanical Demon King Ziggy, during a previous search for Mother.

Production

Following the conclusion of his series Fairy Tail on July 26, 2017, Hiro Mashima posted a Tweet on December 31, 2017 promising to start a new series sometime in 2018.[5] After his visit to the Angoulême International Comics Festival in France, Mashima revealed that the new series would be "a new form of fantasy", and that the character Plue from his earlier series Rave Master would appear in the manga.[2] On May 14, 2018, Mashima commented on Twitter that he was becoming "a little confused" due to working simultaneously on this series, a Fairy Tail continuation, and another "secret" project. He also stated that he was coming up with new ideas for the series "one after another".[6] On May 30, 2018, Weekly Shōnen Magazine revealed that the series was tentatively titled Eden's Zero.[7]

Media

Manga
Main article: List of Edens Zero chapters

The series launched in 2018's 30th issue of Kodansha's shōnen manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Magazine on June 27, 2018.[8] The series is published simultaneously in six languages: English, French, Chinese, Korean, Thai, and Brazilian Portuguese.[7][9] North American publisher Kodansha USA has released chapters of the series on digital platforms such as Crunchyroll Manga, ComiXology, and Amazon Kindle.[7] The first tankōbon volume was released on September 14, 2018.[10][11] As of August 17, 2020, 11 volumes have been released.[12]

Anime

On June 12, 2020, Mashima announced on Twitter that the manga would be adapted into an anime television series.[13] At the Tokyo Game Show livestream on September 26, 2020, it was revealed that the anime would be produced by J.C.Staff and directed by Yūshi Suzuki, with Shinji Ishihara serving as chief director, Mitsutaka Hirota overseeing scripts, and Yurika Sako designing the characters. Yoshihisa Hirano will compose the music.[14] The series will premiere on Nippon TV and other channels on April 11, 2021.[15][16][lower-alpha 1]

Video game

On September 16, 2020, Famitsu announced that the manga will get an video game adaptation developed by Konami.[17] It was later revealed at the Tokyo Game Show 2020 livestream that two separate action role-playing games were being developed, one being a 3D game for consoles, and the other being a top-down game for mobile devices.[18]

Reception

In Japan, the first volume of Edens Zero reached 13th place on the weekly Oricon chart with 30,178 copies sold.[19] The second volume ranked 16th with 41,506 copies sold,[20] and the third volume at 18th place with 31,316 copies.[21]

The first volume received a mixed response from critics on Anime News Network, where it was rated on a 1 to 5 scale. Amy McNulty gave the volume a 3.5 rating, calling it a "solid start" and praising the story's pacing, characters, and art, while adding that it "may not blow anyone away". McNulty also commented on Mashima's similar visual and design choices to Fairy Tail—which she noted could be taken negatively—but opined that the manga could benefit from readers' familiarity with Fairy Tail, and found it accessible to new readers of Mashima's work. Rebecca Silverman, who also rated it 3.5, considered the manga to be Mashima's darkest work, and praised him for using themes that "helped make his previous series Fairy Tail work so well", citing Shiki and Rebecca's complementary backgrounds as orphans as an example. However, she expressed slight concerns over the story potentially becoming confusing for readers with the volume's implications of time travel and flash-forward cliffhanger. Faye Hopper, who gave the volume a 3 rating, found that the shift from "high fantasy pastiche to Star Wars reminiscent sci-fi" helped enrich the story, but criticized Mashima's humor and adherence to shōnen manga conventions. Teresa Navarro gave it a 2 rating, finding the characters and art style to be nearly identical to those in Fairy Tail, but considering its potential to gain a cult following from fans of shōnen series.[3]

Works cited
  • ^ "Ch." and "Vol." are a shortened forms for chapter and volume of the Edens Zero manga

Notes
  1. The series will premiere on April 10 at 24:55 (effectively, April 11 at 12:55 a.m.).
Japanese
  1. 桜宇宙（コスモス）, Sakura Kosumosu
  2. B・キューブ, B Kyūbu
  3. エーテルギア, Ēteru Gia
  4. オーバードライヴ, Ōbādoraivu
  5. 時食み, tokihami, lit. "time eater"

References
  1. "Edens Zero". Kodansha USA. Retrieved June 12, 2020. It’s here! The creator of Fairy Tail, manga superstar Hiro Mashima, is back with a high-flying space adventure!
  2. Hodgkins, Crystalyn (January 28, 2018). "Hiro Mashima Teases More Details About Planned New Work". Anime News Network. Retrieved June 1, 2018.
  3. Bertschy, Zac (November 29, 2018). "Edens Zero - The Fall 2018 Manga Guide". Anime News Network. Retrieved April 2, 2020.
  4. Loveridge, Lynzee (July 17, 2019). "German YouTuber Nino Kerl Makes Cameo in Mashima's Edens Zero Manga". Anime News Network. Retrieved August 23, 2019.
  5. Sherman, Jennifer (December 31, 2017). "Fairy Tail Creator Hiro Mashima: 'I'll Work Hard to Launch a New Manga Next Year'". Anime News Network. Retrieved June 1, 2018.
  6. Sherman, Jennifer (May 14, 2018). "Fairy Tail Manga's Hiro Mashima Teases 'Secret' Project". Anime News Network. Retrieved June 1, 2018.
  7. Hodgkins, Crystalyn (May 29, 2018). "Hiro Mashima's New Manga Gets Tentative Title, Simultaneous Release in 5 Languages". Anime News Network. Retrieved June 1, 2018.
  8. Hodgkins, Crystalyn (April 5, 2018). "Hiro Mashima Launches New Manga on June 27, Also Plans Fairy Tail Sequel & Spinoff Manga". Anime News Network. Retrieved June 1, 2018.
  9. "#NovidadeJBC: Edens Zero!!! - Henshin". Henshin (in Portuguese). 2018-06-22. Retrieved 2018-07-26.
  10. EDENS ZERO (1). Kodansha (in Japanese). Retrieved September 8, 2018.
  11. EDENS ZERO (1)特装版. Kodansha (in Japanese). Retrieved September 8, 2018.
  12. EDENS ZERO (11). Kodansha (in Japanese). Retrieved June 30, 2020.
  13. Hodgkins, Crystalyn (June 12, 2020). "Hiro Mashima's Edens Zero Manga Gets TV Anime". Anime News Network. Retrieved June 12, 2020.
  14. Pineda, Rafael Antonio (January 12, 2021). "Edens Zero Anime's Teaser Video Reveals More Staff". Anime News Network. Retrieved January 13, 2021.
  15. Hodgkins, Crystalyn (September 26, 2020). "J.C. Staff Produces Edens Zero TV Anime for April 2021 Debut". Anime News Network. Retrieved September 26, 2020.
  16. Pineda, Rafael Antonio (January 12, 2021). "Edens Zero Anime Premieres on April 10". Anime News Network. Retrieved January 13, 2021.
  17. Romano, Sal (September 16, 2020). "Konami announces Edens Zero game". Gematsu. Retrieved September 16, 2020.
  18. Hodgkins, Crystalyn (September 26, 2020). "Edens Zero Game Project Includes Both 3D Action RPG for Consoles, Mobile RPG". Anime News Network. Retrieved September 26, 2020.
  19. Ressler, Karen (September 19, 2018). "Japanese Comic Ranking, September 10–16". Anime News Network. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
  20. Ressler, Karen (November 21, 2018). "Japanese Comic Ranking, November 12–18". Anime News Network. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
  21. Ressler, Karen (February 27, 2019). "Japanese Comic Ranking, February 11–17". Anime News Network. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
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