There are some other really great reviews of this fantastic series on here, so just some general comments: The only way I can think of to describe this series is like Song of Ice and Fire (George RR Martin), but set about 100 years in a vaguely foreseeable future with a quicker pace, plus long digressions on theoretical physics; references to Noam Chomsky; fucked up bio-weapons; a strong treatment of ethnic conflict, homosexuality, and various political issues; a few moments of Evangelion-like strangeness; lots of characters (with impressively realistic characterization); meditations on gnostic philosophy; and an absurd amount of death, brutality, and suffering. It's maybe notthe best manga I've read (there's one section in the center I especially didn't like), but it's probably the smartest, with a genuinely impressive scope/sophistication. The art wasn't great, but competent and occasionally striking. Like RR Martin, Endo has a tendency to frequently kill his characters, though I think Eden was maybe more gritty/unpleasant than Ice and Fire, as there were a few parts so brutal or sad I felt a little sick. I think I've been reading manga for about a month now and I've been lucky to stumble over a quite a few impressive works; this definitely rates pretty high next to them.