Time of Eve effectively focuses on human/android relations to send a "bigger picture" thematic message about the importance of empathy.

Time of Eve, the minor classic anime film and OVA (Original Video Animation) miniseries, has at last been collected in a single Blu-Ray set from AnimEigo. It's a classic for a reason. It's not a shonen action anime with big set pieces but a lowkey drama, a Science Fiction tale about a boy learning that robots have feelings, too. This sounds glib, but that's the story and it's every Japanese story about robots, but it's always about a bigger point that's worth making again and again.

In Time of Eve, a teenager who grew up taking androids (who look no different from humans) for granted grows close to his android housekeeper and caretaker when he finds her acting independently, secretly communicating with other androids who just want to live like humans and be treated equally. Even though anti-android sentiments occur in the background, they don't go on a grand adventure or go on the run from gun-toting soldiers. They just go about their lives, quietly visiting a café where humans and androids spend time as lines blur between who's human and who's android as the world slowly moves toward one where everyone is equal. Time of Eve is a character drama, one without shouting or loud declarations of emotion. It's about people, including androids, quietly talking and observing each other and slowly connecting, just as people.