Cage of Eden

Cage of Eden (エデンの檻) is a Japanese manga written and illustrated by Yamada Keiyou, which began serialization in Weekly Shōnen Magazine starting in December 2008. The creator Yamada Keiyou was previously the artist of the manga Chanbara and EX-Shōnen Hyoryu (Young Castaways).

Plot
Akira and his classmates are on a field trip back home from Guam, while on flight there a turbulance and the plane crashes on an uncharted island inhabited by prehistoric species thought to be long extinct. The battle for survival in a nightmarish island begins. the story has elements of Lost and Lord of the Flies in a prehistoric lost world setting.

Main characters

 * Akira Sengoku, 3rd year, class 4, is the main character, a Japanese schoolboy. He seems to be a bystander who reacts to events rather than choosing his own destiny. He is regarded by his fellow students as a lazy good-for-nothing. He is not much of a reliable guy but in times of peril he springs courageously into action that helps the group survival, and eventually making him the leader of the group. He also seems to have a crush on Rion but can't express his feelings to her since they are childhood friends.


 * Rion Akagami, 3rd year, class 1, is a pretty, athletic girl who is considered the school's number one idol and the ace of the Gymnastics Club. She is Akira's childhood friend and may have a crush on him.


 * Kanako Oomori is a plucky young flight attendant who survives the crash. She acts as the group's medic. Even thought, at first, she is seen as not very smart (she failed her flight attendant test 3 times before passing as the storyline begins) she is actually quite intelligent, knowing all the chemicals that could be used for first aid and more serious wounds. Being with Akira gives her the courage to survive and protect the others to the best of her ability.


 * Shirou Mariya, 3rd year, class 4,is one of Akira's classmates, a rude yet timid boy with a high IQ who is considered the school's prodigy. He is extremely knowledgeable about prehistoric animals and has a scientific database in the laptop computer he carries with him.


 * Arita Kouhei, 3rd year, class 2. Handsome and popular, he is a tall natural athlete and the star of the school volleyball team. He is Akira's best friend. He is the one who stabbed the pilot with a knife. He won't allow anyone to find out his secret.


 * Kouichi Yarai, 3rd year, class 4, is a tough kid from Akira's school who appears to dominate the other boys. He has some of the qualities of a natural leader. While the others are panicked from these new surroundings, Yarai finds this world as "living a life without boredom."


 * Koto Eiken, 3rd year, class 4. A nervous boy who brings a camera on the field trip. He originally planned to record of the events of the plane crash, but after the death of the pilot, his camera was taken over by Rion. His whereabouts are currently unknown.


 * Motoko Kurusu is a young female schoolteacher from Akira's school . She is very kind and has a great relationship with her students. She admires Kouichi as a natural leader and follows him throughout the island.


 * Ugen Kokonoe is a chain-smoking schoolteacher and colleague of Ms. Kurusu at Akira's school. His whereabouts are currently unknown.


 * Hades is a mysterious, mentally disturbed boy with a hockey mask who claims he is the "Lord of Hades." In his mind, this world they have fallen into is survival of the fittest and he plans to kill anyone and everyone on the island. He also instigates Arita to become a murderer after he tricks him into killing an innocent girl to protect his secret. He seems to have a vendetta against Sengoku. It is unknown as to which student he is yet.


 * Kazuma Zaji, 3rd year, class 3, is a classmate from Akira's school. He's a delinquent with perverted thoughts about women who never takes things seriously and loves to joke. He tends to let his emotions get the better of him, like when punching Yoshimoto when he was wrong about the monsters and panics about it. He used to be childhood friends with Yoshimoto until his grades fell in junior high and they became distant. He tried to become friends with him again, but later discovered they were just using him to escape and Yoshimoto kicks him overboard. He later decides to join up with Akira's group and becomes good friends with them.


 * Masanori Tanaka, 3rd year, class 2, is a classmate from Akira's school who tries to hit on Rion and insults Akira about being a good-for-nothing. Along with Zaji and the others, they try to escape the island by boat. He is killed and eaten by the Andrewsarchus while trying to escape on the raft. However, his death helps the group when the instant glue upsets the monster long enough for the others to try and escape.


 * Masakazu Yoshimoto, 3rd year, class 2, is an intelligent boy from Akira's school who deduces that the monsters won't come to the beach. He seems to slightly resent Mariya for beating him in test scores. Along with Zaji and the others, they try to escape the island by boat. He used to be good friends with Zaji until Zaji grades fell and Yoshimoto left him. After they get on the raft, Mokouda and Yoshimoto betray the others and push them overboard to die, revealing they were just using Zaji. However, when the two find out that the island was only a mirage, they get eaten by a giant sea monster.


 * Mina Mokouda, 3rd year, class 2, is a classmate from Akira's school who doesn't trust Zaji. Along with Zaji and the others, they try to escape the island by boat. After they get on the raft, Mokouda and Yoshimoto betray the others and push them overboard to die, revealing they were just using Zaji. However, when the two find out that the island was only a mirage, they get eaten by a giant sea monster.


 * Itou, 3rd year, class 2, is a troublemaker at school and one of Yarai's lackeys. He follows Yarai when they escape from the plane.


 * Ono, 3rd year, class 3, is a troublemaker at school and one of Yarai's lackeys. He follows Yarai when they escape from the plane.


 * Mikoshiba, 3rd year, class 1, is a troublemaker at school and one of Yarai's lackeys. He follows Yarai when they escape from the plane. He's quiet and rarely talks to the others.


 * Isurugi Miina, a 10 year old little transvestite boy that supposedly 'bosses' over a camp consisting of some adult passengers that were not a part of Sengoku's class.


 * Hikari, a girl that had belonged to Arita's group. She harbours a deep crush for him, even copying a photo at Guam of Arita. Hades had tricked Hikari into writing messages directed at Arita making him paranoid, she however was told that if she didn't, Arita would 'do something bad', while writing one of the messages in the morning she is later killed, possibly strangled, to death by Arita.


 * Pilot Tsuchiyama, a veteran pilot who was stabbed in the chest by Arita and killed. It's notable that he had landed the plane successfully when they arrived in the unknown world.


 * Miyazaki, a person who attends the same school as Akira. Not much is known about him, however he was killed by an Andrewsarchus when they envaded the plane. Yoshimoto and Mokouda seem to know who he is.

Manga
Kodansha has released 4 bound volumes of the manga between February 17, 2009 and September 17, 2009.