Eureka Seven - Reviews

Moved from my blog (this time it was split into 3 blog posts):

Post 1: First impression: Eureka Seven

I started watching Eureka Seven. I'm currently on episode 8. The visuals and audio are awesome so far. Renton is very annoying, but then again life isn't treating him well so far. The story gives a vibe of generic shounen, but I didn't expect much of it in the first place. After all, a good shounen is good (even if a bit generic). The art style slightly reminds me of RahXephon (it had good visuals too), but this is not surprising as both were made by Bones. On the other hand the story makes me think of Last Exile.

P.S. Did anyone else besides me noticed a track called "Eine Kastellan" "El Momento Pasado"  from korean s.f.a. group in episode 8 around 10:50. Well it is tiny bit more upbeat than the actual track by s.f.a. but the melody is exactly the same. There is also possibility that the track in anime and the one by s.f.a. were actually made of the same sampled melody. If you wonder what kind of group is s.f.a., they mostly did music for computer games. They are probably best known for their tracks in Granado Espada\Sword of New World MMO. Song "El Momento Pasado" ("Eine Kastellan" was another song by s.f.a) actually appears in that game. I also heard a track by that group in one or two documentary movies.

Post 2: Further thoughts on Eureka Seven

I got to episode 17 and somehow the show became tiresome to watch. It becomes too NGE-ish, because of that it starts to feel more like RahXephon than Last Exile. The NGE-ness was to be expected since it is an anime made by Bones, but it does discourage me from watch further. It's painful to watch how Renton keeps making a fool out of himself, says things he should not or does something irresponsible. I'm not going to drop this anime just yet though.

Edit: I watched a bit further and the NGE-ness declines a bit, so I might as well watch the whole thing.

Edit: One of better BGM tracks sounds like an attempt to copy the main them from Laputa. Another track slightly reminds me of a theme by Hans Zimmer which he composed for the movie Crimson Tide.

As the story progressed I can actually see that the characters are quite complex. It's a good thing the characters get developed, but why did they do most of the development at one particular moment in the story?

I heard people complaining, that Renton x Eureka romance isn't progressing through most of the story (I'm still in the middle of watching), but I got impression that it already got a huge push during the reunion.

Post 3: Eureka Seven afterthoughts

As a whole this anime was good. The animation was very good most of the time, maybe except for filler episodes (like the football one). The music was a mixed bag, there were some good instrumental tracks (some of them sound like total rip-offs, but are still good), but most of the techno and trance tracks were not that great. As for the ED and OP tracks, I really liked the first OP song and the first ED song, the second ED and third OP were ok too, I guess.

But lets get to the actual content of the anime. It featured nice character development. It wasn't flawless, in case of some characters (namely Anemone) it was done rather hastily (character didn't develop gradually), some other characters developed in batches (as in several characters at the same moment in story). Still it was good. Characters themselves proved to be interesting and complex, even when they were annoying at first (I'll try to write a proper review and go into details there).

Through the series there were two times that I had to take a break. One was somewhere before episode 20, the other was somewhere after episode 30. The story started to feel dull and slow and even annoying around those two points. Thankfully bad points in story didn't last too long.

Since this was a Bones anime, I was expecting to see lots of NGE themes. I wasn't so far off, by episode 20-something there was already lots of such themes. Truth to be told, I wasn't very happy about that. However what I was expecting even more than NGE themes, was a NGE like ending. I mean Bones does that all the time, don't they? Here a surprise awaited me. The ending was a cliche shounen one. It wasn't great, but it kind of felt refreshing this time. I was able to enjoy the ending despite how silly it was. Speaking of silly things, I didn't like the fantasy elements at all, yet I was able to bear them, because I found the characters to be interesting. As for the sci-fi elements, I wasn't bothered by them, as long as no one went on explaining them. I was fine with homing lasers, but I couldn't accept that Coralians (the Kute class sphear things) were bending lasers (to be more exact, bending lasers, but not bending other light).

Also, I was impressed that there was no ecchi in this anime. It is an even bigger feat if one takes into account that there were some adult themes at few points in the story. There was this one scene which seemed like ecchi, but in the end there was an explanation why it occurred, so I couldn't even consider it as such.

Last but not least, it should be noted that there was some violence and gore in this anime. It's only in a handful of episodes, but still turn off some people. I wasn't particularly bothered by it though.

P.S. Cheers for Polish themes in Eureka Seven.

P.S.2 ******* Spoilerific *******

So Nirvashi was a female after all...

Wow I'm amazed that there are absolutely no reviews of this anime (other than one which I will talk about in a little while). Considering that Eureka Seven is easily one of my favourite animes, I suppose it was only inevitable that I be the first reader to publish a review of this beautiful anime.

Before I start with my review though, I would like to ask everyone what do they look for in an anime? (and more specifically what would you want from an anime like Eureka Seven?)...Is it comedy, is it action, is it character development...well this anime has all of this and more...and that's precisely why I feel the other review here is unfair to this anime...let me explain in my review:

Story 8/10

Eureka Seven starts out as a simple story of a young boy named Renton who due to numerous circumstances ends up joining a team of riders called Gekko State. The only real issue here is that the leader of Gekko State, Holland is Renton's idol whereas, Renton also comes across a beautiful girl called Eureka who he instantly develops a crush upon (and eventually falls in love with). The rest of the premises deals with Renton (and Gekko State's) adventures while a coming-of-age love story develops between the two leads.

So far so good but you are probably thinking...well that doesn't sound too special...and to be quite honest, you are right...there's nothing special in the story...but that's because this is not a story-driven anime...this anime is all about characters (as I'll explain later)...the story merely fills the backdrop so the characters can be truly examined.

That said, there is also nothing wrong with this story...the pace is decent (although a little on the slow side due to the number of episodes with some filler-sorts episodes - nothing like Naruto/Bleach though)...the plot is well thought-out and really at the end of the day, it all joins together in a nice little package.

Animation 10/10

Stunning. Yeah I just do not have any other word for this anime...Whether its the characters (who as you can see from the pics look really charming) or the scenery (simply mind-blowing) or even the mech's (I'm not a mecha fan but they look pretty good here...probably not as good as say Gundam but Mecha's take a back seat in this anime...so if you are mainly looking for mecha's I'd say this is not the anime for you)

I honestly cannot find any flaws in this part...this anime is, in my humble opinion, the best animation Bones has ever developed. Period. And believe me, Bones are among the best developers when it comes to animation.

Sound 9/10

Again, very little to find any flaws about...the character voices sound great, the background music is very nice and the general tone of the anime is wonderful. I guess if I were to be truly picky, I would say, the OP/ED are not as catchy as what some other animes have...but this is just a matter of taste (as I know many who love the songs of this anime).

Overall gets a very solid 9 from me...the subs are obviously better than the dubs but personally, this anime's dub was very good too (one of the rare scenarios with respect to animes)

Characters 10/10

Not in a lifetime does this anime deserve anything less than a 10 here! I mentioned this earlier too and I'll repeat myself again...this anime is all about characters...and this anime truly shines in this category.

Considering that the anime is fairly long at 52 episodes, no amount of story will be enough to carry the anime that far...instead, the focus shiftf towards the characters and their development.

Firstly, there's Renton who changes massively over these 52 episodes. He starts out as a some-what oblivious and naive boy who realizes his potential and develops into a very prominent figure by the end of the anime. Very fitting for a shonen lead character.

Then we have Eureka who too develops very significant over the course of the episode. I don't want to spoil the fun for the uninitiated but basically Eureka goes under a fairly big personality change as the anime progresses due to a number of experiences.

Furthermore, a number of other Gekko State characters are well developed as well (especially Holland) and play a fairly major role in Renton's growth as a person. There are a fairly large number of other characters (most prominent being Anemone who struck a chord with many Eureka Seven fans) who are well panned out as well and play a pretty large part in the final shaping of the anime.

Again, these characters are really well panned out and although I don't want to give away too much detail (since character development is the focal point of the anime)...it all comes together really well to make the backbone of the anime. Good stuff indeed!

Overall 9/10

Well its just like I earlier suggested...I simply do not agree with the other review rating this fantastic anime as 7/10 (and it seems not many others agree either)...the characters here are well developed (and they are the key), the story is well organized for the most part (albeit a little slow - true the anime could've done with a little trimming...but if you enjoyed the anime like I did, then you'd want more episodes and not less), the animation is simply majestic while the sound is excellent as well.

In short, it all joins together to make one of the finest romantic-drama animes out there and one that I feel deserves to be seen by everyone. Considering that this anime is indeed one of my favorites, its almost inevitable that there will be some bias in my final evaluation for this anime...but honestly, even without my bias, this anime certainly deserves no less than a 8.5 (9 if you loved it like I did)...it really is that good!

This show, although dubbed as a mecha, is much more largely a romance/sci-fi. I'm personally not a fan of mecha, but like Code Geass, I still enjoyed this thoroughly.

Story: (8.75/10)

Eureka Seven's story follows a 14 year old boy (Hollah!) named Renton, who is bored with his life and the town he lives in. With both of his parents deceased and his sister missing, he now spends all his time with his grandpa moving LFO's(mech's) in his workshop. One day, however, a strange girl lands in town on a giant robot, know as the typeZERO(or the Nirvash). Renton then proceeds to join the crew of the Rebellion (flying) ship, the Gekko-Go, and much storyness ensues(that sentence totally makes sense).

My opinion of the story varied from beginning to end, just as the writer wanted it to. At first, it came off as a relaxed, comedy oriented environment. But slowly, they begin to present the horrifying reality of the world, but also the happiness that comes with it.

Overall, the message of the story is conveyed well and delivered a rather happy message.

Animation: (9.5/10)

The colors really suit the seriousness of the atmosphere: Bright during happy or relaxed moments, and darker during more serious or dismal moments.

The character designs were original, whether you go to Eureka's strange light blue hair to Moon Doggie's curly blonde hair/hat combination, the character's looks were usually refreshing and original.

The framerate was average during average moments, and AMAZING during scenes that needed it, like when they're falling from the sky or flying in their mech's at several hundred miles per hour.

Especially for a non 2010 anime, this show did animation spectacularly.

Sound: (8.75/10)

I can safely say I liked every single one of the OP themes. In all honesty I didn't enjoy the ED themes too much, but I can tell from a different perspective how these themes could be considered good.

Voice acting was done well, and they also incorporated the OP themes as background music quite fluidly, but they didn't wear them out by using them too much.

I saw no major flaws in the sound department, even if it wasn't completely stellar.

Characters: (10/10)

The character development couldn't have been better in this show.

Renton starts out whiny and immature, but in the end he realizes the truth in things and takes what should be taken seriously... well... seriously.

Eureka starts out almost completely lacking emotion and had a hard time trusting anyone other than Holland and the Nirvash, but about halfway through she starts to really feel emotion and learns to trust people.

Almost all of the main characters developed dramatically like this, but suprisingly, it didn't come off as exaggerated or corny in any way.

The characters were done well, and I detected literally no flaws that the writer didn't put there on purpose for effect.

Overall: (8.75/10)

Overall, although with a few very minor flaws that only nitpickers like myself would detect, this show is a truly great watch.

 

Story

The story to Eureka Seven wasn't exactly mindblowing, nor did it go above and beyond.  When I first started watching E7 I had no idea what was going on.  A quarter of the way through I actually thought maybe I missed plot-specific information so I ended up searching Google to figure out what a Coralian actually was.

Eureka Seven has a nasty habit of bringing something new to the story and then leaving you out to dry.  A word of warning: don't do as I did.  Everything is explained eventually, but personally I didn't like that approach.  I'm not a fan of staring at a screen as characters discuss something and I'm left thinking, "What in the world are they talking about?"

What I appreciated most about the story was the subtle allusions to the Holocaust.  On the Land of Kanon there is a religious group known as the Vodorac.  They reminded me of gypsies during WWII.  This is the only presented religion in the anime (at least that I'm aware of) and they stand for everything the military hates:the scub coral (an intelligent life form that forced humanity from Earth). To me, this is the most important theme in the anime. Tolerance and understanding play a huge role in the story and this sets up a solid foil system.

Animation

The animation is fantastic. The color scheme was bright and energetic.  It gave a feeling of hope and joy during some of the sad parts.  That's not to say that all of the series is so colorful.  During some of the flashbacks the creators made a dark contrast to the usually colorful pallet.  I really liked how the characters were drawn.  I'm not a fan of big eyes and tacky, unrealistic character designs and I thought Eureka Seven did it right.  The mecha were beautifully drawn and the fight scenes were fantastic.  I especially enjoyed the blood that exploded from destroyed LFO's (the mechs).

Sound

I really enjoyed the soundtrack to E7.  It drew a smile to my face when Holland stated that he, "hates old people music," as heavy rock echoed through a science facility.  None of the music got in the way of the anime and it really helped bring out the emotions of the moment.  Techno is the genre that is typically played, and it fits the futuristic setting quite well.

Characters

I thought that Renton and Eureka were perfect.  At first I didn't think I would like Renton because he was so whiny and immature, but I was amazed at how far he matured by the end of the series.  His annoying infatuation with Eureka was the worst but I'm glad that Renton, along with most of the major characters, were given a solid character development.  I don't think I liked any of the characters as they were first introduced, but as the story grew and the characters matured I ended up putting a special place in my heart for them.  Maybe that's what the creators had in mind for this anime.  In fact, the characters who matured along the way are the only ones I actually cared for.

There were plenty of characters, and by the time I finished watching the series I could easily point out any and all character traits.  However I felt that some characters were a little too ridiculous or overall unnecessary.  Two obnoxious characters to me were Gidget and Moondoggie.  To this day I really don't understand their purpose in being created (although Moondoggie did have some character development).

Overall I was happy with all of the characters; even the short appearance of Charles and Ray (two interesting, arguably necessary characters).  The obvious foils (Holland and Renton) created an uneasy tension that enraged me enough to keep me interested.

Finally, Renton and Eureka.  These two characters are what make this anime.  Without these two, I would have stopped watching after the first three episodes.  The character development these two go through are remarkable and I certainly wasn't expecting such a thought out relationship.  Renton without Eureka is a whiny fourteen year old who likes to be dramatic.  Eureka without Renton is cold and oblivious to the world.  However, when you put these two characters together you really make the perfect couple.  They push each other to learn and mature throughout the series.  Their relationship goes from infatuation, to adoration, to true love.

Overall

I thought Eureka Seven was a great show.  Until this show came along I really wasn't that into anime.  I would advise E7 to anyone.  I don't like romance in anything I watch, but for some reason I was enticed by Renton and Eureka's bond.  Their relationship was perfectly balanced and never got annoying to watch.  The characters were easy to relate to; they were victims to jealousy, love, nervousness, fear and hatred just like us.  As an example to how much this show has touched me, I'd like to tell a short story.  I remember watching Grave of the Fireflies at the request of a friend.  Apparently I seemed like a monster for not being even a little bit sad.  I generally don't get saddened by movies or shows, but because Renton was so easy to relate to (I was just like him at fourteen) several times during the series I had to hold back a growing knot in my throat.

This was a great series, and although it might not be for everyone, it certainly changed my perspective on anime.

Hi all, I'm a real big fan of si fi anime, but I don't really understand why they have to make the MC's in most anime such whimps and chicken shits when comes to the opposite sex. I guess maybe it's my age is why I don't understand it, I am a 70yr old man. I really wish they had made a 3rd season. Great series