The Gist:
The History:
Other Media Vs. Anime:
Manga: A six-volume adaptation of the original story was released in parallel with the broadcast of the TV series, and has since been translated into English as well. A two-volume side story, Gravity Boys and Lifting Girls, which ties into the video games based on the property, was also released in the same timeframe.
Light novel: A four-volume adaptation of the series was released through Kadokawa Shoten and also translated into English.
Video games: Two PlayStation 2 and one PSP game were released that tie into the original show's storyline and themes.
Standalone film: A feature film, Eureka Seven: Good Night, Sleep Tight, Young Lovers, takes many of the same characters but reworks them into a different storyline with entirely new situations. (Much the same thing was done with Evangelion via works like The Shinji Ikari Raising Project.)
How to Watch:
- DVD / Compare prices
- Crunchyroll / streaming video
Genres:
Science fiction, mecha, action-adventure, romance
Studios:
Distribution: Bandai
Animation production: BONES
Rating:
Air Dates:
The Review:
Centuries ago, humanity moved out into the stars, and now lives on a planet where a curious energy named "Trapar" emanates from the earth. It can be harnessed, in much the same way a surfer rides the waves -- and so a whole method of transport named "lifting" has come into being. A single person can lift on a board no bigger than a skateboard, or a whole craft that holds dozens can be powered by Trapar.
Renton Thurston's a fourteen-year-old kid with ambitions to do more than just putter around the dead-end little town where he's currently living under the wing of his grandfather. His biological father is none other than the legendary Adrock Thurston, he who gave his life to save the human race. Renton, though, just wants to lift -- if possible, with the renegade lifting collective Gekkostate. They've even got their own fan magazine, ray=out, and Renton's idolized everything about them -- especially their brash leader, Holland, a god among lifters.
as the saying goes: Be careful what you wish for; you might get it. Renton gets his big change to run off when the "Nirvash typeZERO," a giant mecha, crashes into Renton's house. The pilot of the Nirvash is Eureka, a pale girl with a wide-eyed, naïve attitude -- the kind of girl Renton finds himself falling hopelessly for right from the git-go. She's one of the Gekkostate crew, and the Nirvash is one of their vessels! Could his luck be any better?
Come to think of it, maybe it could. After joining up with Gekkostate, Renton realizes he's at the bottom-most rung of the ladder. The other crewmembers don't take him seriously at first when he can barely even keep their laundry sorted. Only Eureka, odd as she is already, cottons to him -- and she has her own hands full with a gaggle of orphaned children she's assumed responsibility for.
Only by degrees does Renton prove his value to them as a pilot, as a comrade-in-arms, and as a friend. To Eureka, he has to be even more than that, when he discovers her secrets. And as the Gekkostate crew come increasingly under the fire from the military, and when great and terrible secrets about the world they all live in come to light, they each have to choose -- and Renton has to decide who and what he's going to stand for.
As one might guess from this summary, Eureka Seven spans a great deal of territory: science-fiction themes that involve man's place in the universe and coexistence with its forces; mecha-fueled adventures akin to Macross, Gundam and Evangelion; power struggles and politics behind the scenes; and the euphoria of first love.
What's remarkable is how the sheer range of material in the show makes it easier, not harder, to get into. The end result is a little something for everyone, packaged and delivered in a sprightly, accessible way. Plus, since the story's framed mainly from Renton's point of view, that allows many of the details of Eureka Seven's world -- its technology, science, physics, politics, alien races and history -- to not be overwhelming. Most importantly, because we stay so close to him throughout, his journey (from naïveté to something like maturity) becomes our journey as well.