Ranked #1165

Eureka Seven (Manga)

Of the many merits the Eureka Seven anime hold, the series is well-known for its outstanding soundtrack and slick animation. So naturally, the question that dwells on the mind of anyone who is considering the manga is: "Would the manga adaptation fare well within a medium devoid of these things?" The answer is "yes". With a darker and more mature story, great artwork, and extremely engaging drama, the Eureka Seven manga is well worth the time of newcomers and anime veterans alike.

The story centers around the adventures of Renton Thurston, who upon meeting a peculiar mecha-riding girl named Eureka, escapes his mundane life at the town of Bellforest to join the Gekko State, a band of counter-culture renegades. The coming-of-age story that ensues is one full of the spirit of adolescence: self-identity, love, rejection, and rebellion. Though this in itself may not be anything special, Eureka Seven sets itself apart by placing the balance just right. The unfolding drama never feels too vague or distant, yet it never dips into the "overwrought and cheesy" territory. The product is an engaging tale of two young lovers that should viciously tugs at the your heartstrings if you were ever young and in love at some stage of your life. As the story progresses, it becomes considerably darker as the reader is increasingly confronted with themes of human nature and the environment. Though this may take those who watched the anime off guard, the different direction taken by the adaptation is nevertheless a welcome one as the grim narrative not only has the intensity to glue the reader’s eyes to the pages, but to provoke some profound thought on the off chance as well. Furthermore, fans of Anemone and Dominic of the anime will be overjoyed to find a much more elaborate and emotionally charged story of the two characters, despite minor alterations to their characters.

Like the plot, the artwork does not slouch either. Though the dizzying spectacles of the mecha sequences are sometimes hard to follow on paper, the action is still kinetic, bold, and often more strikingly visceral than the anime counterpart. The character art does not deviate far from the anime, which is good news to veterans and newcomers alike, as the cast looks expressive and stylish. However, more so than the impressive technical merits, it is the creative aspects of the manga that really ought to be brought to attention. The manga masterfully incorporates motifs from The Wizard of Oz into Anemone's story, as well as taking imaginative liberties with the imagery of the hallucinogenic segments of the story. Not only does the symbol-laden art look great, it contributes to the intrigue of the story without the use of words.

Unlike many short anime-to-manga adaptations, Eureka Seven is by no means a quick money grab to ride on the success of its anime counterpart. In all fairness, this manga adaption stands shoulder-to-shoulder with its inspiration. While the anime offers a mostly light-hearted romance and adventure, the manga offers a grim and intense story that leaves reader little room to breathe – or put down the book, for that matter. Fans of the anime should find the distinct take on the story very interesting (assuming they are not die-hard loyalists to the anime’s plot), and newcomers to the franchise will have no problem diving into this engaging and well thought-out story.


Pros:
- Substantive story complimented by effective drama
- Anemone and Dominic's story
- Imaginative artwork in the hallucinogenic segments

Cons:
- Mecha action is sometimes confusing read more

If you have seen the series, and enjoy manga, then this manga will tickle your fancy. I assumed it would be generally the same story as told in the series, but was pleasantly surprised by an entirely different approach. Some elements from the series are kept in tact, such as the relationship between Eureka and Renton, but as far as everything else goes, it's like reading an alternate ending.

The art is very well done, easy to read into. Not too much emphasis on character growth aside from the main characters, but coming off of the series, you know the crew anyway. Overall, the most enjoyable part was the well thought out plot which differed a great deal from the anime's take on it.

This is an excellent addition to the already amazing anime, and surely worth the read. The emotions felt during the series remain throughout this manga, which really grasped what Eureka Seven is all about. read more

I really wanted to write a review for eureka seven but because there are already many great reviews for the anime so i decided to write one for the manga version.at first i didn't like mecha or sci-fi animes/manga but i changed my opinion after eureka seven because i was really amazed.
The Eureka Seven manga(published by BANDAI ENTERTAINMENT) is a version of the anime series originally created by BONES.The story in the manga(created by Kondou Kazuma and Kataoka Jinsei) is approaching the story from a different point of view than the anime and basically leads to a different ending.
I won't include a story summary because you can read it in the description above but i would like to comment that the different story version kept me really interested and making me to read more and more.
ART:I found the art really good and quite detailed.In my opinion it fitted the story really well.If i had to state a drawback it would be that sometimes the fight scenes are hard to follow but this nothing that could make me lose my interest.
CHARACTERS:There are differences in the characters development and the relationships formed between the character in the anime and the manga(for example Holland anemone and Dominic) and that's something that found me off guard but i really liked it.Through the story and the art the reader can clearly understand each person motives feelings personalities etc so in my opinion the characters are really well developed in the manga.
To sum up the Eureka Seven manga was one excellent piece of work and i really enjoyed reading it and i loved the bittersweet feeling that left me in the end.I think that everyone should give it a try but i suggest watching the anime first because this way you can get the whole picture.If you decide to read it i wish you to have fun.

This is my first review so i would be grateful if you could give me any hints to improve myself i would also like to hear your opinion.I am sorry if i made mistakes but English isn't my native language. read more

I had been putting off reading this manga for a long time mostly because I had figured it was going to be an exact copy of the series (which is one of my favorites). Boy was I surprised and overjoyed when I, along the process of reading it, discovered it was an original take on the series just like the movie. I found myself once again taken into the world of Eureka Seven for another enthralling adventure with the crew of the Gekkostate. The story is definitely more graphic than that of its anime counterpart and although it all seems crammed together in this short 23 chapter series it is, for the most part, very entertaining. That being said, where the anime series was a more sweet story of love with action sequences mixed in, the manga has a more melancholy air about it. This can be mostly seen in the last few chapters and ending which although was good, felt like complete downer(sad).

The art is great. Its very kickass and slick just like the anime. There really isn't much difference there. The characters individual personalities also remain unchanged save for Holland who isn't possessive of Eureka like he is in the series, and Renton who is portrayed as more of a man (for the most part).

I enjoyed this series almost as much as the anime. However I could see how the ending could be a turn off for die hard fans of the anime....and fans of happy endings. Still I recommend this for both fans and non fans. read more

The Series was very well written and had a decently written story. However to me even after watching and reading the series, it felt like it was trying to hard to be something it was not, which is NGE. However the story was well plotted even though there are some blank spots that completely skip and leave you wondering what just happened.

As for actual character building you really only get to know three of the characters well. at least until the end, when it builds up a bit more info for the reader.

While I did really enjoy the Series, it left me wanting more of everything. Like most series of its type there are unanswered questions and more questions made when the series actually ends.

I would recommend this series to someone, even to close friends of Mecha and Scifi Series. So with that understanding I recommend it to you the reader. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. read more

Let me just say, the only reason why this is an overall score of 9 instead of 10 is because of how sad the ending is... oh wait, NO SPOILERS! X_X

I just HAD to do a review on this. The story is a 7, again, because of.... yeah. Not telling. NEway, it starts off very nice. A lot more serious atmosphere than the anime overall, but still, very nice, very fun, and it always propels you forward to the next chapter. And I've always loved the idea of surfing on hoverboards in the air, so adding Gundam-like robots riding giant versions just makes it all the more better!

The art is a 9. Good, clean, and though sometimes the fight scenes are somewhat hard to follow, it never goes to the point where you loose track of what's going on.

Character is a MUST 10. I loved everyone! Everyone! They're all so well developed, and if they aren't, their personalities and parts in the story make up for it no problem. Each is just so fun and relatable, and I just love how they all tie together like a good family!

Enjoyment = 9. Because of everything mentioned above and more.


So, let me conclude by saying: "Read this if you want a fairly short but very deep and good manga which you will enjoy. Turn away now if you hate:
1) .... uh....

Actually, read it even if you don't want to. You'll like it. XD read more