Koukyoushihen Eureka Seven

This show is Studio BONES' true masterpiece. Not counting Brotherhood because that's a manga adaption. Eureka Seven get's it right.

STORY (10)
A true, heartwarming, coming-of-age anime. It only gets better and it moves in a satisfying direction with it's plot. Each episode was loaded with comedy, action, and romance.

ART (10)
Not much that can be complained about. The art is good and has never stopped looking good. The character and mecha designs are memeorable.

SOUND (10)
Fantastic soundtrack with great mood setters and inserts songs. The Openings and Endings are also good and never dissapoint or get old.
...
CHARACTER (10)
A likeable male lead who is ACTUALLY normal instead of just being called normal but having a not-so-common personality. Renton's actions are ones the viewer could see themself doing whether good or bad. He is completely relatable. Eureka isn't emotionless and goes through just as much development as Renton. The rest of the cast is involved in the story and actually worth caring for.

ENJOYMENT (10)
Never got boring, fun to rewatch, this show will make you feel good.

OVERRALL (10)
It's a masterpiece and totally not overrated. One of Adult Swim's best shows and Studio BONES' greatest work.

First impression:
Accompanied by the pop-rock tunes from FLOWS, the introduction to "Eureka 7" has begun. Even though the melody and the text are fairly good, the animation is not the time worth it. It looks terribly humdrum.
As the audience you get thrown directly into the plot. Lots of unanswered questions turn up and you get this small idea about where the show is heading.
Right after a rather weak cliffhanger, a pretty decent ending song comes out from the speakers, but with a similar animation theme like the opening, the potential is gone.
But hey, interesting girl this Eureka – let me watch more.

Few episodes later…
Wait ... a minute, haven’t I seen this before? With that been said "Eureka 7" starts out really slow. It feels like re-watching episode 1 again and again, lots of new questions but no answers. The plot is not getting anywhere, but the character development is interesting to follow, or can I say bothersome (Renton). Somehow I feel the design of the characters fits to their behavior, that’s an upside. But I also feel like the male protagonist is borrowed from a shonen show like Pokemon/Naruto, really simple-minded and dense. (Don’t remind me that "Eureka 7" actually is a shonen (teenager) show).
The music is not getting many points either; it is a personal opinion though.
So what is keeping me from dropping the show? I will say it is the other characters’ development and interactions, the themes and references throughout the story.

Story:
The story revolves around Renton Thurston, the 14 years old son of Adroc Thurston, a hero who died saving the world. Renton is a fan of a renegade ‘reffing/lifting’ group called Gekko State led by his idol; Holland and he is dreaming about the day he joins them.
A sudden meeting with the legendary mecha robot, Nirvash and its pilot, a mysterious girl called Eureka, turns out to be Rentons way to get out from the boring life of his and the adventures together with Gekko State is about to begin.
But a beginning towards what and end where? The first many episodes are trivial and somehow can be considered as fillers. It is first around the 30ish episodes, the main plot starts to kick in and the questions getting answered one by one.

Art:
The character design and animation are great. You get to see various expressions and colorful backgrounds, but when it comes to battles, it is like watching animations on a blue screen.

Sound:
The BGM and insert songs were not creating the atmosphere as they were supposed to. Most of the times it felt like background noise instead.
The voice actors did a good job with voicing the characters expressions like anger, sorrow or joy. Yet again the voice of Renton became an obstacle to fully enjoy this anime. 50 episodes with his never ending yelling are really tiresome.

Character:
Renton Thurston: A very emotional and outgoing boy with strong ideals and compassions, but on the other hand he is naive and jumps very often into conclusion/matters before understanding the whole context.
Renton falls in love with Eureka at first sight and as the show progress’; it develops into a love relationship with many misunderstandings.
He is driven by the hope of seeing his sister Diane again and the need of protecting Eureka.

Eureka: A mysterious female pilot of Nirvash, which she treats like a living being. To other people she can seem to be distant and awkward, plus she has trouble with communicating with others and understanding their feelings.

Enjoyment:
The most prevalent theme is about racial and religious tolerance and harmony. It also shows how the media can control the crowd and how easy it is to point fingers in the way to find scapegoats.
I mean I can only think of the recent conflict between Denmark and many Middle East countries.
It is funny the environment theme also turn up, when I think about it. I mean in "Eureka 7" ‘Kute-class Coralian’ appears when the ‘Planet’ (Scub Coral) receives heavy damage and how an understanding and communication is needed to avoid any further destruction. It is almost like the global warming and CO2 discussions we have today.
At last a common fairy tale theme is seen in "Eureka 7". Renton Thurston sets out a grand tour by leaving his childhood home in order to search after his lost sister, to find himself and overcome all the obstacles when he protects Eureka.

Overall:
It is a good anime show with very good character developments. But it is tough to cut through the shadow made by the monotonous sound/music and the very slow story progress. Plus when it is a shonen show where action/battles are the highlights, it hurts to see how poorly done the action scenes are.
One big positive side is the girl Eureka. I must say she is one of the candidates to get the last spot in my favorite character list.

Watch it if you…
… are looking for an anime with very good character developments, but you must also overcome the childish attitude from Renton and the eventually frustration.

=====Introduction=====
Eureka Seven has a certain allure to its world. While from the outside, it looks like it combines several, too many even, genres of anime into one story. It builds a strong narrative that pulls you into it. If you are a lover of fairly heavy sci-fi & fantasy stories, this anime has several elements that'll satisfy you. Mix that deep story & wide world with creative characters and you have an epic anime. However, the plot is quite complex which makes it different from the norm of 'good guys vs. bad guys.' Many times, it makes you question who are the good guys here ... or why they are labeled 'good.'

=====Story===== 9.5/10
The story is the category that matters to me most in any media content I consume. It is deep and has several layers. The synopsis covers only about 5-10%. One of the intricate aspects of the narration is that they don't shove you down with a heavy plot and make it difficult to follow unless you keep track word for word. It's almost up to the viewer to the amount you want to dig into it. You can choose to simply follow a romantic adventure with Eureka & Renton or to learn about every level of nuance introduced in the anime. Having a kid like Renton be the main protagonist and the centerpiece helps break several pieces of story depth into digestible fragments for the target audience: the young teens/Youth. A LOT happens in the 50 episodes of Eureka Seven along with several memorable moments. There aren't heavy fillers and in areas where it looks like the story takes a weird turn, it does so for a reason. It feels realistic since it's not super focused on the enemy and is moved by several pieces in the puzzle world instead.

=====Characters===== 10/10
Character Development. Eureka Seven is one of the best at that. Period. This, by far, is the reason why this anime is most memorable for me. Even though the story is deep and well-crafted, the change you can witness looking at Renton, Eureka, Holland, and even the minor characters overtime is remarkable. They don't change out of the blue nor change for that one episode about themselves. So what happens when you mix a kid, Eureka, an egotistical leader like Holland, and other contradictory personalities in a group? Internal conflict. A lot of anime struggle to portray this internal conflict in a way that is logical without being annoying. I loved the way they showcased the difficulty for Renton to get settled in to the group. Ultimately, several events change around the romance between the characters, and it's arguable if that benefits or ends up as a drawback. Personally, though, it adds just a little bit of magic to the series.

=====Art, animation & Sound===== 9.5/10
I think they nailed the vibe the series wanted to ride on. The OSTs & openings were memorable for me. It was a combination of pretty unique choices of sounds mixed with amazing animation from BONES. Of course, watching it in 4:3 is a drawback since nobody does that now. Personally, it didn't affect the viewing experience. I got used to it over time. The art style is not overly dark like some other BONES works like Darker than Black or Wolf's Rain but not overly cutesy either. It does try to impress both sides of the anime spectrum.

=====Reasons to not watch=====
The anime focuses on character development & romance, so if you hate those two aspects (I doubt you actually do), it'll be tough to enjoy the anime. I also found Renton frustrating to watch because he was portrayed 'too accurately' as an immature kid, especially at the start. I think you'll still be able to enjoy this anime even if you hate Mecha. There's no real fanservice in the anime. The anime has a decent mix of fantasy & sci-fi, so if you're a purist of either genre, you might not enjoy the anime.

=====Overall===== 10/10
Would I recommend this? Absolutely. It's the best of what I've seen, period.

Eureka 7 left a bit of a strange impression on me, in despite the fact that it has plenty of pretty noticeable flaws, I still can't help in thinking that it is great. Yet despite the fact that I would personally give it a 9/10 or even a 10/10, I think is also perfectly reasonable to give it a 5 or a 6.

Eureka 7 is a romantic mecha anime which draws pretty heavily from what came before it, especially Neon Genesis Evangelion. It draws so much from Evangelion that the first two episodes of each show are nearly identical to each other. There are other ... features viewers of the latter will probably pick up on, such as the cabal running things, the psychological themes and tones, as well as the semi-sentient mechas.

My biggest issue with Eureka 7 was the pacing, it is glacially slow after the first two episodes, with many such as episodes 7, 10, 14, 15, and 39 qualifying as filler that adds little if anything to the story. Conversely, in the final 5 episodes the story felt too rushed, with the pace hitting breakneck speed and some plot points being left unresolved. The last two episodes were disappointing in a few ways with several deux ex machina movements popping up to progress the story.

Another complaint I'd have with the show is in regard to how it develops some of the characters, the main villain is not intimidating in the slightest, and he suffers from Bond villain stupidity several times during the final third of the show. There were also several members of the Gekkostate who were not developed at all, and if it wasn't for the fact that they were in the Op one could be forgiven for forgetting that they even exist.

There is plenty that Eureka 7 gets right though. The animation is fluid and holds up pretty well most of the time for a show produced in the early 2000s. The music was great and really lent to the cultural aesthetic, the show was trying to portray. The 4 ops were all pretty good, with the 1st and 4th being the best in my opinion, the eds were more of a mixed bunch. However, the two things I most fondly remember Eureka 7 for are the themes and the relationships. During its runtime Eureka 7 tackles complex themes including religious discrimination, environmental issues, indoctrination & propaganda, genocide and more, and does so in a way that is subtle enough for younger audiences yet profound enough that older audiences will still appreciate. I don't think every show should try to be a commentary on society, but I think Eureka 7 does it remarkably well. I also think that the relationship between the two protagonist; Renton and Eureka, is one of the best in mecha anime if not shonen action as a whole. Renton and Eureka's relationship was troubled and complex, but it was handled with a care few other show match. The character development of the likes of Holland, Talho, Dominic, and Captain Jurgis was also great to see.

In conclusion Eureka 7 might not be for everybody, the slow first half and 50 episode runtime might be a bit too much for some folks. If you have the patience though it can be a rewarding experience, with the themes, character development, and the relationship between Eureka and Renton making it a real joy to watch.

50 Episodes is a big investment.
Story:
Eureka Seven is a happy-go-lucky airship adventure, packed with angsty adolescent themes, slice of life comedy and sentimental moments (all of which held together by the mushy, yet familiar, “love conquers all” theme). The story is about a naive, 14 year old boy, Renton, and his journey to explore the adult world with an oddball group of mercenaries. The primary focus of this anime is adolescence, family and young romance. It’s important to establish that early on as this is in no way a legitimate action anime.
I realized pretty early on that I am too old, rational ... and cynical to get everything I might have out of this anime but I’ll do my best to highlight the positives of ES while still remaining honest.

Without a doubt, the introduction into the Eureka Seven universe was lacking. I’m not asking ES to give everything away in the beginning but I see no reason to withhold basic information such as what planet are we on? What is the world like? What kind of government controls “The Military”? Many of the shocking revelations that are introduced later on are actually no-brainer plot points that should have been explained to me much earlier on. It’s like your little cousin on Christmas giving you back the car keys she’d hidden for the past month-- ‘Thanks, I appreciate it but my gratitude is offset by the knowledge that these really shouldn’t have gone missing in the first place.’
I would have liked to have had a 2-minute voiceover narration or conversation between characters that explained the state of the world. Oh, and one scene with a comprehensive map of the world like in Full Metal Alchemist.
As for the actual plot of ES I’m going to have to say that it’s largely irrelevant. We have a plot skeleton and some vague attempt at conflict but it’s not coherent enough to properly scrutinize. How can I explain it? It’s not like they tried to pull something risky off and failed, rather, ES just didn’t invest a lot of effort into building it up. You will end the anime with many questions about the plot.
Tone: I would classify the tone as a lighthearted and sentimental. There isn’t a real sense of urgency or mortality, and characters don’t display realistic reactions to danger. But why should they? Enemy mecha and gunships are little more than plastic toys that shoot confetti. Every once in a while we’ll see a severed arm, a massacre or a submachine gun emptied into someone’s chest but the moral lessons and horror are usually short-lived and quickly forgotten to make room for the slice-of-life comedy on the ship or the next little adventure. If you’re going for a psychological anime or a gorefest, then you’re going to be sorely disappointed. However if you want a touching, light action anime that’s punctuated with some serious moments then ES is a good fit.

Art: It’s hard for me to classify. At times it was extremely detailed and other times it looked very simple. As a general rule it was gorgeous though. I liked the character designs too, especially Eureka. She wasn’t sexualized or ecchified at all. I thought this lent credibility to innocent romance angle of the series. The battle scenes and the trapar surfing concept was visually pleasing. It’s almost like watching kata or choreographed fight scenes, it’s nice to look at but hard to get too excited about.

Sound: I wasn’t blown away. None of the songs really stuck with me and the last intro, a remix of Amazing Grace was just weird. The main theme wasn’t bad but not particularly memorable.

Characters: This is the selling point or the breaking point (assuming you made it past the ‘no real action’ disclaimer). A lot of the character interactions revolve around Renton's 14 year old world-view and crush.
Most of the mains undergo several significant changes as the series progresses. The characters are not amazingly complex by themselves but you do grow fond of them over the series and appreciate it when they start to evolve. I feel like the side characters are underdeveloped though. They get plenty of screen time but not a lot of depth. For the most part, they are confined to a specific supportive role i.e. encouragement, advice or wisdom etc. Nonetheless you still appreciate them.
Overall: It’s hard for me to score this one. If you’re willing to forgive the narrative shortcuts and bland action scenes, and focus on “OMG! Will the couples end up together?” then you might like it. If you have already developed a taste for anime with darker, adult themes then this will probably bore you.

Blood/Gore: a bit but it’s brushed over.
Love/Romance: It’s the heart of the anime if you’re into that.
Sex/Nudity: A few suggestive conversations. I was a little surprised. But no…

Really good anime. Finished it a couple months ago maybe in NOvember. I'll make this review brief without revealing to much.

Story: Really good. Lots of backstorys and mysterys to follow.

Art: EXCELLENT. Very detailed animation with lots of bright colors.

Sound: I enjoyed da music throught the show. Especially the openings but the endings I could do without.

Character: Loved the character develpoment. Though the characters were ALL annoying at the beginning and middle. Once you get to the later middle you'll enjoy the characters more.

Enjoyment: Lots of action, lots of bloody action. Who knew mechs could bleed huh?! Lots of adventure to. Theres also lots of romance ... if your into that kind of thing.

Overall: Highly recommend this anime to anyone thats a mecha fan. If you dont like mecha maybe you'll like the plot and overall themes in this anime. 10/10

Eureka Seven is a science fiction romance mecha drama that tingles the heart and soul of a viewer's emotions. Studio Bones' success with Fullmetal Alchemist demonstrates their ability to tell a compelling story with intense themes and plot devices. The writers make Eureka Seven a classic through the use of Renton and Eureka's unique relationship. While the supporting characters help to distinguish the importance of the story's background and Renton's longing for Eureka, anime fans become more entangled in wanting to see more of the cute relationship that unfolds throughout the series. At first the viewer could become confused when trying to focus on Renton's ... emotions, while trying to keep track of the overall plot. The episode layout, for episodes 4-20, focuses on the crew's journey in maintaining their lifestyles and the harshness of reality. But the show's progression smoothes out the rough edges in the beginning once a climactic moment occurs between Renton and Eureka in the episode 25 plus range. The physical, emotional, and spiritual transformation of the characters exemplify this series' evolving narrative techniques that makes this show a marvel to behold. I really recommend blu ray, the animation is pure eye candy.



The television series visuals through the animation sequences are top-notch. The intricate details of the Nirvash, the Scub Corals, and Eureka and Renton's growth over the show reinforces the passion put into this stunning anime series.

Music wise, the show emphasizes on cuing in on the dramatic moments with orchestral instruments that yanks at the viewers' hearts. The show's usage of multiple opening and ending themes demonstrates the change and development of the characters and the show's story.

The fifty episode series relays the importance of communication and connectivity between two races that can end conflicts by just listening to one another. The movie of eureka seven which recaps on the show's finer points, the journey to soar into the sky and become both apart of the world and a hero is a dream that everyone wants to have. Seriously i highly recommend this show, its a pure masterpiece in every sense of the word.

I began Eureka Seven with moderately high expectations based on a close friend's recommendation. After watching more than a fifth of the show I have dropped it. I found the plot and characterization lacking. The animation is extremely good and the soundtrack is incredibly well done.

Plot-
-Pacing is poor at best, after 1/5 of the season all we know is that the Gekkostate is ex-military (they did bad things), Renton loves Eureka, and the military has brought back a talented officer.
-The show seems to be more concerned with riding trapars and immaterial interpersonal relationships than any plot advancement.
-Includes fairly stereotypical plot devices such as: ... ex-military rebels, OP rebels, mysterious girl, rebel leader with a troubled past, etc. (I an not saying that a show needs to be entirely original to be "good", but that this show seems to mostly unoriginal, in that it brings few new experiences and therefore is not an easily justified use of time)
-pacing, lack of original devices

Characterization-
-Voice acting is pretty good, but the lines are mediocre
-Renton is annoying; he is supposed to be ~14 but acts more like the children than anything else (I understand it is has a coming of age theme, but that should be Renton going from teen to adult, not child to teen)
-Eureka seems to be the stereotypical mysterious girl that is really good at X (again not saying that type of character is bad in and of itself, only that there is little or no explanation or variation on the theme)
-Holland is a pretty cool guy but my sympathy for him waned very quickly, he seems intelligent but acts impetuously with no explanations provided (he is almost as childish as Renton sometimes)
-Many of the less important members of the Gekkostate are very interesting, I believe that is the case because they are departures from stereotypes.

Overall I have failed to enjoy the show enough to continue to watch it. The plot is paced so poorly that after more than 1/5 of the show I still seem to be watching exposition; the story has not been adequately framed in 11 episodes. In fact, the only major plot points are these: Renton's family had the Omata drive, Renton goes off with the Gekko State, Renton loves Eureka, the Gekko State has a troubled (ex-military) past, and Eureka is mysterious. Unfortunately, only around half of the episodes advance the plot at all (and always slowly), the other half are about unimportant money making ventures and having fun (and the "fun" ones aren't particularly funny either). The supporting characters seem more interesting than the main ones. Nothing the characters have done has had any consequences to speak of. A show that seems to sell itself as "deep", "coming of age", etc. shows very little of any of those aspects. I am not saying that plot needs to be advanced at a breakneck pace, however too slow is too slow. Bottom line is that the show failed to hold my interest and at the end of the day, that is the only reason one needs to consider.

Eureka SeveN.
Die vermutliche beste Serie die ich jemals gesehen habe.
Es hat gereicht, dass ich damals bei Animax(Premiere) nur reingezappt hatte und schon wurde ich gepackt. Openings & Endings, der Zeichenstil in dem die Charaktere gestaltet sind der gesamte Soundtrack, es hat einfach alles gepasst. Und dann die Story. Das Grundgerüst findet man vermutlich in jedem zweiten Film/Serie.
Jedoch sind es die Feinheiten; der Hintergrund, das Konzept, die Umwelt welche diese Serie so spannend macht.
Prinzipiell ist alles vertreten was man "braucht" (^^); Gags, jede Menge Action, Romantik.
So etwas ist schwer zu erklären wenn man es nicht in die richtigen Begriffe packen kann.
Doch ich sag mal so, ich ... kenne niemanden der die Serie gesehen (und verstanden)
hat, der sagt: "Ich find die Serie Scheisse".
Ebenso konnten Freunde die sonst nicht so sehr auf Mecha-zeugs(ich gehöre auch dazu) erkennen, dass auch sie die Serie unglaublich gut finden.

Eureka Seven in one word, is beautiful. Among many other anime out there, maybe it won't stand out too much at first glance. But as everyone knows: gems are hidden rarities which need some digging to face the surface. Or that's how I feel about all this. For me, after reading the synopsis and seeing Eureka's pretty mint hair (don't you just love it?) I decided I really wanted to watch this show, but never did I expect for it to be this special... Well, let me begin.

What I like the most about Eureka Seven is its mood. It's so calming, peaceful, bittersweet... Even in ... its darkest moments E7 has this soft feeling to it, this is what E7 is about. Sorrowful, very sorrowful and so beautiful. E7 feels like a soft embrace with all the emotions it's got packed, it's a story made to resonate with our souls... E7 has also this strong feeling of nostalgia in it, you'll feel nostalgic even right after you finish it. I think this has to do with how it "resonates with the soul" like I said, which links us to the characters.

Eureka seven's strength comes from its characters. They are all quite round, which is a thing we all sometimes long for in shonen-ish shows like this one. Their personalities are portrayed well by the things they go through, as you watch them respond, act and grow you start to understand them. They all face difficulties, decisions that must be made... They hesitate and change the way we do. What makes this so powerful is the emotional portrayal of these characters, you can see and feel how Eureka's in pain just because of her identity, how Holland is angry at himself and bursts this onto others while knowing he's being stupid... You get the idea. Character relationships are also greatly thought out, they aren't superficial but complex as they should be.

Eureka Seven has an overall nice pacing. You get a better understanding and dive into the story as things are revealed, and you grow more curious of the next episode. The world building is quite fun, we're talking about sky-surfing (reffing) humanoid robots here. The Coralians and the Vodarac were great as well, I love the philosophical stuff behind all of them. And the desperation disease was a nice concept overall, I love what they did with it in the end.

The story starts out with a cliched beginning. Your typical shonen character (with a mysterious past?) longing for adventure... But it goes way beyond that, as Renton discovers things aren't as fun or nice as he thought. Little by little the secrets get unveiled, the dark and the sorrowful come into surface. It has a lot of intense moments and has a powerful build up to its climaxes. The character arcs are satisfying to watch, especially Rentons rebellious escape from the Gekkostate.

Sound & Animation
The animation was good overall, might not be the best one out there but definitely fits well with the story. The colors had a soothing effect just like E7 itself.
The soundtracks and OP&EDs were the best they could be, absolutely enjoyed them to the fullest. The soundtrack was rich and impactful while the OP&EDs catchy and well fitting.
I started out with the subs (cause that's what I generally watch) but switched to the dubbed one later on. And I wasn't disappointed! Though the subbed one wasn't bad, I feel their voices fit better in the dubbed one. (Especially Renton)

Overall as you can see I enjoyed Eureka Seven a lot, it felt quite special. There aren't major problems with the show as I can spot them, some fillers were kind of out of the place like right before the major climax though. (Yet I laughed a lot at the misunderstandings in the "Renton wanting to be a dad" episode) This was my first review here on MAL so thanks for reading! I felt I needed to write a review particularly for Eureka Seven...

Normally my score: 9 +extra points for the enjoyment
Final score: 10 (9.5)

I couldn't be more satisfied with this emotional joy ride of happiness, sadness, confusing... i can't even describe with literacy, it is the single most greatest anime that i have ever seen, changed my life.. I really think, if i wouldn't have seen that anime, i would've lived my life differently if i had not been given that wonderful present, this anime is everything to me!

Eureka seven is a classc mecha anime, no this is a love story.The story clearly wasn't the major aspect of this but instead it was the relationship between eureka and renton.

Story 7: The story isn't the major part of this anime and has such it takes a back seat to the characters which can be frustrating.The story is good but it took way too long for it to be revealed.Throughout this anime there was no incline of where the story was going until episode 30 which is really not acceptable.30 episodes in before you even know what the story is about is a bit too ... long.The goals of gekkostate and the worlds end game none of it was revealed until more than half way through the series.The story was good but if it were to have been revealed in bits and pieces over time it would have been great.At episode 30 came a bombardment of information that for a long time needed to have been revealed which leaves a feeling of haste and not a natural flow.The story is secondary to the characters, it was only there to further develop relationships, and so the viewer could care more about the characters.This is basically the story of two lovers everything else is just there to progress the relationship between the two main characters renton and eureka.

Art 7: The art was good, it was unique though it shows the era of this anime`s creation in 2006 because it isn't as dynamic as anime now in 2015,it was simple.

Sound 8: The sound was very good it enhanced the series.

Character 8: This is a character driven series.The story focuses primarily on the relationship between renton and eureka.Renton at first was a very emotional and naive kid who was oblivious of the workings of the world.Eureka on the other hand had a cold and emotionless demeanor.Throughout the series as their relationship developed renton became less naive and became more responsible and eureka gained emotions.The relationship between eureka and renton was built up throughout the series to its climax at the end.

Enjoyment 8: This was enjoyable however it didn't progress the way i thought it would which through me off i did not expect to go into this mecha anime which i usually don't watch a lot of this genre but from those that i have watched typically its all about the action however this one is all about the relationship between eureka and renton.I had major gripes about this mostly it not revealing the end game of the series until about episode 30 however having sat down and though about it i realized this series isn't so much about the story but about the characters.

Overall 8: I really enjoyed this i had issues with the story but having thought about the series has a whole i realized what it truly tried to do and accepted that the story isn't so much the major component of this series the characters are.

Eureka Seven is an amazing show. It is a must see or at least a try by any anime fan. It has become a true classic and it's outstanding in nearly all categories. I really enjoyed this show due to the great character development, outstanding story, beautiful art and even great soundtrack. Eureka Seven is an amazing show. It is a must see or at least a try by any anime fan. It has become a true classic and it's outstanding in nearly all categories. I really enjoyed this show due to the great character development, outstanding story, beautiful art and even great soundtrack.

I learned to speak Eureka as Aristotle said it: as Yoo-rhee-ka, not eh-oo-rae-ka. But then again, I'm just joking around. No matter how much I pretend to make fun of Eureka's name pronunciation, I will always love this anime from the bottom of my heart. As someone who watched the whole first season, I will give you a SPOILER. Not one on the story, but one on the music. The music is PHENOMENAL!!! Here is a link to one of the most amazing emotional anime ost you will ever hear. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3BCZ64DxnrA

Seriously, just listen to it and concentrate it on only it. Stop reading this review ... and just listen to it first. Then come back if you want to continue to read my review. If you don't I don't care. What I care about is that you COPIED that URL and PASTED it on a new TAB. Then LISTENING to the music. My favorite is Distant memory and To Wish Upon a Star. The order is listed on the youtube description.

Anywho, after that tangent, there are several faults within this anime, however, I really enjoyed the plot. Albeit, I could not understand the whole background of the story until the final few episodes of the anime. If you are looking for a clear story line without any hidden messages or sidetracks then you will get ABSOLUTELY frustrated. I did at some points because it got so frickin slow. However, it was worth the wait because the background of the story is so complex and amazing that it was worth not understanding the whole concept behind Eureka and other things for 46ish episodes. The background story might also be too complicated that some people will have to wiki it. The story is good and the staff even added Fyodor Dostoevsky's work, "Crime and Punishment" within the anime, although it was only a couple lines.

One thing I did not like from the anime is the characters. Renton is the male protagonist of the anime. I do know that he is young but sometimes, he really acts immature. Although I say I don't like it, I also like it because the emotions and the characters are real and flawed. Nothing is artificial. Almost all of the problems are real and the emotions do get dirty because that is how it is in real life. Nothing is superficial and everything is down to Earth. well, maybe except when they fly on skateboards. The emotions are intense and dramatic in both the children, teenagers, and adults, and that is what makes this anime very different from the rest. To the characters, it really means the life to them. I'm not saying that there aren't any other anime that show genuine emotions through the anime characters. It is just that the characters are really flawed and set in their own ways that is different from other anime. To me that is what set this anime apart from others.

Art is amazing. I always wondered how they can create such a masterpiece through one drawing at a time.

In short, if you see this anime and don't fall in love with the music, ... we're never going to be friends. Bye bye. Go listen. Simply awesome.

Eureka Seven is so close to being fantastic. So close. The plot is engaging. The theme of cross-species acceptance and understanding stays at the show's heart all the way through. The show has plenty of mecha action. All the major relationships actually feel real. And the relationships MATTER to the story. This is one of the only examples I know of an anime--that is not SOLELY a romance anime--where the romance is not just for fanservice. There are some serious feels to be had here. And that is awesome.

There is just one problem. You will understand if you watch the anime.

The god damn kids.

They are ... so annoying that they single-handedly knock my rating down 2 points.

Yes, the kids are ALSO an important part of the story. I recognize that. I just wish they weren't. I wish the writers could have written the story some other way. Perhaps if I was Japanese I wouldn't find them so annoying (because a lot of stuff that's acceptable or funny in Japan doesn't translate so well to American culture). As it is, I hated every scene that featured those kids because they destroyed the mood every time. And as I said before, they're important to the plot. So they're in quite a few episodes.

Basically, Eureka Seven is an otherwise great series with one fatal flaw that I cannot get over. If you CAN, however, I would definitely recommend this series. You can even just watch maybe 5 or 10 episodes. If you find the kids too annoying to deal with, no, it doesn't really get better.

Introduction:

With Eureka Seven Ao coming around the corner, I thought I would head back and re-watch the first season just because I enjoyed it so much. I mean I can't believe this show is getting a sequel 7 years later! I will try not to be biased in this review but I genuinely enjoyed Eureka Seven a lot and the second time through turned out to be no different. This review will be as spoiler free as I can make it so sit back, take your time and read my first ever review on a personal favourite of mine!


Story: [10/10]

Now I’m ... not going to go too much into depth here, or really explain the story at all as you could just check the synopsis, but generally the story of Eureka Seven follows the protagonist Renton Thurston, a fourteen year old boy, and his adventure and development with the outlaw and protagonist group, the Gekkostate. The story which seemingly starts off slow picks up very quickly, drawing you in and making you want to see more and more after each episode. There are 50 episodes in total, which will put a lot of people off but there is little to absolutely no filler (I’m not even sure if there is any filler as I did not read the manga). The 50 episodes also let them take their time telling the story and nothing seems rushed or in a hurry.

The actual story in the long run is very well knit together. There are almost none if any loose ends, everything is explained rather well by the end. Something that was also nice about Eureka Seven compared to other mecha anime series is that most mecha shows focus mainly on action aspect, whereas Eureka Seven focuses on a lot other different genres as well. Now this story isn’t revolutionary or groundbreaking, but I think the way it is presented and in the end told determines how well the story was thought out.

Eureka seven has wonderful storytelling and there is a perfect blend of action, drama, adventure, romance, and even comedy throughout the entire story. Some episodes might really tug on those heartstrings, others might make you laugh and I can guarantee this show will make you feel something. That’s the beauty of a good narrative and storytelling.

Art: [9/10]

I’m not one to judge too harshly on art, but Eureka Seven clears this section with flying colours! (I’m so punny). You know the saying, “Don’t judge of a book by its cover.”? That saying is something to always follow up on. The character designs of Eureka Seven don’t look like the average anime cut outs. Each member of the Gekkostate is well designed and gives off a kind of cool, hippie feel to them. You’re easily able to tell apart each and every character from each other (unlike some shows where they are pretty much only differentiable by hair colours XD). Even in the antagonist group it is easy to distinguish one from another.

The mechas themselves also have a very unique design and for example, don’t look anything like the ones you’d see in a Gundam show. The scenery is very vibrant and action scenes and trapar (A kind of wave) flowing behind the mechas as they surf them (Yes surfing mechas) are very colourful and are just a blast to watch.


Sound: [9/10]

Possibly one of the main deciding factors of why Eureka Seven, or actually pretty much anything can be so awesome. The soundtrack was used PERFECTLY in Eureka Seven. Nothing was played too much or too little. All of the music was also always used at the appropriate time. There are times when you’ll hear certain tracks and just be like “OHHH YEAHH!!” just at how they used it. I believe sound is one of the most important things in pretty much everything. Sound acts as a stimulus to pump you up, make you sad, it helps change the mood and can really draw you into the story and characters.

The opening and ending songs of Eureka seven were also F. F FOR FABULOUS! The first two openings of Eureka Seven perfectly captured the feel and atmosphere of what was actually happening. All the ending songs were really really good as well. What I thought was cool though is that they were change the opening once something actually significant happened in the story, and the new opening would reflect that change or happening. By the last opening song you feel like you’ve really just watched the crew develop along the course of the journey and it gives you a real nice satisfying feel.


Character: [10/10]

The characters in Eureka Seven have to be my all time most favourite thing about this show. Now I think I’ve said it a few times earlier in this review, there is character development. I’ll clear this up now. There is a LOT of character development in this show and I believe that characters along with a good story can carry almost any show to greatness.

Without spoiling too much, all of the characters go through some sort of change or realization throughout the 50 episode journey and it is really something to behold. Just watching how much the entire cast changes and grows throughout the show is amazing.

I can’t really say too much because then there would be easy spoilers but I guarantee you that the characters in this show are top tier. You might not like some or even hate them but with given time you’ll understand the reasons for their actions and maybe even really connect with a few others.

Also the romance and drama between the characters will easily want you to follow up and continue watching this. Eureka and Renton go through so much development that by the end of the show you’ll be left in awe at how much they’ve grown without you noticing. It’s that kind of weird feeling because everyone is so awesome. The drama is great. It isn’t like some failed teen drama. You can understand why they feel like that and it’s all real actually good and got me interested my first time watching through.


Enjoyment: [10/10]

Now this should be really obvious and if you haven’t noticed it by now, I seriously enjoyed this show. The story, sound, and characters all blend so well together. It really does feel like one massive adventure and which is why I enjoyed it so much. Have you ever watched an anime that was so good that just makes you feel awesome? Just because you watched and enjoyed it so much? If you have be sure to check out Eureka Seven, and if you haven’t still check it out! This could be the show that you’ve been missing!


Conclusion & Total Score: [48/50]

I’m just going to keep this part short and sweet. I seriously recommend from the bottom of my heart that if you are even having the slightest idea on whether or not to watch this show, just give it a try. It won’t hurt and I’m guaranteed you will have a blast. Thanks for reading my very first submitted review on MAL and I hope it helps out!

"Don't beg for it, earn it, then it will be granted."

P.S – Don’t let the 50 episode length turn you off! Just take your time watching it or even marathon is all, but in the end it is COMPLETELY worth it, you’ll understand what I mean!

For the anime fanatics that had watched Evangelion well this anime if for you, why because this anime has all most the same frame or similarity in a way. Eureka seven has a robot action similar to Eva (similar brutality in some episodes to) and some of the characters seem similar to Eva series. But this anime is not your typical robot blasting fight scenes, it focuses more on the characters relationship development in the story than what happens in the action scenes. And the art is so cool the robots here uses boards similar to surfboards or snowboards so there movement can’t be predicted. ... The song are good to I really like the song they use when Renton show’s his capabilities in Nervash. Hey this anime is one of the most intriguing anime that I have watched. In the sense that the ideas that the author of the story is so ingenious, that person knowledge about how people feel sadness, sorrow and the pressure of the responsibility of one’s action in life will affect there surrounding, that the character experience of cores in some of the episode in the series. But still I don’t like the ending of this anime there are so many characters died near the ending of the series that I don’t know may be didn’t need to die, characters that were killed by accident(meteor fall from the sky that killed most of the population). And when the main characters didn’t return to there companions in the end they were lost or something in some forest, “well again we can’t get what we want” that’s what I always say. I don’t want to be a bad guy so I give it A good grade of 7 mean’s “Not bad and not good ether”.

Filler Ratio: LOW
Dub Quality: AMAZING (see below)

Eureka 7 is simply one of those anime that must be watched for the experience of feeling the aspects of character, soundtrack, animation and story all blend harmoniously. The anime itself is a beautiful symphony of imagination and color. The soundtrack is one of the best I've heard in a long time and the animation (as expected of BONES) is fluid, smooth and exquisitely done. Eureka 7 had me hooked on its concepts even before I started looking into the characters.

The characters of Eureka 7 are NOT flat. Each has their own psychology, their own space within the series, ... and side characters feel just as real as Holland or Renton. The female characters are strong; the development the characters experience from episode to episode is retained (each of the main characters change throughout the series as events happen to them- a departure from the Naruto or Usagi complex*) Villains have actual motives- and at times, you feel as if some of them truly aren't 'villains' at all.

I am not a huge mech fan, but the concepts behind the mechs for this series were well conceived and executed. The show is NOT about the mechs- they exist within the story and have their own histories, but it is yet another element that blends seamlessly into the overall story arc. The only reason I gave this show a 9 instead of a 10 for Story is that the ending seemed to meander a bit- though it quickly gets back on track.

Highly recommended- I watched the English dubbed version (which is way more than tolerable- the voice actors did a fantastic job), but both versions are great!

*-I don't mean to "hate" on Naruto and Sailor Moon's main characters, but the psychology for these characters -is- low. Usagi is roughly the same character she was in episode 200 as she was in episode 1. This is not the case for the main players in Eureka 7.

Eureka Seven was truly a HUGE letdown for me. I was quite baffled by the experience of watching this Anime because prior to watching it, all I heard was praise for the show only to let me down. Instead, this show felt more like a chore for me to watch rather than actually enjoying it.

Eureka Seven is an Anime from the mid 2000s created by studio Bones. When it first began airing on the spring of 2005, it went on to become one of the most critically successful Anime's of the first decade of the new millennium. The show won numerous awards from both Japan ... and the West. Most notably winning the 2006 Tokyo International Anime Fair. The series is often praised for it's interesting story with unique concept and theme along with it's character development with symbolic messages and mix usage and references of 1980s and 1990s music. Not to mention that almost every episode is named after real songs.

But my perspective with the show is much different to what it was and what it's said about it.

Story: 4/10
Eureka Seven actually had an interesting story. Set on a alternative Earth where the story is about some little pipsqueak named Renton Thurston who is striving to have his life changed because he is bored with his life and that his town sucks because there is nothing to do there. Of course suddenly a chick with blue hair named Eureka appears to him and then he is suddenly dragged into conflict and is allowed to go with her and be with a mercenary group called Gekko State that treats him like absolute garbage in the beginning so that his boring life can change forever! The setting is humanity is living on somewhat of a post apocalyptic setting with rather unique giant robots called LFOs being one of the main focus of the show and the deep lore and it's deep background history. Like trees, plants, and bushes, clouds, robots surfboarding, religious cults, with the military trying to kill those who oppose them, and some chick with pink hair holding an importance to the story. This all sounds interesting at first. But when you realize it, it's really only interesting on paper. You see, do you wanna know the real problem with the story for me is?

Eureka Seven is to me a prime example of when concept itself can't save a series from being boring. Sometimes even Anime with the most crappiest and horrible concept can be interesting. E7 does no such thing. The majority of the Anime revolves around mundane filler episodes which really result in absolutely nothing other than nonsense and being a HUGE waste of time. For most of the show I had to literally wait for the *it starts to get good now syndrome*. Around episode 21-28 is when I thought things really were about to start getting good, and for a short while, it ACTUALLY DID GET GOOD. Until on episode 29 and onward it was back to the same problem with the show for me.

For most part, the entire show is literally just talking, talking, talking, and talking. For most part most of the episodes were mundane filler of our cast doing normal things in life. And if there was a serious episode most of the time it was talking about the whole entire topic for at least 15-20 minutes of the entire episode and then important things are shown at the very end of the episode and then it repeats. Half of the topics were really boring and for the most part struggled to keep me interested. Some of the focus on the topics too were so pointless and unnecessary. The drama is lame and stupid. Just pointless upsets and a stupid way to progress the story. At the beginning, Renton is going through BDSM from the Gekkostate crew because suddenly he's the biggest scum on earth for NO GOOD FREAKING REASON all because he's thinking about his beloved Eureka. The drama between him and Eureka was probably some of the most garbage and annoying thing to get through the show and the cause of the drama between the both of them results in some HUGE dumb reason which would take up at least half of the show and dictate the progress resulting once again in unnecessary arcs.

Perhaps the biggest problem of the show for me was the pacing. Eureka Seven is SLOW! Again, I thought I would suffer from the *it gets good later on so be patient syndrome*. But after around episode 30, I realize that the pacing of the Anime would very much remain the same until it finishes. This caused me to go through an episodic struggle of dropping it, and then watching it again, dropping it, and watching again, and rinse and repeat. I am still surprised that I didn't drop the Anime till the very end when I had the chance too. I will admit that I was becoming crazy in the head and getting literally bored to death to the point where I was doing other things because I couldn't keep my interest. I guess it was a mistake for me to even have believed that I thought it would get good later on. Instead it just became a chore later on.

SPOILERS: Did you know that on episode 39 of Eureka Seven. The episode was about playing Soccer. Yes... Playing Soccer for the entire freaking episode. Like seriously...
Is this Eureka Seven or Captain Tsubasa now...?

Art/Animation: 9/10
I have always been a sucker for early to mid 2000s art theme. The art designs were really good. I liked the way the characters were designed. A almost real, yet traditional Anime art style of the characters. that have some early-mid 2000s pop vibe and outfit. The animation was spot on too. For a 2005 Anime, I'd say that it was way beyond it's time. Especially the scenery. I'd say Studio Bones nailed it on this one really well.

Sound/Music: 8/10
The music was actually pretty good. The Anime itself had mixture of music. Ranging from the traditional Anime music, to music that sounds like retro pop music and Disco, to orchestra, and did I mention that the OPs and EDs had nice music? That's definitely another praise I'll give to the show.

Characters: 6/10
Oh boy... This is when things get REALLY complicating. The character development of Eureka Seven is spot on and at the same time an absolute mess for me and I'll explain why.

The characters of Eureka Seven have one thing in common and it's that sometimes I really like them, and then they really TICK me off. For starters I'm going to be mainly talking about the important characters of Eureka Seven.

Renton Thurston is one of those characters that "mature". At the beginning he is literally what you call a wuss. A coward, a crybaby, and a weakling. But despite being that, he can pilot the oldest LFO called Nirvash along with his beloved Eureka. He has a sudden love interest for Eureka and the love interest was started from love at first sight. At the later half he grows up to be a so called "cooler and more mature" guy.
Renton is hard to endure at the first half. His crying, yapping, and moaning and complaining about almost anything is what drives me up the roof. Not to mention that he vomits a lot during the first season and can't even clean things for crap. Sure he does things that at least matter like always doing something useful, and not standing their and do screw all for the entire problem. At first yes he is a kid, and that's understandable because what he is seeing with his own eyes is adult problems and war, and lets be honest. War is something none of us want to see. Especially if the person is being literally killed in front of your eyes. Death is sad and we mourn for it all the time. But surprisingly the pipsqueak matures later on. He turns from this little weakling to someone that can actually do things and change the tide of the ranking of what's around him. In fact, the final episodes were his peak as a character. Renton isn't that half bad at all. In fact, of all ordinary guys that are losers, he is probably one of the best ones around in Anime. He is certainly much better than the ordinary light novel losers you see in Anime.

But here is the problem about Renton. It's his love for Eureka and the way it's displayed and progressed through the show. Renton's love for Eureka is VERY questionable for me because no offense. But his romance with Eureka is some of the most stupidest, lamest, and boring things he does with her. Now I love me some Romance Anime. I love the romance genre, but Eureka Seven doesn't do it well and to be honest. Renton and Eureka are honestly a lame couple in my opinion. It's not cheesy, it just feels bland and forced. There was nothing deep and emotional and over the top. It was him just caring and saying he loves her. Also his constant shouting of Eureka's name would give me anxiety attacks of how annoying and irritating it was to hear this over and over again.

EUREKA!EUREKA!EUREKA!EUREKA!EUREKA!EUREKA!EUREKA!EUREKA!EUREKA!

The way he acts with others is a 50/50. At times he shows adamant courage, and then he squeaks out like a coward. Not surprising with an young protagonist he shows some teenager problems *like Charles said about him*. I admire him for standing up against his odds and enduring the pain and mistreatment of the Gekko state crew. *Especially Holland, Talho, and those 3 annoying little craps*.

Alright. I'm going to make everyone mad here. But I personally DESPISE Eureka. Eureka is one of the most irritating Anime heroines ever. She is to me the most BIPOLAR doofus I have ever seen in Anime. Eureka is happy, and then sad. Her cold treatment towards Renton REALLY MADE ME FREAKING MAD. Renton does SO much for her and then all she does is act all cold, mean, and then starts getting all moody. Come to think of it, this isn't just in the beginning. IT'S FOR ALMOST THE WHOLE ENTIRE FREAKING SHOW. She's mainly there just to fill in the story and she is one of those chicks that need to be there because they hold the key to the cluster mess of a story that happens. She also has her romance with Renton and it's pretty much the same thing. Lame, and boring. I really have nothing much to say about her except that she is a cold clutch that is there for the story. That's all. Also she suffers the same problem Renton has.

RENTON! RENTON! RENTON! RENTON!RENTON! RENTON! RENTON!


The rest of the Gekko state is a mix bag. Holland and Talho were also irritating jerks and pricks that gave Renton the BDSM for stupid reasons. But they changed later on and honesty they turn to my favorites later on. Yes I'm not kidding you. At times I kinda wish they were both the main characters. The rest are alright, and I like it on how at times they stand for up for Renton against Holland's abuse towards Renton. Those 3 little craps were annoying, but understandable at times.

Rei and Charles were the most underrated characters in Eureka Seven and I really wished there was more of them. Watching them was like watching sunshine for me.

Domenic is a normal dood that is part of the military and wants to do good for the world but keeps seeing injustice and suffering through the world and is in love with this pink haired chick named anemone who is just as annoying as Eureka because she is bipolar just like her. Like Renton and Eureka there romance is also poor and there love for each other is questionable and it's bland and boring.

The rest are standards for Anime.

Enjoyment: 5/10
It depends really. If you can stomach the slow pace of the story of having to watch and listen to at least 15-20 minutes of very useless and pointless topics along with filler madness of playing soccer or trying to play pranks and maybe enjoy some of the characters development while admiring the theme and concept of the show with it's beautiful scenery and designs then maybe you'll enjoy it. Personally for me the enjoyment was a mediocre experience.

Overall: 5/10

As I said in the beginning Eureka Seven was a HUGE letdown for me. I expected to see myself marathoning the entire show only to find myself being BORED to death and trying my best to keep myself interested. But instead I went through a crisis of either dropping it or watching it while doing other things simply because I'm not interested. You can say watching the show turned into a chore for me which is something I really hate when watching Anime. Eureka Seven is an Anime for me that simply suffers from poor pacing, some episodes being really pointless with added filler, and a overall lame experience. I would say that the characters were decent and maybe a bit interesting to watch. The art designs were good and so was the soundtrack but that theme and concept don't save an Anime from being boring and it certainly doesn't mean that having a good theme and concept would keep me interested in watching something especially if the story is boring and a chore to watch. This Anime was a huge disappointment and I have no interest in this Anime whatsoever anymore and I have NO plans to watch it's sequel AO.

this anime has actually now taken the spot as my number one favorite, now right above code geass, while i admit the anime is a tiny bit slow at first it is all worth it, first 25 episodes really builds the characters and plot while the last 25 episodes are just a fantastic joyride, at times the story is a bit confusing because certain pieces are only revealed later on, the entire storyline was so well planned that it really felt well...real, it was an entirely immersive experience that literally made me cry when it was over because i knew that my journey was over...at ... least with these characters for now...eureka 7 AO here i come!