I liked its predecessor but the main character always made me cringe while watching it. This show is done a lot more to my liking tho character wise. Ao is a much stronger leading character with a lot of Independence and courage. He doesn't break into tears and act like a spoiled child every 5 minutes.
When it comes to sound and visuals Ao is not shabby in either as its a very musically influenced show. You notice all the names of episodes are after various songs by various artists from dragon force to aerosmith? The opening and ending music i found was not the best part of the audio experience but the ambient sounds in quieter scenes were interesting to me personally. The art is not a overly complicated design expect maybe the machines which are done to convey a lot of sharpness while maintaining a sleek aesthetic style.
The plot so far has kept me interested, it answers lots of questions while still leaving bigger ones open for you. They even keep poking little bits and pieces into the bigger questions so you become even more engrossed by the series. The action sequences may be short lived throughout the entire series but that has never been the reason Eureka Seven has been so popular. Its the conspiracy and the philosophical aspects of it all which this series is ripe with.
Eureka Seven Ao is a good sequel, it doesn't heavily demand its predecessor and it has its own charms that make you like the series for itself. The plot is well formulated and the characters are a lot more likable in some ways this time around. I think you should give this show at least 3 episodes before you say you like it or not cause they very first 2 don't set the tone for the entire show. Try giving it a fair view as the plot advances fairly quick. Solid 7, may go up as the series progresses.
