So in the far distant future, a 14 year old boy named Renton Thurston runs away from his boring town to join a rebel force called the Gekkostate. he only joins the Gekkostate because he followed a beautiful turquoise haired girl called Eureka there, and many of his 'idols', belong in this group. It's a story which plays on a typical teenage boy's problems of growing up, and yes, I can relate to it pretty well. Kind of. Because the boy deals with his problems while trying to save the world. How I will assess anime is by giving it a 10 out of 10 and then deducting one mark for every major aspect which hindered my overall enjoyment.
Story & Setting (1/2):
-The general problem with many "In the distant future" animes is that there is a lot of context to establish for the audience. Social, political, economical and historical context all have to be quickly built up in a short amount of time so that we, the viewers can quickly move onto enjoying the anime. Now with Eureka Seven, half of the work is cut out for them because we follow the journey of our protagonist, Renton Thurston, and his journey in discovering the wider world, and all its dark secrets and such. But the producers still have to find a way of incorporating the mechas, lifting (how the mechas fly and etc) and the Coralians (alien species which co-exist with the humans in the story). For me it was very confusing so I had to search it up on google and wikipedia. And so for other viewers, this might have also been just as confusing. So I'll deduct one mark from this aspect. However after reading about the story I understood much more and my enjoyment was no longer hindered.
Art & Animation (2/2):
Yes, being a 2005-2006 anime means that the artwork isn't really 'top-notch' quality compared to animes being made 7-8 years later. But for its time, Eureka Seven does incorporate some pretty neat animation and artwork. I doubt many viewers would be 'annoyed' with the artwork and animation.
Sound [Voice Acting, OP + ED, BGM etc] (2/2):
-In this category I'm going to be half-sure because I watched the Dubbed version and the Dubbed version was all I could find. Sometimes, yes, I did find the voice acting a little bit annoying, but sometimes really hilarious (I couldn't really hold my laughter in when Renton confessed that he 'loved' lifting and that lifting was his life. I really couldn't hold it anymore) But I think viewers would appreciate this anime more in subbed.
-My assessment of the OP and EDs will be subjective here, but I loved the first two OPs for the anime. The next two were alright. I didn't really pay much attention to the EDs, because I watch the next episode when that happens. But if you're one of those people who listen to the EDs just to relax or something then that's okay.
-The BGM or Soundtrack in this anime, is probably one of the unique things about this anime. It provides a range of music tracks from orchestral to electronic. There will be some BGM which will stick in your head and some which compliments the emotion or feel at that point in the anime. The music here is really distinctive.
Characters (2/2):
-The use of characterization in Eureka Seven is the most defining part of the anime. You'll remember it as the crybaby boy who turns into a man, the lively crew of the Gekkostate with every member having a distinct personality you'll probably remember all their names and their personalities. I just had to admire the chemistry between all the characters in Eureka Seven. Throughout the anime many of these characters change as well, and towards the end of the anime you'll really appreciate all the work that's been done to make this happen.
Overall Enjoyment (2/2):
-Overall I enjoyed this anime thoroughly, from beginning to end. The story is well balanced but very character driven. If you really don't like mechas though it's okay. Most of the focus of the anime is on the mystery of the Coralians, and I enjoyed discovering the dark secrets of the Coralians although I was confused as to the number of forms they take. But still. I really enjoyed the anime. Not more I can say. The only overall aspect which let this anime down is the setting and how it was set.
9/10, although in my heart I really should have given it a 10.
If you loved Eureka Seven then there is a sequel to it, called Eureka Seven AO.
