Eureka Seven, Volume 1 (Episodes 1-5)
by Tomoki Kyôda
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Dave Mallow, Johnny Yong Bosch, Kaori Nazuka, Kyle Hebert, Yûko SanpeiDirector: Tomoki Kyôda
Brand: Infinity
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Subtitled); English (Original Language); Japanese (Original Language)
Format: Animated, Color, Dolby, DVD, NTSC, Subtitled
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 125 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2006-04-25
Audience Rating: Unrated
Studio: Bandai
Movie Reviews of Eureka Seven, Volume 1 (Episodes 1-5)
Movie Review: Welcome to the GekkoState of Mind
Summary: 5 Stars
I've had mixed feelings about Studio Bones in the past. Cowboy Bebop had the style, the characters, the music, the atmosphere, and way too much violence. Rahxephon was a trip worth taking, but a trip none the less. Wolf's Rain was a garbled mess despite fantastic art, music, and story (I attribute that to just plain bad direction). Now THIS...this is something TOTALLY different.
Anyone remember the funky music and atmosphere of Jet Set Radio (not to mention that crazy-cool art sytle)? What about the sweet character designs of FLCL (and it's slick soundtrack)? Okay, now remember the feeling you'd get when you saw something just plain awesome in one of those Mecha sagas like Macross? Stir it all up in the anime blender and you get something...like THIS.
Just trying to describe the universe of this series is very hard to do. It's a sci-fi world unlike any other. Most people go about their lives on a planet where energy currents flow underground and through the skies (leaving glowing colors in their wake). People ride these currents on futuristic surfboards and (you guessed it) Giant Robots. (: Of course, the robot designs are by Shoji Kawamori, so of COURSE they transform :)
The plot is hard to describe because it's kind of hidden from the start. We get the generic pathetic kid wants to escape his boring reality and finds himself thrown into high adventure with a mysterious young woman leading the way, but naturally that's just an excuse to get things started. The real story involves aliens, the past, the main character Renton's lost family, and the secret of who exactly that strange girl Eureka is. Naturally we won't get into any of that for a while though.
What we will get into this volume is GekkoState, the terrorist/skysurfer organization with unknown motives, the stylish yet strangely stoic, yet compellingly sweet Eureka, and the poor teenager Renton who is obsessed with becoming a sky-surfing legend like the GekkoState crowd he worships, and the oh-so-mysterious disappearance of Renton's sister and father (who supposedly saved the entire planet once upon a time).
The story unfolds rather slowly, revealing very little about the true nature of most of the characters, or their true motives. There's plenty to keep you busy in the mean-time however. The music totally rocks and augments the action beautifully (I have the soundtrack on pre-order). The animation and artwork is breath-taking, truly pushing your TV and DVD player to their limits. The animation is just so bright, so detailed, and so GORGEOUS that the first episode took my breath away in spots. For a 50 episode TV show, the high budget and superlative quality really shines.
While not perhaps having the high amount of action as Gundam or Macross (yet?), the action sequences are well executed and fast paced. We've got Macross-style missiles being evaded, surf-board rides through the stratosphere, and super-weapons spewing light like the end of the world (and it's still only the first 5 episodes).
The voice acting in both dubs is quite good, although the English dub perhaps lacks some of the clarity of the Japanese, and some of the subtitle translations are questionable. I would probably listen to the English, except I just prefer the voice actress' voice who plays Renton for some reason. If you dig the Japanese track you may also want to check out the commentary with the two voice actresses who play the two main characters, and the interviews included.
This show creates a totally new world to be explored, and it wouldn't surprise me if it builds up a considerable following later on as people discover it. So far it's been worth seeing for the music and visuals alone. Oh, and if you don't think Jet Set Radio has anything to do with the sense of style in this show, just compare Gum's costume to Eureka's. Riiiiiiiiight.
Summary of Eureka Seven, Volume 1 (Episodes 1-5)
Studio: Infinity Resources Inc Release Date: 04/25/2006The 2005 broadcast series Eureka Seven offers snazzy aerial sequences that suggest snowboarding raised to the nth degree. Fourteen-year-old Renton Thurston lives with his mechanic-grandfather, but dreams of joining the elite pilot-mercenaries of the Light Finding Operation (LFO) aboard their ship the Gekkostate. When LFO pilot Eureka crashes her mecha, the Nervash Type Zero, into his grandfather's shop, Renton is smitten with her beauty and her flying skills. He brings her the Amita Drive, a mysterious invention of his father's, that increases the power of the Nervash astronomically. Thurston's latent talents win him a place on the Gekkostate, but he has a long way to go before he's accepted as a real member of the team. Eureka Seven ranks as a noteworthy series in many ways. The aerial maneuvers and mecha battles are choreographed with exceptional élan; the handsome designs recall Last Exile, but with a bolder palette; and Renton expresses the enthusiasm and insecurity of a rookie without becoming a pill. The storytelling is rather oblique, but once the filmmakers finish cutting through the thickets of back story, Eureka Seven should really soar. (Unrated, suitable for ages 12 and older: violence, tobacco and alcohol use) --Charles Solomon
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