Anime Eureka Seven: Psalms of Planets

[Fasteriskhead]

Wow, folks, I can't believe there isn't already a topic on this show. So far I've only seen up to episode 30 (the fansubbers, bless their hearts, are nowhere near fast enough to provide enough material to sate me), but good god what a series. I won't risk trying to say everything in an introductory post, but suffice it to say that this is the best take on the "young boy grows up by piloting a big robot" formula in years. There really hasn't been a pure coming-of-age anime since FLCL that I can remember being this good. It's directed by Tomoki Kyoda, whom a few of you may remember as the gentleman mostly responsible for the later direction of Rahxephon (he did a bunch of the later episodes, plus the ova and the movie). Frankly, though, Eureka Seven hasn't even hit its peak yet and it's already (for me, anyways) completely left much of Zeffie in the dust (albeit it doesn't have the Maya-inspired designs to fall back on).

So, quick summary of the first two episodes: boy hero Renton Thurston, living in a backwater town and helping out in his granddad's mechanic shop, dreams of getting the heck out of there and joining up with a mercenary group called Gekko State. Now, Gekko State is a bunch of dudes who (seemingly) just like to go around in their rad punk rock warship, the Gekko-Go, flouting the government, publishing their own magazine, and "reffing" (which is basically a kind of sky surfing on pretty green particle waves called Trapar). Anyways, Renton's dream comes through when a Gekko State LFO (i.e. big robot that can ref; geek points if you vintage synthesizer fans recognize where they got the name from) crashes his granddad's shop and a green-haired girl named Eureka (whom Renton instantly goes nuts for) pops out and asks for a tune-up. This particular LFO, the Nirvash typeZERO, is unique: it was the first LFO ever discovered, and the prototype for all future designs. Consequently, it turns out Eureka and the Nirvash are being chased by the military, so after the Thurstons are done fixing things she high-tails it out of there. PLOT POINT: it turns out Renton's granddad had been hanging on to a phenomenally powerful device, the Amita Drive, for Renton's father; Renton gets his hands on it, and in the midst of a battle goes and delivers it to the Nirvash. The Nirvash, controlled (unknowingly) by Renton, goes and crushes a whole squad of military LFOs in one of the most beautiful mecha battles I've ever seen, and follows this up by frying the entire area with something called the "seven swell phenomenon." After this, Renton joins up with Eureka and the rest of Gekko State and the series proper starts. This isn't even scratching the surface of where the show is now, but is enough to get you started. (although I cannot let the summary go without mentioning Anemone, the bad guys' pink-haired answer to Eureka, who is cute as all get out and probably certifiable but only shows up later in the series)

The show is really something wonderful, and 30 episodes in it has still yet to hit a slump of any kind (if anything it keeps getting better). The characters are extremely deep and well-sketched; the mech fights range from gorgeous mid-air balletic displays to vicious close range grinds; the music is consistently wonderful; the designs, while quite traditional and never approaching the same kind of gleeful abandon you get in Rahxephon, are always at least serviceable; the story, incredibly, seems likely to not only maintain itself through fifty-some episodes but to actually knock its message entirely out of the park. Despite some stiff competition (Noein, and maybe Kashimashi if you can even compare such a series to a mech show), Eureka is probably the best new anime series currently airing.

The domestic release of the first episodes is coming out next month, and it's already on my wish list. In the meantime (and I THINK this is legal for the otakuboards, but if not I ask one of the mods to correct me), you can go and YouTube the show's four ops so far, which are fantastic (no spoilers as far as I can tell, unless you count a number of changes in hairstyle):

-[URL=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4GFtFFVP7pg&search=eureka]First Opening[/URL] (check the Eva influences, and also that ungodly great op song)
-[URL=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rL5d8k-KTCo&search=eureka]Second Opening[/URL] (my least favorite, saved only by that fantastic Itano Circus)
-[URL=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzYj0qIiz9w&search=eureka]Third Opening[/URL] (the cheapest-looking of the four but my favorite by far. Features an even better Itano Circus than op2, and Anemone's priceless <:-O )
-[URL=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9W_qKtl2ETA&search=eureka]Fourth Opening[/URL] (PENALTY: illegal use of Amazing Grace)

Please tell me I'm not alone on this. Anyone else keeping up with this thing?

[Dagger]

I watched the first episode or so way back when it originally began airing, and doing so made me decide to wait for it to come out in America. I was convinced that it was going to be good, and since it was obviously going to swim over here sooner or later...

Anyway, I also caught a few random episodes when I was in Japan this past summer. I was actually surprised (in a good way) by how surreal they were, as well as by the continued high quality of the visuals--this is probably the most slick and attractive BONES anime yet.

Since I missed everything in between, I won't be able to say much about the series until volume 1 comes out in April. I'm looking forward to seeing more of it, though. :)

~Dagger~

[Magus]

Where to begin...? 1st, this is scheduled to premiere on adult swim April 14. (That friday fix thing.... "shrugs")

[Quote=ANN]Eureka 7 Premiere Banner Pulled (2006-03-27 13:48:56)
Adult Swim has removed from its site a banner announcing Eureka 7's April 14 online premiere. Thanks to Herb Kirchhoff for the update.[/Quote]

With that being said..... I don't know anything about this anime, and judging from this summary at ANN:

[quote name='ANN']Plot Summary: Renton Thurston is a 14-year-old boy who lived with his mechanic grandfather in a backwater town. Every day he dreamed of being with the mercenary "Light Finding Operation (LFO)" aircraft pilot group "Gekkostate" and riding "Trapar" particle waves-- a sport called "reffing"-- with their charismatic leader Holland, especially when faced with his father's acclaimed past or his grandfather's desire to protect him. When a young girl named Eureka riding the original LFO, the "Nirvash typeZERO", asks his grandfather for a tune-up, she inadvertently brings the attention of the military to the garage; as a result, the garage is destroyed and Renton is forced to deliver a new type of interface-- the "Amita Drive"-- to the Nirvash. After a heated fight in which the Nirvash destroys the military LFOs by unleashing an immense amount of power, Renton is invited into Gekkostate. However, he quickly realizes that behind the facade of a traveling group of mercenaries is a very bitter reality.[/quote]

I'm still in the dark. This doesn't sound good to me, mainly because I don't really care many mecha type animes. But what caught my attention is that someone recently compared this to Fullmetal Alchemist... so to speak. My question(s) are: If I were to check into this, what am I expecting to see out of this? Sounds and looks like some type of Gundam anime.

Edit: Sorry, didn't know there was a thread already seeing that it wasn't in that anime directory thread.

[Dagger]

[QUOTE=Sting]
Edit: Sorry, didn't know there was a thread already seeing that it wasn't in that anime directory thread.[/QUOTE]
Don't worry about it. :)

Anyway, I'm excited about E7 coming on Adult Swim. There's been a minor void in my life ever since FMA ended its first run, and having another long BONES series replacing it is just fantastic. All hail BONES! Seriously, though, you'll probably need to give it a few episodes to decide how you feel about it, but by most reports, E7 is very much worth sticking with. Especially if it's on TV and free. I wouldn't compare it to a Gundam series; the initial set-up actually has an FLCL-esque vibe (except without being... you know, insane).

~Dagger~

[Stark]

Oh, yeah. I'm excited about E7 coming to [as]. For a moment I thought I was the only one around here who knew that little tidbit. I haven't seen any episodes on YouTube, but I have seen the trailer and I don't think I'll be disappointed with it. First off, it has Mecha. As a MechAddict, I simply can't miss this series. Second, even the animation style reminds me of FLCL, another series I absolutely loved. Third, in the trailer I thought I caught Crispin Freeman's voice. As a person who simply loves his other roles, I'm definently gonna watch it.

I'll post again after I have something that's not an excited babble/rant. Maybe after it premiers on the new Fix on April 14.

[Dagger]

Just caught the first episode on AS. I find it slightly frustrating that in all three of the mecha series I'm currently buying/watching (Mars Daybreak, Fafner and now E7, in case anyone's interested--if we stretch the definition and include Gankutsuou, that's four!), Johnny Yong Bosch plays the lead. I like his voice acting, but that's really a bit too much of a good thing. Plus, I'd prefer to hear him in an older role.

Well, either way, Crispin Freeman is back on TV (as Holland, naturally), and that is worth a celebration. Hopefully they won't truncate the OP in future episodes; if they could squeeze in full OPs for FMA, they should be able to do the same for Eureka 7.

~Dagger~

[Magus]

[quote name='Dagger']Johnny Yong Bosch plays the lead. I like his voice acting, but that's really a bit too much of a good thing. Plus, I'd prefer to hear him in an older role.[/quote]
Agreed.

1st impressions.... Hard to say. While the visuals looked good / superb, I can't say that I was all that impressed with what I saw. I know, most animes can't give you everything you want in the 1st episode, but hey.... at that moment that's what I wanted. (More action)

I know one thing I can't stand about most animes (seeing that this was the 2nd anime that it occurred in tonight) is when things are about to pick up, that's the end of it. I know that's what make people come back for more, but I can't stand that.

[TheResplendent]

I'd have to catch whenever the replay for the first episode is, it slipped my mind that it debuted tonight on AS, though i have to admit i wasen't very interested based on what i've seen in terms of coming attractions on what to expect.

I'm pretty open to anything though so long as it isn't blatantly dumb...i dunno say like bobobo bobo bobobo. My apologies to those who see fictitious promise in that show.

[Fasteriskhead]

[quote name='Diablo']I know, most animes can't give you everything you want in the 1st episode, but hey.... at that moment that's what I wanted. (More action)[/quote]Hee hee. Give it another week... trust me on this. You'll be picking action out of your ears for a good day or two after the fight in the second ep. (there's some lag time after that, which may also be referred to as "character work," but it comes back soon enough)

I'm a little upset that CN decided to cut off the op (and the ed, to a lesser degree), considering DAYS is one of my favorite op songs to come out in the past few years. I'm also slightly disappointed with the dub (they didn't really nail Renton and Eureka), but eh give it a few episodes to see if they hit a groove.

[Zen]

[color=darkgreen][size=1]

I just caught the first episode for this not to long ago on [adult swim]. Giant Robots and Hover Boards... the only way this could be more awesome is if they added in Chuck Norris, and thats pushing it. Seriously, the animation style and character design hits me as a mix between FMA and FLCL. Very crisp, fluid, and generally pretty. The concept and mecha designs are amazing aswell. Very detailed while still being imaginative/original. I also enjoy the coloring of the whole world around them. Bright and vibrant, just the way I like it. And the animation... FLCL level in quality. Big compliment.

The story has me intrigued off the bat. Holland obviously has a relationship with Renton's sister, so I would like to see the uncovered. Also, I want the know the whole deal about the L.F.O.'s and where they came from, seeing as how they weren't originally human creations. I also want to know about Renton's war-hero father, and what this current war is about in the first place.

I love the music (which is also remenescent of FLCL) and the voice work is great for every character, with the exception of the series' main character, which is a bit of a gripe. Renton's dub just seems to be hollow when he is angered or speaking loudly. I can get over this, though, if I could get over Naruto. This brings me to my last point, the show's general humor is very good. I was laughing out loud on more than one occasion.

All of this is based on the series' first episode. So, I have very high hopes for the future. I'll will definetly be following it for it's entirity.[/color][/size]

[Stark]

[SIZE=1]I'm already intrigued. Mecha, surfing on the air. How much cooler than that can you get? I'm definently gonna pay attention to E7, it looks very promising.

Of course, the first half of the first episode was like the beginning of FLCL, with the phrase 'Life Sucks!' as Renton's mantra throughout it all. It got a little annoying, but not intolerably so. It was even kinda cute when he went all gooey over the girl who I assume is Eureka.

I rather enjoy Crispin Freeman's role in E7. I don't know much of his work, but I mostly have seen him play the rather colder characters, to play the everyman like Togusa. Holland strikes me as both cocky and apathetic, a strange combo for sure. That could change, but I'm intrigued by this choice in casting.

The LFOs are also cool. Again, mecha surfing on the air. It's not something I've seen before. They have my interest, as does the whole color scheme of the show. Bright blues and greens, great design for the cities...sorta FLCL like, though not as abstract. Some series just has that distinctive feel--Fafner is mostly a brilliant blue, FLCL has the off color scheme, Trigun has the blistering hot sun and the burning sand, and Wolf's Rain had a lot of white and darker tones to it. I like the feel the colors give to E7, it's a definent plus in my book.

Once I figure out something else to say, I'll add it here.

Off topic: Johnny Yong Bosch is in Fafner as Kazuki? It seems to fit, but I can't say for certain as I've only watched the sub. Now I wanna buy the DVDs as soon as I can, just to see how this works out.[/SIZE]

[Dagger]

[QUOTE=Stark][SIZE=1]
Off topic: Johnny Yong Bosch is in Fafner as Kazuki? It seems to fit, but I can't say for certain as I've only watched the sub. Now I wanna buy the DVDs as soon as I can, just to see how this works out.[/SIZE][/QUOTE]
He's good... but the dub as a whole isn't all that great. I'm watching it, but that's basically only because I'm a Fafner fan to begin with, so it doesn't turn me off from the show itself. It's kind of strange, because I can't say that any one actor is really terrible, but the English cast just doesn't click very well, ya know? Or maybe it's just me. :animeswea

Scooting back on topic, I'm hoping to receive the first E7 DVD tomorrow. It ought to be a fun watch.

~Dagger~

[Magus]

What can I say about the 2nd episode....? Other than the animation was prettiful. I will stick with it for a little while longer because I was into it. My only gripe about it so far is Renton. As much as I like Vash, I can't stand his voice on this kid. (I'm pretty annoyed by Renton already with this helpless attitude.... Putting me in the mind of Shinji) It's very rare that you'd see me ever liking a kid as the star.... Especially whiny kids.

[TheResplendent]

Just finished watching the second episode. It seems like it has potential, but i won't exactly put it at the top of my priority list. I gotta agree with the kid's voice being a little annoying too. Watching it def reminded me a bit of FLCL at first. it isn't nearly as goofy though.

[Tallgeese-]

I seen 1 episode of it last night, I didn't quite understand it, but I thought it was good I want to see this anime for sure.

[Dagger]

Heh, good, I was waiting for some people to post. :catgirl:

I finished volume 1 yesterday, and I'm glad that I bought it. Episode 2 provided the main hook for the rest of the show (or however many episodes to come), whereas episodes 3 through 5 were more laid-back. But that doesn't mean they weren't interesting. One element I particularly appreciated was how Renton's first real piloting experience was treated with an unusual realism. In that sense, his induction into (the?) Gekko State reminded me of what happens when Tetsu enters the Shinsengumi in Peacemaker. It'll be a while before he can hope to keep up with Eureka, at least consciously...

Talho and Holland are awesome--I'm sure most of the adult characters are, actually. But what about Those Kids? People sure love to rant about them, but they didn't seem that horrible to me... or has their fairly minimal presence on this disc just lulled me into a false sense of security?

Also, does anyone know why they're using that particular pronunciation for "Eureka"? I assume it mirrors the Japanese pronunciation, but it still seems odd.

~Dagger~

[DarkRini]

Saw the first episode fan subbed. It's a pretty cool show i'll keep watching.

[Naruto freak]

I saw the first two episodes and it pretty good. What is the name of the girl did they say her name or did I miss it.

[Alchemist1080]

[quote name='Naruto freak']I saw the first two episodes and it pretty good. What is the name of the girl did they say her name or did I miss it.[/quote]

The girl's name wasn't mentioned until the third episode. But if you really wanna know, her name is : [spoiler] Eureka[/spoiler]

[Naruto freak]

Thanks. I think it's weird that they did not tell you her name untill the third episode.

[Magus]

Hmm... (trying to see how I want to say this) Yesterday's episode wasn't all that bad. Although it wasn't all that good either. Still just an average anime IMO. What I did find interesting about it though is that you can really see the character development here. I'm just not catching the plot at all, or rather the plot isn't all that interesting to grasp my attention.

[Fasteriskhead]

Well, I just finished the series last night. I won't spoil it for anyone (even if I did the show's way too good to be ruined by something as petty as that), but I will say that the g's currently hating are going to be eating a lot of crow within the space of the next year or so.

[bellpickle]

[SIZE=1][quote name='Fasteriskhead'] I will say that the g's currently hating are going to be eating a lot of crow within the space of the next year or so.[/quote]
Seconded! Currently on episode 22, and it's gotten pretty damn good. Episode 20 was especially awesome. [spoiler]Yay for cold-blooded murder rampages![/spoiler][/SIZE]

[Ol' Fighter]

Anyone out there like the Eureka 7 anime on adult swim because I personally do but I just don't know what the show's about.

[INDENT][SIZE=1][COLOR=DarkSlateBlue][B]Lonley Fighter[/B] I am moving your thread to the existing Eureka Seven thread. You have already been informed about following the rules. Members are held accountable to the rules, whether they have read them or not, and members who continue to violate the rules are potential candidates for a ban.

~Aaryanna[/COLOR][/SIZE][/INDENT]

[Tatsubei Yagyu]

[COLOR=Navy][FONT=Comic Sans MS]I almost read the spoiler... :animedepr

Anyway, I really like this serious, and unlike all of [B][I]YOU[/I][/B], I happen to like Renton. First of all, I [B][I]LIKE[/I][/B] the fact that his voice actor was a former Power Ranger (meaning I like his voice :animeswea ). Secondly, I like his personality. It's really realistic in that at first he was all, "YEAH!!! I'm going to join the team of people I idolize!!!" And then once he realizes that it wasn't the way he dreamed it would be, then he was all, "...this sucks..." [B][I]BUT[/I][/B] then he realized that it was still cool, though it wasn't the way he dreamed. It's kinda of like giving the lesson "Things aren't as glorious as you think <--(I just made that up. <_<), or "The grass is always greener on the other side. That's why so far, though I've only seen five episodes, #2 is my favorite. When the doctor was testing him, and Eureka came in, and Renton pretty much squeeked, I was laughing so hard I cried. Plus, he wouldn't complain so much if the others didn't give him such a hard time. :p

Also, I like Matthew. :D

And I now in complete love with "Days." I'm listening to it right now... :rolleyes: [/FONT][/COLOR]