Eureka Seven

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Eureka Seven
Kōkyōshihen Eureka Sebun - 交響詩篇エウレカセブン - (Psalms of Planets Eureka seveN)
Genre	Adventure, Bildungsroman, Drama, Mecha, Romance, Science Fiction, Shonen
TV anime
Directed by	Tomoki Kyoda
Studio	Bones
Network	Animax, MBS, TBS Cartoon Network>Adult Swim YTV
Original run	14 April 2005 – 2 April 2006
No. of episodes	50
Manga
Authored by	Jinsei Kataoka, Kazuma Kondou
Publisher	Kadokawa Shoten Haksan publish Bandai Entertainment
Serialized in	Shonen Ace
Original run	March 2005 – present
No. of volumes	6 (based on the anime)

Eureka Seven, also known as Psalms of Planets Eureka seveN (交響詩篇エウレカセブン, Kōkyōshihen Eureka Sebun^?), is a mecha anime by Bandai Entertainment and BONES. The series also spawned three video games, produced by Bandai, and a manga adaptation of both the TV series and the video game TR1: New Wave.

Eureka Seven tells the story of Renton Thurston and his adventures with a renegade group, the Gekkostate, as they travel across an alien world searching for trapar waves, his relationship with Eureka, the enigmatic female pilot of the LFO Nirvash typeZERO, and the mystery of the Coralians.

Bandai first conceived the idea for a new mecha anime series and proposed it to studio BONES. BONES initially rejected it, but reversed its position because it had already planned to create an anime using mecha designs by Shoji Kawamori. With the appointment of director Tomoki Kyoda and writer Dai Sato, Bandai's proposal was more or less scrapped and the current incarnation of Eureka Seven was brought to life.^[1] The series is Kyoda's first as chief director for a TV series. He was first enlisted as assistant director on the BONES TV anime RahXephon, and was then given the task of directing the TV movie adaptation of the series. RahXephon creator and director Yutaka Izubuchi provided additional design works for Eureka Seven as well.

Contents 1 Plot overview 2 Major concepts 2.1 Trapar waves and Lifting 2.2 LFO, compac drives, and the Amita drive 2.3 Scub Coral 2.3.1 Limit of Life 3 Characters 4 Anime 4.1 Episodes 4.2 Licensing 4.3 Music 4.3.1 Opening and ending themes 5 Manga vs. anime 5.1 Character differences 5.2 Plot differences 6 Video games 7 Main Staff 8 References 9 See also 10 External links

[edit] Plot overview

Main article: Plot Summary of Eureka Seven (anime)

Renton Thurston is the fourteen-year-old son of Adrock Thurston, a military researcher who died saving the world. He lives what he considers a boring life with his mechanic grandfather in a boring town. He loves lifting, the sport of riding atmospheric trapar particles with a board, and dreams of joining the crew of the renegade Gekkostate and its leader, the legendary lifter Holland.

Such an opportunity literally falls into his lap when a special LFO, called Nirvash, and a member of Gekkostate crash into Renton's room, which is right next to his grandpa's garage. Thanks in part to his use of his father's Amita Drive to power up the Nirvash in a crucial fight, Renton is invited to join Gekkostate, where he quickly discovers that the behind-the-scenes life of Gekkostate is hardly as glamorous or as interesting as he imagined. Only one thing makes it all worthwhile for him: the presence of Eureka, the mysterious and rather cute girl who pilots Nirvash.

The story revolves around Renton's budding relationship with Eureka, the female pilot of the LFO Nirvash typeZERO, and the mystery of the Coralians.

[edit] Major concepts

[edit] Trapar waves and Lifting

In Eureka Seven, the atmosphere is permeated by Transparence Light Particles, or trapar waves. Norbu, the Vodarek leader, describes these particles as the Planet's thoughts made into energy. It is possible to use these particles to create floating devices and airships. "Lifting" (or "reffing" according to some fan translations) is the popular sport of riding trapar waves using special boards, called reflection boards, designed for that purpose.

[edit] LFO, compac drives, and the Amita drive

Main article: Light Finding Operation

The mecha of Eureka Seven are called LFOs, which stands for Light Finding Operation. LFOs are, in fact, humanoid alien skeletons excavated from the Scub Coral that are installed with armor and control systems by humans. Just a few years after their inception, the military began to use combat LFOs on a large scale; such LFOs are known as KLFs (for Kraft Light Fighter). LFOs fly exploiting the same principles of lifting—by using trapar particles. An LFO is composed of a giant organic base (the Archetype), armor, a ref board, and a Compac Drive.

[edit] Scub Coral

The Scub Coral is a sentient being that landed on Earth millennia ago. Its only form of communication is merging, so it merged with all the creatures of the sea. Eventually it came in contact with humans and attempted to merge with them as well, but the humans saw it as a threat. Because of this, humanity abandoned Earth 10,000 years prior to the start of the series. The Coral continued to merge with everything left on the planet until the planet became a single being. The Coral then became lonely without anyone to communicate with. Eventually the humans returned about 7,000 years after having left. The Coral knew it was thought to be a threat, so it became discreet. Because of this, the humans thought they were on an entirely different planet, not Earth. The Coral's desire to communicate, though, convinced it to send out messengers: human-form Coralians. These messengers, such as Eureka and Sakuya, were sent out to learn more about humans and find a way to communicate with them in some other way.

[edit] Limit of Life

After remaining dormant for years after the humans returned, there was a time when the Coral began to awaken suddenly. If all the Coral had awoken, the "Limit of Life" (or Limit of Matter) would have been reached. Crossing this Limit would have caused a tear in space somewhat like a black hole. All physical space would have been sucked in. Back then the Coral was able to force itself into a dormant state, but a scar was left on the Earth. Military attacks authorized by Dewey would have destroyed the Coral's "Command Cluster," which is what was among the only things keeping it in its dormant state.

[edit] Characters

Main article: Characters of Eureka Seven

Most characters in Eureka Seven can be separated into two main groups: Gekkostate and the U.F. Force.

The Gekkostate is a group of pirates led by a man named Holland, who also serves as the pilot of the LFO Terminus typeR909. Eureka, a mysterious and pale young girl who looks around Renton's age pilots the Nirvash typeZERO. Renton is the newest addition to the Gekkostate roster and co-pilots the Nirvash with Eureka. Also accompanying them are the photographer, Stoner, who writes Gekkostate's magazine, ray=out; Talho, the head pilot of Gekkostate's ship, the Gekko (月光号, Gekkō-gō^?, lit. moonlight; Moonlight in the English manga); Hap, Holland's childhood friend and second-in-command of the Gekko; Ken-Goh, the weapons specialist and owner of the Gekko; Jobs and Woz, a pair of mismatched engineers; Mischa, the resident doctor; Moondoggie, a secondary pilot and operator of the launch catapult; Hilda and Matthieu, the pilots of the Gekkostate LFOs Terminus typeR808 and Terminus typeR606, respectively; Gidget, the communications operator; and a fortune-teller named Gonzy who wanders aboard their ship.

The U.F. Force is the military force under the command of the The Sage Council (or The Council of the Wise), the main authority of the United Federation of Predgio Towers. They are the unified government and the main enemy to the Gekkostate in the series. Serving under the Sage Council is Lieutenant Colonel (promoted to Colonel early in the series) Dewey Novak, who directed the SOF prior to his imprisonment. Dewey hopes to accomplish his ideals with the help of Dominic Sorel and Anemone.

[edit] Anime

[edit] Episodes

Main article: List of Eureka Seven episodes

Eureka Seven consists of 50 episodes which aired from 2005-04-17 to 2006-04-02 on the Mainichi Broadcasting System and Tokyo Broadcasting System. Almost all of the show's episode titles correspond to real songs, composed by Japanese or foreign artists. ^[2][3] The same holds true for the manga.

[edit] Licensing

Bandai Entertainment is handling the US distribution of the show whilst Bandai Entertainment's European branch, Beez Entertainment, will handle the show's release in the United Kingdom and the rest of Europe. Madman Entertainment will handle release in Australia. The first DVD's US release date is April 25, 2006, whilst the UK/Europe release, according to Neo Magazine, is going to be in the summer of the same year. The English version is produced by Bang Zoom! Entertainment in Burbank, California.

Since the Friday before its premiere on Adult Swim, Eureka Seven has been available for online viewing on Adult Swim Fix, on Friday nights only. It began its U.S. television broadcast on Adult Swim on April 15, 2006 at 12:00 a.m. ET and currently airs at 12:30 a.m. ET Saturday night/Sunday morning, and debuted in Canada on YTV's Bionix block on September 8, 2006 at 9:30 p.m. ET/PT, and continues to air at the same time.

Beginning with episode 26, Adult Swim began airing an additional parental advisory warning for extreme violence before the episode.

The pronunciation of Eureka's name in the English dub of the series is based on the Japanese pronunciation of the character's name, rather than the Greek or English pronunciation of the word "eureka". The dub pronunciation has variously been described as "ey-ooh-reh-ka", "ay-oo-re-ka", or "el-rekka". This choice by the dubbing staff is a subject of contention among fans. Tomoki Kyoda stated at Anime Expo 2006 that, while he prefers the Japanese style of pronunciation (as it sounds "more interesting"), either version is acceptable.^{[citation needed]} Ironically, while the Japanese voice actors mispronounce 'Anemone', the English cast say her name as it would be pronounced in English.

Yuri Lowenthal had at one point been contracted by Bandai to provide the English voice for Renton, but after recording 13 episodes he was replaced by Johnny Yong Bosch because the director of the English dub felt that his voice was too low for the character and all of the lines were subsequently rerecorded.^[4]

[edit] Music

The music of Eureka Seven is available on three different compilations composed by Naoki Sato and a variety of other artists who composed insert songs used in the series. The third soundtrack, Complete Best, includes the full length versions of the opening and ending themes for the series and game as well as the insert song for the final episode.

[edit] Opening and ending themes

Opening themes

• "DAYS", by FLOW (episodes 1-13)
• "Shōnen Heart", by Home Made Kazoku (episodes 14-26)
• "Taiyō no Mannaka e", by Bivattchee (episodes 27-32, 34-39)
• "sakura", by NIRGILIS (episodes 40-49)

Ending themes

• "Himitsu Kichi", by Kozue Takada (episodes 1-13)
• "Fly Away", by Izawa Asami (episodes 14-25)
• "Tip Taps Tip", by HALCALI (episodes 27-39)
• "Canvas", by COOLON (episodes 40-49)

Insert songs

• "STORYWRITER", by SUPERCAR
• "Niji", by Denki Groove (episode 50)

Video game theme

• "Realize", by FLOW (Eureka Seven TR1: New Wave, Eureka Seven: New Vision)

[edit] Manga vs. anime

The Eureka Seven manga was produced after the initial production of the anime. What is most notable is that the manga is not identical to the anime but instead features different events and character traits, though the plot appears to be along the same line.

[edit] Character differences

In the manga:

• Renton is untalented at lifting, even after joining Gekkostate.
• When asked by Eureka to come along onboard the Moonlight to do maintenance on the Nirvash, Renton hesitates about it, ending up with Eureka calling him weird.
• Renton didn't swear to protect Eureka and become her strength in battle like he did in the anime.
• Renton pilots the Nirvash in the front seat almost immediately and pulls off the Cut-Back Drop Turn in it as opposed to on a ref board; Eureka also feels no animosity towards his ability.
• Renton was not haunted by his sin of killing the KLF pilots.
• Upon learning that Eureka is not an ordinary human being, Renton was overcome by fear and disbelief.
• Holland shows none of the animosity he does towards Renton in the anime because in the manga it seems that Holland has already realized that Renton is the true heir to Adrock's legacy, even before he boarded the Moonlight.
• Eureka did not have a conversation with Axel Thurston.
• Eureka did not show her first smile until she reveal to Renton about her past tragedy with the three kids and then Renton comforts her about it.
• Eureka did not want Renton to join Gekkostate as badly as her anime counterpart (which is for the sake of Nirvash).
• Eureka did not have massive loss of hair and eyebrows at the same time that she did in the anime.
• Eureka realizes her feelings for Renton during her time in the Zone (Aerial Coralian Sphere), unlike her anime version which took Renton's abandoning ship to realize her feelings.
• Eureka fell for Renton for his good-natured character in the anime while in the manga, she fell for Renton because he saved her and has been nice to her.
• Eureka never gets angry at Renton.
• Eureka does not seem to show any devotion nor loyalty towards Holland.
• Eureka behaves more mature and pessimistic in the anime than her manga counterpart; she doesn't think and view positively about the world, being anti-social and distrusts people.
• Eureka was not bothered by the fact that her coralian identity is known to Renton and the entire Gekkostate.
• Eureka shows more care towards Renton's well-being while her anime counterpart worries more on whether she and Renton can remain together.
• Renton & Eureka did not promise each other to be together forever.
• Eureka did not show much enthusiasm in wanting to be with Renton as badly as her anime counterpart. (Eg. Shes constantly saddened by the possibility of not being able to end up with Renton in the later part of the anime)
• Every member of Gekkostate (possibly excluding Mischa) lifts, though some are poor at it.
• Holland has a love for coffee and also smokes.
• Anemone has an obsession with things that look "tasty", such as cakes. She also comments on how people look delicious and she wants to eat them (including Renton and Eureka).
• Adrock Thurston did not die in the Summer of Love incident but is stated to have been murdered by Dewey.
• Maeter is being portrayed as the leader-like figure among the three kids, and has a tendency to physically bash Renton even in front of Eureka.
• Maurice is more introverted in the manga, usually not appearing with his siblings at all.
• Stoner lifts in the manga while in the anime is never seen with a board.

[edit] Plot differences

In the manga:

• Eureka did not crash land on Renton's personal private house, thus she did not use the flamethrower to toast his house remains.
• When Axel gives Renton the Amita Drive, Renton is not told the name but simply that it is an upgrade for the Nirvash. Axel also formally gives permission for Renton to go off and try to become a hero or whatever he wants.
• There has been no mention of the Izumo, Tiptree, or Charles and Ray Beams.
• Dominic did not join in the pursuit of Gekkostate to Bellforest in the beginning of the series.
• Dominic was adopted by Dewey in a war-torn area.
• Renton successfully reach Eureka to deliver her the Amita Drive without getting knocked off by the wind generated from the Nirvash. He also tries to deny about his confession to Eureka when he first say the words "I love you!" to Eureka as he feels embarrassed about it.
• Renton did not faint after activating the Seven Swell for the first time.
• The recurring phrase in the anime "Don't beg for things. Do it yourself, or else you won't get anything" which was passed down to Renton was not mentioned at all in the manga.
• The Gekkostate does not locate and then engage their first Coralian but, rather, it appears in front of Renton, Dominic, Eureka, and Anemone (the last two are abducted by it) as an amorphous sphere of bio-matter. From this point, the plot deviates significantly from the anime.
• Holland frequently refers to Adrock Thurston as his "master".
• Holland did not fall for Diane, thus no jealousy from Talho and it probably explains why Holland has no objection to the relationship of Renton & Eureka.
• Holland went to the Ciudades del Cielo mission to kill the Vodarek people for personal vengeance of the murdering of his "master" Adrock (which is false info by Dewey).
• Holland personally told Renton the goal of Gekkostate is to stop the Ageha plan instead of Talho telling Renton.
• Eureka was not seen lifting at all, though she carries a ref board with her.
• The manga did not portray Eureka riding the Nirvash to kill the Vodarek people in Ciudades del Cielo, just her carrying a machinegun to shoot "targets" who are living people.
• Anemone was not given typeTheEND until after her encounter with the Coralian sphere. Thus, her meeting with Eureka and Renton prior to the sphere's appearance was in person.
• Eureka requested to search for Pancha fruit instead of Renton and Talho is the one who accompanied Eureka for the quest instead of Renton and Matthieu.
• Axel Thurston would later board the Gekkostate in order to repair the Nirvash typeZERO which was ripped apart in a confrontation with Nirvash typeTheEND.
• Anemone gets to try out the Amita Drive with typeTheEND, but the experiment fails miserably.
• Though Dewey still seeks to destroy the Coralians, one of his main goals seems to be obtaining the Amita Drive.
• The Amita Drive can be removed from the Compac Drive.
• Dewey manage to stab Holland, who is badly injuried, with his sword through Holland's hand. (His sword broke in the anime during their fight.) Dewey shed tears for what he deems as having a pathetic brother.
• The Vodarek people have a comparatively minor role in the story.
• The Nirvash lost and got trashed pretty badly by typeTheEND, thus requiring an upgrade to Spec2.
• The Nirvash Spec2 was designed by Renton himself instead of the scientists at Tresor.
• Eureka went through physical transformation in the sickbay of the Moonlight, which freaks Renton out.
• In the anime, Renton found out about Eureka's identity as a coralian through Talho while in the manga, Renton found out by himself. (Him witnessing Eureka's gruesome mutated state)
• Renton did not leave the Moonlight, though he has attempted to do so after repairing the Nirvash but was halted by the Federation's ambush.
• The Great Wall was never mentioned nor appeared at all in the manga.
• Eureka was the only human-form coralian in the manga story; Gonzy was formerly known as one of the three sages in the manga plot.
• There were less development on the relationship between Renton & Eureka compared to the anime.
• Diane is almost non-existent. Renton only mentions her once in the first chapter, didn't do any monologuing to her and never reunites with her in the manga.
• Ruri, the heroine of the Eureka Seven TR1: New Wave PlayStation 2 game, plays a part in the manga story.

[edit] Video games

Eureka Seven TR1: New Wave, a PlayStation 2 game, was released in Japan on October 27, 2005. It is set 4 years before the anime and features a different cast of characters. The theme song, Realize, is sung by FLOW. It was released in North America on October 24, 2006.

Eureka Seven: New Vision, also for the PlayStation 2, is the sequel to TR1: New Wave. It takes place 2 years after TR1: New Wave. It came out in Japan on May 11, 2006.

Another Eureka Seven game for the PlayStation Portable was released on April 6, 2006 in Japan. This one is based on the events in the show.

[edit] Main Staff

• Original Concept: BONES
• Director: Tomoki Kyoda
• Series Composition: Dai Sato
• Character Designer: Kenichi Yoshida
• Main Mechanical Designer: Shoji Kawamori
• Music: Naoki Sato
• Main Animator: Kenichi Yoshida & Eiji Nakada
• Conceptual Design: Kazutaka Miyatake
• Scenic Director: Kazuo Nagai
• Assistant Scenic Director: Atsushi Morikawa
• Coloring Designer: Nobuko Mizuta
• Design Works: Shingo Takeba, Shigeto Koyama, Takayuki Yanase, Yutaka Izubuchi, Eiji Nakada, Susumu Imaishi
• Scientific Advisor: Shinya Ogura
• Special Effects Director: Yasushi Muraki
• Director of Photography: Shunya Kimura
• Sound Director: Kazuhiro Wakabayashi
• Planning: Kazumi Kawashiro, Ken Iyadomi, Masahiko Minami, Seiji Takeda, Shin Unozawa, Takao Minegishi
• Producers: Atsushi Yukawa, Hiro Maruyama, Hirofumi Inagaki, Hiroshi Morotomi, Koutaro Nakayama
• Production Companies: Project EUREKA, BONES, Mainichi Broadcasting System (MBS)

[edit] References

[edit] See also

• Characters of Eureka Seven
• Light Finding Operation
• Plot Summary of Eureka Seven
• List of Eureka Seven episodes

[edit] External links

• Official Eureka Seven website (Japanese)
• Bandai Entertainment's official Eureka Seven website
• Adult Swim Eureka Seven page
• YTV's Eureka Seven page
• Eureka Seven (anime) at Anime News Network's Encyclopedia
• Eureka Seven (manga) at Anime News Network's Encyclopedia
• Eureka Seven at the Internet Movie Database