Eureka Seven

Setting

Scub Coral

Eureka Seven takes place in the year 12005 and it's now been 10,000 years after humanity has made a mass exodus into space, due to the arrival of the Scub Coral (スカブ・コーラル, Sukabu Kōraru), an intelligent, sentient life who merged with the planet, forcing the humans to abandon it. In the current timeline, the remnants of humanity are now settled on an unknown planet (actually a terraformed Earth) known as the Land of Kanan, but the majority of the surface of this planet is now covered by a rock-like surface formed by the Scub Coral. The Scub Coral inhabited the Planet until the return of humans. The theory that the Scub Coral is an intelligent life form was proposed by the scientist Adroc Thurston, who also claimed the Scub is looking for mutual co-existence with humanity. All theories and information about the Scub Coral being a sentient being are kept from the general population. In addition to being the surface of the planet, the Scub Coral has several physical manifestations, called Coralians (コーラリアン, Kōrarian), that are observed throughout the series. These manifestations are either natural occurrences or a response to attacks from humans. The manifestations are:

Command Cluster Coralian 

The Command Cluster is a large concentration of the Scub Coral which acts as the central mind for the rest of its "body". It stores all the information the Scub has collected over the last 10,000 years, and keeps the rest of the Scub Coral in a dormant state.

Kute-class Coralian 

A Kute-class is massive sphere of concentrated energy that materializes suddenly in the skies. Though it is a rare natural occurrence, they can be artificially triggered by causing heavy damage to the Scub Coral. The disappearance of a Kute causes a massive release of energy, ravaging the surrounding landscape and lowering the Trapar count in the area to almost non-existent levels.

Antibody Coralians 

Antibody Coralians are, as the name suggests, creatures created by the Scub Coral to destroy anything nearby that might be causing it harm. They are unleashed in massive swarms through a Kute-class Coralian when the Scub Coral is threatened or attacked. These antibodies can range in size from as small as a wheelbarrow, or as large as a bomber plane. Their shapes vary wildly, from eyeballs to flying slugs to giant hovering flower-like objects. Most forms are based on the sea creatures they absorbed when they just started their 'growth'. Their powers are: sending lasers in profusion from their bodies, thus being able to destroy large aircraft, burrowing into a victim's body and imploding it(unconfirmed), and creating a spherical void, which makes anything within its surface area to vanish. Antibody Coralians generally appear in response to deliberate attacks on the Scub Coral. They appear for 1246 seconds (20 minutes 46 seconds) - which is the amount of time the Seven Swell phenomenon is active. After those 1246 seconds, they crumble to dust. Their appearances are that of basic invertebrates such as flat worms, mollusks, and cnidaria. One of each kind appears in Another Century's Episode 3: The Final and Super Robot Wars Z.

Human-form Coralians 

Human-form Coralians are beings created by the Scub Coral in the form of humans. They are regarded by scientists as emissaries of the Scub Coral, sent to learn about humanity. Humans have attempted to create their own artificial human-form Coralians, but the results are often less than satisfactory. As shown with Eureka in the sequel series, human-form Coralians are biologically capable of reproducing the same way as humans do; she gave birth to a daughter and son. However, due to her children being Human-Coralian hybrids, the high level of Trapar would be too dangerous for them.

Trapar waves and lifting

In Eureka Seven, as a result of the Scub Coral covering the planet, the atmosphere is permeated by an enigmatic energy known as Transparence Light Particles (トランサパランス・ライト・パーティクル, Toransaparansu Raito Pātikuru), dubbed Trapar (トラパー, Torapā) waves for short. Norbu, the Vodarac leader, states that all thought carries with it energy. As a result, a sentient life form on the scale of the Scub Coral produces a tremendous amount of energy. The most important use of Trapar energy is its use as a method of propulsion for flight-capable vehicles.

Though Trapar-propelled airships are relatively common, using Trapar waves for "lifting" (リフティング, Rifutingu, or "reffing", according to some fan translations, as well as official translations in some countries) is their predominant use. Lifting uses surfboard-like devices called "reflection boards" ("ref boards" (リフボード, Rifubōdo) for short) to ride Trapar waves in a manner similar to surfing, and is a popular sport in the series. The most grandiose use of Trapar—massive humanoid fightercraft—are a recent development, made possible by the discovery of bizarre alien life-forms within the Scub Coral.

Plot

The series focuses on Renton Thurston, 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 grandfather in a boring town. He loves lifting, a sport similar to surfing but with trapar, a substance abundant throughout the air, as the medium. He dreams of joining the renegade group Gekkostate, led by his idol Holland Novak, a legendary lifter.

An opportunity to do so literally falls into his lap when a large mechanical robot, called the Nirvash type ZERO, and Eureka, its pilot and a member of Gekkostate, crash into Renton's room. Renton's grandfather orders him to deliver a special part to the Nirvash called the "Amita Drive", which releases the immense power dormant within the type ZERO called the "Seven Swell Phenomenon". Afterwards, 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 printed in the glossy pages of their magazine, ray=out. Only one thing makes it all worthwhile for him: the presence of Eureka, the mysterious pilot of the Nirvash. Renton, Eureka, and the Gekkostate embark on an adventure that will shape their future as well as the world's.

Development

The series was made by Bones and co-produced by Bandai Entertainment. Bandai Entertainment provided the title and handled the creative aspects of the series. Bandai had originally proposed a mecha anime series to the animation studio Bones. The studio had initially rejected it, but later 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 Satō, Bandai's proposal was more or less scrapped and the staff began work on their own series that would become Eureka Seven.

While conceptualizing Eureka Seven, Kyoda "wanted something that reflected the music and the subculture of his generation—and a love story." As such the show contains several references from music of the 1980s and the 1990s, and almost all of the show's episodes are named after real songs, composed by both Japanese and foreign artists.

The director wished to design the series as one that would at first focus on the personal elements and conflicts of the characters, then subsequently move the framework into a broader scale and perspective. The series' two halves each have their own very clear focus that reflects this design choice.

With the premise of the surfer robots in mind, Satō interviewed several real-life surfers and came to conclusion that they are close to nature. From this perception, he envisioned the environmental thematic as central point of the story. He said "I thought it might be an effective message for children, especially in Japan. It's pretty veiled. I didn't want to be preachy."

Release

Eureka Seven consists of fifty episodes which aired from April 17, 2005, to April 2, 2006, on the Mainichi Broadcasting System and Tokyo Broadcasting System networks.

Eureka Seven was available for online viewing on the Adult Swim Fix, Adult Swim's online video service before its televised debut on the Adult Swim channel between April 15, 2006, and ended on April 28, 2007. Adult Swim traditionally cut down the opening and ending themes from each episode to fit the series to American television's time restraints, which resulted in the final episode's first airing having actual content cut from it as the episode originally had no theme song sequences; it was re-aired properly the following week. In Canada, Eureka Seven premiered on YTV's Bionix block on September 8, 2006.

Bandai Entertainment and its affiliates distributed the English version of Eureka Seven. It was released in the United States and Canada by Bandai Visual USA, in the United Kingdom by Beez Entertainment, and in Australia by Madman Entertainment. The first translated Region 1 DVD volume of the series was released on April 25, 2006 in the US, while the European Region 2 version was released on September 25, 2006. The English version was produced by Bang Zoom! Entertainment in Burbank, California. Following the 2012 closure of Bandai Entertainment, Funimation acquired the rights to the TV series and re-released the series on Blu-ray and DVD in 2014.

A second anime adaptation based on the Eureka Seven: AO manga began airing on April 12, 2012, and ended on November 20, 2012. There is a total of 24 episodes. It has been released in Japan on Blu-ray and DVD, along with an OVA titled "The Flower Fields of Jungfrau". On May 16, 2013, Funimation announced the official release date in English dub. The first twelve dubbed episodes were released on DVD/Blu-ray on August 13, 2013, and the rest of the series released on October 15, 2013.

Music

Eureka Seven uses ten pieces of theme music. The opening themes of Eureka Seven are "Days" by Flow (episodes 1-13), "Shōnen Heart" (少年ハート, Shōnen Hāto) by Home Made Kazoku (episodes 14-26), "Taiyō no Mannaka e" (太陽の真ん中へ, "To the Center of the Sun"), by Bivattchee (episodes 27–32, 34–39) and "Sakura" by Nirgilis (episodes 40–49). The ending themes are "Himitsu Kichi" (秘密基地, "Secret Base") by Kozue Takada (episodes 1–13, 26), "Fly Away", by Asami Izawa (episodes 14–25), "Tip Taps Tip", by Halcali (episodes 27–39) and "Canvas", by Coolon (episodes 40–49). The two insert songs are "Storywriter", by Supercar and "Niji" (虹, "Rainbow"), by Denki Groove (episode 50).

The soundtrack music is available on three different albums composed by Naoki Satō and a variety of other artists who composed insert songs used in the series. The first and second soundtrack albums were released on November 2, 2005 and April 5, 2006 respectively. The third soundtrack, titled Eureka Seven: Complete Best include the full-length versions of the opening and ending themes for both the series and game, as well as the insert song for the final episode.

The anime adaptation of Eureka Seven: AO uses six pieces of theme music. For the 13 first episodes, the opening theme is "Escape" performed by Hemenway and the ending theme is "stand by me" by Stereopony. Starting with episode 14, the opening theme changes to "Bravelue" (ブレイブルー, Bureiburū) performed by FLOW and the ending theme changes to "Iolite" (アイオライト, Aioraito) performed by joy. The two insert songs are "Parallel Sign" and "Seven Swell", both performed by LAMA.

Manga

A manga adaptation of the original anime was created by Jinsei Kataoka and Kazuma Kondou. The manga was published by Kadokawa Shoten and began serialization in Monthly Shōnen Ace from the March 2005 issue and ended in the January 2007 issue, with a total of 23 chapters. The chapters were later compiled into six volumes. A second manga titled Eureka Seven: Gravity Boys and Lifting Girl (エウレカセ ブン グラヴィティボーイズ&リフティングガール, Eureka Sebun Guravuiti Bōizu & Rifutingu Gāru) by Miki Kizuki, features the protagonists of the video games New Wave and New Vision. It was published by Kadokawa Shoten and serialized in Comptiq magazine. Two volumes were released in Japan on November 7, 2011 and September 26, 2006 respectively.

On December 22, 2011, Kadokawa Shoten's Monthly Shōnen Ace magazine announced that a sequel manga titled Eureka Seven: AO would be launched in their January 2012 issue. It featured an original story by Bones and was illustrated by Yūichi Katō. The manga began in January 2012, and concluded in October 2013, with a total of 21 chapters spanning over 5 volumes. A spin-off manga called "Eureka Seven AO - Save a Prayer" began shortly after and focuses on a girl name Yuna and her two friends as they make their way from becoming trainees in Generation Bleu's Headquarters. A fifth manga titled "Eureka Seven nAnO" was published as a 4koma and featured characters from the AO series. A sixth manga adaptation titled Psalms of Planets Eureka Seven New Order was serialized in Comptiq by Kadokawa Shoten between January and June 2013.

Light novel

A light novel series written by Tomonori Sugihara and illustrated by Robin Kishiwada, was published by Kadokawa Shoten under their male oriented Sneaker Bunko label. A novelization of the new Eureka Seven film sharing the same name was also written by Tomonori Sugihara and illustrated by Hiroki Kazui and Seiji has also been released in Japan on May 1, 2009.

Video games

Eureka Seven has three video games, all developed by Bandai or later Namco Bandai Games. The first to be released was Eureka Seven Vol. 1: The New Wave (エウレカセブン TR1:NEW WAVE, Eureka sebun TR1: Nyū uēbu), which was released in Japan on October 27, 2005, and in North America on October 24, 2006. The game features a different cast of characters and takes place two years before the anime. A sequel, Eureka Seven Vol. 2: The New Vision (エウレカセブン NEW VISION, Eureka sebun nyū bijon), was released in Japan on May 11, 2006 and in North America on April 17, 2007. New Vision takes place two years after the events of New Wave. Both games were released on the PlayStation 2 and feature the theme song "Realize", sung by Flow. A PlayStation Portable game sharing the same name of the anime, was released on April 6, 2006, in Japan. This game is based on the events from the first half of the show.

Film

A theatrical adaptation, Eureka Seven: Good Night, Sleep Tight, Young Lovers (Japanese: 交響詩篇エウレカセブン ポケットが虹でいっぱい, Hepburn: Kōkyōshihen Eureka Sebun: Poketto ga Niji de Ippai, subtitle literally "Pocketful of Rainbows"), was first announced in the May 2008 issue of Newtype; it was publicly released on April 25, 2009, during Golden Week, with the animation production handled by Kinema Citrus. It contained a new mythos in an alternative universe, despite still featuring Renton and Eureka as the main characters, and confirming the events of the original series happened in a parallel world. Good Night, Sleep Tight, Young Lovers screened at select theaters nationwide in the US for a one night only special event on September 24, 2009 courtesy of Fathom Events. The movie also played at the Fantasia festival in Montreal on July 28, 2009. The main theme song for the film is "Space Rock", by iLL.

Reception

Towards the end of its original Japanese run, Eureka Seven won multiple awards at the 2006 Tokyo International Anime Fair, including Best Television Series, Best Screenplay for Dai Satō, and Best Character Designs for Kenichi Yoshida. Yoshida, the series' main animator and character designer, also received an individual award at the 10th Animation Kobe Awards in September 2005. The series also won an award at the 20th Digital Content Grand Prix in Japan in January 2006. At the Anime Expo 2006 SPJA Awards, Eureka Seven won the award for Best Television Series, and Best Female Character for Eureka. Anime Insider voted it "Best DVD Series of the Year" in 2006. During a conference in 2010, writer Dai Satō claimed that many anime fans dismissed Eureka Seven as a clone of Neon Genesis Evangelion without even watching it.

The sequel series, Eureka Seven: AO, was met with mixed-to-negative reviews from fans and critics, who criticized the series for being a contradiction to Eureka Seven. It was however awarded the jury selection prize by the 17th Japan Media Arts Festival Awards.