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EspañolEUREKA SEVEN
'''Eureka Seven''', known in Japan as , is a mecha anime TV series by Bones. ''Eureka Seven'' tells the story of Renton Thurston and the outlaw group Gekkostate, his relationship with the enigmatic mecha pilot Eureka, and the mystery of the Coralians.
Bandai produced three video games based on ''Eureka Seven''; two of them are based on events prior to the show, while the third is based on the first half of the show. Both the original concept of the anime and the video game ''Eureka Seven vol.1: New Wave'' have been adapted into manga series, as well. The TV series has also been adapted into a series of four novels in Japan.
Development and reception
The series' origins can be traced to a the pitch of a mecha anime series that Bandai had proposed to the animation studio Bones. At first, the studio 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.''[1]
While conceptualizing Eureka Seven, director Tomoki Kyoda wished to design the series as one that would at first focus on the personal elements and conflicts of the characters and 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. [2] The series was Tomoki Kyoda's first as chief director for a TV anime; his major credits to date before that, were his position as Assistant director of the RahXephon TV series and subsequent position of Director for the movie adaption, also from studio Bones. ''RahXephon'' creator and director Yutaka Izubuchi provided additional design works for ''Eureka Seven'', as well.
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 Ken'ichi Yoshida.[3] Ken'ichi Yoshida, the series' main animator and character designer, also received an individual award at the 10th Animation Kobe Awards in September 2005.[4] The series also won an award at the 20th Digital Content Grand Prix in Japan in January 2006.[5]
At the Anime Expo 2006 SPJA Awards, ''Eureka Seven'' won the award for Best Television Series, and Best Female Character for Eureka[6]. ''Anime Insider'' voted it "Best DVD Series of the Year" in 2006.[7]
Synopsis and themes
''Eureka Seven'' centers around 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 mechanic grandfather in a boring town. He loves lifting, a sport similar to surfing but with air as the medium. He dreams of joining the renegade group Gekkostate, led by his idol Holland, a legendary lifter.
An opportunity to do so literally falls into his lap when a large mechanical robot, called the Nirvash typeZERO, and Eureka, a member of Gekkostate, crash into Renton's room. Renton's grandfather orders him to deliver a special part to the Nirvash, which reveals the immense power dormant within the typeZERO. 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 along with the Nirvash and the Gekkostate will embark on an adventure that will shape their future as well as the worlds.
The themes covered by Eureka Seven that shape its narrative range from a wide amount of issues such as allegories of real world conflicts and wars, current political climates from Japan and abroad, depictions of various subcultures and related musical movements that span several generations, and ties to environmental movements. The series works these themes, as well as the theme of growth and change, into the journey of Renton Thurston.
Setting
Scub Coral
The setting of ''Eureka Seven'' takes place 10,000 years after humanity has made a mass exodus into space, leaving Earth behind. In the current timeline, the remnants of humanity are now settled on a planet they refer to as the "Promised Land". The majority of the surface of this planet is covered by a rock-like surface referred to as the Scub Coral. The Scub Coral is in fact believed to be an intelligent, sentient life form that makes up the entire planet. The theory that the Scub Coral was an intelligent life form was proposed by the scientist Adrock Thurston who also claimed the Scub was looking for mutual co-existance with humanity. All theories and information about the Scub Coral being a sentient being are kept away from the general population. The Scub Coral is said to have a central point that acts is its mind; this point is called the Command Cluster. The Scub Coral also has three physical manifestations, called Coralians, that are observed throughout the series. These manifestations are either natural occurences or a response to man-inflicted pressure. The manifestations are:
★ 'Kute-class Coralian': A massive sphere of concentrated energy that makes its appearance in the skies. The Kute is a rare natural occurence, but can be triggered by outside forces. The disappearance of a Kute causes a massive release of energy, subsequently ravaging surrounding landscape.
★ 'Antibody Coralians': A swarm of creatures unleashed through a Kute-class Coralian when the Scub Coral is threatened or attacked. Like their name implies, the Antibody Coralians serve to protect the Scub Coral and eliminate the foreign threat presented to it. Antibody Coralians generally appear in response to man-made attacks on the Scub Coral.
★ 'Human-form Coralians': Beings born out of the Scub Coral that take the form of humans. They are regarded by scientists as emissaries of the Scub Coral, sent to learn about humanity. Humans attempted to create their own artificial human-form Coralians, but the results are often less than satisfactory.
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, dubbed Trapar waves for short. Norb, 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 could produce a tremendous amount of energy. The most important use of Trapar energy has been the harnessing of it to supply power to flight capable vehicles.
Though Trapar-propelled airships are relatively common, using Trapar waves for "lifting" (or "reffing" according to some fan translations) is their predominant use. Lifting uses surfboard-like devices called "reflection boards" to ride Trapar waves in a manner similar to surfing or snowboarding, 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 lifeforms within the Scub Coral.
LFOs and Compac Drives
Main articles: Light Finding Operation
The mecha of ''Eureka Seven'' are called "Light Finding Operation", commonly abbreviated to LFO. LFOs are humanoid alien skeletons excavated from the Scub Coral that have been fitted with armor and control systems. Military LFOs are known as KLFs (for "Kraft Light Fighter"). LFOs are able to fly by exploiting the same principles of lifting — Trapar particles. An LFO is composed of a giant organic base, called the Archetype; armor; a ref board; and a Compac Drive, a device that allows humans to interface with the Archetype, as well as other machinery.
Terminology
★ 'The Ageha Plan': The discovery by Adrock Thurston that the Scub Coral is an intelligent, sentient life form that is trying to communicate with humanity, and the plan for humanity to seek out co-existance. The report was locked away after his death, but later appropriated by Col. Dewey Novak, a move aimed at gaining public support by associating himself with Adrock Thurston, despite Dewey Novak's true aims being directly opposite to the aims of co-existance proposed by the true Ageha Plan.
★ 'Summer of Love': The enormous non-stop generation of Trapar waves that took place approximately ten years before the events of ''Eureka Seven''. The confusion and chaos that resulted from this disaster sparked conflicts around the world, leading to civil wars that left tower states completely destroyed. Adrock Thurston is said to be the man who died putting an end to the effects of the Summer of Love.
★ 'Vodarac': A religion with many believers in the world of ''Eureka Seven''. Their peculiar views and beliefs clash with modern science, especially in regards to treatment of the planet. This, coupled with the existence of extremist factions in the religion, have made the government classify the Vodarac as a dissident faction and has on more than one occasion engaged in military campaigns against them. The prominent conflict depicted in the series is the attack on Ciudades del Cielo, the city seen as holy grounds for the Vodarac, where the SOF troops stormed a supposed Vodarac extremist stronghold.
★ 'The Limit of Questions': The existence of the Scub Coral in conjunction with humanity also poses problems for existence itself. In the series, a theory is given that only so much sentient life can exist within a specific space, known as the . Should too much life exist within a given space, reality would tear itself apart, causing an effect similar to a black hole.
★ 'The Great Wall': A large area of whirling Trapar winds visible from outer space. Its origin is linked to the Scub Coral partially triggering the Limit of Questions at some undefined point before the beginning of the series. The Scub Coral had managed to put itself to sleep before the Limit's consequences engulfed the entire planet; the Great Wall is the area of space that remained damaged from that event. It is said common physical laws no longer apply in the area encompassed by the Great Wall.
★ 'The Zone': An extremely high concentration of Trapar particles and dust that result in the human mind seeing an endless corridor surrounded by brightly hued colors. Typically, the effect of the Zone is seen when trying to penetrate a Kute-class Coralian, but it may also manifest if a high enough concentration of Trapar happens in a closed space. The Zone is often depicted as a gateway, whether between mind and matter or physical destinations.
★ 'Skyfish': These creatures have adapted to float upon the Trapar waves that fill the atmosphere. These creatures are harvested to create a substance known as "reflection film". This film is what permits the machinery of ''Eureka Seven'' to fly without the use of fuel-based propulsion. It is said for those wanting to get near them that skyfish will often gather where positive emotions are emitted by humans.
★ 'Despair Sickness': A strange disease that results in those afflicted becoming near-vegetables, save for a fixation into a Compac Drive. The sickness is related to the relationship of the Scub Coral, the Trapar and the Compac Drive; all three together drive the victim deep into a trance which leads their conscience to an elsewhere location.
★ 'Pile Bunkers': The rod like objects that are found driven into the ground all over the world of ''Eureka Seven''. The Pile Bunkers are driven into the ground as a way to supress the tectonic shifts that are caused by the Scub Coral, usually seen as humoungous coral like mushrooms that erupt from the ground without any notice.
Characters
Main articles: List of Eureka Seven characters
Most of the characters of ''Eureka Seven'' are part of either Gekkostate or the U.F. Force.
Gekkostate is an anti-government militia and counterculture collective led by Holland, who also pilots the LFO Terminus typeR909. Eureka, an aloof, pale girl, pilots an LFO called the Nirvash typeZERO. After joining Gekkostate early in the series, Renton co-pilots the Nirvash with Eureka. Stoner is a photographer who writes Gekkostate's illegal magazine, ''ray=out''. Talho is the head pilot of Gekkostate's aircraft, the . Hap is Holland's childhood friend and the second-in-command of the Gekko. Ken-Goh is the weapons specialist and owner of the Gekko. Jobs and Woz are the ship's engineers. Mischa is the resident doctor. Moondoggie is a secondary pilot and operator of the launch catapult. Hilda and Matthieu are the pilots of the Gekkostate LFOs Terminus typeR808 and Terminus typeR606, respectively. Gidget is the communications operator. Gonzy is a fortuneteller.
The U.F. Force is a military under the command of the Sage Council (or The Council of the Wise), the main authority of the United Federation of Predgio Towers. Serving under the Sage Council is Lieutenant Colonel Dewey Novak, who directed a special operations force called the SOF prior to his imprisonment at the beginning of the series. Dominic Sorel is an intelligence officer under Novak and the chief handler of Anemone, who pilots the LFO Nirvash typeTheEND.
Anime
Episodes
Main articles: List of Eureka Seven episodes
''Eureka Seven'' consists of fifty episodes which aired from April 17, 2005 to April 4, 2006 on the Mainichi Broadcasting System and Tokyo Broadcasting System. Almost all of the show's episodes are named after real songs, composed by Japanese or foreign artists.[8][9]
Licensing
Distribution of the English version of ''Eureka Seven'' is handled by Bandai Entertainment and its affiliates. The U.S. and Canadian distribution of the show is handled by the main branch while Beez Entertainment, Bandai's European branch, handles the show's release in the United Kingdom and the rest of Europe. Madman Entertainment handles its release in Australia and New Zealand. The first translated DVD volume of the series was released on April 25, 2006 in the US, while the European version will be released in the summer of the same year, according to Neo Magazine. 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 the Adult Swim Fix, Adult Swim's online video service. Episodes are shown weekly each Friday, one day before their premiere on Adult Swim proper. The series made its televised debut on Adult Swim on April 15, 2006 and ended April 28, 2007. Beginning with episode 26, Adult Swim began airing an additional parental advisory warning for extreme violence before each episode. In keeping with Adult Swim's practice of making jokes in such warnings, the warnings claim that they would rather air the episodes uncut since they are "American Cowboys."
In Canada, it premiered on YTV's Bionix block on September 8, 2006 at 9:30 p.m.; on March 9 2007 it was moved to 11:00 p.m. On March 23 2007, instead of airing episode 27, YTV's Bionix began airing reruns starting with episode one; YTV did not begin airing the rest of the series until June 1 2007.
The pronunciation of Eureka's name in the English dub of the series is based on the Japanese pronunciation /eɯɺ̠eka/ '', which is an approximation of the Greek pronunciation of the word "eureka" (Koine: ˈheʷreːka; Modern: ˈevrika), rather than the conventional English pronunciation /juːˈɹiːkə/. The dub pronunciation has variously been described as "ey-ooh-reh-ka," "ay-oo-re-ka," or "el-rekka." However, while the Japanese voice actors pronounce 'Anemone' as it is normally pronounced in Japanese, 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 thirteen 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. All of Renton's lines were subsequently redone for consistency, though Bosch himself admits it took him a while to nail down the voice.[10]
Staff
★ Planning: Seiji Takeda, Shin Unozawa, Masahiko Minami, Kazumi Kawashiro, Kenichi Iyadomi, Takuo Minegeshi
★ Original concept: Bones
★ Director: Tomoki Kyoda
★ Series composition: Dai Sato
★ Script: Dai Sato, Yūichi Nomura, Hiroshi Ohnogi, Shotaro Suga, Ichiro Okouchi, Chiaki J. Konaka, Megumi Shimizu
★ Character designs: Ken'ichi Yoshida
★ Main animators: Ken'ichi Yoshida, Eiji Nakata
★ Main mechanical designs: Shoji Kawamori
★ Conceptual designs: Kazutaka Miyatake
★ Design works: Shingo Takeba, Shigeto Koyama, Takayuki Yanase, Yutaka Izubuchi, Eiji Nakata
★ Director of photography: Toshiya Kimura (T2 Studio)
★ Music: Naoki Sato
★ Music production: Aniplex
★ Sound director: Kazuhiro Wakabayashi
★ Sound effects: Shizuo Kurahashi
★ Sound production: Fonishia
★ Art director: Kazuo Nagai
★ Assistant art director: Atsushi Morikawa
★ Color designs: Nobuko Mizuta
★ Scientific advisor: Shinya Ogura
★ Special effects director: Yasushi Muraki
★ Producers: Hiroshi Morotomi, Hiroo Maruyama, Hirofumi Inagaki, Atsushi Yukawa, Kōtarō Nakayama
★ Assistant producers: Chikako Fujii, Daiki Hasebe, Yasuyo Ogisu
★ Production: Mainichi Broadcasting System, Project EUREKA (Bandai, Bandai Visual, Bandai Entertainment, Hakuhodo DY Media Partners), Bones
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 both the series and game, as well as the insert song for the final episode.
Theme songs
;Opening themes
★ "Days", by Flow (episodes 1-13)
★ "Shōnen Heart" ("A Young Boy's Heart"), by Home Made Kazoku (episodes 14-26)
★ "Taiyō no Mannaka e" ("To The Center Of the Sun"), by Bivattchee (episodes 27-32, 34-39)
★ "Sakura" ("Cherry Blossom"), by Nirgilis (episodes 40-49)
;Ending themes
★ "Himitsu Kichi" ("Secret Base"), by Kozue Takada (episodes 1-13, 26)
★ "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
★ "Trance Ruined", by Newdeal
★ "Draft Any Funk", by Newdeal
★ "Get It By Your Hands", by Watanabe Hiroshi a.k.a. Quadra
★ "Niji" ("Rainbow"), by Denki Groove (episode 50)
;Video game theme
★ "Realize", by Flow ('' & '')
Manga and novels
A manga adaptation based on the same basic concept and character designs from the anime series began running in Kadokawa Shoten's ''Monthly Shōnen Ace'', starting from the March 2005 issue and continuing until the January 2007 issue, covering a total of 23 chapters. These chapters were later compiled into six volumes.
Another manga adaptation, ''Gravity Boys and Lifting Girl'', features the protagonists of the video games '' and ''. It was serialized in ''Comptiq'', another Kadokawa Shoten publication. It is shorter than the main series; collected, it spans only two volumes.
''Eureka Seven'' was also adapted into a series of four novels by Tomonori Sugihara. The novels, much like the manga, differ from the TV series in various ways. The titles of the novels reference musical works much like the series — in particular, the bands New Order and Joy Division. The novels are:
★ Volume 1: ''Blue Monday''
★ Volume 2: ''Unknown Pleasures''
★ Volume 3: ''New World Order''
★ Volume 4: ''Here to Stay''
Video games
''Eureka Seven'' has had a total of three video games. With the exception of ''Eureka Seven V.2: Psalms of Planets'', all were released for the PlayStation 2.
'' was released in Japan on October 27, 2005. It is set two years before the anime and features a different cast of characters. The theme song, ''Realize'', is sung by FLOW, however the song was cut in the North America version of the game. It was released in North America on October 24, 2006.
'' is the sequel to ''New Wave'' and takes place two years later. It was released in Japan on May 11, 2006, and was released in North America on April 19, 2007.[11]
'', created for the PlayStation Portable, was released on April 6, 2006, in Japan. This game is based on the events from the first half of the show.
''Eureka Seven'' is set to be featured in the third installment of the Playstation 2 game series ''Another Century's Episode''. The series, published by Banpresto and developed by From Software, features fast paced action with robots from popular mecha anime in storylines that intertwine the various series. ''Another Century's Episode 3'' will be available in September in Japan, with likely no release in the United States due to complicated licensing issues.
References
★ 交響詩篇エウレカセブンまとめ＠2chアニメ板. Retrieved November 9 2006.
1. Eureka Seven: Catch the wave, , Hidekuni, Shida, Newtype USA, 2006
2. Eureka Seven: Home at last, , Tomoki, Kyoda, Newtype USA, 2007
3. Tokyo Anime Fair: Award Winners
4. 10th Animation Kobe Awards
5. 20th Digital Content Grand Prix
6. Eureka Seven Wins 2 SPJA Awards at AX
7. Anime Insider Best of the Best
8. Interview with Dai Sato
9. Eureka seveN "alternative soundtrack"
10. Post by Johnny Yong Bosch
11.
Namco Bandai Announces Eureka Seven Vol 2 for PS2
Dai Sato, the screenwriter, speaks about Eureka Seven http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SPtFfaqfIBM
External links
★ Official ''Eureka Seven'' website
★ Bandai Entertainment's official ''Eureka Seven'' website
★ Adult Swim ''Eureka Seven'' page
★ YTV's ''Eureka Seven'' page
★ ''Eureka Seven'' mecha profiles at MAHQ
★ Madman Entertainment's official ''Eureka Seven'' website
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