Review: “Eureka Seven” Blu-ray – The Series is Great, the Movie is…

This is the story of a boy and a girl, a sky-surfing robot, a war between rebels and the military, and religion that drives people to prominence or destruction. Eureka Seven is a sci-fi mecha series from nearly a decade ago, and thanks to some shuffling of licenses behind the scenes, FUNimation has released the series for the first time on Blu-ray, alongside the theatrical movie, Good Night, Sleep Tight, Young Lovers. Does the series warrant another look with a decade having past, and does the movie stand out as a reminder of what was great through the series? Or is this a franchise that’s best left in the past?

Eureka Seven’s been around the block a few times, featured on Adult Swim for a number of years (followed by a bit of an appearance on Adult Swim’s Toonami block). For a nine-year old show, it’s already gotten a DVD release from the effectively-defunct Bandai Entertainment. This release includes the same dub, completely uncut, and in high-definition; it’s still a full-frame show, but one from 2005. The animation looks pretty nice, crisp, and clear, and the dub is without complaint. Visually and audibly, there’s no question that this is as good as the show’s going to look and sound.

Eureka Seven is a show that definitely thrives from its largely-serial storytelling; as this reviewer did in the past, catching an episode here and there on broadcast television will leave you confused and wanting. Marathoning a disc at a time over an an evening will definitely clear things up, but many times you’ll find that the best episodes are the ones that stand-alone, and not the ones that seamlessly roll into the next.

The series features a few different storylines (and accompanying opening, ending, and character design for Eureka), but it all stems from one fateful day where Eureka, our sometimes-quiet sea foam green-haired soldier crashes in on the brash male lead character Renton’s quiet town life, where he had been left to grow (or not) in his grandfather’s care. Together, they unlock the power of Nirvash, a transforming racecar/mech robot that soon soars the skies of the slowly-explored world of the Land of Kanan, which is covered by unknown rock formations, trapar waves that give the mecha the capability to surf through the sky, and an unknown alien life form called the Scub Coral. The Scub Coral is at the heart of the series’ mythology, and ties into everything from the explanation of the planet they’re on to the origins of Eureka.

As the series is set in the far-off future (roughly 10,000 years from now), the series gets a chance that most animated series originating from (and set in) Japan doesn’t realistically get a chance to do. The cast is vastly multi-ethnic, with characters in a broad variety of skin tones and national origins. The crew that Eureka (and soon, Renton) join, Gekkostate, is immense and varied. Characters range from young teenagers to middle-aged doctors, from vastly-excitable children to solemn and serious adults. An incredibly-large supporting cast means that many don’t get any sort of development, but everyone does get a few moments to shine.

Sadly, there are three characters that will completely drag down any scene they’re in, despite supplying character development for the others. Soon into the series, you found out that Eureka is “Mother!” to three war orphans. They’re not her biological children, but people she’s effectively adopted due to actions in the past. They exist to quickly mature Renton (and partly show why Eureka is mature for her age), but just imagine Scrappy-Doo times three, and you’ll have these recurring characters.

Visually, the show is amazing, and it’s not just the fact that the main cast is diverse. The show’s constant use of the Trapar Waves and various machinery give everything a surreal glow. Imagine surfing on a rainbow that shines, glistens, and sparkles with every crash, and you have the general feel for the sky surfing. Factor in that Nirvash and the other mecha move less like Voltron or Megazords and more like super robots like Gurren Lagann, or even the martial arts mechas of Mobile Fighter G-Gundam: large humans unencumbered by wearing a heavy suit or even gravity. This leads to great action at times.

Another aspect that Eureka Seven gets to indulge in are changes in Eureka’s design, with her hair and facial features changing twice in the series. At the onset, she has the design that is most iconic with her, but after a disastrous scene, she becomes scarred and physically damaged, and it’s not just undone in an episode. For a good chunk of the series, much of her hair is effectively burned or cut off, facial scars mar a once clean face, and her eyebrows are gone. She may wear the same outfit, but it’s surprising that a show would let the female lead be effectively “ugly” for a good chunk of the series. She does get a “quick fix” after a while, but then she gets another redesign that makes her stand out from the cast in a more sci-fi way. Additionally, while most of the cast may only engage in a costume change during a special event (like a soccer game), the character of Talho goes through a character development moment where she goes from being the “sexy pin-up girl” of the crew to the “responsible, well-dressed adult.” Once again, it’s a shift that works for the character, but is the opposite of how you’d expect a show with giant robots to go.

As mentioned, one of the best episodes is largely stand-alone, but also gives some of the most characterization to the extraneous cast. At one point in the series, it’s made clear that Eureka’s not quite human, and she begins to develop some sort of relationship with Renton, whether truly romantic or childlike innocence. A revelation that’s responded to incorrectly leads to the elders (in many cases, only a year or two older) trying to figure out how to handle the birds and the bees with these two kids that might be the key to everything. A great moment includes the simple question of “can they even…” with a clear implication, and a clear divide in how the men and women want to handle the situation. This episode includes some of the sillier moments of the series, but it is a definite relief from the moving drama and motivation of the series, while still answering questions and evolving the plot.

Good Night, Sleep Tight, Young Lovers recasts the characters in a whole new world (theoretically), with Renton and Eureka being childhood friends. Antagonists from the show become forgotten allies, and the entirety of Gekkostate become pained heroes, all looking for a way to fix their scars from childhood. It’s in no way a continuation of the show, and a loose connection to the television show’s final moments incites confusion than answers questions. For the most part, the movie is a good stand-alone story that works without having seen the series, but fans of the series will definitely appreciate some of the nods and recastings, while others will leave a sour taste. While the original series gets a bit wrapped up in its own mythos, the movie’s ending sits as a confusing appendage that might be best left on the chopping floor. Watching the featurette reveals that the original scripted ending had narration that explained what happened to the world, but that was scrapped to give a proper goodbye to a cast member.

On the movie, the Blu-ray comes with the original Japanese theatrical trailer and television commercials, alongside the American trailer. Of note is a “Making Of” featurette that reaches nearly an hour in length. It’s all regarding the Japanese production, but covers everything from how the production was pitched to showing it to audiences. Throughout the series box sets are an insane thirteen commentaries with the Japanese cast (about 1/4th of the series), textless openings and endings (including a text-free version of the last episode), trailers, and interviews with both the Japanese and English-language casts. This is an amazing treasure trove for an animated series from Japan, and easily eclipses many box sets from America.

Is the series worth your time? Definitely. It’s a unique take on the mech action concept, putting action the back-burner for an amazing love story that decides to break all sorts of color and design barriers. A pair of box sets chock-full of extras make it even more worthwhile, and while the movie doesn’t do much to expand the universe, it’s at least worth one watch. Eureka Seven still lights up the sky like so many Trappar wave surfers.