Customer Reviews

Eureka Seven, Volume 2 (Episodes 6-10)

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I'm gonna raise my rating for this second set of five episodes to the maximum. The reason is that this is what the series is all about, great character development. Motivations are illustrated, not just for the main characters Renton and Eureka, but for many side characters as well. I think the best way to describe this is to tell something about the episodes without revealing too much.

Episode Six: Renton is hounded by Eureka's adopted children, whose main goal seems to be to drive him off the ship. A naive, but selfless action taken on his part helps him form a bond. It basically lands him in the brig, but at least he's coming to some understanding.

Episode Seven: Now that he's bonded with the children, what about the other crew. They send him on a fake mission to test his mettle, or perhaps just make a fool of him. In getting their jollies, they come to know more about his character, and he becomes closer to being a real member of Gekko State.

Episode Eight: Can a friendly old woman really be a terrorist? Apparently so, and will the Gekko State profit off of turning her into the government? Renton sees some of the more disturbing sides to the business in this episode.

Episode Nine: Eureka revisits an undesirable past, and it comes back to haunt her went confronted with a place she's known before. For some reason the people of a destroyed town know her well, and don't seem very friendly about it.

Episode 10: Feelings would be an appropriate title for this episode. It explores, Renton's, Holland's, Eureka's, and other characters motivations to some degree. On the enemy side, a strange girl is introduced. Could she have some connection to Eureka?

Now that I've summarized this, realize that we've not progressed very far at all when it comes to the real plot of the series. Fans of other series might call these filler episodes, but to call them fillers in Eureka 7, you may as well designate 90 percent of the series as filler. These are episodes that develop the story and the characters. Like a good book you need to know what motivates people to become the way they end up. People are not just Superman like heroes that stand for, truth, justice, and... well you know the rest. They don't just run off to battle without reasons, and those in themselves can be very complex.

The production values of this second group have not fallen off one lick from the first five episodes. As mentioned in my review of the first five, the path does not really become clear until a major element is revealed in episode 29, which is actually the third season of this series. This series is one to just sit back and enjoy the development and gain an understanding of the motivation that drives the characters. There will be action to come, but Evangelion, this is not, so don't look for the mecha battle of the week here.

My personal recommendation here is that after buying the first box set, wait and watch this on the CN till more episodes are played. If you still like the series after you're halfway through, then start to fill in the spaces the first box has allotted for DVDs. I'm guessing that since this is a 50-episode series, at some point around episode 25 or 30, there will be another box set released with spaces for the final DVDs.

Well, at first we get more lighthearted fun with some hints at the underlying story. After that though the story begins to take over, although it still keeps things rather cryptic they definitely explore the story a bit more and provide some history behind the Gekkostate.

The purpose and motives behind all the players still isn't entirely clear, but there's no doubt this volume has some important developments that really shed some light on just how much depth this story potentially has. We also get a brief introduction to a major antagonist at the end of the final episode on this disc.

When it comes to technical merits the series stays consistent. The animation and art and music and performances all meet the quality standards set by the 1st volume.

If you say you don't like this series but haven't seen Ep 9, then I would say you haven't given it a chance. Actually I recommend watching through Ep. 13 before drawing your conclusion.

The disc starts with some typical (read: annoying) anime shenanigans in ep. 6 but quickly improves.

The rest of the disc is full of really significant character development, and not just "good for an anime" but better than 99% of TV shows. Eureka and Holland's past is very intriguing, and Holland's unwillingness to communicate with the starstruck, naive Renton is believable and a good early setup for their intense conflict in discs 4 and 5.

I especially love Ep. 9 because it starts with Holland being told that Ciudades Del Cielo is "destiny's gate" and as he tries to avoid spending time there, he inadvertently makes the place destiny's gate for Renton and Eureka. Just fantastic storytelling.

this show sets the bar for other anime im not a big anime watcher but this is awsome if u seen it on adult swim or just heard about it then its for you to. this show starts of slow but if u keep with it it gets alot better

In Eureka Seven volume 2, Renton has successfully come aboard the Gekko. Now that Renton is with his love, his life couldn't be better right? Not Exactly. Eureka's adopted kids want her all to themselves and are willing to do ANYTHING to make sure Renton stays away. This first episode of the disc is very funny, especially what pranks are pulled on Renton.

Later, it's time for Renton's initiation as a a member of Gekkostate and who better than Hap and Stoner to help him? This extremely hilarious episode will leave Renton embarassed, but accepted by the crew. At the end of the day it will be Hap and Stoner that have to face -- absolute defeat.

Later, Renton meets a seemingly nice old woman with Eureka and the kids, but little does he know that she is wanted and the Gekko is after her. Afterwards, Renton starts to learn of Eureka's past and the horror's she committed while in the military. The two begin to understand each other a bit better. Finally, the Gekko takes a trip higher than the sun for a brief time of rest and thought. The disc ends with a mysterious red haired girl welcoming back Dewey, the main villain of the show.

This disc is terrific, containing 5 great episodes of Eureka Seven. The first two episodes are just really funny. The next two involve emotion and we get a glimpse beneath the surface of some character's personalities. The final episode is basically for further thought on the previous ones, as well as what to do next. These episodes are all good, though I like almost all episodes of this show. Still, I recommend this DVD to all anime fans, though if you are new to Eureka Seven, get volume 1 first.

While no, Eureka Seven isn't exactly the fastest moving anime I've seen, it's definitely developing into something that could be special. In volume two, we get to see a glimpse into the past of two of the characters, Holland and Eureka, mostly of their time in the military and some of the tragic events that put these two characters in the situation they're now in. We also get to see just how deep the relationship with Holland and Talho actually is. And, of course, Renton is still chasing after his crush, Eureka, only now he must face off against her three children in a battle of wits, and more often than not he comes out on the losing end. Though the situations are still mostly comedic, a little drama is slipped into this volume that shows what's to come for this anime. The few glimpses into the past shows a grim history of the world that Holland and Eureka had to live.

Still, though, while the anime itself was good, the DVD could have been much better. The special features are sparse, and not only that but there isn't even an insert in the DVD case itself. I think, as anime fans, we've gotten to the point where text-less endings and previews are no longer special features, but advertisements. So, that left one commentary track and an interview with a voice actor, neither of which really appealed to me. Heck, the only reason I didn't take a star away from this DVD was because it had five episodes, which is rare for any anime release, and something I had to appreciate considering how inexpensive Eureka Seven: Volume 2 is.

I would still highly recommend this DVD even without the special features, though, as this series will probably become one of those series that is talked about for some time. While it's clear that it may never reach the level of Fullmetal Alchemist, the pedigree of the creators (BONES, who made FMA, Rahxephon, and Wolf's Rain) promises that this series will at least get close.

have fun. the kids in their best (ahm, worst ?) role : how can we punish our new "father" ?

In Volume 2 of Eureka, the mecha take a backseat to characterization as Renton realizes that becoming part of Gekkostate involves more than just being on the ship. You also have to win acceptance from a tight-knit community that is more of a family than a rebellious gang. First up are Eureka's "children" who are jealous of Renton and use all their annoying wiles to sabotage any romance between him and Eureka. The rest of the crew is no better, sending him on an "important mission" which is nothing more than a sadistic recorded hazing. If Renton wants to become a member of the crew he's gonna have to fight for it! The other three episodes are a bit darker and show more of the character's personalities and pasts. They also serve as a wake-up call for Renton as he finds that some Gekkostate missions are a little hard to stomach in the name of money. Especially when an old lady that has treated him, Eureka, and the kids well, is revealed to be a revolutionary who Gekkostate will capture and turn over to the government for a bounty! And Renton will find that Eureka isn't the innocent but weird girl he thought she was as the crew visits the scene of an old battle in a ruined city.

I thought this volume was great because mecha were left in the background and it concentrated on the characters. I was also truly shocked to find out about the pasts of some of the crew, especially Holland and Eureka. There are no black and white characters in this show. If there are, they're just waiting for a future episode in which another side of their personality will be revealed. The romance or lack thereof between Eureka and Renton is really tender and not overdone and balances the immaturity of youth with the honesty of youth. I hate Eureka's kids! They have the most annoying voices ever so hopefully they will crash in a mecha or something! Some of the fashions of the Gekkostate crew are a little goofy and hard to look at, but fits their hippie implied dopehead image. One thing I don't like is Renton's narration which you can tell is him looking back at these events when he's older and foreshadowing that his relationship with Eureka will not work out. Let the show tell the story, not some omnipotent narrator who already knows the future!

This DVD was possibly the best of ones to come!Eureka Seven is better than full metal alchemst!I give this DVD and the whole series 5 stars!!!