Customer Reviews

Eureka seveN Manga Volume 1: Psalms Of Planets Eureka seveN

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

 

 

Eureka Seven Volume 1 isn't a bad manga: it contains good artwork and a solid translation. What brings it down is the anime counterpart which it is based off of. For whatever inexplicable reason, the manga feels weighted down with the task of outdoing the original it is trying to recreate as a graphic novel. It follows the anime somewhat closely in the beginning and thus, it is "more of the same." Generally, I don't have a problem with getting more of the same of a series that I greatly enjoy. But there is an odd feel to this manga, and, unfortunately, it comes across as a lesser series in this first installment.

Enter Renton Thurston, our 14-year-old protagonist who is the grandson of a mechanic and lives in a boring city where his only means of enjoyment is "lifting," surfing in the air on "trapar" (transparent light particles). A beautiful girl who goes by the name of Eureka crashes into his house while surfing on a special LFO (light finding operation--basically a gigantic mecha that can also ride the trapar with the assistance of a surfboard). She asks them to help repair the Nirvash (the LFO's name). Renton falls in love with Eureka at a glance and so, when she leaves for battle alone as a military attack ensues their meeting, he leaves his grandfather in order to help her by giving the Nirvash its missing component--the Amita Drive. The battle ends in a surprising fashion and it is revealed that Eureka is a member of "Gekkostate," a group of radicals fighting the government whom Renton idolizes. And so the chapter closes with Renton being asked if he is willing to join Gekkostate and stay with them on their airship, Moonlight. Needless to say, he accepts their offer and his adventure begins.

That is the premise of the Eureka Seven. There are many things that could be added to the summary, but I do not wish to disclose other details that involve more complex plotlines.

It doesn't sound bad on paper, and the manga is actually quite good. There are some glaring negatives, however: The action can be hard to follow at times and there are moments when it's a chore to continue reading. Even for a die-hard Eureka Seven fan, this may be pushing it a bit too much. I must also add the characters feel like stereotypes and come across as shallow. Renton is the teen who falls in love and emerges the hero. Eureka is the girl the boy falls in love with but doesn't return the boy's feelings. The manga follows the anime, but neglects the characteristics that make the anime an outstanding show: character development.

Sure, there are differences between the mediums (the anime and the manga), but the anime stands out as the product to buy with its fantastic cast of characters, beautiful animation, good music, and high episode count per DVD. I can understand the characters in the manga filling a stereotypical role so that their drastic changes and maturation throughout the course of the series are more apparent, but they are barely holding my interest as they are now.

For the fan of the Eureka Seven anime looking for something to satisfy their hunger while waiting for the release of the next DVD, by all means pick this up. But I personally feel that this volume lacks some key components of a quality series and so will not appeal to many casual manga fans. However, check it out before purchasing or even crossing it off your list, because there is a high chance you will enjoy it. There is a reason to buy this volume, and that is because volume 2 breaks the monotonous trend of following the anime closely. From there, the manga decides to interpret the stories differently and present them in a fantastic format.

Volume 1 lacks many things, but sets the stage for a phenomenal ensuing volume.

NOTE: on page 75, on the lower left panel with Eureka and Renton, their lines are switched. Besides this one mistake, Bandai has a great presentation with color pages and original sound-effects.

the manga is very different then the anime, but in a good way. in fact i enjoyed the manga more then the anime. i recomend both reading and watching Eureka Seven. they both have there strong points and both make very good stories.

I'll be short, and to the point. Eureka Seven is an amazing anime. One of the best, I think. The manga, is a different story.

Volume 1 starts off mostly the same as the series, but there are things "amiss" here. Eureka, seems more like a doll than she ever did in the series. Renton, who fell in love with the girl at first sight and vowed to protect her seems like he's been downgraded to that of a boy with a simple crush. There is also no antagonism from Holland towards Renton in the beginning, and Renton's sister is also vaguely mentioned. I could go on with all the differences in the manga, but that would be too much of a spoiler.

Did I mention Renton can't ref/lift even if his life depended on it? It's ridiculous.

Anyway, if you're a hardcore Eureka Seven fan like myself, you'll ultimately find this first volume lacking and will be disappointed as the manga continues in later volumes. If you haven't seen Eureka Seven before, maybe you might like it. Maybe. Overall, I don't really recommend this either way. Sure the art is detailed, but in the end, isn't it the well developed story with interesting characters that made Eureka Seven the excellent series that is was? None of that here.

Young Renton is sick of his life in a do nothing town, slaving away for his cranky mechanic grandpa. The only joy he gets is riding his ref board, a device used to surf the trapar winds, energy waves in the air. He dreams of joining Gekkostate, a rebel organization that lives to defy the official city governments. Not only are they a bastion of counter-culture, they are also a symbol to the young to go against the system and live their lives on their own terms. Of course, the government's main priority is to crush them. That's what they're in the course of doing when a mecha, called an "LFO", crashlands on Renton's home! Once he gets over the initial shock, his emotions run the other way, when a strange but beautiful looking young girl named Eureka steps out of its hatch. Renton is instantly a slave of love! The forces of Gekkostate have come to Renton's grandfather in search of a device called an "Amita Drive" which grants an LFO incredible powers and was created by Renton's dad, who is currently missing and presumed dead after saving the world. Will Renton's dreams finally be fulfilled even as he falls deeper in love and gets a reality check when he meets the rest of the Gekko's crew?

This first volume of the manga Eureka Seven is based on the anime of the same name and serves as pretty much a summary of the first DVD volume. That doesn't make it bad. I really liked the anime and found the manga just as enjoyable. Some plot points are cut short and some are added so you get a different experience here. The concern of Volume 1 is really about Renton getting his dream of joining Gekko State to come true, but finding that the dream leaves a bit to be desired as he becomes the whipping boy of the Moonlight's crew. Also, his view of the members has to be adjusted a bit from the photos and articles he's read about them, as up close, he finds their personality flaws on display. They're really not flaws, it's just the difference between their image and the real person. I do feel that the manga version can be enjoyed without having seen the anime. The only complaint I have with this book and any manga featuring mecha is that it's hard to tell one mech from the other. In anime you have colors and voices that let you tell the difference. In manga, you only have shading to help you out, unless you radically differentiate the robot designs from each other. A good read.

Based on the hit anime by BONES, and developed by the team of Jinsei Kataoka and Kazuma Kondou, "Eureka Seven" is now available in print. Slaving away in his grandfather's garage while stuck in the shadow of his late-great father, young Renton Thurston dreams of adventures with the Gekko State, a ragtag group of skysurfing rebels. When Eureka, a full fledged member, comes crashing down in the LFO (Light Finding Operation) robot Nirvash, it's a dream come true. When Renton helps out Eureka and joins GS, however, he soons discovers that his idols aren't all they're cracked up to be. But when Renton becomes the co-pilot to Nirvash, he and Eureka find both their destinies entwined.

The story in this first volume sets up the main plot and cast with no major changes. The illustrations are the splitting image of the cartoon. You'll also come across a few typos here and there, but they're hardly noticeable. But most importantly, the manga maintains the feel of the anime (more or less). Vol. 1 also includes several mini-comics for a good laugh.

This comic is recommended for ages 13 and up: Violence, Adult Language, Adult Situations.