I guess I've been spazzing about this in the chat enough already, but I felt it deserved a topic if anything. Eureka Seven if by far one of the better to best things I've seen on TV in a while. I typically don't like anime, but I felt the storytelling here had a unique enough edge and focus on the characters was pretty damn good. A real plus is the excellent musical scoreing (esepcailly later on in, probably the best example being episode 25.) In a first ever, I watched all the way through with moon language subtitled in English, but for the sake of staying spoiler free, I'll limit the talkings here to what has aired of the english dub on Adult Swim.
Somehow, I apperently seem to have started summaraizing episodes after this. That wasn't supposed to happen, but I just kept typing.
What you (should?) know so far:
Episode One
Renton Thurston, your typical young male anime and/or video game style protagonist was living a life he didn't particularly care for in the outskirts of an average looking town. He was about to join his grandfather's mechanic business for good, but still trying to hold on to his ambitions of doing something great like becoming a star reffer (lifter, in the english. I guess because they pronounced it 'reefing' which is mab littler sounding like drug culture to the US? Anyway, its sky surfing however you pronounce it.) Right as he comes to the head of a fight with his grandfather and storms outside, mysterious girl Eureka (Which is not pronounced like you've ever heard it. It seems closer to Errica actually) and her giant robot, the famous to the point of mythical Nirvash: Type Zero Crush his house. Why she's there is never made exactly clear, but it seems she's after repairs for her robot. Renton of course, falls for her at first sight. Renton takes the repair opportunity to exposition to us that the Compac Drive (no relation to the computer, apprently supposed to sound like the words for body and soul in japanes) is some kind of interface for humans and machines. He's puzzled as to why Eureka's giant robot works without one, so he throws his own in. She seems somewhat upset, but just before this is ever undone, some angry plot advancement missiles blow up the garage (leaving both major buildings on the lot a wreck) Eureka and Renton barely escape. She takes off, chargeing away again, and grandpa gives Renton another little piece of a compac system, this Amita Drive is supposed to be important to the Nirvash for reasons that were never really fully explained. Nevertheless, its up to renton to get into a litteral cliffhanger by diving his bike off a cliff trying to catch up with Eueka. Actually he plans to sky surf, but before this he's been really bad at it, so you're supposed to wonder.
Episode Two
Renton has a flash back to recurring plot points #1 & 2, His sister, Diane and his dead hero father, Adrock. Inspired by the beliefe he'll be able to meet his sister again some day, he triumphantly announces that he can fly and then manages to ride his sky surfing board with sudden skill. He does indeed deliver the secondary Amita drive, only to have it cause the Nirvash and Eureka to fail completely (well, more passing out for her, but you get the idea.) Plot advancement missiles start closeing in on all sides, and renton spazzes and screams and then..! Then we rip off that Evangelion episode where it shows the aftermath before it ever shows the giant robot fight, apperently. A vast area of land has been turned into the Nevada salt flats. Eureka's leader, pirate-general and lift-boarding-counter-culture-legend Holland (Who has actually been here before now, in a few sceens, but only just starts to matter) is talking to some other currently unimportant people, and then goes to see Eureka about it. She indicates that of course, it was Renton, not the Amita drive that was important. They drive Renton on back home (home sweet destroyed lot?) where grandpa has a talk with Eureka, and does some of his own angry old man spazzing at Holland. Bad history apperently. refences to Adrock are kicked around, but plot exposition rules prevent them from using any spesifics. Renton wakes up, and Holland (accompanied by the first use of one of the well scored musics) talks to him about choices of what to do next. Holland mentions the words from Adrock and Diane, a sort of motto for renton, and triggers robot ass kicking flashback. It turns out, Just as he's about to die, Eureka wakes up and tell him to belive in her, giving him a new motivation. The robot engages some kind of super weapon or otherwise super power mode that everybody standing around terms The Seven Swell. It proceeds to flash a bunch of rainbow light, then own's up the military bluebots easily. The episode ends with Holland inviting Renton to come with him back to his little pirate nation of The Gekko State. (Notice spelling, like compac, its a jappanese thing, not a 'gecko.')
Episode Three
Eureka continues to prove how strange she is to all by 'reading' the Trapar waves (/trap-arr/ Stands for 'Transparent Light' apperently. I like to call them 'plot guidance waves.') Renton says goodbye to grandpa, but in such a way that grandpa thinks "he finally accepted my point of view. I'll get him a toolkit for his mechanic job here." ha ha ha. Renton leaves with Eureka. She lets us know her robot also feels very happy about Renton sticking with them. We quickly get to her owning up on the military blockade on top of the local airport/power tower. She is apperently clearing a path so the Gekko, The big flying airship base of Holland's opperations, can get out. most of the rest of the main cast is finally on screen at least, but basically unimportant. The gekko takes off, falls, flies, and zooms away, leaving the military baffled. It's a fun sequence actually, but then, I just love powerful aerodynamic craft, what can I say. Renton and Eureka catch up, and he gets to meet the crew of the Gekko, who are unimpressed with him. Well, at least he has Eureka to get to know, right? First thing he finds out is she apperently has several young children. Whoops!
Episode Four
Renton isn't really happy with his developing life on the Gekko. He's always doing to new guy chores, and getting hollered at by everyone, particularly, Talho our lead angry woman who is ridiculously underdressed. Eureka's children are none too happy at him either, already abuseing him with keeping Eureka's attention all the time and verbally abusing him. He is also upset that the Gekko state isn't out doing much liftng, as he idolized them for their counter-culture values of, you know, surfing mannnn, and whatever else. Turns out that aside from having a powerful aircraft and several giant robots, they're piss broke though. He has the typical clueless new guy idea of having them competition lift for money, but its apperent they would much rather do a last minuted smuggling job through dangerous conditions. Renton whines the whole time they're doing the delivery job, but finally Holland sets him straight by explaining they chose this job for the fantastic trappar guyser it would let them pass through. They break through a small military base area and have some fun just riding the huge guyser before making the drop. At the end, back on the Gekko, Matthieu gets his one shot at being a non-secondary character by showing renton a little kindness and telling him that they chose the job for the reffing, like holland said, and that the competition lift would have had really weak lifting conditions. Further, it was apperently just not in their core values to lift for money, ruined their mystique or something I guess. The most important thing though, is that those kids arn't really Eureka's children. Renton is relived, but Talho quickly guilts him back into his funk.
Whew, thats all I can do for the moment, mab more later. I'm sorta just writing these to ammuse myself, but it could prove interesting to anybody who's seen it, or wants to know whats going on without seeing it. As with my ramblings on Lyoko, I'll answer whatever folks wanna know, too (not that this is as clear cut, I may be just as confused as you~)
