Eureka Seven Volume 6

Faced with the decision as to where to go next, Renton reluctantly decides to leave the Beams’ ship and return to the Gekkostate. Unfortunately the military are moving in on the Gekko with the inevitable outcome of an armed confrontation, placing him in the centre of it all.

We’ve now reached the midpoint of the series – has it really been twenty-five episodes already? Perhaps surprisingly (or perhaps not, if the series was original scheduled to be aired as two separate seasons back to back), #25 is a pivotal moment in the story that those of us following the show have no doubt been waiting to see for a while. The aerial scenes are superb and the characterisation are of the high standards we’ve come to expect from the series so far; I daren’t say any more on this new development in fear of spoiling it for you. Seriously!

Onto other things, then. The showdown between Beams and Holland had to happen sooner or later but even after the events of #25 I can’t say the importance of it paled much in comparison with the other events that are going on – it’s pretty violent stuff, too. Details and explanations are fed into the flow of the story gradually and at intervals, although until now those surrounding Holland’s military history have largely been left for the viewer to guess on their own. One heck of a lot is explained in this volume, especially in regards to how the Beams and certain members of the Gekkostate are connected; things have certainly moved on from Renton’s wanderings and soul-searching. I actually felt really sorry for Ray and Charles with their difficult situation, which is no mean feat considering that they only appeared in the last volume or so; one thing that always impresses me in this show is how it puts so much time and care into portraying the characters’ feelings and motives; especially through seemingly trivial details that other shows wouldn’t necessarily draw attention to.

Even Nicholas gets some screen time here, although sadly the fascinating and somewhat unbalanced Anemone doesn’t make an appearance this time around. Nicholas’ investigation unearths some intriguing facts about the Thurston legacy though, which gives plenty to think about alongside Talho’s revelations about Eureka’s origins. Other asides, not least the origins of the Nirvash, are also included here: again, E7’s attention to detail comes through. In mecha shows it’s not often that we’re prompted to think about the ‘behind the scenes’ of futuristic combat or exactly where the robots themselves come from. Here, we visit a bona fide LFO factory which is meeting the needs of the contract for a new top-secret military division and shows the engineers at work: that is to say the guys and gals with white coats and toolkits who build the things and test the weaponry that we’ve seen in action so often. Although it sheds a lot of light on the Nirvash’s history, the inclusion of the working lives of the researchers and mechanics rounds the volume off nicely.

In Summary

As Eureka Seven enters its second half the plot developments are still moving forward apace and the characters are continuing to develop too. It is perhaps a series that demands a larger than average investment both in terms of time and money, but when a show uses a high episode count to its advantage in weaving a complex story with engaging characters, it’s all the more rewarding to watch. Out of 2007’s new DVD releases, this series is still proving to be the most enjoyable.