| Eureka Seven | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Key visual of the series, featuringEureka (left) andRenton Thurston (right) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 交響詩篇エウレカセブン (Kōkyōshihen Eureka Sebun) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Created by | Bones | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Directed by | Tomoki Kyoda | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Written by | Dai Satō | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Music by | Naoki Satō | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Studio | Bones | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Original network | JNN (MBS) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Original run | April 17, 2005 – April 2, 2006 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Episodes | 50 + 1 special(List of episodes) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Eureka Seven, known in Japan asPsalms of Planets Eureka Seven (Japanese:交響詩篇エウレカセブン,Hepburn:Kōkyōshihen Eureka Sebun;lit. "Symphonic Psalms Eureka Seven"), is a Japaneseanime television series created and produced byBones. The series was directed byTomoki Kyoda, with series composition byDai Satō, character designs byKenichi Yoshida and music byNaoki Satō.Eureka Seven tells the story ofRenton Thurston and the outlaw group Gekkostate, his relationship with the enigmatic mecha pilotEureka, and the mystery of the Coralians. The fifty-episode series aired onMBS between April 2005 and April 2006.
The series spawned six manga adaptations, a light novel, three video games and a feature-length anime film which was released in April 2009. One of the manga titledEureka Seven: AO which was serialized inMonthly Shōnen Ace between January 2012 and October 2013, was further adapted into an anime series which aired twenty-four episodes between April and November 2012.Eureka Seven was well received by critics and earned several awards at numerous award shows in Japan, most notably the 2006 Tokyo International Anime Fair.
The series focuses onRenton Thurston, the fourteen-year-old son of Adrock Thurston, a military researcher who died saving the world. He lives what he considers a boring life with his grandfather in a boring town. He loves lifting, a sport similar to surfing but with trapar, a substance abundant throughout the air, as the medium. He dreams of joining the renegade group Gekkostate, led by his idol Holland Novak, a legendary lifter.
An opportunity to do so literally falls into his lap when a largemechanical robot, called the Nirvash type ZERO, andEureka, its pilot and a member of Gekkostate, crash into Renton's room. Renton's grandfather orders him to deliver a special part to the Nirvash called the "Amita Drive", which releases the immense power dormant within the type ZERO called the "Seven Swell Phenomenon". Afterwards, Renton is invited to join Gekkostate, where he quickly discovers that the behind-the-scenes life of Gekkostate is hardly as glamorous or as interesting as printed in the glossy pages of their magazine,ray=out. Only one thing makes it all worthwhile for him: the presence of Eureka, the mysterious pilot of the Nirvash. Renton, Eureka, and the Gekkostate embark on an adventure that will shape their future as well as the world's.
The series was made by Bones and co-produced by Bandai Entertainment. Bandai Entertainment provided the title and handled the creative aspects of the series.[4] Bandai had originally proposed a mecha anime series to the animation studio Bones. The studio had initially rejected it, but later reversed its position because it had already planned to create an anime using mecha designs byShoji Kawamori. With the appointment of directorTomoki Kyoda and writerDai Satō, Bandai's proposal was more or less scrapped and the staff began work on their own series that would becomeEureka Seven.[5]
While conceptualizingEureka Seven, Kyoda "wanted something that reflected the music and the subculture of his generation—and a love story."[6] As such the show contains several references from music of the 1980s and the 1990s, and almost all of the show's episodes are named after real songs, composed by both Japanese and foreign artists.[6][7]
The director wished to design the series as one that would at first focus on the personal elements and conflicts of the characters, then subsequently move the framework into a broader scale and perspective. The series' two halves each have their own very clear focus that reflects this design choice.[8]
With the premise of the surfer robots in mind, Satō interviewed several real-life surfers and came to the conclusion that they are close to nature. From this perception, he envisioned the environmental thematic as central point of the story. He said "I thought it might be an effective message for children, especially in Japan. It's pretty veiled. I didn't want to be preachy."[6]
Eureka Seven consists of fifty episodes which aired from April 17, 2005, to April 2, 2006, on theMainichi Broadcasting System andTokyo Broadcasting System networks.
Eureka Seven was available for online viewing on theAdult Swim Fix,Adult Swim's online video service before its televised debut on the Adult Swim channel between April 16, 2006, and ended on April 29, 2007. Adult Swim traditionally cut down the opening and ending themes from each episode to fit the series to American television's time restraints, which resulted in the final episode's first airing having actual content cut from it as the episode originally had no theme song sequences; it was re-aired properly the following week. In Canada,Eureka Seven premiered onYTV'sBionix block on September 8, 2006.[9]
Bandai Entertainment and its affiliates distributed the English version ofEureka Seven.[10] It was released in the United States and Canada by Bandai Visual USA, in the United Kingdom by Beez Entertainment, and in Australia byMadman Entertainment. The first translated Region 1 DVD volume of the series was released on April 25, 2006, in the U.S., while the European Region 2 version was released on September 25, 2006. The English version was produced byBang Zoom! Entertainment in Burbank, California. Following the 2012 closure of Bandai Entertainment,Funimation acquired the rights to the TV series and re-released the series on Blu-ray and DVD in 2014.[11]
An anime sequel titledEureka Seven: AO began airing on April 12, 2012, and ended on November 20, 2012. There is a total of 24 episodes. It has been released in Japan on Blu-ray and DVD, along with an OVA titled "The Flower Fields of Jungfrau". AnONA episode, serving as an expanded finale for the series, was released in five parts from January 10 to March 2, 2017. On May 16, 2013, Funimation announced the official release date in English dub. The first twelve dubbed episodes were released on DVD/Blu-ray on August 13, 2013, and the rest of the series released on October 15, 2013.[12][13] On January 6, 2014,Manga Entertainment released the first half of the series,[14] with the second half released on March 10.[15]
Eureka Seven uses ten pieces oftheme music. The opening themes ofEureka Seven are "Days" byFlow (episodes 1–13), "Shōnen Heart" (少年ハート,Shōnen Hāto) byHome Made Kazoku (episodes 14–26), "Taiyō no Mannaka e" (太陽の真ん中へ; "To the Center of the Sun"), byBivattchee (episodes 27–32, 34–39) and "Sakura" byNirgilis (episodes 40–49). The ending themes are "Himitsu Kichi" (秘密基地; "Secret Base") by Kozue Takada (episodes 1–13, 26), "Fly Away", by Asami Izawa (episodes 14–25), "Tip Taps Tip", byHalcali (episodes 27–39) and "Canvas", by Coolon (episodes 40–49). The two insert songs are "Storywriter", bySupercar and "Niji" (虹; "Rainbow"), byDenki Groove (episode 50).[citation needed]
The soundtrack music is available on three different albums composed byNaoki Satō and a variety of other artists who composed insert songs used in the series. The first and second soundtrack albums were released on November 2, 2005[16] and April 5, 2006, respectively.[17] The third soundtrack, titledEureka Seven: Complete Best include the full-length versions of the opening and ending themes for both the series and game, as well as the insert song for the final episode.[18][19]
The anime adaptation ofEureka Seven: AO uses six pieces of theme music. For the 13 first episodes, the opening theme is "Escape" performed byHemenway and the ending theme is "stand by me" byStereopony. Starting with episode 14, the opening theme changes to "Bravelue" (ブレイブルー,Bureiburū) performed byFLOW and the ending theme changes to "Iolite" (アイオライト,Aioraito) performed by joy. The two insert songs are "Parallel Sign" and "Seven Swell", both performed byLAMA.
A manga adaptation of the original anime was created by Jinsei Kataoka and Kazuma Kondou. The manga was published byKadokawa Shoten and began serialization inMonthly Shōnen Ace from the March 2005 issue and ended in the January 2007 issue, with a total of 23 chapters. The chapters were later compiled into sixvolumes.Viz Media published the manga digitally.[20] A second manga titledEureka Seven: Gravity Boys and Lifting Girl (エウレカセ ブン グラヴィティボーイズ&リフティングガール,Eureka Sebun Guravuiti Bōizu & Rifutingu Gāru) by Miki Kizuki, features theprotagonists of the video gamesNew Wave andNew Vision. It was published by Kadokawa Shoten and serialized inComptiq magazine. Two volumes were released on November 7, 2005, and September 26, 2006, respectively.[21][22] Viz Media also published this series digitally.[23] A manga adapting a proposed alternative ending of the series, titledPsalms of Planets Eureka Seven New Order was serialized inComptiq byKadokawa Shoten between June 2012 and May 2013 and compiled into two volumes.[24]
On December 22, 2011, Kadokawa Shoten'sMonthly Shōnen Ace magazine announced that a sequel manga titledEureka Seven: AO based on the sequel series would be launched in their January 2012 issue. It featured an original story by Bones and was illustrated by Yūichi Katō. The manga concluded in October 2013, with a total of 21 chapters spanning over five volumes. Aspin-off manga titledEureka Seven AO: Save a Prayer began in February in Kadokawa Shoten'sNewtype A and concluded in June 2013, and focuses on a girl named Yuna and her two friends as they make their way from becoming trainees in Generation Bleu's Headquarters. It was compiled into two volumes. A manga titledEureka Seven Nano was published as a4koma in Kadokawa Shoten's4-koma Nano A from July 2012 to January 2013, and featured characters from theAO series. It was compiled into one volume.
A light novel series written by Tomonori Sugihara and illustrated by Robin Kishiwada was published byKadokawa Shoten under their male oriented Sneaker Bunko label in 2005 and 2006.Bandai Entertainment released all four volumed in English between 2009 and 2011. A novelization of the filmPocketful of Rainbows sharing the same name, also written by Tomonori Sugihara and illustrated by Hiroki Kazui and Seiji was released on May 1, 2009.[25]
Eureka Seven has four video games, developed byBandai and laterNamco Bandai Games. The first to be released wasEureka Seven Vol. 1: The New Wave (エウレカセブン TR1:NEW WAVE,Eureka Sebun TR1: Nyū Uēbu), which was released in Japan on October 27, 2005, and in North America on October 24, 2006.[26] The game features a different cast of characters and takes place two years before the anime. A sequel,Eureka Seven Vol. 2: The New Vision (エウレカセブン NEW VISION,Eureka Sebun: Nyū Bijon), was released in Japan on May 11, 2006, and in North America on April 17, 2007.[27]New Vision takes place two years after the events ofNew Wave. Both games were released on thePlayStation 2 and feature the theme song "Realize", sung byFlow. APlayStation Portable game sharing the same name of the anime was released on April 6, 2006, in Japan. This game is based on the events from the first half of the show.[28] An action game based on theAO sequel series,Eureka Seven: AO Attack the Legend, was released on thePlayStation 3 on September 20, 2012.
Atheatrical adaptation,Eureka Seven: Good Night, Sleep Tight, Young Lovers (Japanese:交響詩篇エウレカセブン ポケットが虹でいっぱい,Hepburn:Kōkyōshihen Eureka Sebun: Poketto ga Niji de Ippai; subtitle literally "Pocketful of Rainbows"), was first announced in the May 2008 issue ofNewtype; it was publicly released on April 25, 2009, duringGolden Week, with the animation production handled byKinema Citrus.[29] It contained a newmythos in an alternative universe, despite still featuring Renton and Eureka as the main characters, and confirming the events of the original series happened in a parallel world.[30] The main theme song for the film is "Space Rock", byiLL.
Good Night, Sleep Tight, Young Lovers screened at select theaters nationwide in the U.S. for a one night–only special event on September 24, 2009, courtesy of Fathom Events.[31][32] The film also played at the Fantasia Festival in Montreal on July 28, 2009.
A second three-part theatrical adaptation,Eureka Seven: Hi-Evolution (交響詩篇エウレカセブン ハイエボリューション,Kōkyōshihen Eureka Sebun: Haieboryūshon), was announced on March 17, 2017. The film trilogy takes place before and during the events of the original series, as well as having an original story.[33] The first film,Eureka Seven: Hi-Evolution 1 (交響詩篇エウレカセブン ハイエボリューション1,Kōkyōshihen Eureka Sebun: Haieboryūshon 1), was released on September 16, 2017. It shows the "First Summer of Love" phenomenon, previously only alluded to in the series and retells the "Charles and Ray" arc (mainly episodes 22–27) of the original. The second film, taking place in an alternative universe and focusing on Anemone, was released on November 10, 2018, under the titleAnemone: Eureka Seven Hi-Evolution (ANEMONE/交響詩篇エウレカセブン ハイエボリューション,Anemone: Kōkyōshihen Eureka Sebun: Haieboryūshon).[34] The last film, titledEureka: Eureka Seven Hi-Evolution (EUREKA/交響詩篇エウレカセブン ハイエボリューション,Eureka: Kōkyōshihen Eureka Sebun: Haieboryūshon) was originally planned for release in 2019,[35] but was delayed to early summer 2021.[36] It was delayed again to November 26, 2021.[37][38] A three-episode short ONA prequel series for the movies,Eureka Seven: Hi-Evolution Zero, was released from January 15 to January 29, 2020.
At Anime Boston,Masahiko Minami confirmed that the first film of the trilogy would premiere in Japan, the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand in Fall 2017, and thatFunimation would distribute the film in the United States.[39]Madman Entertainment distributed the film in Australia and New Zealand.[40]Anime Limited distributed the film in the UK.[41]Odex distributed the film inSoutheast Asian territories.[42]Crunchyroll screened the third film in North America on May 17 and 18, 2022.[43]
Towards the end of its original Japanese run,Eureka Seven won multiple awards at the 2006 Tokyo International Anime Fair, including Best Television Series, Best Screenplay forDai Satō, and Best Character Designs forKenichi Yoshida.[44] Yoshida, the series' main animator and character designer, also received an individual award at the 10th Animation Kobe Awards in September 2005.[45] The series also won an award at the 20th Digital Content Grand Prix in Japan in January 2006.[46] At the Anime Expo 2006 SPJA Awards,Eureka Seven won the award for Best Television Series, and Best Female Character forEureka.[47]Anime Insider voted it "Best DVD Series of the Year" in 2006.[48] During a conference in 2010, writer Dai Satō claimed that many anime fans dismissedEureka Seven as a clone ofNeon Genesis Evangelion without even watching it.[49]
