Eureka Seven

Eureka Seven, known in Japan as Psalms of Planets Eureka Seven, is a Japanese anime series co-produced by Bones and Bandai Entertainment, directed by Tomoki Kyoda, and written by Dai Satō. The series premiered in Japan on MBS from April 17, 2005 to April 2, 2006.

The series was licensed in North America by Bandai, with an English dub produced by Bang Zoom! Entertainment. However in 2013, Bandai lost the rights and Funimation acquired them. The series originally aired in the United States on Adult Swim in 2006 but returned to the network in 2012 as part of the Toonami block. The series was rated TV-PG-DLV and TV-14-LV on Adult Swim, with Episode 44 being rated TV-MA-V.

A sequel series, Eureka Seven: Astral Ocean, was produced and debuted in Japan on April 13 2012, but has not been shown on Adult Swim or Toonami.

Plot
The series focuses on Renton 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, a legendary lifter.

An opportunity to do so literally falls into his lap when a large mecha, called the Nirvash typeZERO, and Eureka, its pilot and a member of Gekkostate, crash into Renton's room. Renton's grandfather orders him to install a special part into the Nirvash called the "Amita Drive", which releases the immense power dormant within the typeZERO 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.

Characters
Renton Thurston — The son of the late military hero Adroc Thurston and co-pilot (later become pilot) of the Nirvash typeZERO. He is an outgoing and emotional person possessing strong ideals and compassion, yet is naive and tends to jump into matters before understanding what is going on. Before joining Gekkostate, he lived with his grandfather Axel Thurston in Bellforest, attending school and learning to be a mechanic in Axel's shop. He was heavily influenced by his sister Diane Thurston and believes that he will see her again one day. Though somewhat of a celebrity due to his relation to Adroc Thurston, Renton feels uncomfortable about being his son. His surname is recognized everywhere he travels, and he constantly feels as if he lives in his father's shadow. Renton believes Adroc was a poor father who abandoned his family for his research. After the Nirvash accidentally crashes into Renton's room next to Axel's garage, Renton meets Eureka and falls in love with her at first sight. He joins Gekkostate to follow Holland, his idol, and to be with Eureka. Renton's unusual link with the Nirvash and responsibility over his father's Amita drive are also factors in his decision.

Eureka — A pale young girl with turquoise hair and lavender eyes, she is the pilot of the Nirvash typeZERO. She treats Nirvash not like a mere machine, but as a living being, with consciousness and feelings. However, she can seem distant and awkward to other people - she has trouble communicating with other humans and understanding their feelings. She tends to appear randomly next to people, startling them at times. Initially in the anime, she suffers from frequent headaches; these stop later on, seemingly due to the presence of Renton Thurston. She is the adoptive mother of Maurice, Maeter, and Linck. Eureka is initially insecure of her role as a mother, asking Renton things such as how to scold the children and whether or not she is a good parent, but she eventually grows into her own. It is later revealed that she is actually a Coralian in human form, sent by the sentient Scub Coral to understand and communicate with humans. The Scub Coral, who had become the largest living mass on Earth, longed to connect with humanity, and created two human form Coralians to reach this goal. Sakuya came first, and she foretold of Eureka's arrival. Eureka was meant to be a blank slate, so that she would be shaped by her experiences with humanity, and bring these experiences to the Coralians. She herself is not aware of her past nor does she have any knowledge of the Coralians even though she's one herself.

Maurice, Maeter, and Linck — (collectively named after the author Maurice Maeterlinck) are three orphans adopted by Eureka, ages 8, 5, and 3 respectively. Three years before the series begins, shortly before Eureka left the SOF with Holland, Eureka found them under a pile of corpses during the massacre at Ciudades del Cielo. Shocked at the sight of the orphaned children, and the sudden consideration of her targets as people that she had killed, Eureka took them aboard the Nirvash and has taken care of them ever since. Early on, the children consider Renton to be at best a target for their amusement and at worst a direct threat to their relationship with Eureka, whom they consider to be their mother. Through the series this changes slowly, and at the end of the series, the children consider Renton their father.

Holland Novak — The leader of Gekkostate, captain of the Gekko, and pilot of the LFO Terminus typeR909. Years before the series' present, he and his companions are part of the Special Operations Force (SOF), a U.F. elite military unit, but deserted after meeting Norb and accepting his charge to protect Eureka until her partner made himself known. The events that leads to Holland's (and his squad's) desertion also leads to the incarceration of his brother Dewey, and they share a deep resentment for each other, in Holland's case beginning at that time. Holland is known as one of the greatest ref boarders alive, and is an idol to many young people, including Renton. Holland is not always as cool and composed as the photos in ray=out magazine might suggest — he often loses his temper when a situation goes wrong, or when faced with insubordination and often beats up Renton for transgressions. Initially, Holland's concern over Eureka's depression motivates him to show illogical animosity towards Renton. Eventually realizing that Renton is truly Eureka's partner, Holland decides to entrust the Coralian to Renton. Holland's relationship with Talho keeps him from getting too wild, but at times their own relationship suffers whenever he's angry. Holland truly loves Talho, but does not know how to react, especially to her fears that his absolute commitment to protecting Eureka means that he favors Eureka over Talho.

Talho Yūki — The skilled, beautiful, and somewhat temperamental head pilot of the Gekko and Holland's girlfriend. She met Holland and Dewey when the three of them served together in the military and initially worked in the Information Bureau before being demoted to a spy later on. Ray suggested her demotion was a product of her relationship with a superior officer, most likely Dewey Novak. Dewey's statement to Holland while rescuing Norb further asserts this theory: "[Holland,] you even seemed to have picked up the woman I tossed aside." Talho's refusal to leave the Gekko or see Dewey's face when Holland confronts him toward the end of the series further suggests a past relationship with Dewey. She is also best friends with Hilda. In the beginning of the series, Talho battles jealousy against Eureka, who receives most of Holland's attention, and insecurity in Holland's past relationship with Renton's older sister. She often expresses herself by lashing out in anger towards Holland and teasing Renton.

Matthieu — The easygoing, afro-haired pilot of the Terminus typeR606. He has a passion for music, and seems to be constantly bored. Matthieu seems to be responsible for gathering information from and maintaining contacts with ref boarders and DJs. Early on, he was one of the few members of the Gekkostate who showed any sympathy for Renton, although he played his fair share of jokes on him as well. He is also regarded as a genius. Matthieu and Hilda often act like husband and wife. Hilda orders Matthieu around as if he were her husband, and Matthieu treats Hilda as if she were his wife. He even calls her "honey" all the time. They also seem to watch each other's back fairly closely, which usually means Hilda warning Matthieu of something.

Hilda — The pilot of the Terminus typeR808 and Talho's best friend. She is a calm, wise, and friendly woman who holds a managerial position similar to a quartermaster on the Gekko, keeping track of Gekkostate's stores of provisions and mechanical parts. In this capacity, she is generally in charge of the frequent trips to cities to replenish the organization's supplies. When Eureka is absent, she also acts as a mother figure to Maurice, Linck, and Maeter, and is shown to be very good at cooking. Hilda appears to have a close bond with Matthieu, though it is never explicitly stated what their relationship is outside of Matthieu seldom calling her "Honey". Nonetheless, she is always looking out for him and scolding him when he does something wrong.

Stoner — The photographer and journalist for ray=out, an underground lifter-culture periodical magazine where he denounces the military's crimes and depicts the daily life of the Gekkostate members to their fans around the world. Stoner is a pacifist and, unlike most of the crew, not a ref boarder, so he does not use an LFO. Instead, he rides with Matthieu. In episode 38, he tells Eureka that he is a "war orphan". Stoner is given to expounding on his philosophical ideas at any time and place, including those which may be least appropriate, such as from the back seat of the 606 in the middle of LFO combat. He also likes to take photos mid-flight, and often requests Matthieu fly in such a way as to make his pictures come out perfectly, in spite of the situation.

Ken-Goh — Both the owner and the chief gunner of the Gekko. Not much was known about his history with Holland, but dialogue implies that he had something to do with installing the security on board the Gekko. His marksmanship skills are exceptional and his aim is legendary among the other crew members. Holland refers to him as "Maestro" from time to time. He also enjoys painting and his works are often seen in ray=out.

Mischa — The Gekkostate's doctor. Originally she was a military scientist specializing in studying Eureka and the Nirvash, and apparently left the military to follow Eureka when Holland stole her away. She has thus known Eureka for years, and is particularly attentive to her well-being. She used to be married to the famous scientist Dr. Greg Egan (also known as "Dr. Bear"), but ended it for an unknown reason. Contrary to her harsh demeanor, Mischa is a serious person who is concerned about the well-being of the crew and Eureka. For the most part, she reminds Talho and Holland often of what things they should do to keep things running well for Gekkostate, both relationship and health-wise. Even though she separated with Dr. Bear, she shows that she still has feelings for him based on her reactions.

Gonzy — Not much is known about Gonzy, but he has a habit of unexpectedly appearing nearby whenever anyone is troubled, usually sitting on a carpet and calmly drinking tea. He often invites whoever's nearby to have tea with him. Gonzy was originally a stowaway aboard the Gekko, but was allowed to stay in part because the others respect his abilities at fortune-telling. Though not a priest of Vodarac, he gives the image of a spiritualistic man. He's known to give out information out of the blue when it's most needed. When the crew went into a health craze, most of the members followed Gonzy doing various exercises to maintain health such as T'ai chi and eating healthy foods.

Jobs — Living up to his name, Jobs does the random jobs on the Gekko and also manages the majority of the hardware aboard the Gekko. Primarily, he's Gekko's engineer and often is found around the core systems room when the ship requires extra attention in powered flights or battles. He's always immaculately dressed in a shirt, vest, and tie. He also has a calm, expert bearing, but he occasionally lets these mannerisms slip when something is mentioned that particularly excites him. Like Gonzy, he was originally a stowaway, but allowed to stay because of his talents. He admires Dr. Bear, and is a huge fan of his research and engineering theories. He is modeled after Steve Jobs, one of Apple's co-founders.

Woz — Sometimes called "Woz the Whiz". He is the ship's hacker and maintains the ship's software. He and Jobs were originally stowaways aboard the Gekko, but they were invited to stay because of their technical skills. He and Jobs tend to argue over how best to configure the Gekko's systems, since Woz insists on rewriting the control systems to compensate for every modification Jobs makes while Jobs asserts that the software is fully capable of supporting the changes. His hippy attitude and grunge attire are a deep contrast to Jobs, but they seem to maintain a strong friendship anyway. He is modeled after Steve Wozniak (hence, "Woz"), another of Apple's co-founders.

Hap — The second in command, who handles Gekkostate's finances, and manages information (not to be confused with Gidget's position of communications). While on the bridge in action, Hap's job is to monitor trapar levels, though he is also there frequently at night trying to obtain intel on matters crucial to the Gekkostate. He is also one of Holland's childhood buddies (since they were three years old, he asserts), and played a key role in convincing Holland and his SOF team to desert. He gained his nickname from his ever-present "happy smile". Hap is very parsimonious when it comes to spending money and is also notably unathletic.

Gidget — The sensor and communications officer in Gekkostate. Her role is considered secondary and often she's featured relaying tactical data to crew or talking about relationship issues with Eureka. Gidget is a bit of an airhead, which she admits, but she's not tactless and will go out of her way to protect others' feelings. She's in a relationship with Moondoggie, but only after she made the first move. Renton spotted the couple having their first intimate moment while hiding in an abandoned mine in episode 16.

Moondoggie — The second-newest member of the Gekkostate (the newest being Renton). In the beginning, he was in charge of the LFO catapult systems and launch pads on board the Gekko, but later he becomes the head pilot, replacing Talho when she has to leave the post, as he is the group's only other licensed pilot. His pilot's license, seen in episode 34, lists his name as James Darren Emerson and his date of birth as 1988/06/08. His nickname is frequently shortened to "Doggie" by other members of Gekkostate, and Renton sometimes calls him "Brother Doggie", referring to Moondoggie as his older brother. As one of the youngest members of Gekkostate, Moondoggie often has confidence issues when comparing himself to the other members of Gekkostate. Even though he presents himself as someone that dislikes Renton, he's just really jealous of him and holds no real malice. He eventually explains that he initially felt he couldn't offer much to the Gekkostate, and often is bothered by the idea that he's useless. After he and Renton patch things up, despite Moondoggie's protests, they become sort of like brothers. The chance to pilot the Gekko later on allows him to rediscover his usefulness and place within the Gekko. It's obvious that Gidget loves Moondoggie, but whether he loves her is somewhat unclear.

Episodes
The series ran for a total of fifty episodes, as well as a recap special titled "Navigation ray=out", which recaps the first half of the series. Almost all of the series' episode titles correspond to real songs, composed by Japanese or foreign artists. Some of these have been stated to be intentional references, and other phrases previously only existed as song titles. However, it is unclear whether every episode title is intended as a musical reference.

The first translated Region 1 DVD volume of the series was released on April 25, 2006. In 2013, the series was licensed by Funimation, who released the entire series on Blu-ray and DVD in 2014.

Broadcast History
The series aired in Japan on MBS from April 17, 2005 to April 2, 2006. Distribution of the English version of Eureka Seven was handled by Bandai Entertainment and its affiliates. The series made its televised debut on Adult Swim in the United States from April 15, 2006 to April 28, 2007. During its premiere run, Eureka Seven was available for online viewing on Adult Swim Fix, Adult Swim's online video service, the Friday before its premiere on the channel proper.

Beginning with Episode 26, Adult Swim began airing an additional parental advisory warning for violence before each episode. In keeping with Adult Swim's practice of making jokes in such warnings, the warnings claim that they would rather air the episodes uncut since they are "American Cowboys." 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.

Adult Swim aired reruns of the series until May 2008, when it lost the rights to the series. Eureka Seven returned to Adult Swim, as part of the Toonami programming block, from August 18, 2012 to August 10, 2013.


 * Japan (MBS) — April 17, 2005 - April 2, 2006
 * United States (Adult Swim) — April 15, 2006 - May 2008; August 18, 2012 - August 10, 2013
 * Canada (YTV) — September 8, 2006 - November 16, 2007
 * Australia (Adult Swim) — July 4, 2007 - 2008

Toonami Broadcast History
Eureka Seven premiered on Adult Swim's Toonami programming block on August 18, 2012, replacing Deadman Wonderland at 1:30 AM. On November 10th, the series moved to the 2:30 AM time slot. On December 1st, the series moved to the 3:00 AM time slot for two weeks before shifting back to 2:30 AM on December 15th. On July 27, 2013, the series moved back to the 3:00 AM time slot. On August 10, 2013, the series ended its run on Toonami and was subsequently replaced in the lineup by Star Wars: The Clone Wars.


 * Toonami (United States) — August 18, 2012 - August 10, 2013