Saturday, March 31, 2012

MACROSS FRONTIER

5 stars out of 5

The power of songs saves humanity…again! That’s right; I’m talking about Macross Frontier the latest entry to the long running Macross saga. Macross Frontier is a Mecha Space-Opera Anime with a great plot, amazing dog-fights, a love triangle, and some of the best songs to come out of an anime.


 (Left)Sheryl, (Center) Alto, (Right) Ranka


Story

Macross Frontier is set in the same universe as the past Macross series. It is the year 2059 and humanity continues to travel the galaxy in search for planets to colonize. The story takes place in the Macross Frontier Colony Fleet, where during a reconnaissance mission a squad is wiped out by a powerful and mysterious insectoid biomechanical life form known as the Vajra. As such the overarching plot is the conflict with Vajra. The story however revolves around our trio of characters: Alto Satome, Sheryl Nome, and Ranka Lee. Like all Macross series, Macross F keeps many themes commonly found in the Macross series but also manages to set itself apart from the rest. 



Characters

While the overarching plot to Macross F is the conflict with the Vajra and discovering their motives, the real meat of the story is in the three main characters and their roles in the conflict. Because the cast of Macross F is rather large, there is not enough time to develop them all but we do get enough interaction to appreciate them and not completely forget them.



The main cast


Alto Satome is a 17 year old high school student who attends the Mihoshi Academy Pilot Course. Due to his beauty and long hair he is often mistook for a girl and as such has earned the nickname “Hime (Princess)” Born into a well known Kabuki family, Alto was raised as a Kabuki actor; but after his mother’s death and bad relationship with his father he left his home and was disowned. A talented flyer, his skills eventually leads him to become a pilot for the SMS private military provider. Throughout the series we see his growth as a pilot and his relationship with those around him, particularly with Sheryl and Ranka hence, the love triangle. We also see him coming to terms with his past and what his dream is.

Sheryl Nome is a 17 year old pop idol from the Macross Galaxy Fleet who visits the Macross Frontier Fleet to do a concert. Incredibly famous, she is known as the “Galactic Fairy” and it is said that it’s impossible to not hear her songs if you live in the galaxy. She usually comes off as proud and self-centered due to her beauty and singing career. She meets Alto for the first time when Alto serves as a backup performer during her concert. At first she takes no notice to him, but successive meetings show her developing feelings for him.

Ranka Lee is a 16 year old girl who works part-time at a Chinese restaurant and dreams of becoming a singer like Sheryl. Being a quarter Zentradi she has a higher resistance to the vacuum of space and can move her hair according to her feelings. A very cheerful and lively girl, she suffers from post-traumatic stress syndrome which due to a certain event during her childhood. She has suppressed the memory of the event and it only resurfaces when she sees death and panic all around. Ranka is connected to the Vajra which is later explained in the series. She lives with her adoptive older brother Ozma Lee and loves him very much. Her first encounter with Alto is when she’s trying to get to Sheryl’s concert and bumps into a shirtless Alto, whom she stares in awe and mistakes him for a girl. Early on she develops feelings for him. Ranka is more or less the opposite of Sheryl, from her looks to her personality.


I’d mistake him for a girl too.

There are still a number of characters to be mentioned, from Alto’s Squad leader Ozama Lee and Squad mates Luca and Michael to the crew of the Macross Quarter battle ship that it’d take forever to go into detail about them. But each of those characters is given memorable performances to make up for the lack of character development.



Themes

            Since Macross F is a mecha anime, it’s only natural to see similarities with other mecha animes. For one thing, humanity has migrated into space in search for a new home and possesses very advanced technology; namely the transformable fighter planes and gigantic Macross-Class battle ships (which transform too). Another similarity is that of an unknown life form coming into contact with humans; such as in Eureka Seven. The Vajra can be compared to the Coralians and Ranka can be compared to Eureka based on their connections to the Vajra/Coralians. Interactions between races are also something seen in various series, not just mecha animes. In Macross humans have encountered, fought, and eventually made peace with the Zentradi; a race of giants. Much like other science fiction series, where humans live with aliens races. The UN Spacy which is the name of the military in Macross is also seen in other series such as Gundam. Like in Gundam, Macross F a political element that adds to the simple conflict of fighting off the Vajra.





Presentation

            Being a 2008 anime, the production values were great. The character designs were very good, the animation was great; though faulty at times and the mechs were gorgeous. The dog fights were especially well done too. But the real winner here is the soundtrack. Macross is known for having a lot of music, as its one of its central themes and as such the tracks in Macross F were phenomenal. The singing styles of Sheryl and Ranka were like night and day: with Sheryl’s being louder and fiercer while Ranke’s were softer and upbeat. As a result a lot of credit must be given to May’n (Sheryl’s singing voice) and Megumi Nakejima (who did Ranka’s role in both talking and singing) and to the rest of the group who took part in the musical aspect of Macross F.



Some of the visuals you can expect


Easter Eggs

Because Macross F celebrated the 25th anniversary of the original Super Dimension Fortress Macross it share’s many similarities with it and other Macross series. The biggest ones being how most of the main cast can be compared to a character from the original title. An example being how Ranka Lee = Lin Minmay. Both girls aspired to be singers, worked in a Chinese restaurant and were rescued the same way in the 2nd episode. As such Macross F is much more appreciated with prior knowledge of the Macross universe but can still be viewed by itself without missing too much. The story gives enough background so the viewer isn’t completely lost, and the themes found in other Macross series work fine as standalone so the idea that humanity’s only hope is the power of song is a bit silly but gets through just fine. The love triangle is also very interesting to see. Alto develops genuine feeling for the Sheryl and Ranka and their interactions add to the experience. I watched Macross F first and liked it, and then I went back and watched the original and some of its OVA/Movies and re-watched Macross F…and loved it even more.



Final Thoughts

            Macross Frontier is a wonderful anime, although not without its faults. For fans of the old school Macross; this won’t be nostalgic but a fresh new feel to the Macross saga, while still being Macross at heart. For newcomers, the plot is interesting and the characters are all well done. The animation is great, and the music is top notch.  Romance, awesome dog fights and awesome music all make up part of the experience that is Macross Frontier.
You have to love the triangle motif. Even the opening theme is called “Triangular”


* Macross Frontier was produced by Satelight.
- J





Monday, March 19, 2012

GHOST IN THE SHELL 2.0

Shortly before the turn of the century the Internet revolutionized the way humans exchange information. In many respects, mankind managed to create a world parallel to our own. There have been countless works of fiction devoted to expounding upon the implications of our inception of virtual reality, the book Neuromancer being among the earliest examples. Human beings, as such fictional works continue to demonstrate, are inherently curious as to what our lives can evolve into if only we were able to directly connect with this intangible network of raw data. As confusing as it is for some to define what "life" and "humanity" are, imagine the complications that would arise if people had to include machine technology into such an equation. Mamoru Oshii directs the film adaptation of Shirow Masamune's original Ghost in the Shell manga, which addresses questions about the meaning of life that will be pertinent for many years to come.

Motoko Kusanagi, our protagonist.

This review specifically engages the remastered edition of the original 1995 Ghost in the Shell film, hence Ghost in the Shell 2.0. That point aside, the narrative is the same. The film takes place in Japan in the year 2029. At this point in time humans have managed to successfully join human flesh and consciousness into machinery, so much so that many people have at least some form of cybernetic implants within them. The story revolves around Section 9, an anti-terrorism unit tracking down a person attempting to "ghost hack" (taking over one's consciousness) the interpreter for the Minister of Foreign Affairs. Section 9 suspects this might be the work of the Puppet Master, an impossibly skillful hacker, and they believe he meant to control the interpreter so that she can kill a foreign diplomat the Minister is scheduled to meet. What Section 9 uncovers about the Puppet Master is what makes the film so profound: the Puppet Master is an artificial intelligence that claims to be sentient.


The tale is rather straight-forward and not too complex if one pays close attention to the boring and seemingly irrelevant political jargon the film starts off with. The story is based on several short stories that composed the Ghost in the Shell manga. Those who have read the manga and follow the Ghost in the Shell multimedia franchise come into this film with a slight advantage; Shirow Masamune's vision of the future is rich, with a developed political landscape and technological innovations unimaginable. The only issues newcomers would encounter is the referral to the human consciousness or soul as a "ghost". The term is most often used by Major Motoko Kusanagi, the female protagonist. She constantly follows her intuition or instincts, or in other words, her ghost frequently "whispers" to her and she follows what her ghost is saying. The simple task of switching "ghost" with "consciousness" makes the rest of the film a lot easier to understand.

The film deals with some heavy philosophical and ethical themes, which elevates it far above what people normally consider animation to be: childish and without relevance to mature, important matters. Motoko Kusanagi, for example, goes through an existential crisis as she ponders on the myriad cybernetics at work within her body. She doesn't know whether or not her thoughts are really her own or if they are a result of complex programming codes. The moments in which she expresses her frustrations are somewhat unnatural and forced, as if she carefully planned to tell people. The odd dialogue is a consequence of both bad writing and film length, which clocks in at under ninety minutes. It's a shame because Motoko's questions actually address the franchise's concerns about humanity's relation to technology, but in synoptic spurts of dialogue.


The Major speaks with the Puppet Master.


The Puppet Master's claim to be a sentient life form raises some interesting ethical issues, even if such matters are dated to the Millennial generation. The qualifications for being not only "alive" but also intelligent is a question that biological science and religion claim to have solved long ago. If cyborgs are brought into the argument, generally people can agree upon the notion that a person with technological implants is still in possession of a human "ghost". Artificial intelligence, on the other hand, needs to acquire some seed of "humanity", such as the ability to overcome programming limitations and develop volition, in order for people to consider them as being even remotely alive. This issue is at the heart of many science fiction stories, and will likely remain in the fictional realm for some time because of the lack of actual hyper-advanced AI. Ghost in the Shell 2.0 manages to avoid seeming too dated precisely because many people still see AI sentience as either possible, or at least a narrative treasure trove to be mined until there is nothing to write.

The animation for the film is impressive. To be clear, there was nothing particularly wrong with the animation of the first film. The animation in 2.0 however is very clean and sleek, similar to the work done on Dragon Ball Z: Kai. Points of contention for fans of the original Ghost in the Shell film revolve around the color palette, which was originally composed of many cool greens and blues but was traded for warm yellow and orange. The debate is not worth anyone's time and is largely a matter of preference or indifference. Another large change is the inclusion of 3D-CGI. This would also be of little consequence if not for the occasions it is applied to Major Motoko Kusanagi's body. Vehicles are often rendered in CGI in contemporary animation. People are another story entirely. For a character to arbitrarily be rendered in CGI at times is distracting.


Batou of Public Security Section 9.


The music is the same for both versions of the film, and this was a brilliant decision. The film often features the haunting chants of Japanese folk singers, accompanied by a chime, large drum and deep, atmospheric string instruments. The music often plays as the film shows scenes without dialogue, instead entertaining audiences with panoramic views and visual spectacle. Whether or not the music is meant to evoke an overwhelming sense of dread, solemnity, anxiety or awe depends on an individual's personal attitude regarding the future of man and machine; one may experience all of the aforementioned feelings at the same time.

Ghost in the Shell 2.0 is both a product of its time and a prophetic view of a feasible future. One thing the film does successfully is simplify the ideas within the original manga, which become incredibly abstract and theoretical towards the end of the story. The philosophical and ethical issues raised in the series are not universally appealing or even interesting to a majority of people, so the simplification of highly intellectual matters should be appreciated. This film, along with works like Akira, helped anime capture the attention of American audiences during the 1990's, when Japanese culture seemed to explode onto the global scene.



 * Ghost in the Shell 2.0 was produced by Production I.G. It is available for viewing on Netflix instant stream.

- Elijah Lee

Sunday, March 18, 2012

Musings of the Editor-in-Chief

Hello everyone, this is Elijah Lee. It's a wonderful Sunday afternoon, the sun is shining, and I think it's a good time for me to take a minute to inform readers of how the site has been doing and what's going on in the near future.

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

DEVIL MAY CRY

3.5 stars out of 5.

Devil May Cry is an anime spin-off of the Capcom video game franchise. The games do not emphasize plot and narrative; the game's strengths lie in its exciting and stylish action, where players must fight and connect combos in ways that increase their overall combat rating. The anime brilliantly follows the same formula, avoiding the alienation of strangers to the franchise with tedious background info . It's easy for newcomers to accuse Devil May Cry of preferring style over substance; instead consider how its style constitutes as its substance.

Dante.

Dante is the progeny of a mortal woman and the demon lord Sparda. Sparda protected the mortal world from the threatening forces of the demon world over two thousand years ago. Sparda is dead, but his son is just as powerful, and so many demons seek to devour Dante's soul in order to obtain his strength and rule over the demon world. Dante, however, doesn't care about such politics. He runs an odd jobs business called “Devil May Cry” and takes any work he's offered in order to pay off his ever-increasing debts. Viewers of the anime quickly figure this out, and this is the most information we are given about Dante.

The episodes are mostly stand alone, a format similar to Supernatural: The Animated Series, also produced by MADHOUSE Inc. Dante is hired for a job that seems boring and simple until he discovers that demons are involved in some way. He cleverly uses deductive skills to lure the monster out of hiding, and then he slays the beast. The show cannot be lauded for narrative innovation. Like the video games, Devil May Cry's atmosphere is what's enticing. Dante is practically immortal, suffering what seems like fatal wounds only to shrug them off. He typically disposes of demons with his twin guns Ebony and Ivory, which have infinite ammo.

Patty and Morrison.

Dante and Patty, a young girl he is hired to protect, are the central characters. Dante's care-free attitude and penchant for leaving garbage all over the house clashes with Patty's bratty but responsible nature. She screams at him and he ignores her, which makes for many funny moments. After some time Dante's attitude becomes a problem for everyone he knows. He gambles but always loses his bets, and so he owes everyone something; the amount of money he owes his friend Lady, for example, is never specified, but he takes jobs to pay off this insurmountable debt. At the end of day, Dante likely doesn't owe anyone anything, but everyone needs a favor and so he obliges.

MADHOUSE Inc.'s visual aesthetics are decent, not superb. Their other recent shows, such as Rideback and Claymore, easily verify that sentiment. The animation vacillates between being pretty good some episodes and a bit crude in others. The show's mood is a mix of excitement and dark violence, which is reflected in the color palette; fight animation is often heavily shaded, but there are a fair mix of bright colors that reflect the show's comedic and cheerful moments. But when fights break out, the only color that stands out is the bright red blood flying across the room. The show does not miss an opportunity to splash a room in red.

Sid, an odd demon nuisance.

Devil May Cry's soundtrack is focused around creating variations of the main theme, which is in itself an exhilarating assault of guitars and violin. Grave or solemn moments in the show are accompanied by a slow piano variant, and moments where Dante is about to shoot someone are coupled with what sounds like a Spanish folk guitar, as if he were engaged in a Mexican standoff. The music, like everything else about the show, exudes style above all; the soundtrack sticks to a familiar melody and makes it unforgettable.

If there's one thing MADHOUSE Inc. is good at, it's producing badass anime. Many of their works are well known to American audiences, including Ninja Scroll, Trigun, Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust and Claymore. They're all violent and bloody and certainly not for children. Devil May Cry lives up to the MADHOUSE legacy, and does so with the confidence and narcissism only a best-selling franchise could claim. The first minute and a half makes this very clear...


* Devil May Cry was produced by MADHOUSE Inc. It is available through Netflix instant streaming.

Thursday, March 8, 2012

A Few Thoughts on ROSARIO + VAMPIRE

3.5 stars out of 5.

I have to admit, the thought of harem and ecchi anime used to leave a bad taste in my mouth. They're rife with childish innuendo and fan service, and center around a protagonist who inexplicably manages to attract numerous women while being the most cowardly and impotent person anyone can ever conjur up. When someone suggested Rosario Vampire to me, I wanted to see if there was anything particularly special about this show that separates it from others in the same genre. I have to say, I was impressed.


Moka, whose vampire powers are contained within a rosary.


Story

     Tsukune Aono is getting ready to apply for high school when his father stumbles upon a random acceptance letter to Yokai Academy, dropped by an unfortunate passerby and left on the street. His father gives it to Tsukune, who soon after departs for school. The bus driver warns him that Yokai Academy is a dangerous place, but at this point there's no turning back. Tsukune walks through the woods in order to reach campus; he is hit by Moka as she rides by on a bicycle. She smells the blood running from Tsukune's nose and is incredibly attracted to it. Moka reveals she is a vampire shortly before biting Tsukune on the neck. He doesn't realize that she's being completely serious; all of the people at Yokai Academy are monsters in human disguise. And because of Tsukune's unique human scent, Moka and all of the female monsters find themselves infatuated with him.

The series is without an overarching plot or a criminal mastermind. The experience of watching Tsukune sneak in some private time with Moka while the other female characters fight over him is what audiences should derive their entertainment from, and this is the case for both seasons. The first season focuses on Tsukune's growing adjusted to Yokai while hiding his human identity. Humans aren't supposed to be able to enter school grounds because it hides behind an extra-dimensional veil; only the school bus can move through this veil. In addition, humans are hated by monsters because of the torment we've inflicted upon them over the centuries. By the time the second season begins, Tsukune's fears are mostly gone, but he still has half a dozen girls who are after him. The episodes become small vignettes of each character's unique experience with Tsukune.

Moka and Tsukune.


Characters

     Tsukune perfectly plays the role of a harem anime male lead. In the footsteps of the Tenchi legacy, Tsukune is befuddled by the numerous girls and women who love him. He is specifically interested in Moka, and often the two of them stare at eachother and whisper eachother's names. When it seems as if they are about to kiss, Moka instead bites him on the neck and draws blood. This happens almost at the end of every episode, serving as a metaphorical release of sexual tension.

Tsukune is not an interesting character in his own right; the girls he interacts with are far more interesting. His role is to facilitate for comedic situations and open the door for human-monster conflicts. Many episodes center around Tsukune being antagonized by a monster in a way specific to that monster's myth. For example, when Tsukune meets Kurumu (a succubus), he finds himself drawn to her and losing control of his actions; this presents a problem for Moka, who likes Tsukune, as she continues to spot him and Kurumu in very erotic situations. This is resolved through Moka transforming into a powerful vampire and beating Kurumu in battle. While these interactions are rather shallow and expected, there is a melodramatic element to Rosario+Vampire that entices viewers much like soap opera or reality television does.

Tsukune's harem.


TV-MA

     I chose to rate this show a 3.5 out of 5 because it's unabashedly raunchy. Harem anime centers around sexual tension and innuendo. Sex is taboo for many cultures; sexuality in animation is almost unheard of. Many don't see animation as mature enough for violence and coarse language and sex. Rosario+Vampire flips these notions around and gets to the heart of the harem genre: fan service. All of the girls at Yokai Academy have short skirts and exposed panties. Kurumu and Yukari (a witch) are constantly comparing breast sizes. Kurumu also rubs her large breasts against Tsukune's body everytime they meet. In one episode, a teacher gets incredibly horny for Tsukune and moans and mounts him as if getting ready for sex. In addition to the show's overabundance of libido, there is a lot of foul language; everything but the "F word" is spoken.

Rosario+Vampire unapologetically flaunts its breasts and panties in every episode. For fans of harem anime, this show should not disappoint. And for those who have read the manga, the show is much more exaggerated, vulgar and graphic. It's not pornographic, but the show sure does straddle the line.


Moka's panties.


* Rosario+Vampire was produced by Gonzo. It is available for viewing on Netflix instant stream.

Thursday, March 1, 2012

EUREKA SEVEN

Writing an anime review is often a futile attempt to encapsulate an experience, which simply cannot be done. Ideal animation entices viewers through dream-like visuals and montage, supplemented by music and an engaging narrative that constantly unfolds before us . We become voyeurs peeking into the lives of people we do not know, but grow emotionally attached to once the story is done. A decent anime reviewer might allow readers to vicariously “watch” the show and experience both its highs and lows through writing; of course, with such descriptive writings the reviewer becomes more of a novelist than a critic. I face the challenge of verbalizing my own experience as I write this review on Eureka Seven, a show that took me on a fifty-episode melodramatic epic I hated and loved all at the same time.


Renton and Eureka.


The Narrative

Eureka Seven's narrative can be roughly split in half; there are not two twenty-five episode seasons but one large story that dramatically shifts focus at mid-point. The story is fairly long and complex; a serious attempt will be made to withhold spoiling the tale for newcomers.

We begin at Renton Thurston's hometown, where he is introduced as a youth very similar to the protagonist of FLCL. Renton is convinced that nothing exciting ever happens to him. He aspires to be a famous lifter, a sport that uses "trapar" waves emitted from the ground in order to allow for what looks like surfing on air. His idol is Holland, a pro lifter who travels with the anti-military outlaws known as Gekkostate. Renton is raised by his grandfather; his father Adroc Thurston, a scientist, died saving the world from a supernatural disaster. Renton's sister left soon after to continue her father's research, but she never returned.

One fortunate evening, a unique LFO (military mobile suits that fly on trapar waves) crashes into his grandfather's home. Its pilot is the beautiful and enigmatic Eureka, and she flies for Gekkostate. Renton and his grandfather happen to be mechanics, and they help get Eureka back into the air just as the Federation military come in pursuit of her and Gekkostate. After she quickly enters combat, Renton's grandfather hands Renton the Amita Drive (a device specifically designed for Eureka's LFO by Renton's father) and tells him to get it to her. After getting to Eureka and helping her defeat the military forces, Renton joins Gekkostate.


Some of the members of Gekkostate.


The first half of the series devotes itself almost entirely to building relations between Renton and the Gekkostate members. The crew turns out to be a diverse, battle-hardened group that has forged trust through mutual rebellion against the military. They can also be funny and quite compassionate. Renton, being the neophyte, is "initiated" through various pranks and an occasional beatdown from Holland, who seems to hate him as soon as they meet. Eureka, who Renton immediately falls in love with, doesn't pay him much mind. I had a hard time believing that Renton was welcome into Gekkostate at all. I endured this dynamic of "undeserved Renton hatred" for a long time; the series is without a coherent plot until its second half. While the focus on character relationships is an appreciated deviation from standard storytelling modes, and while many of the episodes are enjoyable, to put off introducing the show's central conflict for twenty-five episodes is inexcusable. For the sake of playing a mediocre Devil's Advocate, I will say that the narrative structure serves as a solid metaphor for the teenage experience: aimless and confusing, with everyone being upset with you for no apparent reason.

Getting through the confusion of the first twenty-five episodes is handsomely rewarded by an amazing (albeit frustrating) conflict that threatens to tear apart the very fabric of existence. The initial hostility towards Renton no longer substitutes for poor writing; instead, a man named Dewey Novak is released from Federation prison and is reinstated into the military. He quickly becomes a threat to Gekkostate, but also on his agenda is a plan to wage war with a native organic species known as Coralians. While a sense of purposeful narrative is much more palpable in this second half of the series, its execution is not too smooth. Information is often delivered in incomprehensible chunks that only make sense a few episodes later. On a related note, there are also many revelations that are "out of left field," so to speak. After accepting the narrative shortcomings of the series as a whole, Eureka Seven turns out to be a touching story unlike any other.


Renton and Eureka


Having two protagonists in a single story is not common, and there is no duo like Renton and Eureka. Her LFO, the Nirvash, realizes its maximum potential only when both Renton and Eureka are piloting. This is funny because Renton fawns over her for the entirety of the show, while she has trouble expressing any emotions to him at all; liking him in a romantic way isn't even a possibility until after the first quarter of the show. As viewers soon find out, the relationship these two share is almost a matter of destiny rather than willpower. Indeed, the changes in Eureka's moods throughout the show can be construed as an odd mix of female hormonal imbalances and uncharacteristic behavior forced upon her for the sake of plot advancement. It's a complicated dynamic that's explained to some satisfaction as the series conflict grows in significance.


Renton is a character we can root for for the duration of the show, the paragon for all underdogs to aspire to. His life is one tragedy after another, with many of his loved ones losing their lives or vanishing altogether. He wasn't liked at school, and even the Gekkostate took a long time to accept him into their flock; Holland regards him as a pathogen to keep away from Eureka. Renton's raison d'etre is to protect Eureka at all costs. He's a little whiny and impotent, but his love for Eureka is so baffling that it was worthy of my admiration.



Animation and Music

The animation is decent for the most part. There's never any moments where the style abruptly makes a turn for the worst. On the other hand, there are a few times when the animation becomes very stylized. Moments where Renton experiences extreme psychological distress are illustrated in exaggerated fashion and speaks to the show's sensitivity to character emotions. Fights between the Gekkostate's LFOs and the Federation's KLF armored suits are always exciting to watch. Missiles and laser attacks are dodged with unfathomable grace by giant machines on liftboards.


 Music is also an important part of Eureka Seven. Wikipedia claims that most of the episode titles are named for actual songs, performed by a myriad number of artists. Whatever the case may be, the show itself changes introductory and ending songs four times over its fifty-episode run. Music within the show doesn't vary often, but the songs are usually appropriate for the scenes. One of my favorite themes from the OST is "Storywriter," the perfect theme for the fictional sport of lifting.


The Fantastic

By the end of Eureka Seven, I felt as if I had watched enough anime for one lifetime. The experience was draining. I typically don't watch shows longer than thirteen episodes because I feel quality is most easily preserved when creators impose limits on their creativity. It's easy for a story to lose poignancy as time goes on. Interestingly, Eureka Seven got better as time went on, as if it was being conceived and produced at the same time. I liked the show, loathed it, hated it, liked it, loved it... and then at the end, I didn't know how to feel.

As always, I encourage people to watch whatever I review. There aren't many shows like Eureka Seven.

Renton, Eureka, and her children.

* Eureka Seven was produced by Bones. It is available for free viewing through Crunchyroll.com.

- Elijah Lee