Eureka Seven The Movie – Kôkyô shihen Eureka Sebun: Poketto ga niji de ippai (2009)

Directed by: Tomoki Kyôda | 110 minutes | action, animation, science fiction | Original voice cast: Kaori Nazuka, Stephanie Sheh, Keiji Fujiwara, Yuuko Sanpei, Talho Yuuki, Michiko Neya

‘Eureka Seven: The Movie’ is – sorry for the obvious pun – not a Eureka moment. It is brave that the makers of a fifty-episode television serial try to attract loyal fans as well as newcomers, but with this film they fail. In 2054, humanity is at war with extraterrestrial danger in the form of the Eizo organisms. Private Renton must evacuate the population. Only only two thousand people can be saved. An inhumane mission. Renton, however, is more interested in Eureka, his long-lost lover. Renton decides to do everything he can to find his lover.

The story sounds – and is – interesting, but is told too fragmented and confused. Not that surprising in itself, if you consider that the characters are well developed in the TV series, but not in this film. Newcomers will find the characters flat, while the loyal fans will miss certain characters or regret that the personalities of their heroes do not come out strongly enough. The makers of ‘Eureka Seven: The Movie’ haven’t made it easy, because they have to let a lot of characters pass by and tell a compact story. It does not work. It leads to an overcrowded film without deepened characters and with a high WTF content.

To offer loyal fans something new, the film is set in an alternate universe. The characters have different roles, are in different positions and have different priorities. Fans will no longer recognize their beloved heroes. The result is a film with no strings attached and which is too ‘full’ due to the deluge of characters, intrigue and melodrama. What remains is a very beautifully drawn cartoon without a line. The action looks good and the animation looks okay too. Unfortunately, that’s not enough to call it a successful film. Unfortunate!