It's also worth-mentioning how nicely Eureka's color palette clashes with Anemone and personalities of the both (soft-spoken and gentle blue/cyan vs. more extroverted and hot-headed pink/orange). I'm glad someone nowadays still remembers E7. This show was a ride
For sure! I always thought they are differentiated among the humans by donning a more pastel pallate. Nirvash type Zero X TheEnd also, down to their names. And the colder tones with the Beams to group them away from the central conflict. It's really everywhere 😆. After working on this vid, the show stays in my head stronger than the first watch man.
Even the side chars have so much personality - take Charles and Ray Beams. You can already tell what kind of dynamic and personalities they have just through their appearances and mannerisms. The world feels so alive.
Alive and vibrant too. Colors they use for design like The Swan contrast with Gekkou. Dewey's ship Ginga is Orange, contrast with the blue outlines of him and his childrens'. And that outline contrast with the military's Dark and Red. Some masterclass stuffs right here. That's why the show holds up till now!
Talho's tattoo at first is meant to be one more expression of her attempt to catch Holland's eye, being as gaudy as her revealing outfit, but in the same breath it represents the fragility she desperately tries to hide. There isn’t really any other pink in her old outfit. Her new outfit however has pink accents, showing that she has come to terms with her own vulnerability for holland.
I always imagined Eureka's visual changes were also a representation of how Rentom sees Eureka throught the show, or more soo how much he understands her Starting with the well kept "clean" design, she passes this ethereal "perfect girl" vibe, as Rentom is still kinda blinded by this "love at first sigh" feeling, he doesn't know her past or who she really is and struggles in understanding her Her second design, however, is broken and hurt, it's Eureka on the inside, a being struggling with her own identity that was lead into doing horrible things in the past and now suffers because of those things, Rentom now is able to see Eureka's feelings and suffering, her scars, and even tho' the previously idealism is shattered, he still loves her all the same, it stops being about how he saw her at first, and becomes about understanding and helping her as much as he can The third one would be a representation of healing, Rentom's influence on her leading to her wounds begininng to heal, the scars are still there but she now is moving forward from the previous missconceptions about herself The fourth one would be the hardest to fit this interpretation, if anything, it's her roots manifesting and a part of her she tried to hide coming to surface, Eureka tried living as a human, but she is a coralian, and that catches up to her, but instead of freaking out, both of them accept that as well. (Also, the line: "Those wings really fit you", is just SOO, VOIDDAMN *CUTE* !)
Eureka Seven is my favorite anime of all time and Kenichi Yoshida's art is a HUGE factor in that. I really cannot understate how talented that man is, he's the first artist I bought an artbook for and got me into collecting them. I'd encourage you to check out the other anime he's worked on, because his character design work and his role as an animation director really enhances all of them and makes them worth watching at least once. He recently worked on "The Orbital Children" with Mitsuo Iso, but also has done "Gundam: G no Reconguista" and "Overman King Gainer".
Hey thanks for the recs! I'm definitely interested in checking them out. Was pretty excited to see he's involved in Gundam: G no Reconguista, since I'm also a fairly new Gundam fan. Definitely seen him plugging The Orbital Children on Twitter. The images felt pleasant on the eye instantly. Looking forward to them!
@@MoonAnime You should definitely get into Reconguista, it's directed by Yoshiyuki Tomino, the original creator of Gundam. There's a tv series, but also a series of compilation films that improved some parts of it. The first 3 are out but the last 2 just released in Japan and might not come out here for a while. King Gainer is a really great way to get introduced to Tomino's work though. It's self-contained and has a dub as well so that might help when watching his work because he has a very diegetic directing style.
Character design is something I’ve begun noticing and paying attention to increasingly with time, this is indeed a brilliant, intelligent and complex example that even explores the narrative, super well done!
Whether it's an original design or someone ported into animation, they're packed with care and worth many more explorations. Have you watched Eureka Seven? It'll be an honor if this video gets you interested to the show and checking it out!
Its also neat how Renton subtly grows up throughout the show. Starting as shorter than Eureka and then throughout the show growing til by the end of the show he is taller than her and looks noticably more mature. Its small and simple but shows that Studio Bones pays attention to detail and uses it to give weight to the passing of time throughout the show. (They also did this in FMA Brotherhood)
Excellent essay + analysis 👏 I agree "acceptance" is a recurring theme throughout Eureka Seven, especially in loving someone for who they are, and for maintaining (or finally gaining a state of) smoother interpersonal relationships. But I think what makes Eureka Seven so satisfying (for me) is all of the characters grow, and your points about how the character designs are adaptable to telegraph this growth (without a total overhaul) was really insightful and well written. I do think acceptance is a core component, but I'd say "relationships" or "love" is more of a central overall theme for the series than "acceptance". I am going to keep this lens in mind during my next rewatch, "acceptance" is a really neat theme I hadn't put a word to for this series. I just feel that "acceptance" is more of a key to unlock something deeper, rather than the central destination for the journeys in this show, but I could be misremembering. Anway, watching their relationships evolve or flourish has always been the thing that keeps me coming back to the show. It's so heartwarming. Really great media analysis essay, keep it up! I really enjoyed this video.
I really liked that you talked about the big change that EUREKA had throughout the anime, just like RENTON, but the change that EUREKA has had in the latest movies is very different,in Hi-Evolucion 1, 2 and 3, which is where we see an evil EUREKA, not in the sense of bad, but of having a goal and fulfilling it. But it changes in 3, which is the Final Closing of the SAGA EUREKA SEVEN.❤❤❤
just by looking at some of the characters from 5:32 I can tell that there is no need for me to recomend either Gundam or Rahxephon, as precursors for Eureka Seven, especially Zeta Gundam and 0079, the most influential ones for the anime, it's nice to see something related to my Favorite Mecha anime, but it's no surprise that someone talked about the character designs, as the show won the character designs and the anime of the year awards on 2005, Great analysis on each detail
Thanks for catching the details! During the editing of the video, I'd since gone through 0079 and Zeta (which are amazing!), hence why I put those hairs in. RahXephon was way earlier, but I love it so much I have to put one in too!
I watched this when I was 20. I rewatched it at 34. It really is a moving story and the music is really powerful. I recommend checking out Edward Elgar’s Enigma Variations, a suite of musical pieces that I believe the composer for eureka 7 was influenced/inspired by. Particularly if you listen to the first piece and also the 9th (nimrod). The show definitely came across differently to me now that I’m done with my coming of age. Still, it’s depiction of an almost holy and sanctified youthful love that is genuine and true is powerful and inspiring. Also, you might want to look into the book that was referenced multiple times “the golden bough”. It is in several episodes. It’s a study of religion and anthropology and the story of the king of Nemi is in that book (I believe). The show pulls from some interesting philosophical sources from the western world.
Happy to hear your revisit of the show after so long! Yeah the music is phenomenal. Affixing multiple genres onto the casts of different generations, representing their agendas. There were plenty of Eureka Seven videos out there that'd talked about the music better than I ever could. I highly recommend you to check them out if you haven't already! Thanks for taking the time to point out some interesting sources. I'll check them out as well 👌
@@MoonAnime sure thing! I this is from a wiki article on “Surviving lore concerning the rex Nemorensis indicates that this priest or king held a very uneasy position. Macaulay's quatrain on the institution of the rex Nemorensis states: Those trees in whose dim shadow The ghastly priest doth reign The priest who slew the slayer, And shall himself be slain. This is, in a nutshell, the surviving legend of the rex Nemorensis: the priesthood of Diana at Nemi was held by a person who obtained that honour by slaying the prior incumbent in a trial by combat, and who could remain at the post only so long as he successfully defended his position against all challengers. However, a successful candidate had first to test his mettle by plucking a golden bough from one of the trees in the sacred grove.”
George Fraser, an anthropologist pointed out that this ritual had to do with a fertility rite, so that the earth might become fruitful again. So it is similar in eureka 7 that dewy believes he is doing something to deliver the planet of the scub coral and essentially give birth to a new age.
EUREKA seven had many changes throughout its career, compensating with the Manga that was not part of the original AO series and in the end the last Eureka seven Hi-Evolution films. I would like you to talk about the films, especially the 3 HI-EVOLUCION films. Greetings from Mexico, I am a big fan of EUREKA SEVEN and I even saw it. Last movie in Japan when premier🎉❤
Thanks for finding the video! The movies are certainly a hot topic among Eureka Seven fans. Lucky you catching the movie premiere! I'll keep that in mind!
Thanks for doing a video on "Eureka Seven", the characters were so well developed but is underrated along with the show. I'm glad it’s still getting attention 16 years later. There are not many shows like this but the only other title I could recommend with parallel themes is "LAST EXILE". Both are original titles with individuals who believe their cause is the correct way, even if their view is flawed. There are also many character developments and interactions which is a messy spider web of connections. Watched this again recently and has aged well for a 19 year old title. There is also a clone-like title of "Eureka Seven" called "Bounen no Xamdou"
Thank you for both recommendations! The steampunk style look very unique in Last Exile. Xamdou looks interesting as well, and I'm intrigued to see the parallels of it with Eureka Seven. Glad to see more love for Eureka Seven. I'm starting to feel the underappreciation of it simply from the amount of people telling me so. But the love for it sure is passionate, and it's the kind that stays. I'm not sure if I can say this, but I'm glad I made this video and it found those who love it, albeit just a very small portion of its fanbase. ☺
As for the characters that undergo similar evolutions in designs, reflections of their development, maybe Berserk? With both Griffith and Guts. I feel like their aesthetic designs go hand to hand, with time, with their evolutions and symbolism. (just saw the preview of what was then your next video, this is another thing I love about your videos, there is a direction you give to your content, a sweet and professional one, keep it up)
One of them gets dirtier and one of them gets cleaner? 🤣You're right. I could hardly recall anyone being presented more brutal than you-know-who when they hit their lowest low... The first 12 videos were planned to release one per week so I wanted to tie them up for various reasons. And of course for nostalgia's sake.
I'm not sure if you're still considering recommendations on these grounds, but... Beast Player Erin / Erin would be an absolutely wonderful series to take a look at. For character design, story, etc. If you end up giving it a watch, I'd definitely take a look at any analysis you might do on the series. This was a great video!
Wow this video showed up on my feed randomly today and I enjoyed it very much. I don't see many videos on eureka seven this day and age and it's a shame.
Did I just find a small channel that makes well done, fun analysis videos, that also has made a video about the character designs of my favorite anime? Yes I did and immediately subbed. Edit: Also, I'm sorry to say, but I didn't find your channel by recommendations. I searched Eureka Seven and sorted by new. I hope to see your videos in my recommendations soon though.
Thanks for the high praise and info! Glad to know how you landed here. I think the channel needs to perform better in order to get recommended more, but every bits help! More vids to come!
Imma just leave this here, Hi Evo 3 is peak character design. They nailed the adult Eureka design. Kanzaki Hiro who did the character design for the AO series isnt far off either.
Great to hear good remarks on the new movies! Wherever I go, I usually hear bad comments about it. Ah the joy of looking your favorite characters growing up. Can't wait to check them out~
Yeah... Sadly in order to rejuvenate an IP, they need to make something new from it, which I believe they attempted with the recent Hi-Evolution films. As a fan though, keep recommending shows of the past in conversations is what I'd keep doing :).
What is the technical term or style of this? I'm reminded of things like TWEWY, KH2 (Roxas artwork). Someone mentioned cyberpunk (no relation to actual title cyberpunk 2077), just as a label for all this. What do you make of it?
Sadly I do not know any technical terms for it. But I'm open to the idea that there's a proper desciptor. I describe it as 'malleable' because I think the base design has to take into account it can be changed naturally while not losing the core identity. I think this needs a lot of skills and foresight, especially in anime when characters have to move. Though I acknowledge a term may be useful, but it's a concept readable enough to understand if examples were shown. Cyberpunk worlds is an interesting observation but a bit different imo. Stories set in those worlds often 'demands' its people to 'leave' some part of their humanity behind in favor of artificial implants. And those implants are 'replacements' of the original, even if they are modified for personal styles. Whereas Eureka and Talho for example, except for the fashion, every part of their changes were originally theirs as well. Thanks for watching and giving me a chance to think about this further! 😄
EUREKA seven tuvo muchos cambio aló largo de su trayectoria compensando con el Manga que no era parte de La serie original AO y al final las últimas películas de Eureka seven Hi-Evolution.
Oh great to hear there's demand for that. I actually revisited Made in Abyss S1 by watching the compilation films recently. I just need to get on Dawn of the Deep Soul and Season 2!
