You take a look at the two main characters. Renton starts
off as an annoying child who complains too much. What we fail to realize (or
realize and deny it) is that he actually reminds us of our childhood
experiences and growing pains. We also get to see the most character growth in
him than any other character from any other anime. Period. Maybe a little bit
unrealistically, as he probably only aged 1-2 years during his time on the
Gekko-Go. Aptly mentioned, we see him first join in the first few episodes as a
useless kid where the crew struggled to find a use for him, but by episode 50
he “graduated” and truly became a man, one who went through basically all the
stages of maturity possible (realizing the world is cruel, understanding the
value of life and the consequences of taking life, truly understand what it
means to love someone and protect it, how to raise children?). You see him
encounter both daily and truly life-changing experiences through the 50-episode
epic, all done realistically and beautifully. You can’t help but change your
mind about him, and by that time gotten used to his self-narration and
one-sided messages to his sister.
Eureka starts off as the typical clean-slate, emotionless,
doll-fetish anime girl cliché, but that starts to disappear as she gains more
realistic traits as the episodes go on. Her dependency on Holland disappears as
she begins to understand humanity more, and interacting with Renton more in
various cheesy encounters brings out the girlish side in her to the viewer. The
whole adopting three orphans of clearly three different ethnic backgrounds
might be stretching the uniqueness towards the other spectrum, but overall it
helps separate her from the stereotypes. To me, she truly became a real
character after she gets her scars in episode 19. With the flaws, she sheds her
doll-like demeanor (with perfect skin and hair) but becomes a real girl, albeit
one that is afraid of what she will become and of the new feelings inside her.
In my opinion, her character was never truly fleshed out by the end of Eureka
Seven, but in the sequel Ao, you truly get to know her sympathize with her
struggles as single mom protecting her children (that is probably the only
reason I can give for someone to watch Ao, as the characters in that show are
all cookie-cutter and bland, and in some cases serve solely as fan service). In
the end, you can’t help but like her as you journey with her as she faces her
fears, her past, and ultimately who she is.
In many ways the secondary characters actually steal the
show. Holland and Talho are the “parents” in Eureka Seven, but they are
anything but mature. Understood by the general public as celebrities and/or sex
idols, when you truly see them in their own space, they are both real and
flawed (can you see the trend I’m making?). Holland is conflicted with his past
as a soldier and the task given to him by Renton’s father, while also acting
jealous and childish towards a child decades younger than him. His verbal and
physical abuse of Renton really sinks in what it means to be human (and
pettiness). He also often plays the adult card, one we as the viewer understand
and hate in the real world as it is BS, to get what he wants or cover his
inability to adult. Talho also has her share of inner demons, and I think more
females can empathize with her experience of being used and toss away. Her
interactions with Holland, especially in the earlier episodes, totally seem
like genuine interactions between couples in real life. Ultimately both of them
man up and embrace their respective responsibilities (and parenthood helps give
them a boost), and by the end of the series one can truly respect them as role
models.
The other characters and crew members of the Gekko-Go are
also very likable. They all have their own style and flavors, and their little
quirks here and there spice up everything in the show. You see a whole range of
age groups on board (which, ahem, is realistic), and their behaviors, roles,
and mentalities all fit. You got your hipster photographer Stoner (pun probably
intended), the goofy husband/surfer dude Matthieu and his more mature wife
Hilda, the doctor lady Micha with her great facial expressions, to the
teenagers Moon-doggy (what kind of name is that?) and Gidget with their
flirting and competition with Renton, to the voice of wisdom Hap (and his hobby
of reading on the toilet). Even the lesser known characters like Jobs (a
reference to Steve Jobs) and mystic Gonzy (who turns out to be an alien) are
enjoyable during their brief moments of screen time. The children actually act
like children, which is rare to find nowadays in anime. Actually everyone acts
their age (except maybe later half Renton), which is a big problem in anime
where characters act way more mature than what is believable given their ages.
To me, the villain(s) are what turns a good show into a
great show. We see it on the Big Screen. We all loved the Joker, and that truly
made the Dark Knight awesome. Then we have the generic Marvel villains (besides
Loki and possibly Helmut Zemo) who bore us to death. In Eureka Seven the bad
guys aren’t necessary evil, just people who have taken different paths than the
heroes. The two that stand out for me are Charles and Ray. Honestly, who
doesn’t like them and didn’t feel sad when they died (even when Ray went a
little cray cray in the end)? Their chemistry was enviable, and their love for
Renton warmed me from the computer screen. Only Renton’s desire to be with
Eureka and the couple’s past destroyed what could have been a picture perfect
family, only to reveal in a few episodes how destructive vengeance can be and
the depth of cruelty that exists in this world. Adroc is a different type of
villain, one that fulfills the enigmatic and flawless archetype even to the
end. No one can truly fault his philosophy of necessary sacrifice to save the
world, and his drive and commitment (even to death) makes him a character that,
at the very least, gets a head nod of respect. What puzzles me is why save
children from ethnic cleansing (whom all ironically belong to the Nazi’s
perfect race), when he orders other children to become experimental guinea pigs
in one of the most disturbing scenes in the series. For Dominic and Anemone,
there was a bit more cheese layered upon their characters. Still, towards the
end of the show, one starts to understand where they are coming from. It may be
pity at first, since the writer really amped the pity card for Anemone, but
around the same time the heroes started to care for their rivals, we the
viewers also started to care and hope for a brighter future for the two lovers.
At least the show delivered and gave them enough spotlight to satisfy us.
Nirvash for me actually stands out as a character too, one
that is up there with other inanimate objects that stole our hearts (Going
Merry anyone?). He (she?) had character, surfed like the best of them, and even
threw temper tantrums from time to time. I honestly think they could had made
do without the last appearance change (reminds me too much of Gundam G), but to
teach their own. From a Biblical perspective, Nirvash became the sacrificial
lamb, one gone willingly to die for the sake of his loved ones (unlike the
totally drug-infused Evangelion ending that everyone says Eureka Seven copied
from…you can see which ending I liked better). You always need a Jesus figure,
even in a show tries its hardest to maximize the facets of real humans.
