Hello, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today I thought we’d step back in on Eureka Seven, wherein Renton most recently drove a strange rift between himself and Eureka. After a trip to his uncle’s farm raised old feelings of inadequacy to the surface, Renton rallied back through his declaration that “I am who I am,” asserting his proud separation from his family’s expectations. Having thus embraced his true desires, Renton was able to pilot the Nirvash like never before, deftly dispatching his enemies and rescuing Eureka in one swoop.
Unfortunately, Eureka doesn’t seem to appreciate Renton’s transformation. Her response to his piloting was simply “that’s not like the Nirvash at all,” and since that flight, she has forbidden Renton from even approaching the mech. Fresh off a key emotional revelation, Renton must now figure out why his actions hurt Eureka so, and what exactly he can do about it.
And honestly, I feel for the guy. These last couple episodes have hammered heavily on the “difficulty of true mutual understanding” theme, a concept Eureka Seven has carried on from Evangelion – but crucially, Shinji’s quest for understanding generally centered on his relationship with other recognizably human characters. Misato, Asuka, and even Gendo possessed full and coherent human personalities – in contrast, Rei Ayanami was always more of a ghost, and was never fully understood by her companions. With her blue hair, minimal emotional responses, and supernatural origins, Eureka is clearly modeled on Rei, meaning Renton is being asked to achieve a connection not just between human beings, but likely between different species. Eureka’s actions aren’t just mysterious to insecure teenage boys, they’re mysterious to everyone – and if Eureka Seven plans on pursuing this thread of sincere connection, it will likely have to abandon some of Eureka’s impenetrable mystique.
In the meantime though, I’m guessing Renton will attempt a whole bunch of attention-grabbing antics that only serve to weird Eureka out. That sounds plenty fun to me, so let’s get right to it!
Episode 16
We open on a shot framed right next to the Nirvash’s tires, panning up from the road to the approaching city. A cut that naturally implies a sense of tension and urgency, as if we’re already mid-car chase
Renton is in the Nirvash with Eureka, but she’s still giving him the silent treatment
They’re entering some kind of disused mine, it seems. I like the massive scale of these structures, like our heroes are driving through the bones of industrial giants beyond imagining
“Opposite View.” A title that seems to imply we’re finally getting some of Eureka’s perspective
The Gekkostate is hiding out for repairs, having sustained significant damage in the Coralian encounter
Starting off the show’s second act with a multi-episode arc concerning the failing Gekkostate seems thematically appropriate. Renton’s initial impression of Gekkostate was as a group of unreachable, undefeatable heroes, an impression that was slowly chipped away all through the first arc. Having gained such intimate perspective, we now see Gekkostate’s true fragility
Lots of good layouts in this episode. I particularly like this establishing shot of Eureka and Renton in front of the Nirvash, huddled in the bottom right corner of the frame. The giant Nirvash behind them serves as a stand-in for all the baggage they’re refusing to air, while their simultaneous closeness and refusal to look at each other emphasizes the thin but impenetrable wall between them
Renton wants to breach this wall, but the way he frames his question only emphasizes his own sense of hurt feelings – “did it surprise you that much that I can pilot the Nirvash better than you?” He’s not content simply to ask what’s wrong, he has to include his own frustration at being rejected for something he still believes is praiseworthy
“But maybe I’m just a better match for the Nirvash or something.” Oh god, can he do anything but put his foot in his mouth
More interesting transitions as the gang sets off exploring the mine, using Stoner’s camera flashes as shot breaks
Ah, that explains a whole lot. This episode was both boarded and directed by Sayo Yamamoto, one of the greatest anime directors of all time. Also featuring a script by Chiaki J. Konaka, one of the most talented writers in anime. We’re getting spoiled today!
Yamamoto never just directs a series of narrative encounters – her works are always propelled by visual throughlines as well, offering a secondary narrative of visual storytelling. Her works feel cohesive and holistic in a way that’s extremely difficult to accomplish in a medium as collaborative as animation
More extremely purposeful layouts and camera movement, as we first see the shadows of Eureka’s children dancing across the floor, then pan up to her still feet before she falls to her knees. Another cut that tells a whole story by itself, evoking Eureka’s feeling of separation from these things that once brought her joy, as if she’s only seeing them through a tinted window
Some very Konaka-style imagery as Eureka’s consciousness fades, and ghosted visions of her children frolicking start playing over each other
Renton stumbles on Moondoggie and Gidget sharing an intimate moment. With that clinical buzzing noise from Eureka’s breakdown carrying over, the sequence feels alienating and wrong, perfectly evoking Renton’s sense of stepping into a world he is not prepared for
“If we were here without protection while they were digging, we would have all gone insane.” So this was a mine for harvesting “trapars,” which they use to power the Gekko and other flying vehicles. Presumably it’s this excavating project that prompted the Coralian attacks
God, every layout in this episode is just beaming with intent. Even this brief reaction shot of Holland’s unimpressed face is given more impact through his position in the bottom right corner, evoking his disinterest in this line of inquiry with as much finesse as a KyoAni production
“Have you ever thought about why LFOs are shaped like humans?”
Deep in the mines, Renton discovers what appears to be a lit and functioning home
And we jump to Anemone, who’s having a painful episode of her own. It seems like Coralian technology or fuel is inherently toxic to humanity, and as bridge points between humanity and the Coralians, both Anemone and Eureka suffer from existing as contradictory organisms
The house Renton discovered seems bizarrely well-maintained, lacking even a filter of dust over its furniture. Even the fridge is filled with fresh food, which Renton takes as an invitation to stuff himself
Also lots of nice character acting flourishes in this episode, with a real sense of weight to body movements
After falling asleep, Renton sees visions of the family that once lived here, illustrated in a black-and-white style that almost seems like charcoal sketches. An alienating look that robs these figures of any definable faces
When he awakes, the room is filled with flying creatures that look like organic paper airplanes. Anemone is briefly visible in their midst, and then the entire vision fades
“Sky fish?” Anything that tethers the ocean to the sky is clearly Coralian in nature – and intriguingly, the one fish that remains is a light blue color, matching Eureka’s hair
Unsurprisingly, the fish lead him to a vision of Eureka. And at last he offers a real apology
Ah, this is great! Renton has come far enough to now understand that he was engaging in wishful thinking when he thought that he and Eureka shared a similar connection with machines, and that Eureka’s connection with the Nirvash is clearly far more genuine than his tendency to assign will and emotion to his knack for mechanics. He has the confidence to not cling to false hopes, because he now knows himself well enough not to need such things
“We’ve been together for a while now, but I still don’t know anything about you or how you feel. I want to understand more about you.” This, too, is a brave admission. Before, he was willing to just let the distance between them remain unstated, likely out of fear of losing what connection they did have. But now, he possesses the confidence to admit he doesn’t understand Eureka, whatever the consequences of that admission may be
Just as Renton realizes this is a dream, Anemone’s LFO strikes down from above
The faceplate of the LFO drops off, revealing Anemone’s own face. Another clear indication that the LFOs, Anemone/Eureka, and the Coralians are all essentially the same organism
“Even if it is a dream, am I satisfied to just stand by and watch it? Are you okay with that, Renton?” And another key step for Renton, expressing his desire to learn more about Eureka through action, as he actively engages with this hidden part of her world
Renton is discovered by Stoner and Matthieu. No sign of the house he allegedly entered, though when he returns to Eureka, she says she already heard his apology
And Done
Curiouser and curiouser! I really wasn’t expecting another dive into the Coralian collective consciousness so soon, but I suppose when you’ve got Konaka on script, you’ve got a bit more incentive to get spacy and cerebral. And with Yamamoto directing, this episode felt like a goddamn dream project, merging the sensibilities and strengths of two anime legends. Even before we got into the outright dreamspace, Yamamoto’s portrayal of their mine exploration felt both vivid and alienating, perfectly capturing Renton’s sense of uncertainty and displacement within the Gekkostate crew. This show just keeps impressing!
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