|
|
Home
|
R2 DVD Reviews
|
|
Written by maehara
|
|
Monday, 06 October 2008 16:00 |
 Renton's back on board the Gekko, as the details of the world he's living in begin to become clear. As if having to choose sides wasn't hard enough, though, Renton soon has to deal with the consequences of that decision when Charles and Ray come looking for the Gekko...
26 - Morning Glory
Eureka's trying to get "back in the saddle", so to speak, but piloting Nirvash without Renton around is proving to be an impossible task - where she used to be able to pilot the mech on her own, now it's clear she needs Renton around to help her. Despite Holland's promise to bring him back to the Gekko, though, there's growing pessimism about the chances of him returning - especially when Holland returns empty-handed. Meanwhile, Ray and Charles are closing in on the Gekko's trail, forcing the Gekko to change course away from Renton's trail, while Eureka decides to follow in Renton's fotsteps and leaves the ship, running straight into the trap that had been set for the Gekko...
27 - Helter Skelter
Returning to the Gekko means a trip to the detention cells for Renton and Eureka, and her kids have been thrown in the brig with them. It seems that the dual problms of Eureka chosing Renton over him, and learning that Charles and Ray are on his trail, have led Holland to take a new hard-line attitude to life - although given the state the world around them is in, not everyone on the Gekko is objecting. After losing out to Renton in their last encounter, meanwhile, Charles and Ray are refusing to give up, and launch a late-night attempt to board the Gekko.
28 - Memento Mori
Renton is taking Charles' death hard - was it his fault? If he'd never mentioned Eureka or the Nirvash to him, would things have worked out differently? Ray herself is also distraught - the man she loved, who accepted her despite her failings, is gone, and that's not something that can be gotten over easily. Meanwhile, it seems as though the Nirvash's Amita drive is having an unexpected effect - by channelling the wills of Eureka and Renton to the mech, it seems as though the Nirvash is trying to evolve - but how, and does the Gekko have the facilities to cope with the sort of changes that are beginning to manifest themselves? Such things are put to one side, though, when Ray comes looking for revenge...
29 - Keep on Movin'
The world that Renton and the others live in is on the edge of disaster - frequent tectonic shifts, growing stronger all the time, are the focus for intense dissatisfaction with the government, who have responded by strengthening the military to keep their grip on power. Dominic is convinced that all this started with discoveries made by Adroc Thurston, Renton's father, and that Renton will now prove to be key in how the future plays out. He doesn't know how, though - but he's determined to find out, and his investigations accidentally bring him to Renton's grandfather. Renton himself is still struggling to come to terms with recent events - the deaths of Charles and Ray, Holland's role in that, and Eureka's connection to them. Holland, meanwhile, remains in intensive care...
30 - Change of Life
To Renton, all the talk about Eureka being a Coralian and her connections to his father is just that - talk. All he knows is that she's a girl he cares for and has promised to protect, and nothing he's learnt recently has changed that. After Ray's assault on the ship, it's in need of heavy repairs, but the only place that can carry them out is the shipyard it was built at, Tresor Laboratories. While the lab does military work, it's an independent outfit, so Holland's able to call in some favours to get the work on the ship - and work to accommodate the changes Nirvash is going through - carried out...
An.. interesting volume, this one. There's some action in there, mostly dealing with Charles' and Ray's attempts to deal with the Gekko, but mostly there's time spent to explain the past - and the past seems to feature an awful lot of Renton's family. Wherever you go, there's a Thurston's past deeds lurking in the background - will Renton be able to join the ranks of those who've had an impact on the world?
There are also relationship issues to deal with, and not just between Renton and Eureka (although they've finally worked out their feelings for each other and cleared the air between themselves, which was good to see). Talho has issues where Holland is concerned, and events lead to Ray's relationship with Charles getting a good airing as well. All this means is that if you like character development - and I do - then there's plenty here to get your teeth into.
The action's a little different, too - while there is an outing for the Nirvash that produces the mech action we're all used to, there's also some "special forces" action as Holland, Ray and Charles go head-to-head (although the image of Holland in his "camoflage" gear is hard to get out of the head). While you know some of the characters have come from special forces, it's the first time we've seen anyone in action other than using their mechs, and it's a nice change of style.
The real meat of these episodes, though, is in the incidental information that we're drip-fed throughout. The instability of the world's government, and how they're handling it; the opportunity for someone with charisma to step in make sweeping changes; Eureka's origins; past events around the Nirvasha and Ray that have effects now. It's all good information that really fleshes out the setting and starts answering some long-unanswered questions, and that in itself makes this volume essential viewing for anyone who's been enjoying the series thus far.
Through all this there's also the feeling that we're poised for something big to happen (as in something world-changing - while events on this disc have certainly been major for those involved, they're not events that would have much impact on the world in general), and I'm eager to see if that feeling is followed up on. The world of Eureka Seven feels as though it's on the edge of falling apart - failing environment and a desperate government are combining to create a dangerous situation, and I get the distinct feeling that that's going to come to a head shortly - and that the people on the Gekko will conveniently have the answers.
Back to the present, though. This is another impressive volume that moves both the story and the characters' own development forward, and that makes it well worth watching.
|
|
