The story is set on Okinawa's isolated island of Iwado, which has seen a growing movement advocating a return to an autonomous government. Ao Fukai, a 12-year-old boy with a missing father, lives on the island with an old doctor named Toshio and is about to enter middle school. Ao's mother was taken away a decade ago by unknown individuals. Naru Arata, Ao's 12-year-old childhood friend and the story's heroine, lives with her father, older sister, and grandmother. She has a "Yuta" power awakened within her due to an incident when she was young. A mysterious entity called "Secret" suddenly appears and launches an attack on the Scub Coral lifeform on the island. Ao launches a certain military FP called "Nirvash" aboard a Japanese military transport in his fervent desire to protect the island.
(Source: FUNimation)
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Comentários
ohiraz
OK. First off, let me just say that this series was a mess. I had huge expectations for this sequel since I'm a fan of E7, however, this didn't even come close. What I enjoyed about E7 was the story and character development. I actually felt connected to many of the characters. The story flowed very nicely. I even liked the Nirvash as its own character. E7AO started off ok while introducing the characters, then it quickly went downhill. The focus was more on the story and fight scenes. I dont think the story was good, but that's where the focus was. I liked Elena and Fleur andi thought they had great potential. I thought that Fleur would develop feelings for Ao but that never happened. They actually threw in some signs that she had a thing for Gazzele. Elena made a lot of references to other anime. I picked up easily on the Evangelion ones. Both these characters failed to go further and were just part of the cast for a majority of the series until they decided to wrap it up and give them their scene. I felt like it just came out of nowhere. Ao just made me upset. He was a wet blanket. He was boring and indecisive until the end. Truth. Wow. Just wow. I think its always great to have a crazy character somewhere and let them have their 1 second insane facial expression, but Truth had his on more than half the time. It got old and annoying fast. Anemone is 100% a better character. I didn't even understand Naru. Noah was better than her.
The Mecha designs were well done I think. I wish they gave a little more air time to appreciate them. What was bad was that there were too many special ones thrown in. There were several Nirvashs and it became confusing because of them coming from a different time and all that. I understand that there are two, but it seemed like there were many more. I wonder what the back story was for Truth's Mech. It just appeared.
Then there's the story. The basic plot was good, but all the little details they threw in made it a wreck. I didn't even know what was going on half the time. There would be a serious fight going on, then it just switches over to a calm island scene. I didn't like this at all. It sucked the severity and seriousness of the events. They just jumped on the time travel hype, but time travel is really hard to put together. Its an interesting concept, but difficult to make it enjoyable. They would have been more successful if they had kept it more low key with a single goal. The protagonist didn't even know what his own goal was until the last episode. Also, that ending! Seriously, what the fuck? If you've seen it you probably have the same thoughts I have. The main questions, how and why. The series would be better off without it.
What was good about the series were the animations and music. They were consistent with the first series. The openings and endings were also pretty good. The animations for Ao were a bit lacking about halfway though. It kept changing. It might have been just me.
In conclusion, E7AO failed to meet my expectations. It may seem my intent was to bash the series but that is wrong. I'm just expressing what made me upset. It had a lot of potential so it makes me sad when it turn out like this. I wouldn't recommend it if you want to keep all of E7 in a good light.
Archaeon
Building on an existing storyline isn't an easy thing to do - especially when the ending of the original tale has a degree of finality to it. That doesn't stop people making the attempt though, and nowhere is this more prominent than in the world of fanfiction. This rather odd realm of amateur (and not-so-amateur), writers is filled with continuations, alternate retellings, character side-stories, non-canon additions, and a host of other works that reflect the fan's passion for the source material. Although they often lack the quality and direction (and sometimes the logic and common sense), of professional pieces, they're generally imaginative yarns that cansometimes lead the reader to new insights about the original work.
That said, there are occasions where the story has been created not out of love, but simply because the author feels that they can do better.
Eureka Seven AO (which stands for Astral Ocean, but is also the name of the lead character), is the sequel to 2005's extremely popular Eureka Seven - and with director Kyoda Tomoki at the helm again and Bones producing both shows, it's easy to see why fans of the original would be excited. Written by Kato Yuichi, the new story focuses on Fukai Ao - a 13 year-old boy living with his grandfather on the island of Iwato Jima in the independent nation of Okinawa. Considered an outcast by the residents who blame the disaster that occurred ten years before on his mother Eureka - who has been missing since that time - his life changes when an accident delivers a strangely familiar bracelet into his hands, which in turn brings him into contact with a mysterious robot called Nirvash.
The tale begins in relatively familiar territory and progresses at a decent pace for the first few episodes, but as the series continues more things are added to the plot until it grows into a ponderous, shambling behemoth of ideas and concepts that simply don't go anywhere. In addition to this the storyline degenerates into a mediocre monster-of-the-week narrative for a good portion of the show, and elements of the original series have either been left out, crowbarred in, or completely altered - sometimes for no logical reason at all - creating some major continuity issues. The problems are further compounded by the addition of time travel and alternate realities, all of which lead to a rather lukewarm, confusing, and decidedly unsatisfying ending that lacks the catharsis of the original series.
Eureka Seven AO takes many of its visual cues directly from its parent, and Bones have worked hard to maintain the style while updating the design. That said, there are some odd decisions about clothing (Ao's school uniform resembles a costume used by male strippers), but some good animation and effects work balances the strange outfits. Much of the aerial combat is fluid, and although there are some minor issues the character movements are handled in a reasonable manner. In addition to this the mechs - which are clearly influenced by the original series - have a definite "man-made" feel that highlights the creator's desire for Eureka Seven AO to be more than just a run-of-the-mill sequel.
The show features two opening sequences that serve as bland-yet-functional introductions to the story thanks to the use of the check-box approach (protagonist running, birds flying, people looking pensive/cheerful/heroic/constipated, [insert cool action sequence], [insert suggestive minor spoiler that may have no connection to the plot at all], rinse, repeat, end with cool and/or spicy action still featuring the protagonist (and his love interest - male or female, species is optional), adverts, etc). The first closing sequence is equally unimaginative (and ticks all the boxes), but the second is something of a departure as it adopts a "pop-art" style and relies on still images to suggest that Ao's playtime is over.
"Escape" by Hemenway (the first opening track), is the type of bland rock song that seems to grace every major shounen title at least once, but FLOW's "Bravelue" manages to capture at least some of the magic of "Days" - the opening theme from Eureka Seven. "Stand By Me" by the oddly named Steropony is a rather dull, brooding affair that doesn't really fit with the formulaic closing sequence, while Joy's "Lolite" is a poppy little number that works surprisingly well with the associated imagery.
Eureka Seven AO is a bit of a mixed bag when it comes to overall audio quality, and the uninspiring opening and closing themes are reflective of the music throughout the show. The predominantly well-chosen background tracks often work within the context of a given scene, but there are far too many attempts at enhancing a humourous moment using a comedic tune, and many of these attempts fall short of the mark. In addition to this the diverse array of effects can be let down by a lack of care with choreography or poor production quality, and the issues are further compounded by a script that is sorely lacking in emotional intensity. With little to work with the Japanese cast are unable to showcase their talents effectively - resulting in performances that vary wildly as the voice actors struggle to breathe some semblance of life into their roles. Unfortunately things don't get any better with the English dub as, true to form, the approach is literal and the scope is limited.
One thing that should be pointed out is the continuous inability of the Western license holders to find people with accents to play particular roles, and it's painful to hear Sainty Reid as 16 year-old French pilot Fleur Blanc - especially when she macerates her way through terms like "maman" - the colloquial form of "mère" (mother). It's unfortunate that her first serious role is one that really needed a specific vocal style, and the truly sad part is that in an era where talented people can be found under every rock, viewers are still being subjected to the idea that everyone in the world speaks English (with an American accent), as their native language.
The wastelands of anime are littered with the shades of forgettable characters, and the numerous problems with the storyline and script deal what could only be called a killing blow to Eureka Seven AO. The foundation of good characters lies in the logical development of the plot together with an organic approach to dialogue - both of which require time, patience, an understanding of relationships, and a healthy dose of criticism. The original series featured some good character dynamics that added personality to each role, making Renton, Eureka, and several others believable to a degree - but more importantly they became interesting and likeable. Unfortunately logic appears to have gone out of the window with this "sequel" - resulting in a set of bland "people" with few saving graces.
The decision to treat Ao in a manner similar to Ikari Shinji from Neon Genesis Evangelion has backfired, and although some attempts have been made to save him from the pit of obscurity, he stands at the head of a queue of unlikable, uninteresting, and excruciatingly dull characters - all of whom shove him steadily towards the precipice. Truth initially serves as a decent antagonist, but his development is sorely lacking as he is quickly relegated from that role - becoming little more than a force of nature whose actions serve no purpose whatsoever. As for Naru, her status as Ao's love interest quickly loses all meaning once the plot shifts into monster-of-the-week mode, and like Truth her purpose in the story is ultimately rendered irrelevant. That said, there are some intriguing interactions between the supporting characters, but the approach to relationships is surprisingly lacking in emotional depth - becoming little more than background noises that are eventually swallowed by the confusing plot.
Eureka Seven AO is a strange, lumbering beast that struggles to maintain its balance before the weight of its collective flaws sends it careening into the realms of logical fallacy, but the odd thing is that nobody appears to have noticed any of the obvious problems during the planning, production, or ADR stages of the show - which raises quite a few questions. Kato Yuichi's confusing, poorly written storyline has a mechanical feel that lacks emotion or passion for the original series, and in truth has more in common with amateur fanfiction written by someone whose ideas, imagination, and belief that they can do better are greater than their talent. The shoddy dialogue makes it difficult to like or believe in the characters, and fans of the original series may find this addition to the franchise painful to watch. That said, the show does feature some rather nice action sequences that can distract the audience from the mundanity, and there are some interesting aspects of the story that really should have been more prominent. If all the viewer wants is something to pass the time then Eureka Seven AO isn't the worst show available, and if it isn't examined too closely then the show may attract its own fan base.
The decision to make a "sequel" to a successful show is understandable (anime is a business after all), but Eureka Seven AO highlights some issues that lie at the heart of the industry - in particular the lack of understanding about what the wider audience wants and a serious need for quality control at all levels. The simple fact is that the series has broken under the weight of too many unnecessary straws, and aside from the visuals the show lacks the finesse and polish that one would expect from a mainstream title.
BigOnAnime
Ah, Eureka Seven AO, how I was so excited to watch you before you aired. Now here I am facepalming all over the place at how bad this show is, and how I was foolish to be excited for this. Let me start out by saying, the original Eureka Seven is one of my all-time favorite anime series, and it's just sad for me to see what BONES did. They are merely marketing a show purely based off of nostalgia, and putting zero effort into it, less so than those incomplete adaptions used to sell more of the source material. So first off, what is this showall about? Well originally it was about Ao, Eureka's son as you probably could have guessed from the promo image, joining a group called Pied Piper-actually, just a subsection of Generation Blue-(The E7 AO equivalent of the Gekkostate, not.), and trying to find his mom (Who he calls "Anma!"-Where did this shit come from?). From there, it's total nonsense, especially in the second half. Seriously, I doubt even BONES knows what they're writing in this show. Hell, it's even hard to review this show because it's so messy. So where did it all go wrong?
Part of the problem is how Eureka Seven had a completely closed ending, with no loose ends. So, what the heck were they supposed to do for a story, a sequel story? Set it up in our world, instead of the world of the original E7? Introduce an overpowered villain with no motives, and then come up with something along the way? Put in terminology the viewer is completely unfamiliar with, and explain it midway when all the characters knew everything from the start, and assumed the viewers were the same? Put random things in, and forget about them completely in only a few episodes, making it completely redundant? How about just put in random crap to fill up 24 episodes? Really, these are warning signs the show is going to be a total mess.
There are tons of plot holes everywhere (Especially in the final two episodes which are just one large Deus Ex Machina), and lots of things will not make sense as such. In one instance, it's stated everywhere the Secrets are not the enemy as they merely take an element called Quartz away from the Scub Corals. But then later, Generation Bleu tries to eliminate all the Secrets. Oh and let's not forget how you can travel around the world in only an hour, it doesn't matter where. Seems the earth is way smaller than it really is...
How about the characters? Did the characters turn out good? Hardly, the show makes some of the same mistakes Shakugan no Shana III (Final) made. It introduces a bunch of characters, and then doesn't bother to develop them, or show any backstory, so they're just...there. Many characters will develop in some way, but it'll either make no sense, or it'll be a total character rewrite. We'll also get some good backstory, but the show then tosses it aside and forgets about it. The backstory rarely ends up being relevant to the story.
Lastly, can we forget how they introduced certain elements you never in a million years wanted in E7? An otaku girl? Moe girls everywhere, resulting in a harem practically? Fanservice? And what purpose does this serve? Really, what does it serve for a good story? In this show, it can't co-exist with the story, and character development like does in various shows.
Now the production values, believe it or not, despite being newer, E7 AO visually looks worse than its predecessor, and the animation can be rather messy. The soundtrack, same thing. Not all that much to it.
Really, they should have either made this not a sequel, or took a page from Gonzo from when they made Last Exile: Ginyoku no Fam, the sequel to Last Exile which also had a completely closed ending. That show managed to do a much better job at things, from the story, to the characters. It did not rely on purely nostalgia to tell a story, and the result wasn't all that bad.
Eureka Seven AO in the end is a prime example of doing everything wrong in a show, and what happens when a studio uses only nostalgia to tell a story. Take the E7 fanboy glasses off, and you'll immediately notice the many, many problems. One can only hope less of these kinds of shows get made in the future. Nostalgia can be great, but not when you use it to tell a story for a show.
SpaceTitanium
Eureka Seven AO serves as a sequel to the fantastic Eureka Seven of a few years ago. however to call it a sequel is akin to calling a doughnut a loaf bread, it shares many of the same base elements, is similar on a surface and level but make for totally different products in the end. one of which has a giant hole in the middle. The hole in this context is the story, or rather the lack of it. The series mulls around being a monster of the week show for the majority of it's run all the while attempting to raise mysteries and intriguearound a few side plots that aren't really addressed till later. the problem however lies in when it actually does address those plots, it's painfully rushed, borderline incomprehensible at times and leaves the impression that writers didn't have an ending in mind and just sort of winged it for the last stretch of episodes, culminating in a bizarre mess of a plot which feels like it was over too fast and drawn out at the same time.
the entire ordeal feels like a directionless mess. which spends so much time trying to make it seem like it's doing SOMETHING that it eventually becomes clear it's not really doing ANYTHING. introducing just a many plot points as it seemingly drops, it has a schizophrenic whiplash of a pace which never seems to settle in on what it wants to do enough to do any of it effectively.
as far as the plot goes, it's a disappointment to prior fans of the franchise due to it's handling of what few legacy elements it embraces but at the same time relies fairly heavily on you knowing/liking the previous series to fully understand it, which leaves new fans in the cold too.
While the story may be a broken mess, the animation and art design are actually very good. the show has some really impressive visuals at times and upholds to bones usual high standard of quality. backgrounds are often colourful and detailed and it features some of the nicest looking explosions I've seen in a long time.
The primary character designs were handled by Kenichi Yoshida, who was the character designer for the first series, which lends a nice bit of visual familiarity to the series and helps tie it to the original series.
mecha design is sadly a low point, the original series had shoji kawamori, a veritable god among mecha designers, and this series... doesn't. the mechs don't look bad on their own, but they lack the distinct visual punch the original had, only made worse by it's comparing the two styles.
and finally you have the G-monsters or secrets, the primary antagonists of the series. which are essentially monsters made of polygonal shapes. their appeal seems to be a matter of taste, they are simplistic enough to resonate with some, but bland enough to be forgettable to others. personally i found them to be an interesting concept that turned out to be unmemorable due to their execution, another failing of the story and it's lack of direction.
It's visuals are certainly one of it's strongest point and it rarely looks cheap, but some of the mecha/antagonist designs can feel sub-par which really takes away from some fairly well done action.
the music is the only point i have absolutely no problems with. the score is handled by Koji Nakamura (of supercar, lama and ILL) and is a audible treat, i often found myself rewatching parts of episodes just to hear the songs going on in the background. it ranges nicely from slice of life calmness to intense mecha action perfectly and compliments those scenes fantastically as it goes. the few insert songs are also great, though musical taste may be a factor in your enjoyment of them.
the music never failed to get me into the series moods and managed to accomplish the rare feat of both fitting the scenes subtly and without overstating itself but also being good enough for me to end up humming it long after watching episodes. of all it's traits, the soundtrack is the thing i've most taken away from AO and i personally am more likely to just listen to the soundtrack than rewatch the show.
overall the series is a real mixed bag, on the surface level it's great. it's pretty and sounds great with a seeming return to a fantastic world. but as is often the case things are not quite what they seem. it's ties to the original series are tenuous and confusing, it's own plot is underdeveloped and meandering and the whole experience ends up feeling a bit hollow. it's fantastic presentation does a lot to carry it, but in the end the the story is weak and it's art isn't good enough to watch just for it.
It's a case where the show is primarily bad, the most important thing (the story) is lacking and often confusing, but there is just enough good to balance it out. it ends up being a completely middle of the road show despite all it's qualities being at extremes. they just happen to cancel each other out into this weird show.
Personally it left me with an odd impression. I don't regret watching it, but i feel like i probably should and can't. which is really strange. much like this show.
Toucanbird
Eureka Seven: OW...er, AO Ouch! That's is all. ...okay, that wouldn't make for much of a review, but really, the best way I can put this series was it was painful to watch. I remember seeing the original series in both English and Japanese and loved both. One of the few English dubs that I didn't despise that much. I really hope this doesn't get localized so it can slap the faces of any other Eureka Seven fans that don't watch subbed anime. Okay, enough venting and more reviewing. The problem with this series was the story and character development...and boy, was it bad. Bones had a prettystrong reputation before this series but I get the impression it's going to take a major hit. The writers tried to create an innovative plot that took Eureka Seven character archetypes, put them in a time travel/dimensional travel plot, and see what happens. It's almost as if Bones took a look at Steins;Gate and said "see how successful this was?! We need to do that!" Problem is, Steins;Gate created a full cast of likable characters and didn't make the plot any deeper than it had to be. This? It was confusing from start to finish. It's one thing to slowly pace out plot development out of suspense, it's a complete other thing to slowly pace out plot development and then not have a proper payoff.
What made the original series so great was the character development. There was a cast that was well hashed out, well developed, and most importantly, the characters were actually likable and memorable. Astral Ocean failed in that department. It had some unique characters that could've filled that role. I felt as though Elena and Fleur were probably the best characters outside of Ao in this series when it comes to likability. However, even they were not hashed out as well as they should've been and in moments where the dramatic tension should've been high, it wasn't. Simply put, I react well to animes that can convince me that there's dramatic tension between the characters and how they respond to each other. I wasn't sold on any of their dramatic tension.
By far the WORST part of Eureka Seven: Ao though was the ending. Since I'm not allowed to "spoil" it, I'll just come out and say...it was pointless...and I mean that literally. The ending deemed the entire Eureka Seven: Ao storyline essentially pointless. On top of that, it COMPLETELY hung Ao, the series lead character, out to dry. I found it to be an absolute TERRIBLE approach. It's one thing to have a tragic ending that has an affect on the main cast of characters. This anime didn't have that. It had a tragic ending that effectively left zero impact on the main cast of characters. Buzz kill is really the best way to describe the ending.
I know I said a lot of bad things about E7: Astral Ocean so far, but are there any good things? Yeah, there are. The artwork was pretty consistent with the original series and I'd even say slightly better. Although, I do think they went a little overboard with Truth's facial expressions. The music on the whole was pretty good. I also found myself REALLY enjoying the 2nd OP BlazBlue by FLOW. The OP set up the feel that the anime would have an epic 2nd half...so good advertising on Bones part...just poor execution.
Ultimately, the bad outweighs the good. I can say that for the most part, I did enjoy the series but like many series before it, poor writing and an absolute "worst possible ending" just ruined the series for me. The writers tried to do way too much with the plot and not enough with the character development. In an attempt to be innovative, the writers instead created a confusing, heaping mess that even by the time everything was cleared up and explained, it left me unsatisfied. For a sequel to a great series like Eureka Seven, Astral Ocean failed to meet expectations...and then some.
kda7731
Too be completely honest, I was a little disappointed With this series. I had higher expectations after Eureka 7. It was a great plot, very well developed characters, and had just the right amount of romance and action. For Eureka 7: AO, This was not the case, the story seemed to be more thrown together and just tried to dazzle you with action for most of the episodes. This being said, character development was lacking and you could not relate or get to know the characters better. I loved the fact that Eureka 7 had great relationships which help bring it together but AO didnot.
If you are into a lot of action though, you may like this anime. But if you were a very big fan of Eureka 7, you may be disappointed.
BHancock
If you want to watch AO while not being bogged down by rage-fueled reviews, then look no further. This review will tell you what to expect from E7: AO so you can be spared the headaches if you don't want to watch it. I won't be doing the generic reviews of the usual elements since many others have covered them. First, don't expect that the original series is paralleled here in AO. It's a completely different story with elements from the previous series, the only links being Renton, Eureka, Nirvash, and the Gekko. Second, if you don't like to think hard on an anime, then don't watchthis. Spare yourself from a lot of hair pulling.
Third, this is a BONES anime. This means that the plot doesn't usually make sense until the end or near the end.
Fourth, if you're looking for action and lasers with good old mecha fighting, then don't watch this. Go and watch Gurren Lagann instead.
Fifth, if you're expecting romance like the original series, don't expect anything from this unless you're only watching for the Renton and Eureka one (which you'll have to wait for for a long, loooooong time).
Sixth, be prepared for a reversal of roles. Not everything you think is correct, IS RIGHT. It's like thinking for the longest time that 1+1 = 2, when the real truth is actually 1+1= 345934578934759.
Seventh, don't expect the typical plot build up. If you know about Romeo and Juliet and have read the book/watched the play, then you know what I mean. This is like Romeo and Juliet, without the romance.
Last but not least, if you care about background characters then don't watch this. Let me tell you right now, this is a story filled with resets and restarts. Stories like that don't usually bid well for people who want closure on everything.
People go hard on this anime because they didn't get what they expect. Let me tell you now, if you want to watch this, wipe all your biases and expectations. I learned it by Episode 13, and I say that's not too late a time.
E7 AO is a sequel made to close everything. It closes the scene on E7 POP and AO together. It's the curtain call for both series. If you like it, good for you, you understood it. If you don't like it, then too bad, go watch an anime with a proven formula for a plotline.
All in all, thanks for reading.
ggultra2764
This proved quite disappointing considering how much I enjoyed the original Eureka Seven series, though I'm not completely condemning it to hellfire and brimstone as many folks presently are as there have been worst messes I've seen in anime. Eureka 7 AO gave us the promise of Eureka's son, Ao, trying to discover his mother's whereabouts by trudging through some complicated conflicts between military factions and Generation Bleu. While this idea showed its potential for much of the first half of the series, while also digging into the complicated issues surrounding affairs between the mentioned factions and monster threats, later episodes get increasingly messy withthe title's writing and its exploration of characters.
Let us first talk about the choices of writing for AO. The original series had a clear direction for what it wished to accomplish with Gecko State's motives, revealing Eureka's origins, some pretty shocking secrets surrounding the origins of the world and Dewey Novak's manipulations to bring forth his own twisted plans. For AO though, the series starts getting messy towards the middle of the show when we come to learn of Eureka's whereabouts as it introduces a convoluted plot device, that I won't spoil here, that makes things rather hard to follow with what exactly is happening to her and how this element to the plot affects things for later events in the series. The series also gets in the rather obnoxious habit of creating twists in the direction of the plot that you would assume would be relevant for later events of the show or unveiling details on characters yet in many cases, these twists aren't quite as relevant and were mostly there to swerve the audience. The final two episodes that were hyped up to just recently were noticeably more fast paced than earlier episodes of AO as a major character from the first season of the series finally made his appearance and the resolution to the series will have one questioning what the entire point of it even was with how mean-spirited and contradicting AO was from how it presented itself in the earlier episodes.
Characterization was another issue effecting AO. Relevant characters in the original series got a good amount of fleshing out with their personalities and backgrounds so the audience would learn to care for the issues faced by them throughout the series and see how they eventually grow throughout the series. Even among the supporting characters, the first series still gave them enough personality where they were entertaining to see in serious and light-hearted moments. In AO though, many characters who were relevant in the major events of the series get limited development and don't have much in the way of personality, limiting any kind of connection one could get from them. Those characters who do get reasonable fleshing out are still limited in their development and growth thanks to the mentioned messy writing. Any chemistry between characters that would have one think there is a significant bond between them, like friendship, family or love, or there is development of one is snuffed aside for the most part thanks to larger focus being on the advancement of AO's plot.
The only thing that AO seemed to genuinely land right were the visuals. Eureka 7 AO retains the same animation style used from the first season of the series while having a more vivid color palette and smoother details. The fluid and intense mecha fights are also retained here as well and make for some of the best animated moments I've seen from a TV anime this year.
Overall, Eureka 7 AO made for one of the year's biggest disappointments for me in terms of expectations. While I was expecting a title that would retain the spirit of the original Eureka 7 in exploring Ao's search for his mother from its earlier episodes, AO became quite a mess in terms of writing and characterization in later episodes as it had trouble deciding on a proper direction to follow with its elements compared to the original series. Diehard Eureka 7 fans may want to avoid AO lest they want to fume fan-rage over what they will inevitably see.
KellyAwesome
Oh god Bones. How can you do this to me? Honestly, it wouldn't have been an awful anime standing on it's own. But you had to attach it to Eureka 7, to which I have so many fond memories and emotions attached! My first complaint with this anime is.. The waste of time. The key points of this episode could have been done in 12 episodes. There were no real filler episodes either! Why 12? Well, at least half the content was just boring: Go here, kill these guys. Minor character development. Nothing really happens. My next complaint is.. the characters. The super powers, they didn't make sensein this universe. To some extent, Naru fit in great. However, Truth was just the personification of every awful villain of any anime. Even when you get his full story. He just sort of.. is horrible.
The other thing about the characters.. Is the lack of development. Even on the main characters. We saw more development from Moon Doggy in E7 than we did from Ao in the entire series.
Third complaint.
The story doesn't make sense. I hate time travel. Hate it! With a passion, and this took confusing time travel and made it more confusing. They never answer a few questions which arise like "Were the scubs actually time traveling, or were they going to another universe in which an earlier time period of earth was occuring?" We don't have the insightful mind of a character like Dr. Bear to elaborate to the viewers what the staff knows.
To that end on the story. It kind of ruins the original series. I don't think I've been this dismayed at a series end since Mass Effect 3.
While creating a clone of the original is fruitless endeavor, making the sequel more similar than distant to the original story should have taken a precedent. When it didn't apparently. There were so many avenues to be followed upon with the original anime but instead they offer this short series which honestly should have been way shorter.
What I really missed were those scenes where you felt in touch with the character. I remember literally crying during Anemone's lamenting, and the tears of joy that followed when Eureka and Renton helped her see past the life she was locked in to.
Granted the end of Eureka 7 PoP was a little bit trippy for me, it was still amazing compared to what we got from Astral Ocean.
Goddamn how Bones has fallen.
Chibakun
I don't exactly have much time to write a full review as the previous people did. But I wanted to get this down since I just recently finished watching Eureka Seven AO. Probably won't bother doing much editing either. So here goes my review of Eureka Seven: Astral Ocean. I will start this off by saying up-front I am a huge fan of the first Eureka Seven. It is by-far my number one favorite anime next to Steins;gate, NHK, and a few others. Tbh, I did have some pretty high expectations for the sequel. Based on how well Bones did with the first series. I reallywanted / hoped the next one to be just as good if not better. And i figured with the way things ended with the last one they were free to do whatever they pleased and it should be fine. Right?
First off, in the beginning of AO I liked how everything was going. Bones has a way of leaving you with questions and building curiosity and suspense. After about maybe not even mid way through the season I got bored of it. Like, okay I liked where it was going but from the early-mid to end the plot practically stays the same. It's just flat out boring. Cool actions scenes, if you're into that kind of stuff. But not much worth watching if you're looking for a good story and some character development.
Speaking of development, AO had absolutely NONE (if any) character development. In Eureka Seven you got to see Renton grow from this clumsy silly little kid to this sort of heroic figure. And throughout the show you really get to connect with the cast. They were so likeable. Not only that you got to see what kind of challenges Renton faced as a young boy growing up. Not to mention the added love story which pretty much completed it.
I don't really want to delve into the soundtrack a whole lot but MY GOD they are seriously lacking in the OST department for AO. How do you go from an awesomely ridiculous soundtrack to like, half-assing the new OST?
It's as though Bones just said, "okay let's see how bad we can screw up and see if any of the fans will notice." I'm glad I'm not the only one who noticed that there was a lot that should've been fixed with the new series. I won't spoil anything but some characters that were added were unnecessary. Because they hardly served any purpose other than to be there just for show.
If anything they introduced new elements to E7:AO that didn't need to be there so they ended up spending more time explaining all the new elements and spent less time on the story and characters. As a matter of fact there were a lot of things in AO that they simply wasted time trying to explain. I felt like I was watching a whole new show. Hardly anything reminded me of the original E7. So for the most part I would watch it believing this was some stinky new anime that just aired.
All in all, I watched AO with an open mind and holding it to no standards too high but even as an anime for simply watching and enjoying, or killing time, I couldn't have been more disappointed. I might as well have watched paint dry if sheer disappointment didn't kill me first. If I had to say whether or not I would watch it again. I may. But I'd skip through most of it because some scenes are a nuisance and a waste of time to watch.
If you read the reviews before watching, you probably shouldn't have. Just some fair advice. You should probably go watch it yourself before checking the reviews to get your own opinion on AO. Because I get a feeling that not very many people are going to be too thrilled about this one.
tl;dr? E7 was the best. Nothing can compare. =)
tjlep
As quick overview to this review: I liked Eureka AO but, I can't get into what I liked without discussing its shortcomings as a series and sequel first. There are a considerable amount of shortcomings to this series but, I am going to try to condense them down into three primary faults from which other problems with this series stem. Probably the biggest problem I initially had with this sequel is that it denies fans the happy ending that a lot of us had pictured as following the end of Eureka Seven. Ao's parents are missing, Ao's island home in is remarkably different fromthe setting of Eureka Seven and most returning themes are subverted in one way or another sporting a considerably different vernacular as well. This is an especially hard pill to swallow for fans who already watched Pocket Full of Rainbows as AO immediately gives off the feeling of another blatant redacting of the Eureka Seven universe. In retrospect this seems like a creative choice to play with fans' expectations coming into the sequel although this might have been a little over done as I dropped this series the first time I watched it because of this.
The next issue seems to be the result of over ambitious writing. The combination of everything that is going on in AO and the relatively large central cast results in a number of difficulties in telling each character's story while conveying a sense of overarching plot that viewers can comfortably follow. For some people this makes the character development seem rushed, unclear in execution or tacked on. Where as other reviewers were left wanting more character driven story and were disappointed with the overarching plot which was truly hard to follow with all the back stories popping up along the way. I found myself in the middle wanting a clearer plot and more time with each character (except Truth.) Aside from this, transitions between episodes often felt jarring and confusing since the series rarely fell into a familiar swing while trying to find a place for everything.
A lot of reviewers have said this and I feel it deserves restating: This series is not Eureka Seven. This is fairly obvious to those who've watched or are considering watching this series, but this phrase holds a considerable amount of weight to it. Lets consider some of the things that Eureka Seven has/had to its advantage over AO. Eureka Seven had the benefit of open expectations, a new word to discover and fifty episodes. This makes Eureka Seven a reasonably hard series to follow up in twenty-four episodes without disappointing a lot of people. It is arguable that issues with the story and presentation of the series could stem from trying to fit more into this series than could be done in twenty-four episodes, but I feel that is more a matter of opinion than fact so I've kept this as a separate shortcoming in the series.
My opinion of this series is that there is a lot to love and hate. For me personally there was more to love in this sequel. For a lot of reviewers there was more to hate and I find that completely understandable since there is a lot to look past to start seeing what this series did well. With that said I don't think everyone that enjoyed Eureka Seven will enjoy this sequel, but I think fans who approach this series with an open expectations and are willing to look for what they like in this series will find a lot of pleasant surprises.
I really liked the whole set up for this anime. In a cohesive, although not very well presented, plot the creators of this show managed to bring the audience into a setting that is both similar and different than the setting of Eureka Seven. This allows the audience to become reacquainted with the familiar while discovering what is new and different about the setting of AO through Ao's adventure in a way that was, for me, very nostalgic.
There is a large and diverse cast of characters in this series and most of them are pretty likable. Although the majority of the character development felt forced and out of place in this series I still really liked the characters and I have to credit this to the fact that every primary character has some form of back story or side story.
The setting of AO is much more politically diverse than Eureka Seven. I felt this really made AO stand out as a sequel and, although it added to the side story clutter and general messiness of AO's presentation, I still enjoyed the political aspects of the story.
Even by the end of Eureka Seven there where many questions left unanswered and aspects of mythos left unexplored. AO continues this tradition by answering some questions viewers might have never known to ask about the Eureka Seven universe while revisiting some old questions and introducing new ones along the way. Though fairly simple, I feel this is one of AO's more notable successes as a sequel. For me this is what most of my opinion of this series as sequel hinged on. More than the characters or the story, the world of Eureka Seven is what originally drew me into this franchise and I am glad to see that aspect of Eureka Seven done justice.
Closing Note:
I read the guidelines and it was suggested to avoid something like this (but not expressly prohibited.) So, I held it off until the end to respectful of everyone's time. This is my first review and although I read the guidelines and kept them in consideration while writing this review I am sure people will notice things that I overlooked. If you have any advice on how I could make this review more helpful, clear or more compliant with the guidelines, please let me know.
accountredacted
Straight 7s all across the board ... minus a 3 in Character. So how do I feel about E7:AO? I've been a fan of Eureka Seven since I first watched it subbed by Nanashi. It's also been a really long long time since Bones made that. Forgetting E7, let's look at AO for what it actually is. Eureka Seven: AO is less like a drama and barely a romance anime at all. Its entire point lies in family ties and coming of age - which it does... Well. Not great. Well. I did enjoy it's constant change of perspective though, although that's really not a plus- just me being absolutely insane.
The story encompasses a boy growing up without knowing much of his parents, like the original. Also is picked up by a militant like group designed to fight Coralians, reasonably similar to the original as well. In fact, the first 13 episodes, while lacking on any forms of true development and romance or coherency, are in fact fairly enjoyable. This however becomes a roller-coaster, as a cycle of enjoyment, boredom, followed by bitterness, rinse repeat.
See, Ao didn't have the same kind of run its predecessor had to tell its story. In fact, it had less than half the episodes. Bones made the decision to come up with a thousand events for this series that could've been awesome but just weren't. In fact, the show pitches around from one thing, to another thing unrelated, then pitches back, then decides it wants to play soccer.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/n74d7keexalbvpj/ao.png
I'm not kidding.
The problem really is that Ao could've had a fine story until it gutted any character development, decided to forget plot-lines, decided it wanted to implement a completely confusing time-travel plot, and decided to drop more than 2 -second gag humor. If one took each episode of Ao, added some fun and maybe some actual character development to the story, and really tried fricking hard to reason out the time-traveling thing (I've done it and frankly, the amount of deus ex machina made it basically a moot point), the show would've been that much better.
http://images4.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20121011063920/eurekaseven/images/7/7c/Quartz-gun.jpg
It's not just phallic, it changes bloody history! Also it will erase you. *click*
The story get's a 7 though, despite every actual flaw in it's telling, it's not terrible, (lose Naru though, she went from somewhat interesting to the most annoying and pointless prophet the world will ever know) and the first and last two episodes actually do a good job of sending nostalgia waves through the viewer. It also attempts to explain every thread it abandoned on the way, which is nice, but frankly, it suffers the whole "24 mins only" run-time problem, and we all have to just scratch our heads, pause the video, open Descarte, and then proceed to say, "Ohhhhhh..." as realization comes flooding in about what was actually just said. Or be me and rewatch the entire series just to remember what they were referencing.
http://ghostlightning.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/eureka-seven-ao-noah-reading-pied-piper.jpg
We like to believe he gets it. Probably does, a lot better than we did in one viewing at least.
As for the art, the eyes don't lie, the art was spectacular, the animations fluid, the mechs were beautiful... I scored it a 7 though because frankly, we don't misspell white house as 'white hous' and spell it correctly in the same exact frame of the same episode simultaneously. (episode 18... What the hell man?) Seriously, this is the same studio that did Darker Than Black (which had EXTENSIVE screens and screens of English piled onto a computer monitor, with no misspellings, a sequel with tons of Russian, which I believe is okay, and a ton of Chinese. I think we can hold them to a higher standard.)
Sound.... Was good. Nothing truly new, but the sound library did feel decent, atmosphere matched well, music pieces weren't god-awful, and come on, we love it when the Nirvash does it's whole launch sequence, doesn't matter how bad the show was.
Characters are the worst of everything. I can honestly say I hated Naru for being a philosophical female dog, despised how the back stories of Elena and Fleur were glanced at and then never brought up again for the rest of the show (okay, like once or twice - but it was so pointless I really didn't care), Ivica was borderline frightening, and Gazelle was... Gazelle? Okay, point is - I don't even know if this show had legitimate villains. Everything just kept going a this breakneck speed that I had no idea who was who and fighting who and oh god this is a mess. Look, Ao has the personality of bread. Whiny, blue bread. With purple dots. I did not give a single damn about Ao (the character) after episode 10, and this continued until the very last episode where he finally develops a personality that isn't the equivalent to: Butthurt Mom Left Me.
And honestly, that personality change in the last 10 mins of the last episode ALMOST makes me forgive him. But only almost. Seriously, did Naru, Fleur, Elena or any one else even have a point after the Quartz Gun became a thing? Cos frankly, we already went over that that thing takes retroactive continuity and beats you over the head with it and makes you say it's your daddy.
Oh and don't get me started on Truth, that guy wasn't a villain at all. HE ACTUALLY HAD MORE BACKSTORY THAN MOST OF THE GODDAMN CAST!!!! By the end of it (prior to episode 23), I was basically hoping he'd kill everyone - and then...
https://www.dropbox.com/s/gt1pl2f0islecg1/hi.png
I'm not sure I'm okay with this.
As for enjoyment... I have to say - I would've hated this anime - it would've gotten a 4 or 5 if it wasn't for episode 24. It's certainly watchable, and isn't actually that unforgivable, but because it's so dependent on its predecessor without even being good at emulating it, and because it has so few merits of its own it can barely hold onto, the majority of the series left an anguished taste in my mouth... Like eating babies... On fire. I feel like if it had been easier on the terminology, and took more time to explain itself, and CUT ALL THE CRAP THAT ENDED UP NOT MATTERING TO EMBELLISH ON ITS MERITS, it could have been amazing, but it's not. It's passable. And even then, it's predecessor makes it look like a joke.
Watching for what it is - you should watch it if you're a fan of the original, but don't expect much, and really don't buy it. It makes a sub-par show, and while it's better than a ton of garbage people will swear their mother's graves upon, it's just not living up to its name.
7/10 - watch on TV.
http://myanimelist.net/profile/eureka822/reviews for the record - this guy actually shares many of my opinions but still scored this show higher than I feel it deserves. Still a valid read.
explicit707
This series cannot be reviewed as a sequel. It's best to look at it as an optional side story. That being said, it has both positive and negative aspects. For those that love the original and have yet to give this a look, I do advise perhaps taking a pass on this one. It has very little continuity with the original, and it doesn't expand on the overall story. One word to sum it up is this is clearly DIFFERENT (than the original). Eureka 7: AO has a lot of mystery throughout. The biggest problem is the overall delivery of the story. The flow of the storyis very choppy, almost like it was butchered in post production. Some scenes simply don't transition properly from one moment to the next. It is flawed in it's emotional delivery, and lacks heavily in character development. It's difficult to feel any emotional attachment to most of the characters as the story goes on. It does have great artwork and good music, but this isn't enough at most times. This is one series that could easily be redone with an hour and a half long movie that would probably work better overall.
I do warn that my next comments are a bit of spoilers.
SPOILER: this story works well with the time travel/alternate universe theme, and I do not feel it lacks in it's explanations of the universe. There are a lot of new things like their G-Monsters (or secrets) that have the cool factor.
PatPeter
Story -------------------------------------------------- What It Should Have Been ---------------------------------------------------------------------- A lot of viewers will tell you that a sequel to Eureka seveN was near impossible. However, I completely disagree with this notion. Eureka seveN AO could have gone in two very plausible directions. I. A sequel based on the artwork from DVD Vol. 12: http://www.amazon.com/Eureka-Seven-Vol-Episodes-47-50/dp/B00114UUKY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1439064718&sr=8-1&keywords=eureka+seven+dvd+12In this picture, there are essentially two worlds: the above-ground and below-ground, as I've taken to calling them. The plethora of questions posed by this image (since the image is canon to the end of Eureka seveN) could easily make for a new series:
1. Is there political turmoil between above-grounders and below-grounders?
2. If this takes place far in the future, are Coralian-Human hybrid descendants common and do they face discrimination like the Vodarac?
3. How different are the cultures of lifters (above-grounders) and surfers (below-grounders), since below ground there is no trapar?
The Eureka seveN universe is so detailed, there should have been no problem creating a chronological sequel to it.
II. A *prequel* based on the events detailed in episode 47 of Eureka seveN. 10,000 years before Eureka seveN, humans were attacking the Scub Coral. We used jets to try bombing it, and I wouldn't doubt it if we used nukes.
In this context, the Scub Coral as the true enemy would have made perfect sense, especially when fighting these creepy things: http://eurekaseven.wikia.com/wiki/Antibody_Coralians Get rid of the Secrets and Quartz, and we would have had an amazingly anime that built on the canon. There are more than enough questions to sustain a prequel, such as:
1. What, in graphic detail, happened to humans as they fought the Scub?
2. How did the humans build the ships that took them off the planet, and how did they survive out in space for 10,000 years?
3. How many humans were left behind to be killed/absorbed by the Scub?
Sadly, I've reached my Limit of Questions for this section, but as you can see, there was obviously a lot of missed potential with this series.
What It Actually Was
----------------------------------------------------------------------
The plot was incredible sporadic. Never is there any consistency in the characters who make random choices that are not explained, or that really even matter. I can't really elaborate without *many* spoilers.
Art
--------------------------------------------------
Art was nothing impressive. It just took from the same Eureka seveN art style, tried to change things up in a special way, and failed.
Sound
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If you look up Eureka seveN AO OST on Amazon, you get the OST for Eureka Seven, 'nuff said:
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_2?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=eureka+seven+ao+ost
The music was so terrible in this anime; not in that the music was bad, but because it didn't evoke the raw emotions that music in Eureka seveN did. The only good music was the bit of Niji that they put in.
Character
--------------------------------------------------
Do I have to?
No really, do I have to go over this?
There was absolutely no depth to the characters whatsoever, and no character development either. When does a character actually change in the inside, as opposed to the outside? Sure, some characters get different outfits, but the same underlying characters don't change. And then you have a character that has a different outfit, and did not used to be the same character, but it is very poorly explained. You have explained but unexplained romances in the series. There are times when it pretends to be a harem... and then ignores any relationships between the characters.
Enjoyment
--------------------------------------------------
Did I enjoy one of my favorite animes of all time being butchered a SECOND time after it was previously butchered by a terrible movie? No.
Overall
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Save yourself the 9 or so hours spent watching this series, and re-watch the original Eureka seveN. There is no reason to watch this travesty of an anime.
koolaid117
It toke me awhile to understand things,but I am feeling the same emotions I felt when i first finished the original. even though I had to wait, and the story became mind numbing trying to figure everything out. I even decided to stop watching for awhile. but through everything that happened, it was worth it in the long run to feel these emotions once more. when I finished eureka 7 I could have cried, not just because it was beautiful, but because i wanted more. I absolutely loved the feeling that came from the original, that it pushed me down the path of romance anime. Ieven watched clannad, and read sasameki koto, but the feelings that have returned are unique all their own.
Sequels are said to never be as good as the original, but this breaks the rule, because it brought back the same feelings, the same expirience without wearing it out.
All in all im happy with this anime and will look forward to any other in the future.
ovenbaked
This series does not compare to E7 even slightly, it's story is a mess that I had trouble following past the half way mark even with re-watching episodes. If you have seen Eureka 7 then avoid this, or only watch the first half of the series. If you haven't seen Eureka 7 then go watch Eureka 7.
Rokis03
First thing. Eureka seven was really good anime and i love it so much that i want more! After watching it i was deeply sad that it all ended, but after a while i found out about Eureka seven AO and oh boii. Eureka seven AO is really good and i like it, but i don't really understand why people hating it so much. After completing AO i'am sitting all sad and sorrow and i still want more... Well it is what it is and some may find it good or bad. Overall AO was really good no matter what other people may say. 9/10
limaribudollar
I watched this as a part of my eureka seven marathon. I totally fell in love with the original series and was expecting something at least the same level of the first one... And as I said, I'm totally disappointed... Story: 1 It's all messed up, I'm serious, it's a real black and white contrast from the original which focused more in the story than all the fireworks. Even though the moon writing thing in the original is pretty cheesy but I can't help just to giggle and felt really happy for Renton and Eureka, even anemone x dominic couple still manage to put tears to myeyes. On the other hand I don't really remember anything from Ao's story, just pretty much the last part, and even that still manages to get on my nerves.
Art: 7
Bones studio really did a great job on this department. beautiful animation. But somewhat it started to degrade midway and suddenly beautiful again at probably 3 to 4 last episodes. The original had a very consistent animation all the way through, even on the "filler" episodes.
Sound: 9
Sound was great and original. Really enjoyed pretty much all the OPs & EDs for this series.
Charcter: 1
There are pretty much 0 character development, Ao did not grew or find love or did something, he just did some gun firing. Fleur and Elena pretty much stopped being main characters after 7 or 8 episodes and they started to introduce random backup characters who played a somewhat big role but never really felt right. I had high hopes with Naru but she failed me miserably, I really hoped that she became the good girl and really helps Ao and becomes happy etc but at the end she's just a bitch. And 1 more, why the hell did they make grown up Renton like that? and why does he has the same voice as holland? They're not related, WHY?!?!?
Enjoyment: 2
Overall, I did not enjoy the series, after I watched 12 episodes I thought "Hang on a minute, I'm confused!" it has too many mysteries, too many drastic change of hearts to the characters, too many time travels, too many laser beams and missiles, too many truth appearance, too many ILFs and too many things that does not make a series good and cherished. It lacks balance and taste in the writing, planning and direction department.
Overall: 3
Maybe I was expecting too much coming straight from the original series, but I felt that this series really massively slapped the original in the nuts. It's really a shame that they decided to put in too much of things especially time travels, even the scrub corals time traveled, I was like, "R U F***ing serious???" honestly, I was expecting a sort of a back story on how the coralians managed to fill the earths, not some some traveling corals shit and a bunch of characters that doesn't have enough significance in the movie. I finished watching the series just for the sake of it and I truly hoped as I watched more episodes things will get better, but unfortunately more disappointments came instead.
Excuse my ramblings, but I just felt betrayed by AO, it has every potential to be a great pre/sequel but they crashed it instead. A shame, really.
TheMaverickk
Welcome to my review of Retcon: The Anime! I'm sure you've heard a lot of things about Eureka Seven AO (a lot of them probably not that great). That said there are those who would like to tell you to go into Eureka Seven AO with an open mind, or that it's a stand alone series, that's more of an offshoot than a sequelfrom the original Eureka Seven. Well those people are wrong, and you should cut them off from your life, they are dead to you, KILL IT WITH FIRE. Anyone who tries to tell you that Eureka Seven AO isn't a direct sequelto the original series is lying to themselves. Cause the sad sad truth is that it is. That this series exists and nothing good comes from it.
_________________________________________
On to the review. So do you remember all your burning questions to the fate of Eureka and Renton after they left on a journey? What happened to their adopted children? What happened to Holland and the Gekkostate crew? How did humans adapt in the new world? Did Eureka and Renton ever return from the forest with their blinking red and blue head lights?
Well be prepared!
Cause Eureka Seven AO won't be answering those questions, and will instead thrown straight out the window, breaking the perfectly good window in the process.
Eureka Seven AO is essentially a direct sequel, although it's set about 13+ years after the original. As that is our protagonists age at the start. The star of E7:AO is none other Ao himself. The son of Eureka and Renton, although the only one Ao knows is his mother who has gone missing before the start of the show. He was raised by knock off Grandpa Thurston, Dr. Toshio Fukai. Don't worry who he is doesn't really matter cause he has such a small role to play in the story. Should also mention he also leaves behind Naru, a childhood friend of Ao's... there may be more between them, but not like the show cares to elaborate on it.
Shortly after the start of the series we are introduced to the digital black crystal monsters known as simply, Secrets. Through a series of unfortunate events with a Secret, Ao eventually stumbles into his mothers mech, the Nirvash Mk. 2 and this sparks the desire to go search her out. Leaving his care taker behind and joining the organization Generation Bleu.
From here E7:AO turns into a "monster of the week" style anime. Also Ao seems to forget about the search for his mom as well as he gets wrapped up in the organization he joined. It's here we meet the shows cast, Fluer, Alena, Ivaca.... all of which are inconsequential. As they are all barely developed and ultimately the whole monster of the week thing just builds up to collecting Scub Cubes which form the series dues ex machina, the Quarts Gun, a.k.a the Retcon Gun.
Spoilers!!!
It's this single element of the series that manages to screw up any hope there ever was for some meaningful story to develop from this train wreck.
As this weapon's key attribute is the ability to erase the thing that it hits... entirely... from that timeline. With the wonderful after effect of changing any person or object it may have come into contact with. It should be mentioned that there was also already a time travel or alternate universe element at play with Eureka being sent back in time through some seven swell worm hole in order to save her and Rentons Son... and to add to the already convoluted nature of time travel in series, they threw on an element that just crushed any chance of it making a lick of sense.
Anyhow now thanks to the Retcon gun. certain characters outright disappear cause they never end up meeting Ao, others personalities change cause of change of events in their past, villains become allies, allies become villains. Everything that the show had developed up to the point of use becomes pointless, grinds to a halt and resets. With the only character left unaffected being Ao. If only his character was good enough to carry the series on it's own through these events, but it doesn't.
The gun is used on very few occasions, and usually with it comes the side effect of head scratching as a re-written universe unfolds before the viewers eyes with no explanation or ground work to how things got to where they are. Worse off the rules of the time line changing gun are loose.... very loose. Some characters seem to be able to retain small chunk of memories from their previous life before the timeline was re-written... which makes no sense whats so ever.
Some of the alterations to peoples personalities and character roles also don't add up or make sense either based on the change that was made as well.
If the Retcon Gun wasn't a problem enough. The show does us the courtesy of bringing Eureka and Renton back into the story in the second cour of the series. Mainly a form of fan service if anything. As everything you knew and loved about these characters in the original anime is long gone. In fact their plans and decisions also make no sense. One such thing for example that also happens to be a spoiler.....
Renton sent Eureka to this alternate timeline in order to safely give birth to Ao. The whole point, and motive was to protect his family. When Renton finally reappears towards the end of the series after finding his family, his goal is to reclaim the Quartz Gun and use it on the Scubs so they never existed (and consequently it would mean that Eureka, and his son Ao wouldn't exist either as a result). Again... it makes no sense. Also apparently his motive is that the Scubs and Humans can't possibly live in peace together after all, so they must be eradicated so that humanity can survive.
A contradictory point from the original series which saw the resolution of peace between Humans and Scubs.
Thankfully the show has a happy ending... and Ao does all of us a favor and uses the Retcon gun on all the Secrets and makes it so all of the Ao series never happened. Save yourself the heartbreak and just cherish the original series.
Unless you like watching train wrecks for entertainment value.
