Eureka Seven: Volume 1

Based on the hit anime by BONES, and developed by the team of Jinsei Kataoka and Kazuma Kondou, "Eureka Seven" is now available in print. Slaving away in his grandfather's garage while stuck in the shadow of his late-great father, young Renton Thurston dreams of adventures with the Gekko State, a ragtag group of skysurfing rebels. When Eureka, a full fledged member, comes crashing down in the LFO (Light Finding Operation) robot Nirvash, it's a dream come true. When Renton helps out Eureka and joins GS, however, he soons discovers that his idols aren't all they're cracked up to be. But when Renton becomes the co-pilot to Nirvash, he and Eureka find both their destinies entwined. The story in this first volume sets up the main plot and cast with no major changes. The illustrations are the splitting image of the cartoon. You'll also come across a few typos here and there, but they're hardly noticeable. But most importantly, the manga maintains the feel of the anime (more or less). Vol. 1 also includes several mini-comics for a good laugh. This comic is recommended for ages 13 and up: Violence, Adult Language, Adult Situations.

Young Renton is sick of his life in a do nothing town, slaving away for his cranky mechanic grandpa. The only joy he gets is riding his ref board, a device used to surf the trapar winds, energy waves in the air. He dreams of joining Gekkostate, a rebel organization that lives to defy the official city governments. Not only are they a bastion of counter-culture, they are also a symbol to the young to go against the system and live their lives on their own terms. Of course, the government's main priority is to crush them. That's what they're in the course of doing when a mecha, called an "LFO", crashlands on Renton's home! Once he gets over the initial shock, his emotions run the other way, when a strange but beautiful looking young girl named Eureka steps out of its hatch. Renton is instantly a slave of love! The forces of Gekkostate have come to Renton's grandfather in search of a device called an "Amita Drive" which grants an LFO incredible powers and was created by Renton's dad, who is currently missing and presumed dead after saving the world. Will Renton's dreams finally be fulfilled even as he falls deeper in love and gets a reality check when he meets the rest of the Gekko's crew? This first volume of the manga Eureka Seven is based on the anime of the same name and serves as pretty much a summary of the first DVD volume. That doesn't make it bad. I really liked the anime and found the manga just as enjoyable. Some plot points are cut short and some are added so you get a different experience here. The concern of Volume 1 is really about Renton getting his dream of joining Gekko State to come true, but finding that the dream leaves a bit to be desired as he becomes the whipping boy of the Moonlight's crew. Also, his view of the members has to be adjusted a bit from the photos and articles he's read about them, as up close, he finds their personality flaws on display. They're really not flaws, it's just the difference between their image and the real person. I do feel that the manga version can be enjoyed without having seen the anime. The only complaint I have with this book and any manga featuring mecha is that it's hard to tell one mech from the other. In anime you have colors and voices that let you tell the difference. In manga, you only have shading to help you out, unless you radically differentiate the robot designs from each other. A good read.

the manga is very different then the anime, but in a good way. in fact i enjoyed the manga more then the anime. i recomend both reading and watching Eureka Seven. they both have there strong points and both make very good stories.