All Good Things… Eureka Seven Astral Ocean 23 and 24 END

After what seemed like an eternity, this week brought us the conclusion the Eureka Seven Astral Ocean. This sequel, which in being set in the past felt like a prequel, was not without it’s faults. Most of us that were Eureka Seven fans came in with high expectations. And rightly so. Eureka Seven was, over the course of 50 episodes, a balanced and beautiful show. Growth and conflict, aliens and mecha, love and loss, a hero rescuing the damsel; this show had it all.

AO was a chance to continue this legacy. A chance to invigorate the fan base once again, and bring a new audience into the fold. And with it’s first four episodes, it did that. Sure, it left us with some questions, and made us wonder what was going on. But the potential was there. But as we worked our way through the series, more things were, seemingly randomly, thrown our way. And all we could think was, “Bones won’t do that to us”. And with this last hiatus, my thoughts were, “here is a chance for Bones to finish this the right way”.

Quite frankly, it sucks to be disappointed this way.

The Eureka Seven AO Ending We’ve All Been Waiting For

[UPDATE: This is just a preview, you can find my thoughts on the finale here]

The fated time has arrived. At long last, the conclusion to Eureka Seven AO is set to air this coming week. The three weeks off for the Olympics forced a two month delay to end this series. And after leaving on a cliff hanger, we’ve had been left to wonder just what Bones has in store for us. What will the conclusion bring? Will the timeline be set right? Will Renton rescue both Eureka and Ao? But before we get to that, lets recap what we’ve seen so far.

Getting in Together-Eureka seveN AO Episode 22

[Eureka seveN Episode 21]

As Otou at Sea Slugs laments, the “plot twists” are set up to try to drive you to feel surprised. They want you to go “holy cow, I didn’t expect that”.  But honestly, I don’t think us as the audience are all that surprised any more. It would be more surprising if the show would finish one continuous thought, before randomly dropping something new on top of us. And with that, let’s dig into the last AO episode for the next two months.

New Alliances-Eureka seveN AO Episode 21

[Eureka seveN AO Episode 20]

Loyalty and Allegiance seem to be a very fluid concept in this show. In a short span, we have both Ao and Elena defecting to the other side. We have Big Blue World dropping Generation Bleu and declaring them rogue. And the remaining members of Team Harlequin joining up against Pied Piper. To me, it’s all contradictory to the guiding principles of the original series.

It Isn’t Over Until Elena Acts Normal-Eureka seveN Episode 20

[Eureka seveN AO Episode 19]

Never mind. She may never be normal.

Forgotten Truths-Eureka seveN AO Episode 19

[Eureka seveN AO Episode 18]

Yes, I know I’m a week late. Between family and work, life has gotten busy this Fall. But honestly, that’s no excuse. I guess the reason I’m really late is an indication of my growing frustration with this show. And this week’s episode, with it’s shotgun approach to unraveling mysteries and creating new ones, was almost a letdown. It was utterly anticlimactic.  And why do I think that?

All You Need is Love-Eureka seveN Episode 18

[Eureka seveN AO Episode 17]

Everyone needs a little down time. Some R&R, a break from the fight, rest for the weary. And honestly, for this show, this applies for not only the characters, but us as the viewer as well. We have been on a whirlwind of time travel and time paradoxes with enough confusion to keep us guessing until the end. But this week is a reprieve from that. Which is definitely a good thing. This episode brings us back to the humanity of the situation. Emotions, friendships, and trust. As I know I’m going to be all over the place with this one, I’ll keep it short.

Ripples in the Pond–Eureka seveN AO Episode 17

[Eureka seveN AO Episode 16]

With every action, there is an equal, and opposite reaction. One of the fundamental laws of physics, it defines that no action happens without affecting something else. And is Ao finds out, his Scub Coral bazooka (or Quartz Gun as Gen Bleu calls it) not only destroys Secrets, but reaches through time to affect past events. With the inclusion of just this one element, this show has gone from being a sort of battle between Scub, Secret, and Human, to that of how can Ao restore the timeline. Wonderful.

The Timeline Marty!-Eureka seveN AO Episode 16

[Eureka Seven AO Episode 15]

They finally did it. As I mentioned before, I hate shows that involve time travel. It’s a plot device that, when done poorly, only leads to confusion. And  the moment Bones started to use it, I knew this could end terribly. This week brings more confusion in the AO universe, and of course, it all revolves around time travel.

When Secret’s Tell Truths-Eureka seveN AO Episode 15

[Eureka seveN AO Episode 14]

If there is anything Astral Ocean does better than It’s predecessor, is that it keeps the story moving. For the last month, the quick pace has brought us into the thick of the story without so much as a pause. And as we move from one revelation to the next, it’s now the Secret’s turn to begin revealing their story. What truth’s will Eureka seveN show us this week?