Eureka Seven AO - Episode 18

Ao's defection to America and the Allies at the end of last week's episode of Eureka Seven AO begged plenty of questions, but as far as Generation Bleu was concerned there's no time for such questions as they need to make up for their lost pilot.

As a result, we see Fleur and Elena testing, and ultimately failing, to make use of the Third Engine of their IFOs - a baffling problem given the ease with which Ao succeeded in using it.  Speaking of Ao himself, he's "enjoying" all of the formalities of switching sides, including vast swathes of paperwork.  Oh, and jellybeans.

The stress of Ao's defection inevitably causes friction between his former fellow pilots, and both Fleur and Elena seem to be struggling with his decision, creating emotional turmoil between the two of them which eventually causes them to come to blows while also revealing at least a little more about their personalities and feelings.  With nobody else to turn to, both parties end up making the same decision - to head out and face up to Ao to ask him what he's playing at, regardless of the fact that he's currently situated in the middle of a heavily fortified American aircraft carrier.  Having already learned some more about the cause of Ao's defection, it's perhaps unsurprising that Elena and Fleur's appeal for his return have an instant effect and an equally instantaneous decision for this pivotal player in a battle which is fast becoming far more than a struggle between humanity and the Secrets.

So another week brings us another polished, well-plotted and paced episode of Eureka Seven AO.  Although there is still so much left unsaid, it was great to see the series dig at least a little deeper into the behaviour of its three major child pilots - Ao's decision-making process in defecting away from Generation Bleu seems almost unbelievably flawed until you remember that he's only thirteen and hardly capable of making such big decisions logically, while both the friendship between Fleur and Elena and the secrets they both hold has made them all the more fascinating.  Add in the fact that the series is turning more towards a tale of humanity clashing with itself, and there's rather an Evangelion-esque feel to the subject matter of the show at this point - it's a comparison that Eureka Seven AO can never hope to win in absolute terms, but existing in its own animated bubble it's no bad thing and I'm more than happy to see it continue in a similar vein moving forward.