Eureka Seven AO - Episodes 23-34 (Completed)

It's taken far longer than any of us might have expected, but at last Eureka Seven AO comes to an end courtesy of a double-bill for its grande finale.  Will we finally get to learn the truth about, er, Truth?

Having realigned myself with what was actually going on in the show when we left it (it has been a while, after all) we find ourselves with Team Pied Piper engaged in a pitched battle against Truth and an interfering Naru, who still insists that it's the Scub and not the Secrets that are "in the right" in the battle that has waged between them and more or less ruined the Earth into the bargain.  This makes life decidedly tricky for Ao, who seems entirely unsure as to where his allegiances should lay himself, with only the realisation that Naru's health could be in danger spurring him into action... and not a moment too soon, as Truth is swallowed up by a Scub Coral before revealing his true goal - reverting the world back to what he sees as the "correct" one - and turning on Naru in the process.  In the ensuing chaos, Ao fires the Quartz Gun, and once again succeeds in changing the world in a manner which seemingly obliterates Truth but also does little for Naru's health.

After quickly settling into this altered world and a perceived victory for Generation Bleu, any fragile piece is quickly disturbed by the appearance of an unknown IFO - an IFO that just so happens to belong to one Renton Thurston.  With Eureka making a ghostly appearance at the same time, we're treated to something of a family reunion before it becomes clear that the goals of father and son aren't about to align at all.  Ergo, while Renton is looking to ensure that the Scub Coral in the world vanishes completely, Ao simply can't accept this for two reasons, those reasons being that to do so would mean Renton giving up on Eureka, and just as importantly what the disappearance of the Scub might mean for those "infected" by or otherwise assimilated with the scub.  When push comes to shove, we're left with an epic conflict between father and son and their clashing ideologies to "do the right thing" in their own respective minds.

So, it finally comes to an end... although I imagine it's pretty much unanimous that Eureka Seven AO was no Eureka Seven - indeed, it barely felt like any kind of sequel at all quite a lot of the time - it still felt like a brave and largely decent attempt to extend the original show's scope and universe massively.  This didn't always work out perfectly, leaving us with entirely too many twists, turns, time travel and alternate universes to make for a simple viewing experience, and towards the end it leaned a little heavily on its Deus Ex Quartz Gun to provide those twists, but it was still a heady and far-reaching piece of story-telling that thrilled, emotionally moved and excited when it got it right.  How often it actually got everything right is a matter of debate that I can see raging for some time, but to my mind it worked more often than it failed miserably and still had plenty of fun with its characters early on in the series to leave me with an impressive of Eureka Seven AO that was, for the most part, positive.  Who knows, maybe we'll see this universe revisited again in another seven years?  Then again, we might just get a poor alternate world movie a few years from now instead, and nobody wants that...

Eureka Seven AO - Episode 22

Although Eureka Seven AO isn't coming to an end just yet (we have to wait until November for that, thus increasing my list of "shows that aren't quite finished yet"), it does at least have some twists and turns in store before it leaves us for a little while.

With Elena's problems resolved, all of our attention for this instalment turns towards Truth, and despite outing him as a Secret previously it seems that even that "diagnosis" is thrown into question - not surprising really, as he reaches new levels of destructive insanity which he happily aims at all and sundry with no clear motive for his actions.  Such is Truth's wrath that even Naru needs to intervene to save Ao, finally reuniting this pair... in terms of location at least, although it seems that there is something of a wedge between them emotionally thanks to the respective journeys upon which they've embarked since the start of the series.

Of course, none of this helps with the long-term goal of defeating Truth, which is where the Secrets step in; more specifically, the Secret's formerly captured spokesperson (spokesecret?) lends himself as part of a package of additions to Elena's IFO, as the remainder of Generation Bleu join forces with this entity to try and halt Truth's rampage of destruction as it threatens to kill all of those infected "Coral Carriers" which have been growing substantially in number.  But can their massed forces finally put a stop to Truth?  Judging by the ending credits to this episode, it may take the re-emergence of an old face from the past to help...

Having thoroughly enjoyed so much of Eureka Seven AO of late, I have to admit to being a bit disappointed by this episode - Truth's existence is probably one of the less interesting elements of the show, and he feels almost like an arbitrary villain at this point whose motives and origins seem suitably nebulous to fit around whatever the show requires him to be at that time.  With so many other fascinating questions and conflicts surrounding the series, I hope the show as a whole doesn't end simply chasing around a lunatic, as it feels like it could, and should, offer so much more.  Now we'll have to wait until November to see what the ultimate goals of this series are...

Eureka Seven AO - Episode 21

Now that Japan have arrived to save the world (well, to save Generation Bleu at least), the resultant confusion means unfamiliar circumstances for a not inconsiderable portion of the show's cast.

While Ao has to get used to working alongside both Japanese forces and Secrets, Fleur has an even bigger task to get to grips with as she becomes the new president of Generation Bleu with all that entails.  Elsewhere, Elena is taking on life amongst the US forces in her own inimitable manner, and Naru makes an unlikely comrade of the former Team Harlequin crew, as the question as to who are the good guys and bad guys in this series continues to rage on  -should we be rooting for the Scub or the Secrets?

It's Elena that really gets the focus for the latter half of this episode however, as she continues to pursue the opportunity for her to return to her own world - the trouble is, when Eureka makes an ethereal appearance before her, she hears an uncomfortable truth... she's already on her own home world, but simply in the wrong time.  Put simply, this isn't what Elena wants to hear at all, leaving her to continue her quest despite the evidence mounting to suggest that it's entirely fruitless.  With the new-look Generation Bleu joining the Secrets in a raid against a new Scub burst, former colleagues quickly come to blows, meaning that it's decision time for Elena - can she accept the truth before Truth gets in the way?

Inevitably, and as per the last few episodes in particular, Eureka Seven AO's complexities really show themselves at this stage in the series - when you have to spend half an episode exploring all of the changes in the show's politics and what it means for its characters, you know you're in pretty deep.  Still, in spite of this I'm sufficiently invested in the show's world to be able to soak this up with the requisite degree of fascination, and the focus on Elena's predicament was both much needed and welcome even it was a little anti-climatic (albeit joyfully meta in its cliched ending of said sub-plot).  My biggest concern right now is how the series is going to finish - it somehow feels like we're still so far away from a real resolution to everything that Eureka Seven AO needs to wrap up, which could make for some rip-roaring instalments in the weeks ahead; then again, it could mean that the show ends up as a train wreck.

Eureka Seven AO - Episode 20

With Allied forces attacking Generation Bleu's headquarters, Blanc making a desperate last-ditch attempt to put paid to Truth's attempts to interfere with everything and numerous other revelations and plot points popping up all over the place, to call the current state of Eureka Seven AO "chaotic" would probably be an understatement.

With Blanc and possibly Truth lost to the quartz-born Fusion explosion deep within Generation Bleu's headquarters, the now leaderless remaining staff have to figure out what to do next - despite Allied forces swarming around the base and biding their time to make a move, it seems that giving up isn't on anyone's agenda.  Thus, reliance is once again foist upon the Secret-infected Gerog to get the Triton up and running, while Ao takes Nirvash to venture into the hepths of headquarters to retrieve the so-called "Quartz gun" - something which he only succeeds in doing in a massive outpouring of Quartz.

With the Triton just escaping the collapse of what is left of headquarters, and the re-emergence of Team Harlequin and some of its staff into the fray, once again allegiances become decidedly fluid in the second half of this episode, with Harlequin seemingly putting its eggs into the Allied basket (on the surface, at least) and Elena seemingly looking to defect to the Allies herself.  The biggest twist in the tale comes from Blanc himself however - he may be dead, but his final preparations prior to his demise couldn't have been more thorough, offering Generation Bleu a pivotal deal... a deal make with the Secrets themselves!

The politics and shifting allegiances of Eureka Seven AO at this point may be chaotic as I alluded to earlier, but I'm actually rather enjoying that facet of this series - it certainly isn't trying to dumb down any of its elements and its complex geo-political landscape adds both a feeling of tension and a little more realism to proceedings.  That aside, this week's episode was another thrilling rollercoaster ride, with short bursts of action seeking only to punctuate the emotional turmoil and dilemmas facing its characters at every turn - it's truly compelling stuff, and probably the best this series has had to offer into the bargain.  It's perfect timing as well as we reach the final straight of a series that still feels like it could head off in any given direction even as some of its conflicting elements look set to settle down.

Eureka Seven AO - Episode 19

Any kind of attack perceived to be against America isn't the smartest idea in the world, and after rescuing Ao from the clutches of Allied forces last week Generation Bleu find themselves firmly ensconced as public enemy number one in the minds of most.

Indeed, the situation with Ao is the final straw for the US, and before we know it Generation Bleu finds both their electricity and funding cut by their corporate overseers while also preparing some devastating weapons of their own should push come to shove and the Allies need to go head to head with their new enemy.  In the midst of all this, Truth is brewing up a storm at the worst possible time... a matter not helped by him seemingly learning the, well, truth about his origins.

It isn't just Truth who is involved in spilling such beans, as we finally start to get an idea about exactly who Elena is and the mysteries surrounding her past - there's little time to ruminate on this however as Truth runs amok in space, destroying scores of satellites in an attack that the US ascribe to Generation Bleu, in turn looking to attack their facility as events look likely to enter open warfare.  Truth himself also gets involved in this fray into the bargain, all while our IFO pilots are left exposed like sitting ducks with the Triton unable to take off while its crew look to "roll-back" AI Georg to a previous version after having been infected by contact with the captured Secret.  But are those Secrets the good guys or the baddie in this tale?  It's left to Ao and Fleur to discover this for themselves as everything else collapses around them...

To call this week's episode of Eureka Seven AO "busy" would be an understatement - it filled itself with so many important or simply engaging moments that watching it was a breathless experience without time to pause.  This episode also did a pretty good job of ratcheting up a feeling of helpless tension as Generation Bleu found itself cut off from those who might previously have looked to them for help, creating a feeling not entirely dissimilar from the first half of End of Evangelion.. only not as good, obviously.  Throw in some shocking pivotal moments, and you have yourself an episode that it's truly hard to tear yourself away from - Eureka Seven AO might still be a mess of ideas and plot points, but it can certainly be a gripping one when it wants to be.

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.

Eureka Seven AO - Episode 17

In the wake of Generation Bleu's audacious attempt to rid the world of its plethora of Secrets, the appearance of the so-called "Quartz Gun" might just have changed the world... quite literally.

Despite nobody quite believing Ao's insistence that Generation Bleu once housed a team of pilot's known as Goldilocks, a number of individuals are beginning to realise that something odd is going on with the world which causes them to suspect that somewhere along the line time itself has been altered.  This all leads to back to Johansson's book claiming just this courtesy of Truth's story, and lo and behold with a little digging Ao manages to track down Team Goldilock's members, all of whom have walked a very different path rather than becoming IFO pilots due to the lack of Scub Coral in Norway.

Elsewhere, we have Naru saving a man from death before running amok amidst some Scub Coral, while Elena and Fleur have to deal with an even more serious threat - the possibility of the Team Pied Piper anime series being cancelled (yes, Eureka Seven has suddenly become that meta).  The reason for this possible cancellation is simple enough - in the wake of the revelations that Generation Bleu were stockpiling Quartz, and with the captured Secret and its claims being taken as literal gospel by many, it seems as if our Scub-bursting heroes have very quickly turned from heroes to villains.  All of this comes to a head as Pied Piper look to extract Quartz from a Scub Burst in the middle of the ocean, only to find them staring down the barrels of some UN-owned guns.  This probably wasn't the most politically expedient moment for the Quartz Gun to gain a mind of its own and demand to be shot, even flying into the hands of Nirvash to do so; although Ao learns of the possibilities inherent within that gun his willingness to shoot it wavers as he finds himself caught in the midst of a tug-o-war for his allegiance.

If Eureka Seven AO hasn't fried your brain to a greater or lesser extent by this juncture, then I applaud you - it has bitten off so many things at this point (and we can now add alternate worlds to that list if it wasn't already on there in some shape or form), yet it somehow manages to be chewing them all to a greater or lesser extent without vomiting the whole lot up into a disgusting heap.  I still worry that there are simply too many things in flight at one time for the series to ultimate resolve in a satisfactory fashion, but that aside it continues to be a fascinating mess of idea, plot points and characters that works better than it probably should that has dragged my enthusiasm for it along rather impressively up to this point.

Eureka Seven AO - Episode 16

Now that the Olympics are over, we can return in its stead to the scheduled insanity which is Eureka Seven AO - thankfully, it didn't take me long at all to remember what a tantalising cliffhanger we'd been left upon previously.

In short, the previous episode of the series left us in chaos, with Scub Bursts occurring all over the place and Secrets emerging from every corner to the point where even the resources of Generation Bleu couldn't possibly hope to handle them all.  With the odds of fighting off these Secrets looking more minuscule by the moment, it's going to take a hugely risky and arguably irresponsible plan to turn the tables - in this case, a plan involving jettisoning the Quartz collected by Generation Bleu from space and sending it on a slow descent to the Earth, attracting the Secrets before wiping them out in a massive explosion at the North Pole.

Despite suffering from a lack of sleep and decidedly odd dreams when he does doze off, Ao joins his Pied Piper team-mates in escorting the descending Quartz capsule and keeping the growing number of secrets in check - something which inevitably proves to be difficult, particularly once Truth decides to shake things up a little to make them even trickier.  Once Truth's efforts succeed in knocking the capsule off course and sending it crashing towards Northern Europe, only Pied Piper can rescue the situation, but it quickly looks as though it'll be beyond even them.... enter Ao, whose suicidal intent to save casualties on the ground somehow manages to shift in his favour, giving him just the weapon he needs to save the planet and wipe out the massed Secrets... but is there more to his success than meets the eye?

If I thought that maybe I'd lost interest somewhat in Eureka Seven AO after a break of a couple of weeks, I was quickly proved wrong - after jolting my memory of the current scenario into life, this week's episode offered up a solid instalment which cruised along more than successfully simply on the strength and relative tension of its story coupled with a dose of the surreal within Ao's mind, before taking us into a mood of more outright surprise with a dash of action as we reached the episode's climax, leading into another intriguing and unexpected cliffhanger.  We might have seen better anime series arrive on TV this year, but Eureka Seven AO continues to be polished, proficient and confident enough to prove itself to be consistently fascinating, and its return from a brief hiatus is hugely welcome as we get back into the thick of whatever it's trying to do.

Eureka Seven AO - Episode 15

Following recent events, this week's Eureka Seven AO finds the show's semi-titular hero suffering from nightmares surrounding Naru, in turn causing a lack of sleep which is, of course, rather problematic when you're a mecha pilot.

It seems that Generation Bleu are also a little curious about Ao's current physical and mental state, even going to the lengths of calling for site-wide medical check-ups just so that they can investigate his current state.  Mind you, Ao isn't the only one acting odd in the wake of Eureka's visit to Earth - various parties are rethinking the role of the Secrets as word spreads about their rumoured role as protectors rather than aggressors, and what's more there are more and more reports of Scub Bursts complimented by ever-more humanoid looking Secrets.

We get to see just how true this is as Generation Bleu are called out to another oddity - a previously neutralised area of Scub Coral that has since reactivated.  As Pied Piper despatch to investigate, they come across a seemingly deadly and decidedly humanoid Secret who manages to take down Ao while proving decidedly difficult to tackle itself.  With Scub Coral and reactivating all over the place and Secrets emerging with them, it looks like this is going to be all too much for even Generation Bleu's resources to deal with, but maybe the Secrets themselves have the answer?  At last, we stumble upon the possibility of gaining some answers for this show's myriad questions as a Secret captured by the Japanese and able to comprehend English looks set to reveal their mission, while Generation Bleu themselves plan desperate measures to resolve the currently escalating scenario.

At the moment, it feels as though Eureka Seven AO has so much going on that it's difficult to know where to focus as a viewer, such are the multitude of constantly shifting and turning elements contained within each episode.  Certainly, this is no shallow sequel to Eureka Seven, and as such it isn't suffering from the moments of relative calm and distraction of that original series, which to be fair is a good thing... providing it can resolve everything in its remaining episodes.  There's so much to hold our attention at this point that it seems churlish to complain about any of it - the mysteries swirling around in my head alone are sufficient to fill the gap between episodes (although perhaps less so as we take a break for the Olympics), and I'm becoming increasingly fascinated by what the series is trying to do in the long run.  Here's hoping it doesn't crash and burn by attempting to tackle too much.

Eureka Seven AO - Episode 14

In the midst of new opening and closing credits for this series, Naru seems to have discovered a new truth about the identity and origins of the Scub Coral.  Although is it the truth, the true truth, or Truth's truth?

While we're trying to wrap our heads around this, we return to the on-going chaos in Japanese waters as Truth tries to stop Eureka and Ao, while the emergence of a Scub Burst seems to give Eureka a perfect opportunity to escape... provided Truth will let her, of course.  It seems that he isn't Eureka's only enemy either, as Elena continues to behave downright bizarrely and even Nirvash itself goes berserk at a most inopportune time.  None of this is enough to prevent Eureka's escape however, albeit not before delivering one final shock for Ao - the baby she is heavily pregnant with is a girl.

Rather thrown by this revelation, Ao travels home to try and find out some more about his mother, indirectly finding out more about his errant father as a result.  This hunt for information is quickly superceded by news of Naru's whereabouts at a hospital on the island.  This isn't the Naru of old however - her perceived knowledge of the origin and true nature of the Scub Coral gives her a cool, detached confidence, and she seems far more willing to do Truth's bidding than stick around with Ao - an impression that comes to fruition as Naru leaves Ao in the dust as she takes on an IFO with a view towards her own ends.

Things certainly aren't getting any simpler within the world of Eureka Seven AO - although we're being treated to more and more information to build up a picture of that world in each episode, such is the sense of doubt in terms of who is telling the truth and who's got it right that it's genuinely difficult to build up a picture that you could even vaguely claim to be accurate.  It's this sense of the unknown, even at this stage in the series, that is actually working in the show's favour at this point, serving as it does as arguably the most compelling aspect of a series that seems to be more about the big picture than focusing too closely on any one individual, even in the case of Ao himself.  The only worry at the moment is that the series doesn't know how its going to resolve all the questions it's asking, but for the time being it feels quite confident in what it's trying to do, and with any luck that confidence will prove to be fully justified.

Eureka Seven AO - Episode 13

The end of last week's Eureka Seven AO really threw a cat amongst the pigeons... or should I say, a Gekko amongst the... err.... people.  Or something.

I suppose it was bound to happen given that her name is in the title, but Eureka has returned - and what's more, she's heavily pregnant.  But how exactly did she end up appearing from the midst of a mass of Scub Coral, and why?  Even Eureka's own knowledge of her current situation seems more than a little hazy - she isn't entirely sure that she's on the same planet as she came from, and although her story about how herself and Renton came to be caught up in the Scub Coral something isn't quite right.

Things only get more confusing once Generation Bleu arrive at the scene, managing to beat the Japanese and Okinawan forces who are more than a little interested in getting their hands on Eureka for themselves.  Although Ivica recognises Eureka as the woman who saved him some years ago, Eureka doesn't remember him, and he surmises that she must be from the past and that the child she carries is in fact Ao.  But what of Georg's data which suggests that Gecko is from the far-flung future?  And how about Elena's reactions to the appearance of Eureka throughout the episode?  And why am I asking so many questions in this 'blog entry?  All of these questions have to be shelved once Truth arrives on the scene, also hoping to take Eureka for himself.  With chaos ensuing Eureka sees no alternative but to save those around her and work to protect this planet - it seems like it'll need some protecting given her claim that the Secrets are friends, not foes.

As you might have noticed from the above, this week's Eureka Seven AO asks far more questions than it answers, and to be quite honest I'm more than okay with that - it finally feels as if we have more of a firm direction for the series at last, even if I can't even begin to contemplate what that direction will ultimately mean for either the plot or the show's characters.  The only thing really working against the show at this point is that it lacks the charm of the original - it fascinates me and occasionally drags an exclamation of some kind out of me, but I don't feel so utterly caught up in its world that I have to keep watching.  It could be this lack of charm which ultimately does for Eureka Seven AO, but in spite of this I can't pretend that it's been anything other than an intensely interesting ride of late.

Eureka Seven AO - Episode 12

We head off to space for this week's Eureka Seven AO, as Pied Piper's latest mission sees them having to deal with an occurrence of Scub Coral floating above the Earth's atmosphere.

While Truth and Naru on the one hand and the Gazelle Corps on the other go about their business on the ground in terms of trying to reveal the truth in their own ways, Ao and company find themselves receiving a warm welcome on a Generation Bleu owned space station, and seemingly the home of the Quartz they collect - a station run by a dedicated team known as Harlequin.

All of this seems like mere pre-amble in advance of another routine mission, but once Ao gets ready to take off alongside his comrades it soon becomes clear that this isn't the case, as he finds himself feeling lost, unable to see the Trapar that guides him normally when he takes to the skies.  Although Ao considers the ability to see Trapar normal, it's actually anything but, and in the resultant discussion Ao learns why he's seen as an alien, complete with footage of the appearance of Nirvash and his mother.  With Harlequin's leader more than keen to look after Ao and prevent him from taking part in the mission, he's having none of it, and thus it's business as usual as he finds himself at the centre of some Secret busting.  At least, it's business as usual in terms of defeating the Secret, but escaping the perils of the Earth's atmosphere proves to be decidedly more difficult thanks to the intervention of Truth.  It seems as if the only thing that can save Ao now is some kind of deus ex machina... or perhaps I should say deus ex Eureka?

Following what looked likely to be "just another episode" of Eureka Seven AO (not that this is entirely a bad thing) as it set up another Secret of the week show-down and trickled more exposition down our throats like some kind of rare delicacy, everything is turned on its head thanks to the episode's closing minutes.  Without any kind of explanation, this is clearly a turning point for the show and the direction it takes hence forth, finally promising to bring a little more synergy (God, I hate that word) between this series and its predecessor.  Is this for better or worse?  We shall have to wait and see, but all I know is that I'm more excited by this prospect than I have been by this series for a while.

Eureka Seven AO - Episode 11

This week's episode of Eureka Seven AO sees us heading off the Manchester, and the world-famous Cavern Club.  Wait... shouldn't that be Liverpool?

The subject of this little jaunt isn't to do the Smiths tour or reminisce about Joy Division, but to get to the bottom of a question that haunted us briefly earlier in the series - who is the singer named Miller, what's her relation to Generation Bleu, and most importantly of all what is her relation to Elena Peoples?  Although it seems obvious that the two of them are the same person, there's much more to this theory than meets the eye, and it's a question that this episode deliberately seems to answer before taking a step back and toying with it a little further.

Much of this ties in directly with the Pied Piper crew's latest engagement with a Secret - at least, they try to engage the Secret expected of an Australian Scub Burst but find no sign of one.  This makes for what seems like an incredibly easy mission, offset only by the fact that in this desert setting the sand gets everywhere... but what if that sand was the secret?  Before we know it Team Goldilocks, Ao and Elena are on a hallucination-driven rampage that, in the case of those latter two individuals, casts further doubt on the truth about Elena's identity.  Just who is this girl, and why are so many interested parties putting so much effort into finding out?

If there's one thing that can be said about Eureka Seven AO, it's that it certainly knows how to use its situations to create deliberate confusion and doubt in plot points that would otherwise be simple - we saw it previously in the case of Truth and Naru during the latter's kidnap, and it rears its head again to throw doubt over Elena's identity and activities this time around.  Though it might not be fresh idea-wise, it certainly keeps things interesting in an instalment which is based almost entirely around the premise of Elena's past and motives, and it sets the scene for what could be some interesting progression of her story moving forward.  Between this and an increasingly fantastic soundtrack, the lack of action wasn't too troublesome here as there was enough to be getting on with to keep things enjoyable - it still concerns me a little that we don't have a real focal point for the series yet even at this point, but at the moment Eureka Seven AO seems to be getting by just fine.

Eureka Seven AO - Episode 10

After a week off on account of Euro 2012, Eureka Seven AO returns by dumping us straight into midst of the emergence of another Secret.  Worse still, the critter has shown up as a result of a Scub Burst in America - Phoenix, Arizona more precisely.

While this sounds exactly like the kind of job Generation Bleu were created for, the powers that be within the US are... less keen to deploy their services, which see Rebecka up against a former colleague of hers turned politician from a high-profile PR company as she tries to broker a deal to let the crew of Pied Piper handle things before a disaster emerges.  This confrontation gives us a little glimpse into her, and ultimately her chief Ivica's, past, while further extending the sense of political unease which permeates the show.

While all of this is going on, the Chief himself makes an unusual decision, choosing to head into the thick of the action while accompanied by Ao in the hope of organising an opportunity to fight back against the Secret himself.  This proves to be ill-advised - not because of the army's presence and interests, but because it seems that much of what is going on is again at least somewhat under the control of Truth, who is using civilians as "sacrifices" to lure it out.  This leaves the Chief and Ao right in the thick of things, with the latter seemingly taking the mental brunt of what transpires around him while the former makes better use of the skeletons within his closet, culminating in taking on a pivotal role in the defeat of the Secret as the rest of Pied Piper belatedly comes to the rescue.  Are we a step closer to discovering the truth about the Secrets and their relation to humanity?

After some entertaining instalments here and there, this week's Eureka Seven AO was okay - no more, no less.  Without any real mecha action to speak of, the episode relies instead on some important points of plot progression and characterisation, and in the latter field it really struggles - more specifically, I simply couldn't get a handle on Ao's emotions throughout this episode as he went from sane to batshit bonkers mental breakdown to cunning plan-meister to bonkers again to saviour to cool pilot.  What?  Just... what?!  It was a hugely clumsy attempt to breathe life into an otherwise staunch but unremarkable episode, and it does leave me worrying (perhaps prematurely) that this entertaining show could be headed in the wrong direction.

Eureka Seven AO - Episode 9

As one of the major players within Eureka Seven AO's political machinations, it can never be good news to see ideological fractures within Japan's defence ministry - while the status quo is to make the most of the fragile peace currently offered, there are clearly some who want to improve the nation's foothold in the world by utilising the power of both IFOs and Secrets.

Regardless of these divisions, one thing Japan does seem Hell-bent upon is producing Quartz from the site of the Sub Burst which decimated Tokyo so many years previously.  This is, of course, not good new for anybody else - in particular Generation Bleu, who quickly call up Pied Pier from their relatively relaxed standing to head out and tackle the problem.

However, as per usual Ao's response to the orders given to him is nothing short of rebellious - while Generation Bleu's plan is to retrieve the Quartz the Japanese are using and nothing more, hopefully dissipating the issue with a now marauding Secret with it, Ao refuses to run the risk of letting people die and thus sets off on a mission of his own to stop the Secret.  Given the problems which come from fighting underwater, where both this particular enemy and the Japanese experiment are taking place, this proves to be easier said than done, although in the process of fighting this particular Secret we do seem a step closer to understanding what draws out their appearance.  Such interesting observations may have to wait for another day however, as Truth seems to have his own designs towards the Japanese powers that be, and given his proclivity for killing people and generally blowing things up this surely can't be good news.

While elements of Eureka Seven AO still hold what is very much a "monster of the week" feel as our IFO pilots are sent to dispatch a new Secret every time, this still manages to mesh rather well with the wider plot elements of the series which, although still rather disparate, seem to be building into a more cohesive whole the longer the series goes on.  It still isn't the kind of story-telling or concept that will blow your mind, but it remains very much an entertaining affair which is making decent use of both scenario and characters the more it builds upon its premise.  Aside from continuing to feel very different to the original Eureka Seven, this continues to be a pretty accomplished show.

Eureka Seven AO - Episode 8

Given his nightmares, and the reality they represented, regarding the fate of Naru, it isn't really any surprise that Ao's first reaction upon awakening and discovering all this is to jump inside Nirvash and head off to track down the culprit.  It's a good job these IFOs have "emergency stop levers" to prevent him getting too far - I wonder if there's a fine for using those buttons illegitimately?

Although Ao looks all set to have the book thrown at him for his unprecedented behaviour, it seems that Generation Bleu's president is rather more forgiving of his error of judgement, letting him off with a verbal warning - it seems that his reference to the IFO pilot as "like his children" doesn't go down too well with Fleur, however.  There's no time to dissect this immediately however, as the appearance of another Secret leaves the crew racing off to tackle it.

Any thoughts of a prolonged battle against said Secret are soon scuppered however, with a call coming in to cancel the operation - it seems that America isn't too fussed about using Generation Bleu to tackle a Secret that's landed in the backyard of an "anti-American" country which they'd prefer to leave to rot, much to the disgust of Ao in particular.  As Ao runs off to cool his head, Fleur follows, and we get to learn a little bit about her - after mentioning earlier in the episode that she's the daughter of the company president, we get some exposition of why she hates him so.  Still, with news broadcasts from the area changing America's tune, Pied Piper finally get a proper call into action, and Fleur and Ao succeed in despatching the Secret before it does any real damage to the area.  Their relationship becomes much closer as a result, but it seems like Fleur's father is a smarter player in the political and propaganda game than he lets on.

If I have one concern after this week's Eureka Seven AO, it's that the series is beginning to lean a little too close to being "just another mecha anime", as it's increasingly failing to capture the charm of the original series.  Then again, at least it's continuing to be relatively competent in this regard - sure, there's nothing fresh here, and some of the drama surrounding Fleur is a little ludicrous, but its mecha action is pretty solid, the cast continue to be likeable and Elena is a surprisingly wonderful otaku insert character who provides all of the best comic relief.  I'm beginning to resign myself to that fact that this show won't live up to its pedigree (Eureka Seven movie notwithstanding, a small child could scrawl something more entertaining than that), but as long as I'm continuing to be entertaining be AO for the most part I'm happy to accept that and move on.

Eureka Seven AO - Episode 7

Generation Bleu's headquarters are under attack by the shape-shifting being known as Truth - even though he sounds like a reject from Fullmetal Alchemist, this is no time to worry about such things...

As Truth continues to wreak havoc throughout headquarters, the powers that be have a number of concerns - not just for the IFOs and their pilots, but also for something hidden away within the depths of building... just when will organisations stop hiding their darkest secrets in the basement?  As Truth does the rounds searching for, well, the truth, it seems that the depths of Generation Bleu isn't his goal at all - indeed, he's looking for someone rather than something, and he seems to find it when he comes across Ao about to escape in his IFO.  Despite being shaken by Truth's knowledge of Ao's mother, he still tries to make good his escape in Nirvash, only for Truth to follow before showing what might just be his shocking true form.

Things take rather a strange leap from here, as we return to Okinawa and find many of the usual suspects there - with the island becoming a profitable haven on account of its Scub Coral, most ideas of resistance have vanished, and Naru is up to her usual tricks of sneaking around despite her illness.  Even Ao is present on the island, taking Naru to see the Scub Coral... but is that really Ao?  Of course not, as the "real" Ao appears and gives chase - this all seems to be in vein however, as Truth showing himself in his terrifying other form gives Naru the information she needs to decide to follow him, no matter what Ao tries to do.  All of this seems like nothing but a nightmare as Ao comes around in a Generation Bleu hospital room, but unfortunately for him truth is equivalent to his dreaming fiction in this instance.

Although Truth's place within Eureka Seven AO still feels a little "off" within the show's world as a whole, he's certainly put to good use here in terms of shifting the focus of the series substantially - his place in the first half of this episode makes for some good explosions if nothing else, while the second half is disjointed and a little confusing initially before everything wraps around the shell of the story nicely to make for an episode that is ultimately satisfying.  In fact, "ultimately satisfying" probably sums up Eureka Seven AO thus far quite nicely - it still needs to cement and solidify its ultimate goals even at this stage of the series, but everything it's done to move in that direction thus far has been enjoyable to watch so it seems to be achieving what it's set out to thus far.

Eureka Seven AO - Episode 6

As if there wasn't enough important stuff going on come the end of last week's Eureka Seven AO, we now have ourselves an entirely different threat to concern ourselves with, as episode six's opening scenes introduce us to a decidedly deadly character who has more than enough blood on the hands judging by the flashbacks to previous misdemeanours to which we're treated.

Meanwhile, things are looking pretty dire for Medon and the Goldilocks team as their attempts to tackle the latest Secret go awry, leaving Ao and company having to scramble to pick up the pieces.  They soon discover that there are rather a lot of pieces to pick up too, with all of Goldilocks pilots injured with their IFOs broken, while the fate of the Medon itself is even more gruesome still.

While the injured are tended to and Ao enjoys a much-needed if impromptu nap, the Secret changes course, making a bee-line for some nearby Scub Coral - in other words, its back to action stations, with Fleur and Elena opting to leave Ao behind to tackle the problem themselves.  Upon awakening Ao is not exactly too thrilled about this, feeling ignored once again before being forced to face facts; that being that he's left behind as a form of protection, not to be forgotten.  Regardless, Ao still feels he has something to offer in this particular battle and so it proves, as it's his strategy which once again wins the day.  There are however, even more direct dangers afoot...

As seems to be the norm for this series so far, Eureka Seven Ao is very much at its best when its delivering its mecha action - the fight to down the show's latest Secret stood out against some of the other elements of exposition and plot progression which felt a little messy in places, particular in terms of the introduction of a major new threat to Generation Bleu which felt like it had been pulled out of somebody's orifice on a whim simply due to the way it was brought into proceedings.  I'm still not entirely sure about this particular shift in the show's focus and how it'll pan out, but for now I'll be continuing to watch with plenty of genuine interest in where the series is headed.

Eureka Seven AO - Episode 5

Now that Ao is more or less a proper member of Beneration Bleu (unless you get hung up about ID cards and the like), it's off to their rather impressive Swiss headquarters to find out what life is like as one of their IFO pilots.

Of course, Ao isn't the only one along for the ride - as well as Noah, we also have our three stowaways Gazelle, Pippo and Han, and as the Triton is unloaded it doesn't take too long to find that particular trio.  Although this looks set to mean big trouble for them, the information and knowledge they have on hand appears to be enough to secure them jobs of their own, although we still don't know exactly why.

As for Ao himself, this week's episode is really all about introducing us to HQ, getting to know another team of IFO pilots who go by the codename of "Goldilocks", and finding that Fleur and Elena still don't exactly seem too sure what to make of their new comrade as they fluctuate between welcoming him and leaving him well and truly out in the cold.  They don't seem to be the only ones with reservations either, as the leader of Goldilocks' team has no qualms about advising him to go home to his loved ones - words which may well be batted straight back at him as his team runs into severe problems on a mission to intercept a Scub Burst and the Secret that comes with it.  When backup is required as a result of these issues, who ya gonna call?  Pied Piper.

After a pretty slow episode last week, this latest instalment of Eureka Seven AO is similarly a little pedestrian out of necessity so that it can introduce us to more fully to Generation Bleu, their headquarters and how they work, whilst also filling out their roster of characters and pilots somewhat.  Thus, this particular episode just "is" - there's really not a huge amount to say about it as it goes about its business with a little food for thought and/or humour sprinkled here and there via some accomplished but far from mind-blowing chunk of exposition.  Let's talk again next week, which is where things should really get interesting, and we may finally be able to get more of a feel for where Eureka Seven AO is planning to head.

Eureka Seven AO - Episode 4

Given the failure of his attempts to lay low failed in pretty short order, I suppose it's only sensible that Ao's next plan is to go all out and attack the massive Secret threatening the island using his Mark I IFO - and by sensible, I mean the perfect excuse for a little kick-ass mecha action.

Although the US military have their own, ultimately futile, idea for dealing with the G-Monster, it is of course Generation Bleu who have far more success in tackling the "beast" and its minions - that is, until their attack is called off in deference to a spot of "babysitting" Ao, who is of course completely clueless as to how his unit works.  Inexperienced he might be, but it seems that the lad has rather a keen eye for strategy, as it's his plan which is ultimately put into action to defeat the Secret.  Cue a massive explosion of which Michael Bay would be proud.

In the aftermath of this chaos, the island is thrown into a cloud of... well, "stuff"... from the debris of the Secret, while Ao finds himself rescued and shipped off to Okinawa while the Mark I is hidden away (in surprisingly plain sight) while both the Japanese and American forces seek to hunt him and the powers he holds down.  It's to Generation Bleu that our protagonist ultimately turns however, amusingly choosing to take Noel with him rather than Naru as he makes good his escape before other forces close in on him.

Ultimately, it feels as this will be the last of Eureka Seven AO's setup episodes, now that he's ensconced with Generation Bleu, the important stuff about his mother has been revealed and the lines have been drawn for what is to come.  This is certainly for the best, as the second half of this episode was rather tepid and short of anything particularly eye-catching to say or do - then again, this can probably be forgiven somewhat when offset against a great, action-packed first half that bodes well for the future if it can keep up that kind of quality and "wow" factor while still mixing it in with more grounded moments such as Ao dropping one of his rifles; a nice touch that adds another layer to this series when mixed in with its equally measured comic turns which also continue to do the job.  Regardless, my feelings for Eureka Seven AO remain almost entirely positive at this point in the series.