Anime Reviews (2010-2019): Anemone (Eureka Seven Hi-Evolution) (A Neo-Tokyo 2099 Anime on Blu-ray review)

The execution of the “Eureka Seven Hi-Evolution” films have not been effective or anywhere near the greatness of the TV series, but for those who can accept the film for what it is, it is no doubt an interesting perspective of Anemone and Eureka.

TITLE: Anemone (Eureka Seven Hi-Evolution)

ANIME RELEASE DATE IN JAPAN: 2018

DURATION: 100 Minutes

BLU-RAY INFORMATION: 1080p High Definition, 4×3, Japanese Dolby TrueHD 2.0, English Dolby TrueHD 5.1, Subtitles: English

COMPANY: Funimation

RATED: TV 14

Release Date: March 3, 2020

Witness the second movie of the high-flying trilogy, featuring the untold story of Anemone! See it all from her eyes—from the long-lost days of peace with her father, to every harrowing battle against Eureka and Renton. Mystery shrouds the outspoken mecha pilot and the origin of her dutiful assistant, Dominic. What will he reveal about Anemone’s past, and is she prepared to face the truth?

“Eureka Seven”, the popular mecha anime TV series from Bones has spawned video games, novels, movies and also a manga series which ran in Kadokawa Shoten’s “Monthly Shonen Ace” from 2005-2006 with a total of six graphic novels released. And a sequel to the anime series titled “Eureka Seven: AO” would air on television in 2012-2013 (and would focus on the character, Ao Thurston).

In 2009, wanting to keep “Eureka Seven” relevant for the next decade, animated theatrical films were released. Featuring an alternative universe, the film “Eureka SEven: Good Ngiht, Sleep Tight, Young Lovers” was released in 2008.

In 2017, a three theatrical adaptation was released with “Psalm of Planets Eureka Seven: Hi-Evolution” (Kokyoshihen Eureka Seven: Hi-Evolution) was announced. The first film takes place before and during the events of the original series and is a retelling of the “Charles and Ray” arc.

In 2018, another animated film taking place in an alternative universe was released and this time focusing on the character Anemone titled “Anemone: Kokyoshihen Eureka Seven: Hi-Evolution” and now the animated film will be released on Blu-ray/DVD titled “Anemone: Eureka Seven Hi-Evolution” courtesy of Funimation.

For those not familiar who Anemone is, she is a soldier of the United Federation but in this alternate universe, Anemone is a soldier but has had difficulty with life since the loss of her father. When she was younger, her father was called out for work and the last time Anemone saw her father, she was upset and hit him in the face and told him that she hated him.

What she didn’t know was that her father would never come back and now she has become a soldier, socially isolated and still heavily affected by her father’s death. Feeling guilty of how she treated him and now becoming a soldier like her father. All she has is her prized possession, a smartphone AI made by her father and her stuffed animal, Gulliver.

But in this alternate universe, Eureka has touched a superweapon leading to her Coralian powers going awry to the point that she has killed Renton and now, she is creating worlds in trying to create a timeline in which Renton remained alive.

But in doing so, creating massive destruction in Anemone’s world and now Anemone must do all she can to stop her.

What the original “Eureka Seven” was about?

“Eureka Seven” revolves around a boy named Renton Thurston, a young 14-year-old who is brash and tends to enjoy living for the moment. His hobby is grabbing his lift board (somewhat like a surf or skateboard but is used for floating in the air) and just riding it and having fun. Renton, also happens to be the son of the late military hero Adroc Thurston and the grandson of famous scientist Axel Thurston. But unlike them, Renton is not into studying nor does he have any career ambitions, he’s just a boy who idolizes Ray-Out Magazine’s Holland Novak, a professional lift board rider.

One day, a mecha (an LFO known as Nirvash typeZERO – the world’s first humanoid mobile machine – Light Finding Operation) crashes near his home and inside it comes out a girl who piloted it. While repairs are being done on the LFO, Renton becomes happy when the girl tells him that she knows Holland (Renton’s lift board idol) and immediately, Renton becomes happy but the more he sees this girl, he starts to fall for her.

The military (U.F. Force) then disrupts their meeting as they try to get the girl and the two quickly escape on the LFO together. While being pursued, somehow the two managed to create “The Seventh Swell” and grabs the attention of Holland and his crew (known as The Gekko State). Can Renton be the source of hidden power of the Nirvash?

Meanwhile, we learn from the military why they are pursuing Eureka and that she and the Nirvash were part of a major military secret project that was stolen by Holland and now they want her back. Meanwhile, the crew wonder if Renton is the real deal of what happened with the Nirvash or was it freak situation that just happened. As for Renton, he’s just happy to be part of a group that Holland belongs to and most of all, to be near Eureka.

While the bulk of the main storyline of the first half of the manga series features The Gekko State trying to hide from the military or getting into battles with each other, a third party, an alien race known as the Coralians have reappeared and for some reason, they are also going after Eureka.

Outside of the storyline involving the Gekko State and UF Force, the other primary storyline is Renton and Eureka’s storyline as two people who don’t understand their emotions but they are attracted to each other. The other storyline focuses on the Novak brothers as we see Holland doing what he can to protect his team but trying to calm his hatred towards his brother Dewey, and vice-versa as Dewey tries to put his plan to rule UF Force and using anemone (a girl who looks similar to Eureka but are quite different) to destroy Gekko State and those who will stand in his way.

For those who loved “Eureka Seven” and are open to an alternate universe, “Anemone: Eureka Seven Hi-Evolution” is an anime series that explores a Eureka that has gone wild after killing Renton and now is creating multiple worlds in trying to have Renton alive, but yet destroying other worlds in the process.

As Eureka suffers from loss, Anemone knows loss so well. Can Anemone find a way to stop Eureka or perhaps try to get to her to stop?

For the most part, the animated film was an interesting perspective of a story of the two female characters who have suffered incredible loss of a love one and while Anemone has been socially isolated and depressed, Eureka is lashing out and wants to bring Renton back.

There is an issue as the series tries to use animation from the TV series, as the TV animation and the film animation are quite different. Bare in mind, the characters are quite different. So, utilizing footage from the animated series doesn’t seem right.

I’m not entirely sure what the producers involved in the film are trying to achieve. It’s one thing to create alternative storylines, which other major anime series have done before but why use previous animated scenes of a character that is different from the actual film? Let alone different animation style. I think it was best to keep both separate.

With that being said, I’m not going to hate. I took “Anemone” as it is, a different work, an alternative universe and I realize, its hard to compare to the greatness of the TV series.

Personally, similar to the Evangelion films or even the “Gundam Origins” OVA, perhaps maybe going back to what works and taking the original series, making that into films and featuring new additions to enhance the story would work well, but “Eureka Seven Hi-Evolution” films are quirky, wants to connect to the original series even though it is an alternative universe.

So far, the execution of the “Eureka Seven Hi-Evolution” films have not been effective or anywhere near the greatness of the TV series, but for those who can accept the film for what it is, it is no doubt an interesting perspective of Anemone and Eureka.

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