Eureka Seven TV Poster Image

Eureka Seven

age 16+
(i)

 

High-action anime isn't completely innocent.
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What parents need to know

Positive messages

As mentioned above, many of the show's female characters wear body-conscious clothing that subconsciously undermines their brainpower. And while they're up against a malevolent and militaristic government, the "good guys" in this case are renegade mercenaries. That said, they fight in the name of peace.

Violence

At the center of the show's plot is an ongoing battle between the military and a renegade squadron of human-piloted fighting robots with laser guns, which can actually "bleed" when "injured" in battle -- an aspect that's animated in a particularly graphic way. Characters are occasionally shown slapping, kicking, and yelling at each other.

Sex

Two prominent female characters are shown wearing short skirts; one of them is dressed in an overtly sexual outfit that involves a belly-baring halter top and miniskirt. Sexual relations are sometimes implied between characters of consenting age, but even the 14-year-old protagonist shows signs of a sex drive. On one occasion, a sex toy is mentioned. On another, there's thinly veiled nudity.

Language

While the language is clean for the most part, the 14-year-old protagonist likes to use the word "sucks," as in "This town sucks, my life sucks," etc. Another female character is described as having a "foul mouth."

Consumerism
Not applicable
Drinking, drugs, & smoking

One character named Stoner has longer hair, wears baggy clothing, and talks with a California "accent," gently implying that he might smoke marijuana. Another takes a special medication to regulate her mental health.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that just because this Adult Swim offering is animated doesn't mean it's kid-appropriate. Violence -- in the form of military-style air combat and old-fashioned punching and kicking -- is a regular part of the storyline, and a few sexually charged plotlines toe the line in terms of decorum. This is an emotionally and visually intense anime with broad political and social themes, which, despite the fact that the show's protagonist is a 14-year-old, may be too much for some young viewers.

What's the story?

Renton Thorston (voiced by Johnny Yong Bosch) is an average 14 year old with an uncommon passion for "reffing," a fantastical type of air surfing that involves riding transparent light particles through the sky. But to Renton, his love for reffing is more than just a hobby -- it's the only way to escape the oppressive boredom of his life in Bellforest, where he lives alone with his cantankerous grandfather, Axel (Steve Kramer). Things really take off when a hulking LFO robot (that's short for Light Finding Operation) crash-lands in Renton's backyard and he meets the beautiful and mysterious Eureka (Stephanie Sheh), a fellow reffer who seeks Renton's help in getting her machine back off the ground. Joining up with her band of Gekko State rebels, Renton finally realizes his dream of reffing to his heart's content -- and he gets to do it alongside his idol, Holland Novak (Crispin Freeman).

Is it any good?

QUALITY

At once bleak and beautiful, EUREKA SEVEN boasts a complex storyline that's downright hard to process and could be overwhelming for some young viewers. And while the action starts out innocently enough, it doesn't take long for excessive violence and sexual themes to creep in, transforming a seemingly innocent anime into animation that's better left for adults.

Of course, what teen wouldn't be drawn to a colorful animated series with plenty of shape-shifting robots and attractive young people? Kids are bound to want to watch, so parents should proceed with caution.

Families can talk about...

  • Families can talk about the value of having dreams that counteract real-world realities, as well as the power of standing up for what you believe in. Can kids, teens, and other young people really make a difference in world politics and global affairs? Are the things that parents and guardians want for their kids always best? What are the risks and potential consequences of defying your family and your government for a good cause -- even if it's technically illegal?

TV details

Premiere date:April 15, 2006
Cast:Crispin Freeman, Johnny Yong Bosch, Stephanie Sheh
Network:Cartoon Network
Genre:Science Fiction
TV rating:TV-PG
Available on:DVD, Streaming

This review of Eureka Seven was written by

Kari Croop
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are conducted by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

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The age displayed for each title is the minimum one for which it's developmentally appropriate. We recently updated all of our reviews to show only this age, rather than the multi-color "slider." Get more information about our ratings.

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Teen, 14 years old Written byevildude32 April 9, 2008
not rated for age
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Teen, 15 years old Written byejackson August 18, 2012
age 11+

good show to watch on the new TOONAMI

TOONAMI IS BACK EVERYONE!!! watch eureka seven on toonami on adult swim every saturday at 1:30am eastern/10:30pm pacific. if we all watch it then it will get really good ratings and then toonami won't be cancelled again like it was before. toonami runs from 12-3 eastern every saturday night. oh yeah, and eureka seven is a great show, lots of action, really cool characters, appropriate for tweens and up but enjoyable for the whole family :)
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Teen, 16 years old Written byBlueDragonMaster98 May 29, 2010
age 15+

It's just violent

Honestly, I watched the whole show and the movie in the original, and better Japanese. The sex is mentioned between Renton and Eureka (since Eureka is an alien that looks human, some of the characters wondered if she could have sex), and Talho gets pregnant later in the series.But, the whole show is based around the story and Renton trying to win over Eureka and save her than anything else. Besides mild flirting, it's violence and massive death from explosions and alien attacks. The story is complex and requires an older viewer to understand, and even that isn't saying that person won't rewatch the ending or the whole show. Save this for older kids unless you want a kid watching people getting eaten by giant aliens or shot in the head by evil little children taken in by the main antagonist.
What other families should know
Too much violence
Great role models
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