One of the major themes that is covered in Eureka Seven is that of growing up. In the series, we see many of the characters grow up in a multitude of different ways. What gives the series more depth is the way it manages to cover different aspects of growing up, depicting it through more than one character. The result is a number of perspectives that look into the theme.
The most apparent source of growth in the series can be seen in the two protagonists of Eureka Seven, Renton and Eureka. The anime covers their journey into maturity and self-discovery. In terms of growing up, the biggest indicator of the growth of these two characters is seen in their emotions.
Eureka for instance begins the series as a shell of person with the clear absence of emotions. Her character is initially rigid, lacking reaction and interaction with others. Eureka grows out of this shell with the help of Renton who serves as the catalyst to unlocking her human side. Because of Renton, Eureka ends up exploring the spectrum of human emotions discovering not just the feeling but also what it means and how to go about handling it. Among these emotions, love is her biggest hurdle as she attempts to understand what it means to love as well as understand how she feels towards Renton. Her growth is a major part of the series serving as the basis for major themes.
Parallel to Eureka, Renton also sees a jump into maturity. Renton represents the common folk who all undergo adolescence and the need to discover one’s own identity. Renton is initially one who is full of uncontrollable emotion. He is a character with a narrow view of the world, lacking experience and exposure to the realities outside of his home. Many moments of Eureka Seven have Renton reacting to a situation only to find out later on that he didn’t see the whole picture or lacked the insight to be able to understand the reason behind certain actions taken by Gekkostate and other characters. Aside from this, he lacked a firm resolve and seemed half-hearted in his commitment towards Eureka and Gekkostate, repeatedly questioning his decision to leave home. Around midway into the series however, Renton is exposed to events that shift his paradigm and allow him to make a better transition into maturity. His ability to control his emotions becomes more apparent with him being able to channel his feelings into concrete actions rather than simply moping and complaining about the situation. Like Eureka, Renton’s exploration into the concept of love also evolves throughout the course of the anime. His initial feelings towards Eureka are clearly simple infatuation rather than love. Slowly, he begins to learn more about her character and her imperfections. The culmination of his growth and his inquiry into love is when he shows that he loves Eureka for who she is, accepting everything about her. One of the most touching scenes between the two is when Renton attempts to damage his arm to show that despite Eureka’s changes, he still treats her as an equal and loves her all the same. If anything, the scene shows how Renton overcame his initial infatuation and grew into someone capable of mature love.
As a reflection of the growth of both Eureka and Renton, the Nirvash typeZERO also embodies this theme of growing up. Being inherently connected to the two protagonists, the Nirvash begins to seek a change in its physical form in response to the growth that the couple undergoes. As Renton and Eureka begin to change and draw new insight from the world, the Nirvash also seeks to gain a sense of maturity through physical evolution. Gekkostate eventually finds a way to make this happen bringing the Nirvash to a research facility for upgrade. In this light, the Nirvash shows its connection to the two by being a distinct physical symbol of their development during the events of Eureka Seven.
Among the many themes of Eureka Seven, it is this coming of age theme that allows it to connect to its audience very well. The struggle to grow and define one’s role in the world is a challenge that every person is all too familiar with. This very same struggle is depicted exquisitely in the series making it one of the most cohesive stories of self-discovery and growth.