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Eureka Seven

by Darren Pierce : Radar, Radar! : 01.31.05 6:49pm EST

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The Eureka Project announced "Symphonic Psalm Eureka Seven" today in cooperation with Bandai, and kicked off a substantial product blitz. Eureka Seven will debut with the full salvo of multi-venue marketing, including anime, games, manga, DVDs, broadband offerings, toys, kits, and everything else you've come to expect from the entertainment hammer that is Bandai.

The BONES produced anime begins on April 17, and features the young Renton, the enigmatic Eureka, and the Kawamori designed, surfboard riding "LFO Nilvash Type Zero".

Associated PS2 games are expected in the summer with a complete product rollout in April, including Nilvash plamo and action figures, capsule HGIF and trading figures, Cardass games and candy toys, keychains and 1:8 figures, Voice I-Dolls of Eureka and Renton, and even sneakers styled after Renton's. In all, Bandai, Bandai Visual, Bandai Networks, Bandai Channel, Banpresto, Megahouse, Bones, and either other participated companies were involved in the launch.

The "TransModel Nilvash" action figure, appearing in June for ¥2,800, is expected to feature a transformation into Nilvash's "vehicle mode" -- and for that price, it's likely to be an MSiA sort of toy, as well.

Bandai Managing Director Shin Unozawa, in charge of Bandai's game software group, says the Eureka Project started working on Eureka Seven in October of 2003, but took their time finding a partner in their endeavor. They sought participation from Bandai because they wanted Eureka to see the same kind of serious marketing and success that Bandai drives with MS Gundam. [And money. Lots and lots of money.]

Unozawa goes on to say the franchise is being developed with US sales in mind, and Nilvash's surfboard, the "Riff Board", is a tie-in to the skateboard enthusiast market segment, identified as also being heavily interested in anime and video games. [And competing with Amdriver.]