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A decade before Renton Thurston takes flight, the catastrophic First Summer of Love erupts across the globe, threatening humanity with extinction. Renton's brilliant father, Adroc Thurston, makes the ultimate sacrifice piloting alongside the mysterious coralian girl Eureka, saving the planet while losing his life. Ten years later, Renton struggles with his father's legendary reputation, feeling suffocated in his quiet hometown. After joining the rebel airship Gekkostate, Renton runs away and is adopted by Charles and Ray Beams, an affectionate mercenary couple. Renton must navigate conflicting loyalties to understand true family, courage, and unconditional love.
⚠ Background — may contain spoilers
Studio Bones produced this mecha drama feature film, released in Japanese cinemas in September 2017 as the opening chapter of the Hi-Evolution theatrical reboot trilogy. The production reunited the core creative team of the acclaimed 2005 television series, including chief director Tomoki Kyoda, screenwriter Dai Sato, and character designer Kenichi Yoshida. The film combined newly animated prologue sequences depicting the legendary First Summer of Love with remastered, re-edited 4:3 and 16:9 footage. The movie earned widespread interest among longtime mecha fans for fleshing out Adroc Thurston's heroic sacrifice.
Despite its flaws, and there are many, I really do applaud this film’s intention - to re-examine Renton’s coming of age story, and to illuminate some of the more subtle, allegorical aspects of it.
