Illogicalzen writes:

Sequels can be tricky things, and while the idea of a sequel may at first seem good; many of them inevitably turn out to be worse than the original. There are two distinct types of sequel, those that follow on from previous series and are a simple continuation of the story, and those that try to build upon what has happened in previous series and expand the themes and ideas. Of course, suggesting that there are only two types of sequel is a little flawed as there are numerous sub-divisions and subtleties with these series, although they inevitably fit into these two broader categories. Eureka Seven AO fits into the second category, with the series using existing themes from the original series but attempting to build on them and expand the universe. Considering how great the original series is this might sound great, unfortunately there is one problem with it, the series is rubbish and does absolutely nothing to the franchise other than rip apart everything that was good about the original. (Anime, Eureka Seven Ao)