Anime: Ride Back

Ride Back had all the qualifications for becoming a great show. Amazing production values (Madhouse is the king of tv anime shows), lively characters, well directed racing choreographies, political intrigues, and a pilot episode that promised a dozen different side stories. And it made a complete mess with them because of lack of proper duration and naive storytelling.

The story begins with the heroine Rin being considered a mediocre ballet dancer compared to her mother. In an almost stroke of luck, she finds a racing club in her university and drops ballet in order to delve into racing by using a new form of motorcycling called Ride-Backs. At the same time public unrest leads to various terrorist attacks happening around the world and the army plans to use Ride-Backs as a new form of weaponry in the upcoming battles. So this is the double story of a girl who chases her dream of beauty and grace by leaning how to ride properly a motorcycle that can transform to a robot, while all around her a war around terrorism takes place. It really sounds captivating and original.

In practice though, the premise was simply too complicating to fit in just 12 episodes, plus various events were presented in a most light and eventually passable way. Most of the disbelief lies in how Rin is pretty much undefeatable while on her Ride-Back and no matter how dangerous or hard is the situation she gets into, she always comes out a winner. So imagine mastering how to ride properly in a few attempts or storming in a battle field, finding her friend, and taking her out of the dangerous area, while being shot at a hundred times without a single shot managing to hit her. It looks completely immature.

If you see past the realism part though, the racing and battle choreographies are very well done. They are exciting in the way Ride-Backs can use their arms to maneuver properly or how they can use ballet moves in order to change direction or angle fast (and gracefully). Along with the mostly impressive production values, even during the simplistic slice-of-life moments, this is an easily enjoyable watch.

Still, not even that is enough to eventually save face in the show’s inability to cover properly all its potential. There is simply not enough time to develop its characters or expose the setting to all it could have been. Rin’s dream to be a great rider is left incomplete, and so does the whole war against terrorism theme. What feels weirder than that is how the interaction of these themes makes them both look bad. Do you know how stupid it looks when hundreds of elite soldiers are owned by an unarmed rookie civilian? Or how ridiculous it looks to have girl trying to ballet using a motorcycle while entire buildings blow up around her? Despite the show’s attempts to look realistic or serious in its themes of racing or political unrest, it ends up being a silly children’s adventure with magical robots.

And yes, they are magical since they have a lot of supernatural stuff going on around them, such as somehow choosing their riders or dancing their way out of trouble, even if their rider doesn’t directly tell them to do so. So even the lead robot Fuego ends up turning from an interesting and somewhat realistic racing machine into a (literal) Deus ex Machina that saves the day no matter what happens. This has the effect of trashing both the attempts of Rin to be a good rider-ballerina (because she doesn’t have control over the machine) as well as the whole social-political backdrop (because the military is unable to handle a civilian machine).
"She is not fighting... she is dancing!"
I was shaking my head while listening to this.

Skip that; not even Rin is that great of a character even without Fuego stealing the spotlight. She is very dynamic for a girl but always does it in a most annoying way. Every time she sees something dangerous going on, she will immediately rush to intervene. Although that sounds a lot more interesting than just standing still, it looks as if Fuego does all the work, while she is yelling, or crying, or feeling helpless, or showing off her pantsu to whoever is behind her. She just loves to ride while wearing an inappropriate skirt. Gets annoying fast.

The rest of the cast are just too simplistic to matter and the duration does not allow anyone to become memorable for any given reason. You basically get silly teenager stereotypes and cartoony military cop-outs talking and talking and supposed doing something that doesn’t matter because Fuego jumps gracefully and does things however it likes. Where is the interest in that?

Nice attempt Madhouse but you seem to think that the only way to have slice-of-life and political intrigue in the same package, is by making a silly fairy tale. Didn’t work out well.

First off, as always on this site, people are MAD (MAD I TELL YOU!) to give this such a high overall rating. It's indicative of anidb that every voter throws high scores at mediocre stuff. Second the bikes name is "Fuego" Spanish for fire, but the Japenese sounds just like "Faygo" every person's favorite pop. Lastly, besides the impossibility of a rebel global government takeover, this story just does not fit in 12 episodes. IT DOESN'T FIT. They needed at least 24. Those episodes would be used to fill in the club life, the reasons for the war, the background of the rebel leaders etc.. So despite the hot blond biker chick this just shouldn't have been made. It's confusing, because it's sandwiched together too much. Sound is okay, the repeating ballet refrain gets old. Animation is alright, but you just keep waiting for Fuego to go nuts and be fully unleashed, which never really happens. It does do a pirouette at the end.... Characters, well they just didn't get enough time for them to really get the groundwork they needed. To me this might have had potential, but in the end there was no way at all the makers could pull off what they envisioned in 12 episodes, leaving it as an undefined montage of unrealized potential.

Wasted potential at its worst. Not a complete loss, but a good reference of how something that started so wonderful could end up so wrong.

I have considered watching this anime countless times since its release but never managed to for some reason. Most likely I made the wrong assumptions about the type of show I thought it was without thoroughly investigating it, and there was always something else I hadn't seen that appeared more appealing at the time. What ultimately pushed me to watch it this time around were the "short", glowing recommendation blurps on this site, and the fact that it was being subbed in 1080. After being sucked in watching the first six episodes that are out on 1080, I was compelled to download the rest in lower resolution so I could see what would happen next. I couldn't believe I had let this slip through my grasp for so long. Unfortunately the fervor didn't remain much longer and the show got just plain silly with a straight face. Will include a spoiler for those who are interested in what I mean by that.

Story: Interesting, and somewhat believable.
Other reviewers here have covered the story outline in detail and I'm not going to rehash it here. As this is a serious anime that tries to sell itself as being realistic in the not so far future, I wanted to give my impressions on how well they did.

The time and effort put into making the machines believable was well spent. Of course they gloss over some details with scientific rubbish and acronyms, but they seem to do it very well. There was a lot of attention to details that they could have easily omitted and saved themselves time and money, but they didn't. I'm not saying it was perfect, but you could almost envision a not so fantastic version coming to life in another 25 years. The Geopolitical back-story is another matter. While the idea of what they put forth is pretty far fetched, you could imagine different, more realistic circumstances that would create the same basic atmosphere for the characters to unfold in. Not completely forgivable, but easy enough to swallow if you don't think on it too hard.

Character Development: Good and bad.
Being only twelve episodes, I realize it's difficult to fully flesh out a cast as big as this and thought they did a decent job at the start of the series, but really fell flat after that. The lead character Rin was very likable and didn't seem to have the usual annoying stereotypical attributes you find in almost every anime these days. Quietly strong, with an air of innocent confidence, yet vulnerable and indecisive at times. She really is the main focus of the show and carries it well just short of the goal.

The supporting cast is a mix of easily identifiable characters that you can find in many other anime, (i.e. Uchida Suzuri: The Doting Fan, Hishida Haruki: The Nice Guy Mechanic/Nerd) and more complex characters like Okakura, which doesn't get the treatment he deserved. The same could be said for Kiefer and Yokoyama Misawo, as we never really get to find out what makes them tick. The only other character to get any real back-story is Kataoka Tamayo, but it felt pushed as being the tie-in to political world to just make the story work. I don't think it took away from her character, but didn't really add much either.

Animation: Very Enjoyable
It was really easy to watch and can't think of anything off-hand that annoyed me too much. The GC blending was damn near seamless most of the time which really lets you forget to scrutinize such things and stay focused on the story the way it should be.

Sound: Very Enjoyable
I felt immersed most of the time with nothing of note that raised any red flags. That in itself gets it high marks as I'm usually keen to "off" sounds, or a bad mix or levels. If I missed anything blatant it was due to my involvement with the story. The OP was tolerable, but I skipped over it after the second time for the remainder of the series which is still better than most. The ED on the other hand never got skipped and was enjoyed thoroughly. Its hauntingly subdued beginning crescendos beautifully and is all to short. It's been a long time since I've wanted to add an anime song to my playlist, but this makes the cut.

Value/Enjoyment: Depends
Here as the say is the "Catch" This could have easily made the list as an all time favorite if it had followed through on it's promise, but not only did it fall short, it practically spit it my face. There are obviously plenty that didn't have the same objections I did which is why rating this category is highly biased. I ended up rating this a bit higher than I should have I think because I feel most people won't be as critical as I was and it will probably reflect the majority of viewers more accurately. On the other hand, If you've actually read this far into the review, you are probably one of the few that don't like to have your intelligence insulted and just might be a bit more inclined to give it a lower score for the bad aftertaste. The minor complaints I did have up until about episode eight were negligible and not really worth mentioning, but beyond that, it felt as though the person who was supposed to be watching the store had left the building. On top of that, you could also tell at this point that the series was not going to be long enough to satisfy everything they had already set up.

That being said, I really believe you mileage will vary greatly depending on how forgiving you are to realism and character consistency. All I can say is you have been warned.

The following could potentially ruin what could be a very enjoyable anime for those who have not watched the series and recommend only those who have watched it, and was left feeling frustrated, to proceed.

I know that emoticons are frowned upon in reviews, but in this instance it feels oh so appropriate.
Things that made me :brickwall:
Don't even get me started on the big fight with the super Rideback (AKA End Boss) that lasted like ten seconds.

I could keep going but it seems obvious that everything just went to hell out of nowhere. It really makes me wonder if there was a staff change in the middle of producing the show, or if they just bit off more than they could chew. When things were all supposed to be coming together, they resorted to cheap plot devices, and unrealistic character developments to try and create drama and suspense. I really couldn't be any more disappointed in what looked like a stellar series out of the gates.

Sad.

Such promise... what happened?

You'll probably end up asking yourself that as you watch the show. I know I did.

Animation - So pretty
That is the first thing you will notice, well duh goshops... what else would I be looking at?. There is a fine blend of CG and regular animation. While the CG scenes actually look nice and blend surprisingly well, unlike Appleseed 2004. When I first saw that, it took a while before I could finish it. However, this is about RideBack, not Appleseed.

Things are nicely done. The characters are lively and well animated and don't look "flat". There are so many out there that have pretty animation, but you can't connect with the characters. You aren't drawn into their world. There really isn't a problem here with this one, the backgrounds are nice and the animation is fluid. Well done MADHOUSE.

Sound - Oh how I enjoy classical
The sound was well done here too. During the opening quarter of the show, mainly when Rin was doing the ballet, there was some nice classical music playing, it seemed so right. Now, the show isn't centered on the ballet or classical music, so no worries there, although I did enjoy Nodame Cantabile.

The OP/ED was a nice combination, it really showed off some of the animation and the vocals were nice. The OP had a nice electronica sound, which I do enjoy. The ED was slower paced then the OP, which was a nice close to the show.

As for the background music, it was nice although nothing memorable. The sounds during the show were nice. The ridebacks sounded like a motorcycle and there were a few odd sounds that seemed out of place, I can't pinpoint them right off hand, but you'll notice them. They are mostly centered on the ridebacks, when they go from their standing to laying positions.

Story - Original, but no direction
The story was... promising.

It started off about Ogata Rin, the daughter of a world famous ballerina. She herself was an upcoming star but during her debut performance as the lead, she suffers a leg injury. Due to that injury, she is forced to take time away from ballet and during that time, she quits all together.

No longer having anything to really set her mind to, she becomes depressed and questions her purpose in life. Many flashbacks of her mother talking to her about finding her own stage intermingle with the story. During one afternoon walking home she gets caught in the rain and takes shelter near this garage. She hears an engine start and watches Okakura ride away on a machine that is half motorcycle/half mecha. Her curiosity gets the better of her and she wanders into the garage and finds another similiar machine, although much better looking. Hishida comes out and asks her if she wants to ride, although she is shy at first, she agrees. She jumps on the machine, which is called Fuego and there is some kind of connection.

She goes out riding and gets into trouble, but at the same time surprises everyone with her latent talents. This is where the story loses its direction.

It would have been fine if it shifted focus from her being a ballerina to her rising in the ranks of a rideback racer. But there is a war going on between the BMA and GGP. The GGP being a 'brother knows best' type of government and the BMA opposing them. She ultimately gets sucked into the war where she goes from being the lead character to a supporting one. There are so many things going on that I felt lost during episodes. So many things coming together at once that you don't know where to really concentrate.

In the span of a mere 12 episodes, it goes from being a racing anime, to a political thriller, to an anti-establishmentism, back to a political thriller. Pacing really became an issue near the middle and no matter how they tried, it carried over until the end. Which felt undone and rushed, leaving me in the process, disappointed.

There are quite a few characters that appear, play a role in starting to set something up only to disappear and not be heard from again. Mainly Rins brother, being a huge fan of ridebacks get involved in a gang and goes off to jail. There you are hoping that Rin will find a way to save him, but after the end, you ask, 'What happened to him?'

Character - Pretty, but almost no development
The character models were nice. The first opening scene was so crisp and clean, I loved it. I could have seen it winning several awards. If you've seen Striingendo/Accelerando, you can expect the same quality in character fluidity.

Ogata Rin:
She starts off as the main character, a ballerina that quits ballet due to an injury. Finds her new stage with ridebacks and shows much promise, but due to events she decides not to ride anymore.

Uemura Shouko:
Rins best friend and that is about it. She ends up becoming a BMA hostage that Rin goes and rescues, which causes Rin to become a target of both the GGP and BMA.

Kataoka Tamayo:
Premiere rideback racer and part of the GGP club. Her brother is a cop and her father... I don't know myself. He is in the hospital. She becomes the focus of attention for an episode or two and then quickly fades into the background

Tenshiriou Okakura:
He is the designer of the ridebacks and creator of Fuego, he previously worked for the GGP and got the name of Gremlin, but he left and doesn't want to see ridebacks as weapons of war. He is the focus near the end.

There are so many other characters that get introduced but not developed. The rideback club members, Rins family, Suzuri... the list goes on.

Value/Enjoyment - So much potential
It is almost required that you read the manga beforehand, however if you do, you are surely to be disappointed at the lack of development. The main problem with Rideback wasn't the sound, or the pretty visuals. It was the lack of character development and direction. It could have easily been a fantastic anime, winner of many ARC awards, however due to those major faults, I'd be surprised if it won anything. I would have probably enjoyed Rideback a lot more if I just shut my brain off and took it at face value, however that is something I cannot do. I inadvertantly critique the story, question the motives of the characters, get frustrated at their lack of development. Maybe you will enjoy it more than I did. But I doubt that, honestly.

Animation:
I have to say, animation for the most part is pretty good. The backgrounds and the fluidity of the ridebacks was done extremely well.
In the characters department, I found that the majority of the characters were done very well (eg. Ogata rin, Suzuka, and Tamayo), but other characters were just unbelievably ugly compared to the rest of the cast (eg. Okakura and Shouka).
Ogata Rin's character fluctuates from a beautiful ballerina to a messy haired girl from time to time, but I wasn't really bothered by this.

Sound:
I don't really pay attention to sound and I skip the OP and ED songs, but I found the music used with the story was quite good and effective. The voices matched the characters fairly well.

Story:
Story was quite odd at first because it seemed like it didn't know which direction it should take at first. A young girl has to give up ballerina due to a leg injury. One rainy day, she accidentally goes into the rideback (half motorcycle half mecha things) club and gets a chance to ride a rideback. After this, I thought the story becomes a "racing" type of story (initial D), but then it jumps to become a machine used for military purposes. We have the introduction of terrorists (BMA) that are going against the GGP. The heroine isn't really important in the battle between BMA and GGP (she destroys some bots but that's it), so the war doesn't really involve the heroine. Ultimately, she rides the rideback whenever there is a chance (whether it'd be racing, rescuing, or fighting), and she does this well.
I'm not saying that the story was bad because it isn't, but it confused me at first.
The story is serious stuff. I don't recall any funny moments at all.
More to the end, I believe there was more fan service by showing a lot more of Ogata Rin's panties.



But I believe that it was a bit unnecessary because it detracts from the seriousness.
Though there was a conclusion, I thought something from the ending was missing, but I can't quite put my finger on it.

Character:
The main character is somewhat shy, but I thought she was likeable. I did not like some of the accompanying cast such as Suzuka and the news reporter.
Suzuka is basically a big fan of Ogata. I found her character to be really annoying because she keeps clinging to the main character. It seems like her mind only has Ogata.



The reporter was only annoying at first because she acted like a typical reporter (asking annoying questions, thinking they have the authority to do anything, and doing anything to get the "scoop"), but she seemed to slowly disappear and the things she does later was helpful.
I thought that the leader of the terrorist group's interaction with the heroine seemed quite odd because he helps her, but doesn't really have a reason to do so.



Value:
I would not rewatch the whole thing again. I'd only watch the very beginning and the end of it because of the beautiful design at those areas. Other parts were just average stuff and nothing too memorable.

Enjoyment:
I thought this series was fairly enjoyable. Some ugly characters really took away from the series, but the background and motions of the rideback saves it.

My first review, but please do critique to help me write better ones

Rideback tells the story of Ogata Rin, a ballet prodigy who, due to an injury, was forced to stop practicing ballet. Rideback also tells an alternate future story about a world government, the GGP, against the terrorist group BMA. These two seemingly unrelated plotlines come together and quite possibly make Rideback one of the best show to come out of the Winter 2008 anime season.

The first thing that caught my eye when I saw Rideback was the quality of the animation. The CG work in this show is amazing. From the very first episode to the very last episode, the Ridebacks were given extremely fluid animation and modeling, almost to the point of realism. I found it very neat to not have to suspend my disbelief too much at the Ridebacks, since they were animated so well. The character designs and movement were also done quite nicely, and having the show air in HD helped a lot. Madhouse did a fantastic job of creating a living, breathing, alternate universe Tokyo in the year 2020.

The second thing that caught my eye, or in this case, my ears, were the sound and the music. Music composer Takafumi Wada went all out, mixing techno, classical, and heart-thumping action pieces throughout the show. The music really coordinated with the scenes, especially during the action sequences along with the soliloquy sequences. The opening song is a jumble of Engrish, but once you figure out the lyrics, it creates a nice motif to the show. The ending song is a slow ballad, which goes nicely with the slideshow of solemn redemption scenes.

The characters, given the time constraint of the show, were given enough development for the audience to care for. We get to see Ogata Rin's desires and motivations, the BMA's desires and motivations, and we are able to empathize with them. However, many secondary characters were one dimensional and only appear in the show to create plot devices. Sadly, with only 12 episodes, these characters were unable to become fully fleshed out. We can only see the police chief as only "the police chief," the reporter as only "the reporter," and the Rideback club members as only "the Rideback club members."

The story is also a mixed bag. Frankly, Rin's soliloquies were much more fascinating than the game of cat and mouse between the terrorists and GGP. Madhouse, however, did a fantastic job to meld the two storylines together. I can see why some people would scoff at sudden climax in the last episode, or at the disregard for physics in some of the action scenes. But all in all, the story provides a nice tinge of sentimentalism, which is not overbearing or underwhelming. The allegory between Rin's Fuego and her desire to continue ballet is done very well, I must say.

When I started watching Rideback, I didn't know what to expect, other than awesome animation. After finishing it, I found out that it had a little of everything: political intrigue, amazing action scenes, intense ballet, and lesbian tendencies. On Anidb's comments for Rideback, some people have complained that this show is all animation, no quality. I must politely disagree. Most shows hit you over the head with repeated symbolism. Rideback, however, does it with style, by layering the symbolism with multiple story backdrops. I recommend this show highly to those who enjoy action and mecha series in general, and to those who like to see quality coming-of-age stories.

I forgot to mention that the voice acting in this show is superb, especially commendable is Nana Mizuki as Ogata Rin. I want to end by imploring whoever is reading this not to get discouraged by Anidb comments, and give Rideback a chance. I was quite glad I did.