Video Backlog: "RideBack"

Publisher: Funimation (USA)
Format: Region 1, 2 and 4 DVD, NTSC, Japanese Dialogue with optional English dub and English Subtitles. Region A and B Blu-ray, NTSC, Japanese Dialogue with optional English dub and English Subtitles.
Length: 12 episodes x 24 minutes
Production Date: 2009
Currently in Print (as of writing): Yes

I’m buying a lot less from Funimation than I used to. Most of their stuff doesn’t interest me at all. Really don’t care about the umpteenth Shonen Jump-esque title with tons of fights and other nonsense. To me NIS, Nozomi, Siren Visual and Sentai (and perhaps Discotek) have been releasing the more interesting material. This show is quite a different matter though. I was taken aback by the image of a girl riding some crazy looking half robot, half motorbike contraption. For whatever reason, fandom has ignored this one. I suppose when all they’re interested in is Clannad and Harhuri and soulless magical girl shows (like Nanoha, made for otaku, not girls), then perhaps I’m not surprised at all.

I’ll readily admit the plot is quite farfetched. You have the planet which was taken over in a virtual coup d'état with the secret weapon being something called a RideBack, a robot motorcycle, however not at all the ones seen in 1980’s anime like “Megazone 23” or “Genesis Climber Mospeada”. The central character is a young woman who was an elite ballet dancer, but decided to quite after she sustained an injury on stage. She then goes to university and ends up accidently joining a RideBack club. Then she saves her best friend who is caught up in a terrorist incident and accidently ends up being labelled a terrorist and winds up working close to them. OK, so there are some leaps of logic here and there and a lot of convenient happenings, however it’s pretty darn fun.

Apart from the very likeable lead, Rin, the main stars of the show are RideBacks. While they may upon initial viewing look like a motorbike with robot arms, they’re more like ungainly robots who can transform into bikes. At time you have to suspend disbelief as some of the moves they make are clearly in breach of the laws of physics. Rin herself is a great female lead. She’s plain, despite being a ballet genius, and always has slightly unkempt hair. She’s also quite strong willed and while she has a strong social justice side, she also seems to be a realist. A real far cry from most modern day female leads. Quite refreshing really. Most of the other members of RideBack club are bit naïve in comparison. The other thing I liked about this show is the character designs. They’re quite different from the norm. In tandem to Rin’s story, we also follow the military and government’s internal power struggles, which is a key element of how Rin accidently finds herself on the wrong side of the law. Tied in with that is the actual history of how the world is practically governed by one power. While from the promotional material the show looks like a mecha show, which it is, ballet becomes a major motif, especially in the final couple of episodes. I’m not sure if it works that well, but using (or comparing) ballet moves to pilot a robot is an interesting concept.

I read on one forum that some fans were particularly impressed with Tamayo Kataoka, a champion RideBack racer and president of the University’s Rideback club. Seriously, I don’t see what everyone else sees in her. She’s not all that interesting and plays a minor role in the story as such in the latter half (I think a number of characters could have substituted for her in that role). Maybe it’s because she’s scantily dressed? I think the military officer, Misao Yokoyama, is more impressive. Devious, intelligent, beautiful and a woman in uniform. That’s my kind of woman! Also I must make mention of the animation. It’s a Madhouse production, so it’s quality from start to finish. The cherry blossoms in the first episode where gorgeous. Funimation’s limited edition isn’t all that special. All you get is a key chain. The box is lovely though. In the end, this show is really fun. A really quite over the top and blatantly emotionally manipulative scene coupled with some quite implausible plot points did spoil things though. 7 out of 10.

Remaining Backlog: 26 months (it's much easier this way than listing the number of discs).