Without a doubt a classic OVA from the 80s, Riding bean is back on Blu-ray and looks better than ever.
Partly inspired by the British TV drama The professionals, Riding bean follows the past antics of a certain Bean Bandit. He is known as the Roadbuster and drives a special bulletproof car that can be rented by anyone who can afford it.
His crime-fighting partner is Rally Vincent, a connoisseur of firepower and often the voice of reason when Bean gets a little too hot-headed.
Bean and Rally aren’t necessarily the good guys, as the OVA begins with Bean chasing away criminals from a clumsy robbery. However, when a young girl is thrown into their laps in need of protection, Bean and Rally rise to the occasion – at a price, of course.
Riding bean began as a manga written by Kenichi Sonoda in the late 80s. The OVA followed quickly and partly contributed to the birth Gunsmith Catswhich is certainly a thematic and spiritual successor in many ways.
Riding bean is arguably more brutal and daring (no pun intended) and hits you pretty hard for an anime of this era.
Not least because the film offers an absolutely hilarious understanding of American culture as well as a very nerdy approach to weapons and cars.
“Riding Bean” is a classic OVA from the 80s.
These are in no way bad things or even criticism, but something that reflects the character of Riding bean This sets it apart from many other works from this period.
This special re-release includes a very nice interview with Kenichi Sonoda and a solid art gallery as well as some trailers.
The picture and sound quality are flawless, with the latter also containing an English dub. However, I watched it with the original Japanese audio and English subtitles.
This release also marks the change in leadership at AnimEigo, as AnimEigo’s opening credits have a wonderful VHS soundtrack. Most likely an homage to the beginnings of one of the longest running western anime distributors, and I like that.
In total, Riding bean is a classic one-shot OVA from the 80s that shows that anime is sadly not made like that anymore. From larger than life characters and beautiful hand-drawn animation, Riding bean is something that every self-respecting anime fan should have in their collection.
Riding bean will be released on September 10th for $17.77 and can be pre-ordered on Amazon.
Disclosure: AnimEigo sent me this Blu-ray for this review.
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