"RideBack" (2009) TV series 2009-

Seasons:

1

Release Date:

11 January 2009 (Japan)

Genre:

Animation

Tagline:

Their Bond Fuels The Engine Of Rebellion.

Plot Keywords:

Military | Based On Manga | Anime | Motorcycle | Student Protest

Cast

Tia Lynn Ballard	...	Rin Ogata (12 episodes, 2009)
Terri Doty	...	Voicemail (12 episodes, 2009)
Stephen Hoff	...	Additional voices (12 episodes, 2009)
Bryan Massey	...	Tenshiro Okakura (12 episodes, 2009)

Series Directed by
Atsushi Takahashi		(12 episodes, 2009)

Series Writing credits
Tetsuro Kasahara		(1 episode, 2009)
Hideo Takayashiki		(1 episode, 2009)

Series Produced by
Fuminori Hara	....	producer (12 episodes, 2009)
Akihiro Kawamura	....	executive producer (12 episodes, 2009)
Jungo Maruta	....	executive producer (12 episodes, 2009)
Kazuo Onuki	....	producer (12 episodes, 2009)
Shigeki Takeuchi	....	executive producer (12 episodes, 2009)
Satoshi Toyoda	....	production producer (12 episodes, 2009)
Yasuyuki Ueda	....	producer (12 episodes, 2009)

Series Original Music by
Takafumi Wada		(12 episodes, 2009)

Series Cinematography by
Hiroshi Saito		(12 episodes, 2009)

Series Film Editing by
Takeshi Seyama		(12 episodes, 2009)

Series Art Direction by
Kazuki Higashiji		(12 episodes, 2009)

Series Art Department
Satoshi Hashimoto	....	color coordinator (12 episodes, 2009)

Series Sound Department
Toshihiko Nakajima	....	sound director (12 episodes, 2009)

Series Visual Effects by
Michiya Katou	....	visual effects supervisor (12 episodes, 2009)
Tomohisa Shitara	....	CGI director (12 episodes, 2009)

Series Animation Department
Satoshi Tazaki	....	charactor designs/chief animation director (12 episodes, 2009)

Series Other crew
Hideki Egami	....	creative support of original story: IKKI Editorial Division (12 episodes, 2009)
Masao Maruyama	....	planned by (12 episodes, 2009)
Yumetaro Toyoda	....	creative support of original story: IKKI Editorial Division (12 episodes, 2009)

Production Companies

• Mad House (animation production)

Distributors

• AT-X (2009) (Japan) (TV)
• Chiba TV (2009) (Japan) (TV)
• KBS Kyoto (2009) (Japan) (TV)
• Sun TV (2009) (Japan) (TV)
• TV Saitama (2009) (Japan) (TV)
• Television Kanagawa (TVK) (2009) (Japan) (TV)
• Tokyo MX TV (2009) (Japan) (TV)

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Color:

Color

Certification:

USA:TV-14

Company:

Mad House

Surprisingly gripping sci-fi action drama

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

When I saw the description of this series on Funimation's YouTube site I wasn't that keen at first thinking it was going to be yet another variation on the theme of manned robots fighting each other. I eventually decided to give the first episode a go and was almost immediately engrossed and watched the whole series over a handful of days. The protagonist Rin is a ballet dancer who had to quit after injuring her leg during a performance. Unable to dance to goes to university and one day when she shelters from the rain she finds herself in the room used by the RideBack club. RideBacks are like motorbikes but they can transform to a more upright position and perform manoeuvres no bike could. Rin is persuaded to try taking one for a ride and soon discovers that she is a natural; she even manages to keep control of the machine when it malfunctions. She is soon a member of the club and it looks as though the series will just follow her as she gets in to competitive RideBack races then in the fourth episode one of her friends is caught up in a terrorist attack on a shopping centre; she rides to the rescue and finds herself the centre of attention when the authorities and media who suspect she might be involved. As things continue she gets in further danger as the GGP (Global Government Plan; a worldwide military organisation) uses the terrorist attacks to introduce armed police RideBacks and later impose a state of emergency which the people strongly object to. If Rin and her friends are to be safe they must expose GGP and its leader.

The story was interesting even if not totally original; there are some shocks however including the surprising and genuinely saddening death of a major character; the good guys are a likable bunch and the main bad guy is suitably dastardly. I really liked the animation; the scenes where Rin was fighting on her RideBack look balletic and surprisingly believable; all to often such scenes involve 3D animation that jars with the rest of the show but here it blended in very well. At only twelve episodes long this series doesn't overstay its welcome and contains no filler material.

These comments are based on watching the series in Japanese with English subtitles.