ANIME REVIEW | 35 Years Later, "Riding Bean" Still Revs Hard
It’s wild to think “What if?” when it comes to the works of Kenichi Sonoda. His series have always deserved to be far bigger than the cult classics they are today. And the one that started it all for him was the 1989 OVA Riding Bean. Even after all this time, the tale of the driver-for-hire still kicks more ass than most modern-day movies, let alone anime.
Riding Bean focuses on driver Bean Bandit and his partner (and future Gunsmith Cat) Rally Vincent. After a getaway job, the two are tasked to return a kidnapped girl to their father. But it’s all a ruse, as Bean is framed for kidnapping, with hothead cop Percy on his tail. On top of that, the original getaway robbers have the girl’s father and $2 million in cold hard cash in their possession.
What follows is every action filmmaker’s wet dream. High-speed chases, gun fights, and even some grenades literally thrown in for good measure fill the screen for a glorious 41 minutes! There’s only a brief moment here and there to catch a breather, be it at Bean & Rally’s office for breakfast or a quick lunch at a burger joint. But whenever our anti-heroes’ bellies are full, it’s time for them to go full throttle!
The narrative is pretty simple, as there have been plenty of kidnapping and double-crossing tales to fill a NYNEX phone book. Where Riding Bean shines is how it executes everything. Bandit’s grand entrance, the shootout at the office, and every highway chase on-screen is brought to life with pure adrenaline. The soundtrack — composed by David Garfield (Spinal Tap, Cher) — is just as legendary, as it captures the sprits of the late-80s Chicago sound with a wink and a fist pump.
It’s a shame that nothing else really came out of Riding Bean after this. The manga adaptation was unceremoniously cancelled (due to Monthly Comics Noisy ending its publication), and only the quick follow-up Bean Bandit was crowdfunded to serve as a pilot for a full anime series. And yet, in less than an hour, Riding Bean brings a higher cool fact than most 13 or even 26-episode anime series could ever imagine. Still, here’s hoping that this remastered release revitalizes an interest in one of the most killer of drivers to put the pedal to the metal!
FINAL GRADE:
Promotional consideration provided by Erik Jensen of MediaLab PR. In stores September 10!
