Rideback

Amidst the turbulent revolution of 2025 wrought by the GGP government, Rin Ogata only dreams of becoming a ballerina; like her mother before her, Rin’s grace and agility mean she’s destined for success on the stage. However, an injury and the untimely death of her parents quickly shatter her aspirations and, for once, Rin’s existence seems purposeless. That is, until she enters the garage of a club one day and sits astride a RideBack! The RideBack, a motorcycle with arms and the ability to stand upright, offers Rin a new world of boundless movement! What she doesn’t realize, however, is that this club of RideBack enthusiasts is about to get dragged into the bloody war between the GGP and the terrorists intent on overthrowing them. Life may be more exciting now, but it’s also become very dangerous: will Rin’s natural talents as a pilot be enough in a world where racing is not just for glory, but for survival? Source: Anime-planet.com



There a certain mature touch to the series, very serious mood throughout from start to end. Even though there were no short punch line jokes or anything of the sort, it still felt unexpectedly refreshing. But even so, Rideback still manage to keep you wanting more knowing that every episode has its crucial turning point of the story. Currently, there isn’t much anime out there which dares to keep a serious mood. Instead, they mix a little comedy to keep the viewers interested.


Good job portraying the emotions of Ogata Rin as she gets more and more confused on how to face the different complications and hurdles as she slowly transited from a civilian to a wanted felon. Other characters kept to their script very well, only playing their roles when necessary. It might feel like the supporting character casts has too little airtime but still each of their objectives in the anime is clear. I was sort of expecting Tamayo to have a little more contribution towards the final battle though. Apparently not


Episode 1 to 3 sets up a nice and steady pace. Getting to know characters and help viewers get a rough estimate of what roles they play. Episode 4 and things make a turn unveiling the main plot. Somehow or rather, I knew it was going to have a happy ending. I just couldn’t imagine it otherwise. So I didn’t get too worried over the anime ending as I normally would with other animes. Having a character sacrificed nearing the final plot of this anime really gave me a sense of loss and sadness. Which meant that the plot really worked. Bringing the mood up a notch, making viewers take it more personal.
Opening theme doesn’t look convincing and might actually deter some fans, but don’t be fooled. Rideback is and will get even more interesting as the story develops. Ending theme was somewhat enjoyable, but it’s nothing to look forward to.


The unique blend of this series really interests me, how the studio matched the softness of Ogata Rin with the toughness of Fuego, her Rideback machine. On one side, a driver so gentle, on another a rugged hard steel machine. Definitely worthy of commendation.


Rideback
Rating: 4-Stars
Torrents: Frostii