Verdict
Summary
Kenishi Sonada, who created the character designs and the concept, said that he was heavily influenced by Starsky and Hutch, Dirty Harry, and The Blues Brothers, which all makes perfect sense because you can see the influence of those films here.
Plot:
A getaway driver reaps the whirlwind when he transports an abducted kid.
Review:
A notorious getaway driver that goes by the name of the Roadbuster spends most of his time sleeping in, enjoying the laid-back life, but when he gets the occasional client, he’s the best there is. He charges an arm and a leg because he’s worth it, and his slinky sidekick is a blonde named Rally who keeps his ego in check. Another thing: Roadbuster is basically bulletproof, which is an unexplained power he has. His car is a red hotrod that is also bulletproof, and it’s the fastest car around. After driving some idiots around that robbed a bank, he unwittingly becomes a babysitter for an abducted little girl who needs to be transported across town to a ransom drop, but it’s a setup: the Roadbuster is about to encounter a bunch of hired goons and a supervillain (a woman) who wants him to take the fall for her crime, but this guy is a rascal and he’ll never go down and it doesn’t matter what the odds are because he’s more than capable of getting out of every single tough scrape that is thrown at him.
A short “ova” anime flick that runs about 45 minutes, Riding Bean basically feels like a pilot for a series, setting up a cool hero, sexy style, and an action aesthetic that is easy to digest. I’m not really sure what gives the Roadbuster his impenetrable skin (he’s shot point blank in the forehead and basically brushes it off), so you just have to go with the flow to get on the film’s rhythm. It’s not really for kids with hard violence and nudity, but teenagers might enjoy it. I watched the interview on the disc with Kenishi Sonada, who created the character designs and the concept, and he said that he was heavily influenced by Starsky and Hutch, Dirty Harry, and The Blues Brothers, which all makes perfect sense because you can see the influence of those films here.
AnimEigo has just released a Blu-ray edition of Riding Bean, and it’s presented in a full frame high definition transfer. The 1:33:1 aspect ratio is preserved in a nice presentation with pristine sound. The disc comes with an art gallery, trailers, and the aforementioned on-camera interview with Sonada.
