Riding Bean Remastered

Those of us who remember the bygone days of anime on VHS will remember Riding Bean, a 45 minute tour-de-force of Americana through a distinctly Japanese lens, as getaway driver Bean Bandit befuddles the law, defies the odds and drives like a man possessed. It was and still is one of the best anime of the 80's.

It certainly doesn't hurt that Kenichi Sonoda, he of Gal Force and Bubble Gum Crisis fame was responsible for pretty much everything you see here; the story, designs, clothing and even insisting that the music be recorded in the US, it's very clear that the world of Riding Bean (and latterly Gunsmith Cats) is his favourite locale, a result of a childhood spent watching The Professionals, Starsky and Hutch and CHiPs, while visiting the cinema to watch the latest Dirty Harry movie. Riding Bean is born of love, and it shows.

The setup is simple - or is it? Master criminal Semmerling is looking to leave town with 2 million dollars in ransom money, but to cover her escape she sets up Bean and sends the cops chasing after him - now Bean has to take down the mad villainess while evading the law and the mafia to boot! Square of jaw, seemingly impervious to bullets and effortlessly cool, it's a non-stop chase across town where life is cheap and the stakes are high. Cheesy yes, but gloriously so.

The carnage is inspired by classics such as Blues Brothers

But the story isn't so much the selling point here (good as it is) but the remaster undertaken by Animeigo, which shows as much love and polish as Kenichi Sonoda himself. It's not just the action that thrills but incredible high-definition restoration that's among the most crips I've ever seen. Colours are resplendently vivid, the clarity just insanely good with a higher bitrate (BD50 over BD25) than even the Japanese re-release. It's basically as good as it possibly can be, with every detail clear as day. Considering everything is hand-drawn and painted it's genuinely astonishing at how much love Artmic poured into this OVA. 

Yes, it's a short ride, but a breathless one and honestly for under £18 direct from MVM, an absolute bargain. 

The release contains a sub and dub, with multi-coloured subtitles to suit your viewing preferences and, most importantly, a brand new interview with Sonoda himself, who explains how he came up with all the concepts for the character, the world he inhabits and even some background behind the Gunsmith Cats manga and why Rally's design was altered so radically between anime and manga.

I really can't praise the restoration highly enough, and with MVM picking this up, it's never been cheaper to get hold of a beautiful classic that takes 70's Americana, turns it up to 11 and then pumps it out in an explosive animated spectacle. 

Riding Bean is officially released on June 2nd, pre-order and save 30% with Anime-On-Line.