Riding Bean Review: Retro OVA Gets New Release That Will Thrill Retro Anime Fans

Summary AnimEigo's rerelease of Riding Bean faithfully preserves the classic 1980s anime action movie.

The OVA showcases stunning animation and action scenes that captivate viewers.

While the film has dated elements and fan service, it's a thrilling watch for fans of retro anime.

The acclaimed 1989 OVA Riding Bean is back with a new release from AnimEigo, and this is one retro anime that fans of action should check out. The 1980s was an incredible time for anime, with classics like My Neighbor Totoro and Akira becoming cultural touchstones that are still discussed today. In addition to acclaimed movies, the '80s also saw a swell of OVAs that continue to impress. One of those was Riding Bean, and though the 48 minute anime has aged in some respects, it's still a thrilling ride.

Riding Bean's September 10th rerelease from AnimEigo is expected to land on Blu-ray and video-on-demand services like the Google Play Store and Amazon Video. The OVA was written by Kenichi Sonoda, the mind behind such classics as Otaku no Video and Riding Bean's pseudo-followup, Gunsmith Cats.

Taking place in Chicago, Riding Bean follows the adventures of the titular Bean Bandit and his partner in crime, Rally. With his superb driving skills and tough-as-nails attitude, Bean is willing to take on pretty much any job as long as the pay is right. That's all put to the test when Bean and Rally are hired to protect Chelsea Grimwood, the daughter of a prominent company president. From there, the plot proceeds as Bean, Rally, and Chelsea are chased by police and thugs out to steal Chelsea.

Riding Bean Is The Classic 1980s Anime Action Movie You Didn't Know You Needed

AnimEigo's Rerelease Faithfully Preserves A True Classic

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Action movies were never as big as they were in the 1980s, and Riding Bean makes a clear case for why. Bean himself is clearly cast in the mold of classic '80s stars like Sylvester Stalone and Arnold Schwarzenegger, with his devil-may-care attitude and exuberant confidence. What makes Bean different from his American cinematic contemporaries though is that, being animated, he's allowed to be a lot more expressive and exaggerated. That, combined with his partnership to Rally, makes the titular hero incredibly likable despite his apparent amorality.

The real reason fans should pay attention to Riding Bean is the gorgeous animation. Though modern anime has produced some of the best animated series ever, there's something undeniably compelling about classic animation. The style used in Riding Bean is impressive, with the action scenes and car chases being particularly captivating. Unfortunately, though the animation is a marvel at times, there are spots where it's clear that not as much effort was put in, leading to a bit of inconsistency.

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Despite its many strong points though, Riding Bean definitely won't be for everyone. There are some dated elements and scenes of fan service that might feel out of place to some modern anime fans. In addition to some questionable creative choices, the OVA also feels like a pilot for a larger series. There is this sense that this is just another day in the life for Bean and Rally, leading to the OVA not having as much impact or finality as it possibly could have.

Fans of the OVA should watch Sonada's Gunsmith Cats, which clearly borrowed a few characters and ideas from Riding Bean.

At the end of the day, it's never been a better time to be a fan of retro anime, and rereleases like Riding Bean are proof of that. Fans of 1980s action movies just bursting with machismo certainly have a reason to be excited, but so do fans of hand-drawn animation. Look for AnimEigo's rerelease of Riding Bean when it drops on September 10th!