Riding Bean OVA Review

Synopsis: In Chicago, ace courier Bean Bandit rules the road, and operates on both sides of the law. If a cargo absolutely positively has to be there NOW, Bean’s your man – for a price. Want to ensure that the getaway from your latest heist goes smoothly? No problem – but it will cost you. Bean’s latest cargo is a 10 year old girl who is worth 50 grand when delivered home. What he doesn’t know is that she has already been kidnapped and he’s about to be framed for the snatch. Meanwhile, the real kidnappers are making off with the $2,000,000 in ransom money! Will Bean discover the ruse in time and get the money himself? Will he evade Inspector Percy’s relentless pursuit? No matter what, the Chicago Police Department is going to have a huge auto repair bill!

Our Review: For those of you who haven’t had the opportunity to check this OVA out, it stars Bean Bandit and Rally Vincent, two bounty-hunters who sometimes act as couriers and will do anything if the price is right. Based on the manga series created by Kenichi Sonoda (Gunsmith Cats). Riding Bean happens to be one of those special, once in a lifetime, OVA’s that’s actually really enjoyable and fun to watch, something that is sorely missing in anime produced at this current time. One of the first anime releases from AnimEigo (which can be purchased for $7.99 on their website), this DVD is an enjoyable 45 minute ride through downtown Chicago as our main hero attempts to return the kidnapped daughter of a wealthy businessman, avoid the Chicago police and take ownership of a two million dollar ransom which was paid to the kidnappers for the daughter’s release. Riding Bean joins the ranks of other quality anime such as Madox-01, Megazone 23, Dominion and the original Bumblegum Crisis OVA series as some of the best anime to come out of the eighties.

The story begins as Bean Bandit, our main hero, waits patiently for a pair of bank robbers as they flee from a shopping mall. After a thorough chase through the streets of Chicago, Bean and the bank robbers escape. Meanwhile, Inspector Percy, who has made it his mission in life to take down Bean Bandit and his Roadbuster (Bean’s customized vehicle; a cross between a Porsche and a Corvette Stingray) has his own customized vehicle.

Back at his apartment, Bean is sleeping when his partner, Rally Vincent comes into the scene where the two engage in some quick banter. Trying to figure out how to make some money quick, Bean is visited by a courier who asks Bean to deliver the kidnapped daughter of a wealthy Chicago businessman to the mansion where she lives. After their apartment is fired upon by unknown assailants, the courier is discovered dead by some stray bullets and he and Rally decide to take the young girl to her home. The wealthy businessman who paid the two million dollar ransom for the return of his daughter is discovered to have been taken hostage by the kidnappers as insurance for their escape.

Soon after, Bean arrives at the mansion to deliver the young girl, Chelsea. Bean and Rally soon find themselves surrounded by the armed guards at the mansion who mistake Bean for one of the kidnappers. As Bean is trying to negotiate with the guards at the mansion, Inspector Percy decides to intercept Bean by heading for the mansion. After the guards at the mansion start firing anti-tank weapons at Bean he decides to escape from the mansion while he figures out how to get out of the mess he’s in.

Later, at a gas station, he recognizes a large semi truck that had blocked his escape from the police after the shopping mall robbery and gives chase after the semi truck, which is being driven by Semmerling, the architect of the kidnapping and ransom plot. He has only one thing on his mind, he get his hands on the two million dollar ransom that was paid to Semmerling for the ransom of Chelsea.

As Bean is chasing Semmerling in her souped up car, he runs into Inspector Percy, who gives chase after Bean with his GT-500. Bean takes Percy’s attack on his Roadbuster very personal and totals Percy’s GT-500. As Bean is preparing to take out Semmerling’s car, Chelsea recognizes her father in the back of the car and pulls back. Bean succeeds in disabling Semmerling’s car but after he does that, he and Semmerling get into a confrontation where Semmerling almost takes Bean out not before she’s killed in a gas explosion. After Rally takes out the final kidnapper, Bean reunites Chelsea with her father, who, in turn, gives Bean the two million in ransom that he had planned on giving the kidnappers. Leaving the two safely in the parking garage, Bean and Rally race out of the garage and toward a waiting Chicago police force, waiting just outside the garage.

Summary: There is a lot of action that goes on in this 45 minute OVA and for those fans of such hits as Die Hard and The Transporter, I think you’ll find this OVA a memorable romp through classic anime. For those fans of Gunsmith Cats, Riding Bean acts as an opening pilot for the Gunsmith Cats series. Matter of fact, Riding Bean was supposed to be the result of a regular television series before Kenichi Sonoda had a falling out with Toshiba EMI during the initial production for the OVA. Riding Bean was one of AnimEigo’s first releases with anime and jumps right into the action. Bean steals every scene with snappy one-liners and some hilarious banter with Inspector Percy as he attempts to maintain his cool while keeping his sense of humor. So, if you’re looking for an anime that is really fun to watch, pick this one up today before the price goes back up. This OVA can be purchased at AnimEigo for $7.99, so purchase this DVD while supplies last. Please be advised that this DVD contains some minor profanity, violence and nudity.