Joseph Luster
October 7, 2024 
Known as the Roadbuster to enemies and allies alike, Bean Bandit takes on risky driver jobs with aplomb. He’s more than a little tired of working for small fry crooks who can barely afford his fees, though. You can see why he’d need those hefty fees right out of the gate. In addition to splitting them with his partner Rally, something’s gotta pay for that absurd appetite he has. Bean’s out here practically eating full pineapples in one fell swoop! Livin’ the hungry driver life ain’t cheap, especially when you’re built like a brick house.
Things take a turn when he’s hired to help clients who are fleeing kidnappers. Now it’s up to Bean to escort a very important young girl back to her father’s palatial estate. Considering the high profile of his client, this one’s gonna get real violent real quick, even if the whole damn thing happens to be a trap. With that rapid-fire setup, 1989 OVA classic Riding Bean—the brainchild of Gunsmith Cats creator Kenichi Sonoda—is off and running for 45 very entertaining minutes.
In that brief time we’re treated to a showcase of what makes Bean the best in the biz. He’s oddly charming despite being cut out of granite, and his cherry red muscle car can even pivot its wheels to the side to get him and his clients out of tight spots, never failing to shock (and injure) his pursuers in the process. All of the action is lovingly animated courtesy of AIC (Tenchi Muyo!, A.D. Police), with director Yasuo Hasegawa (series director for The Super Dimension Cavalry Southern Cross) ensuring that there’s very rarely a dull moment in the beats between set pieces.
Riding Bean is a reminder of the time when the OVA was king. This and other products of the time ruled the VHS shelves back when AnimEigo first put it out, and the company continues to do so with a strong eye for quality under its recently-established MediaOCD ownership. As is expected of AnimEigo’s output, the new Riding Bean Blu-ray is crafted with love and reverence for the source material.
Just as it was 35 years ago, Riding Bean is a solid three-and-a-half-out-of-five-star affair. It’s not the best of the bunch that was released in the late ’80s and early ’90s sweet spot, of which there are many, but it’s nonetheless memorable and still delivers on its premise with style to spare. In addition to looking incredible—with all the charming idiosyncrasies of the production blissfully intact and visible on screen in high definition—the Blu-ray includes the original trailer, the Blu-ray trailer, an art gallery and an interview with Kenichi Sonoda. If you have fond memories of the OVA heyday, or just want to see another sample of what anime was like when it looked its absolute coolest, this one is worth adding to your collection.
Also, the soundtrack totally rips.
Studio/Company: AnimEigo
Available: Now
Ratinng: 16+
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