FULL SERIES SPOILERS BELOW

Rideback is one of those shows that evokes an odd sense of nostalgia, but perhaps for the wrong reasons. As I write this review I think back to what about this show causes this sensation – is it the animation? No – as a kid I saw perhaps part of one episode. Is it the plot? Couldn’t be, as it wasn’t until last year that even realized this show wasn’t a typical sports flick. My best explanation is that this show is nostalgic for me due to its music, with a good OP and excellent ED that has a plethora of plays on my old iPod. However, looking back now after seeing the entire show over the course of several months as part of my college anime club, I’m disappointed that it fails to live up to my admittedly unrealistic nostalgic expectations. Rideback is a show of lackluster plot, poor pacing and frustrating characterization that fails to standout in any particular facet and fails to deliver in most other aspects.

As usual, I’ll turn to the categories. This show follows a typical sports-esque plot line that soon branches into a pseudo military-mecha. Protagonist Ogata Rin, with her ballet career permanently suspended due to an injury, finds solace in learning to ride and operate “Ridebacks,” bizarre motorcycle-mecha hybrids that remind her of dance. These machines become an integral part of the military plot, which involve typical themes such as powerful governments and terrorist movements. My problem with the show’s plot not comes in the fusion of these two lines, but in that neither of the two are developed meaningfully. Indeed, the show’s major theme revolves around Rin coming to terms with the loss of her mother and passion, but is constantly interrupted and overshadowed by devious government leaders and their dubious desires to turn the nation into a police state. There were several times throughout the show where the plot seemed almost political in nature, detracting from the characterization and storytelling. The plot-fusion, in my opinion, is also frustrating just because it’s very hard to tell sometimes exactly what is going on – Rin’s involvement in the military intrigue seem connected only tangentially at her incredible ability to ride the same mechanisms that threaten the wellbeing of the public. I found the plot generally contrived and unbelievable (as believable as an anime can be, at least).

What, then, of the characters? Here is where the show is at its most polarizing. Ogata, the MC, is extremely well developed, and grows and changes in a myriad of ways throughout the course of the show. Perhaps my favorite example of this is how she slowly comes to understand how ballet provided meaning to her not due to her skill but because of how it represented her late mother, and how working past inadequacy does not require perfection. It’s a powerful message, and developed progressively throughout the entire course of the show. However, the rest of the characters truly fall flat in terms of meaningful characterization. Rin’s best friend Shouko, along with the rest of the Rideback club, are almost entirely flat characters, with very little defining personality. They seem to exist almost entirely to admire and support Rin as she progresses from rider prodigy to wanted criminal #1, and constantly show up at opportune times to drive her own characterization forward, just to disappear as soon as they aren’t needed anymore. My favorite example of this is Suzuri, who basically exists just to die for Rin’s benefit in episode 10. It’s almost as if the writers spent all their characterization efforts on Rin through sucking them away from all of her friends.

The rest of the characters aren’t much better. Tenshirou “Goblin” is supposed to be a dark, secretive rogue who betrays choice bits of wisdom when the protagonists are at their lowest, but himself lacks any meaningful characterization that would cause me to be interested in him. He doesn’t change or grow besides grudgingly providing Rin with the tools she needs escape the bad guys. His relationship with Romanof, himself a generic and two-dimensional villain, somehow manages to remain ill-explained even after several episodes diving into it. Even Kiefer, mysterious figurehead of the resistance, seems to show up only to make mysterious comments and then disappear until he’s needed again for more of the same. Essentially, I found any character who wasn’t Rin to be poorly and insufficiently characterized, which damaged my interest in the show and plot as a whole.

Let’s turn next to a quick look at the art and music. I’m not connoisseur but I found the art fine, even good at some parts, and the animation generally consistent. I did think some of the opening ballet scenes, along with the ending dance, to be the best showing of the studio’s creative muscles, but the rest of the show did a decent job as well. The OP and ED, as noted, have really stood the test of time for me, particularly with the latter fitting well into the mood of Rin’s characterization. The rest of the BGM was neither fantastic nor noticeably distracting, so it’s hard for me to make any further comments.

In summary, Rideback is a show that succeeds greatly in the characterization of its main protagonist but fails in doing the same to its other players. The fused-genre plots, while not a bad idea in theory, are somewhat poorly implemented and lack the engagement that comes with other shows. Ultimately, I think the unbalanced characterization really feeds into my frustration with the plot, as having little interest in the characters causes me to lose focus on the story being told. I can see that evidenced even in this review, as I struggle to find anything else notable to say about the show. In terms of recommendation, I’d honestly look elsewhere if you’re looking for either an excellent sports anime or an engaging military intrigue story, or meaningful character development for anyone besides one character.