Riding Bean

This is one of the first anime flicks I ever saw. I bought it on tape and wore it out. So many have already pointed out the inside jokes pointing to the Blues Brothers and other things. One thing nobody's pointed out is Semmerling is the name of the character and also the compact pistol she uses. It's a real gun, Semmerling LM4 pistols are the smallest .45 caliber semi automatic pistol made. They are no longer in production but were when this show was made.

This is a movie that is almost all action from start to finish. Our unlikely hero Bean Bandit and his sexy partner Rally Vincent keep us entertained all through the movie with non stop thrills and chases. Kenichi Sonoda, the creator is a big fan of American action movies, and incorporated that style into the movie. The scene when the chase goes under the elevated railroad tracks is taken almost frame for frame from the Blues Brothers. (NOTE: watch the licence plates of the cars and you may fins some gags on them. )

This movie rocks. Car chases, explosions and everything else that make an action movie good is in this. It's a fun watch about a guy whose a criminal courier whose just taken a bad job. But now he's going to $2,000,000. Plus interest! Great movie but still I prefer Gun Smith Cats. And hey: Rally Vincent is in this movie. (talk about continuity)

Your typical Anime with cars, action, women, crazy policemen, and invulnerable hero. The main hero, Bean Bandit, is a bit too powerful ( is he supposed to be a robot ?) His car is crazy in a good way and basically this film exists on its car chase scenes.

I had never heard of this OVA, but when I saw the trailer I was immediately interested. This is a fast paced action comedy that is entertaining all the way through. Once the film gets going it doesn't slow down.

The director Kenichi Sonoda got a lot of his influence for "Riding Bean" from American action films and American action movie heroes, which explains Bean's over the top character.

I really enjoyed the hand drawn animation. It's some of the best I've seen for this era. The music in this movie is also great. The director traveled to USA specifically to produce music for this OVA project to fit the American setting of the film.

If you're a fan of 80s and 90s action films or hand drawn anime I highly recommend this OVA movie. You will not be disappointed.