Retail Price: $75
Publisher: AnimEigo
Is This a Review Copy?: No
What is it?
Riding Bean is a classic OVA based on Kenichi Sonoda’s manga of the same name. The title follows the exploits of hired wheel man Bean Bandit and his partner Rally Vincent (yes, that Rally Vincent). The two are the best of the best, and Bean’s custom “Roadbuster” car is an immediately recognizable icon of style and swagger. That said, quality doesn’t come cheap, and the duo is known to charge an arm and a leg (plus a few additional bucks) for their services.
In the OVA, Bean and Rally are tasked with transporting a kidnapped girl named Chelsea to the safety of her home. What they don’t know, though, is that this job is a set-up as a pair of former clients plan to use Bean and Rally as a distraction while they kidnap the president of the powerful Grimwood Conglomerate.
This is the first release of Riding Bean since the title made its DVD début in 2002. For the release, AnimEigo took to Kickstarter to reach out to fans directly. The campaign broke its $30,000 goal in just over an hour. It reached its first stretch goal in two hours. The campaign went on to raise $135,589 across 1,752 backers with the average contribution totaling $77.39.
After a year of tireless effort, AnimEigo finally shipped the sets last week. And, really, if you’re going to pick up any version of Riding Bean, this should be it. With an uncompressed HD remaster, three commentary tracks, and a gaggle of extra goodies, this release is the gold standard for the classic OVA.
What’s in the Box?
- Riding Bean Blu-Ray
- Artbook (180+ Pages)
- Keychain
- Bean Bandit Patch
Extra Features
- Three subtitle tracks (Colour, Mono, SDH)
- Commentary: Kenichi Sonoda & Masahiro Arai (Normal)
- Commentary: Kenichi Sonoda & Masahiro Arai (“Ethanol Blended” – if you catch my drift)
- Commentary: Gilles Poitras & Robert Woodhead (Live at AnimeFest 2016)
- Image Galleries
- Trailer
Package Shot
Boxart Blurb
Got a problem? Call in the professional: Bean Bandit. For a price, he’ll risk life and limb to deliver the goods. Seems such a pity that his latest charge isn’t quite what it appears to be!
