‘Riding Bean’ Blu-Ray Review – Classic Anime Pushes The Pedal To The Metal

Visiting the Chicagoland area and in need of a getaway driver? Well, there’s no better wheelman than Bean Bandit–the infamous Roadbuster! Provided you’ve got the scratch, Bean and his blonde bombshell of a partner, Rally Vincent, will get you where you need to go. Not long after finishing up a sketchy job, the Roadbuster is tasked with returning a young member of Chicago’s elite to her family’s estate. But what starts out as a simple taxi gig quickly becomes way more than Bean and Rally had bargained for…

From the high-octane imagination of Kenichi Sonoda (Gunsmith Cats, Otaku no Video) and the animation gearheads of AIC (Bubblegum Crisis, Tenchi Muyo) comes a classic tale of trouble in the windy city! This action-packed can of beautiful Bean Bandit footage rolls onto Blu-ray in stunning high definition! Featuring the original Japanese language with English subtitles alongside the English Dub!

For thoughts on Riding Bean, please check out my thoughts on No Streaming Required: 

Video Quality

Riding Bean arrives on Blu-Ray courtesy of AnimEigo with a lovely 1080p transfer that brings a rich second life to this action-packed adventure. While the particulars of the source are scarce, the master used for this one appears to be consistently impressive. The colors present are precise and nuanced in a way that radiates off the screen. There is a dynamic quality to the hues that takes full advantage of the resplendent animation. Delineation is crisp and natural with no unsightly jagged lines or color bleed. The textures of the character designs and the environments are impressive and give the frame a nice sense of space. The animation shines when it comes to distinct details of the character and suit designs. Black levels are robust, and there are no egregious signs of banding or compression issues. Fans should be quite pleased by the results. 

Audio Quality

This Blu-Ray comes with an LPCM 2.0 track in the original Japanese, as well as an English dub, German, and Catalan stereo audio. There are optional English, English SDH, and German subtitles provided. The world provides a consistently kinetic atmosphere that is accentuated with the bursts of action sound effects. The track realizes every environmental effect with a steady hand. While this is limited to stereo ambitions, there is a frenzied energy to the proceedings which opens up this world appropriately. Dialogue emanates clearly without sound effects or the score overshadowing vital information. There is little in the way of age-related anomalies present here with the track presenting free of damage. This track manifests everything accurately without much in the way of damage or other unwanted issues. 

Special Features

• Kenichi Sonoda Interview: A 13-minute interview with the writer, creator, and designer in which he speaks to his early love of American media, the most influential movies on him, the physical traits he added to make the main character distinctive, the structure of the film, and more. 

• Trailers: This disc provides the Blu-Ray Trailer (1:04), the Japanese DVD Trailer (1:15), and the Japanese DVD Trailer (English Remaster) (1:21). 

• Art Gallery:  A gallery of sketches is provided here. 

Final Thoughts

Riding Bean is a very brief narrative, but it packs in a lot of fun during its reduced runtime. There are a few points that have aged poorly, but there is not a lot to keep the good times from rolling. The action is captivating and the characters are engaging enough to leave you wanting more time with them. This one will prove to be an entertaining outing for anime fans. AnimEigo has released a Blu-Ray with a strong A/V presentation and a smattering of special features. If you love classic anime, give this one a shot. Recommended 

Riding Bean is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray. 

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: AnimEigo has supplied a copy of this set free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.