Summary
Kenichi Sonoda’s cult-classic OVA,Riding Bean, is finally seeing re-release in modern formats. Thebeloved 1980s anime, which is being distributed by AnimeEigo, will see a release on September 10 as a physical Blu-ray disc currently open for pre-orders, as well as streaming services including Google Play, YouTube and Amazon.
Riding Bean, which was created in 1989 by Sonoda ofGunsmith Catsfame and studio AIC, has seen limited releases in the past two decades, with DVDs last produced in 2002. The new Blu-Rays will boast both English and Japanese dubs, as well as English subtitles, along with extra features.
As one of the unsung gems of its decade andone of the best crime anime ever, anime fans shouldn’t miss out onRiding Beanif they love non-stop action.
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Car-Centric Action OVA Finally Returns This September
Riding Bean First Released Internationally in 1990
The OVA is renowned for its fanciful car chases, action scenes, and its existence as a prototype of Sonoda’s equally well-regardedGunsmith Cats,which has a manga and a three-episode OVA of its own.Riding Beanintroduces Bean Bandit, a getaway driver and courier who works in Chicago alongside gunwoman Rally Vincent, a blonde precursor toGunsmith’slead protagonist. All of Sonoda’s trademarks can be seen here - a love of American culture, muscle cars, exotic guns, and high-octane action. WhileRiding Beanwound up as a stepping stone for Sonoda, it remains an entertaining, if underrated segment of anime history.
AnimeEigo has historically distributed the OVAs based on Sonoda’s works internationally.Riding BeanandGunsmith Catswere released on VHS as early as 1990 and 1996 respectively, and have seen intermittent re-releases on new formats by the company. The impending Blu-ray release will have the anime itself, along with bonus features such as an image gallery, the Blu-ray edition trailer, the original trailer, and an interview with Sonoda himself. This makes the physical edition especially catering to fans of the author who want every single bit of memorabilia associated with the creator, especially given the prior rarity ofRiding Bean.
Don’t Miss out on Sonoda’s High-Octane Extravaganza
With its return to shelves and even online streaming services, Bean Bandit will get a well-deserved return to the spotlight. OVAs still representan experimental and ambitious periodin anime history, when studios could crank outvideos about anything and everything. WhileRiding Beanis essentially a failed pilot episode, its gorgeous, hand-painted animation also commits some amazingly fluid car chases that have been equaled by very few anime. Fans of animation should consider checking outRiding Beanif they haven’t already, whether that means buying a copy or searching for it online when the classic show arrives in September.
