| Riding Bean | |
| ライディング・ビーン | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Action, Comedy |
| Original video animation | |
| Directed by | Yasuo Hasegawa |
| Studio | AIC |
| Released | February 22, 1989 |
| Runtime | 48 minutes |
| Manga | |
| Written by | Kenichi Sonoda |
| Magazine | Monthly Comics Noisy |
| Original run | 1989 – 1989 |
| Volumes | 4 chapters |
Riding Bean (ライディング・ビーン) is an anime original video animation following the exploits of courier-for-hire Bean Bandit and his partner, gunwoman Rally Vincent.
There was also a manga published in the Japanese magazine Monthly Comic Noizy (月刊コミックノイズィ Gekkan Komikku Noizui) that was left unfinished (due to the cancellation of the magazine) after its fourth chapter. The manga is included in the final volume of the Revised Edition of the Gunsmith Cats manga.
Contents |
The anime follows one day in the life of Bean Bandit and Rally Vincent, as they find that they have been framed for the kidnapping of Chelsea Grimwood, who is daughter of Mr. Grimwood, President of the Grimwood Company/Grimwood Conglomerate. However, it is Semmerling, by way of various disguises, tricks, and manipulations, who is the real kidnapper — and the real target is Mr. Grimwood himself.
While the police are in hot pursuit of Bean and Rally, along with Chelsea in tow, Semmerling and her helper Carrie plan to make a secret getaway with Mr. Grimwood as hostage.
Only one episode of Riding Bean was produced and the planned series was never made due, it is said, to a fallout between writer Kenichi Sonoda and Toshiba EMI.
Sonoda then went on to create the manga comic series Gunsmith Cats. In this series Rally Vincent was the star, but she was now dark-haired (as opposed to blond in the anime), of Asian Indian descent and a bounty hunter. Bean Bandit was a regular character, again as a freelance mob driver, Sonoda stating that he is a "guy I can identify with much more personally" as compared to the female heroines.[1] He and Rally were not partners, in fact their relationship varied from ally to enemy depending on the circumstances. Rally's signature car in Gunsmith Cats was the 1967 Shelby Mustang GT500 used by Percy in the anime.
Percy himself appeared in the series Gunsmith Cats Burst in which he is depicted as being in obsessive pursuit of Bean Bandit, his aim being not to arrest but to actually kill the rogue driver.
Goldie Musou, a character very similar to Semmerling, also appeared in Gunsmith Cats as a powerful Mafia Queen and Rally Vincent's arch-nemesis.
Animeigo released the Riding Bean OVA on DVD on March 26, 2002 in a single disc release with Japanese and English language tracks with English subtitles. Bandai Visual released the OVA on Blu-ray on November 21, 2008 in Japan. The principal characters also made cameo appearances in the super-deformed ARTMIC special titled "Scramble Wars".