⁰⁴
Shouko’s Close Call

There’s a little change in the OP near the end. It’s a cool improvement that makes it look better.

After the race, the RideBacks are being taken for maintenance and though Rin decides to go shopping with Shouko. Meanwhile, the GGP RideBacks, called White Rides, are presented to the public.

There’s a terrorist attack during the presentation. It’s also the place where Shouko is shopping and the others are going to meet her. This scene introduces to new characters, two journalists, who look like they are gonna be important to the story from now on.

Rin decides to use Fuego to go rescue Rin. She ends up being targeted by both the terrorists and GGP army.

Rin ends up "meeting" what seems like one of the important guys behind the terrorist attacks. He lets us know that Fuegos are some kind of special line of RideBacks with unconventional tunning and that they choose their own rider..

Okura doesn’t seem very happy with this. It seems the next episode will be more calm, maybe it might give some answers to what is really going on.

This episode had lots of action and was more serious. The art and animation don’t disappoint and there were lots of excellently animated scenes.

Overall, this episode was awesome, my favorite yet. This anime is proving to be better and better. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m gonna go watch episode 5 :)

• Personal Enjoyment: 5/5

• Next Episode: The Mysterious RideBack Girl

⁰³
And The Flag Is Waved

Suzuri starts practicing with RideBack while Rin gets prepared for the race. The RideBacks used in the races must meet certain specifications and as Fuego is all custom made Rin can’t use it.

Okakura is certainly related in some way with the terrorist attacks. And now we learn that Tamamyo’s father is one of the most important people in power today with high possibilities of ascending to minister. Tamamyo doesn’t seem to like him much.

I think there’s a chance Okakura and Tamamyo are working together against Kataoka.

During the race, Rin can’t use her RideBack well. They mention how Fuego was kind of hard one to ride and Tamamyo for example didn’t like it but, Rin was really good with it. Hishida checks Fuego’s settings and notices how everything seems disorganized, anyway, they change Rin’s current ride to those settings.

Although it’s not completely like Fuego, Rin manages to get to 4th place when the engine blows out. She’s out.

There’s rumors about a Japanese man having participated in the RideBack force of the GGP. I’m guessing it’s Okakura.

The animation and art was awesome as always.

Next episode seems to be more focused on the political plot, with terrorist attacks and more action. Can’t wait.

• Personal Enjoyment: 4/5
• Next Episode: Shoko In Critical Danger

^{02
Tamayo Is The Top!?}
Spread Legs Form

Hishida and another club member, Kawai, come to give Rin and official application to enter their club.

She goes to the club and meets Tamayo, their leader. She and man who tried to save Rin are interested in her talent. Tamayo ends up challenging her for a race.

Rin accepts. The race was really well done. It surprised me how interesting the race was. I wasn’t expecting such a small race to be so cool.

Although Tamamyo is an overall better rider, which is normal considering her experience, Rin improvises some new brilliant moves. It’s like she’s got this natural talent to re-invent RideBack driving.

The race stop with Tamamyo having an accident because of a cat.

The animation and art was awesome like the previous episode. Lots of beautifully drawn scenes. The race also had some very cool animation like when Rin was landing after making that "ballet-turn". It’s really worth seeing it just for the eye candy.

Suzuri will join the RideBack club too now. And it seems Rin will be joining the championship in the next episode.

I liked this episode a lot. Everything came together nicely, it was better than the first.

There’s still a lot of room for the story to progress. Are Tamamyo and the black-eyed guy just racers? Or are they somehow involved with the recent terrorist attacks?

Rin’s brother is also interested in RideBacks and works for the government. Everything is being set for something greater to happen.

• Personal Enjoyment: 4/5

⁰¹
Scarlet RideBack

Studio: Madhouse Studios
Lenght: 12 Episodes
Year: 2009
Genre: Mecha, Science-Fiction

Synopsis: As the daughter of a highly celebrated ballet dancer, Rin always placed her attention on her dancing career as well. Be it new technology or the radical revolution that shook the world, none of it mattered to her. Until an untimely injury made her quit dancing altogether.
Now in college, Rin discovers the RideBack club, which uses the new high-tech humanoid motorbikes of the same name. After discovering the machines’ potential and her own abilities to control them, Rin has found her new passion. One that will completely change her world.
(from Anime-Source)

Opening Theme #1: "RIDEBACK" by MELL
Ending Theme #1: "Kioku" by Younha feat. GOKU

Everybody’s been speaking highly of this anime. So, I gave it a look and it’s looking awesome.

The first scene of ballet was really beautiful even though I don’t really enjoy ballet. The characters explains us the setting the story takes place in. The contrast between the ballet and the world’s state was cool.

The OP is pretty simple, just Rin riding some kind of mechabike but, it’s really well animated with lots of well done CG.

Talking about the production quality. It’s really high, the background looks really awesome and all the little details, like falling leafs, make it even better. As for the action, this episode had some pretty cool and fluid scenes with a lots of CG.

So, Rin quits ballet and enters highschool with Shoko. On her way home, she witnesses a suspicious man leaving a warehouse with a strange bike.

She enters the warehouse to hide from the rain and meets a boy who excitedly asks her to join his rideback club. The bike is like an humanoid motorcycle. Basically, it responds to the rider movements and is very agile, imagine it like a bike free running lol.

The bike Rin takes has some problems and starts malfunctioning. She ends up getting on the streets when trying to avoid a crash.

She starts liking it, remembering her ballet times.

More people try to help her stop but she ends up not breaking and letting her self of a cliff lol. At least she’s enjoying it while she’s in the air lol. I’m not sure she’ll just land safely on the next episode.

This episode seems like a quick intro showing Rin’s personality and how she got to riding ridebacks.

The story seems promising, mixing rideback races with the GGP plot. I’m looking forward to the next episodes.

• Personal Enjoyment: 4/5