Forum - View topicRide Back (TV).
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rainbowcourage
 Posts: 1216 Location: what is commonly known as "hell week" |
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This still doesn't click with me. If he's such a caring, responsible person, why did he seem to write everyone else off when it came to Rin? He's still head of the club, right? It was almost obsessive/romantic/big-brother-type behavior.
I wouldn't have cared if grandma or the dog spoiler[died]. The point is that of all the characters they could have chosen, they chose the least effective one- if they were hoping to elicit any kind of response from the viewer, they failed (at least in my case). Lol, in fact, they picked the one character I was happy to see spoiler[kick the bucket]. Shouko would have been the best choice and would have provided good motivation for Rin, with Tamayo and then Okakura in second and third places, respectively.
No, I'm talking overall how we start with one of the best first episodes I've ever seen, get some action, and then it slowly dies out. The action is sprinkled sparsely for the middle and latter part of the series, and then goes in odd spurts (Rin busting through the GGP lines to rescue Shouko, her "ride" with Kiefer, the final episode). We go four or five episodes in a row with a complete dearth. Nada, zip, in a show that should be trying to sell the action. And in terms of the military stuff...well, I already gave concrete examples, but I'm happy to reiterate here. For example, the white ridebacks are ordered to pull Suzuri over for a traffic violation...spoiler[and then kill her. In front of, like, forty witnesses.] Not exactly the ideal planning for a government cover-up, eh? It just says sloppy to me. Now, I realize I've just given the impression that I hated Rideback but it's not true. I'm just trying to decide between "Good" and "Very Good" and I'm leaning towards the latter. |
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jel123
Posts: 108 |
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Not sure if I completely understand what you mean by writing off everyone else. After Rin rescued Shouko, Okakura declared all club activities to be suspended. This could be interpreted as being his way of protecting the others - keeping them off the GGP radar so to speak. Being from a military background he probably assumed that his orders would be followed and he didn't need to do any more. If everyone had laid low there wouldn't have been a problem. Early on there was a feeling that maybe there was some other connection between Rin and Okakura. Nothing was revealed about that so I'm happy with the "taking responsibility" explanation.
Ok, I thought you were looking for the best motivation for Rin not for the viewer. Didn't Rin describe Shouko as her strength? [EDIT: The actual quote was "The light of my life" which would be interpreted more as inspiration than strength but still just as important] Speaking symbolically again, spoiler[killing Shouko would have been like killing the source of Rin's strength]. It would have more likely broken her than helped. You are right about Suzuri, she is disliked by most of the fans. Although I really didn't have that much of a problem with her. Probably because I have met Suzuri. Usually she (or he) works in marketing and is more than willing to put on a cheerleaders uniform and make a fool out of them self at a trade show. Or sometimes you will find a Suzuri working as a recruiter in the HR department where she will tell you how super-fantastic-wonderful it is to work for the company as you gnaw your own leg off in an attempt to get away. Suzuri would have made a good marketing director;-)
That is part of what I liked about the series. There was no X-number of minutes of action per episode formula. Yes, I would have liked to have seen more action and they probably could have done it without it looking forced. But they were able to keep me interested without doing that. I can see where it would exceed the threshold of patience for some but it definitely worked for me.
I don't understand the "traffic violation" thing either; Ridebacks were already banned and subject to confiscation. Why would they need an excuse to pull her over. Unless the director was trying to make it clear that the following actions weren't what the police intended to do. I think the end result was due to a lack of training of the white ride operator. (He was probably out the day they covered spoiler[non-lethal methods of stopping a vehicle;-) ] Granted they could have put more effort into this aspect of the story but it wasn't that much of a distraction to me. |
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ShadowTrader
 Posts: 231 Location: NJ |
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Is no one afraid for the state of the medium after watching this horrendous serious? I'm flabbergasted at the utter brainwashing that has happened here. Can you really not see the how mindless and irrelevant this series was?
What was the moral? "If the light in your heart never fades you can keep on dancing!!!!!????" So in order to convey this message we need to be entangled in a world with political strife, gun fights, robots, vengeful ex-military commandos, and college motor clubs!!!!???? WTF is going on here! The anime industry is really running low on ideas, they are just mindlessly throwing mixed themes against the wall and hoping that if they throw enough of this shit some will stick. The sad part is that the minds of the youths are so polluted nowadays that they can not distinguish between good shows and bad ones. The purity of single themed series' is being diluted and degenerated to some caveman formula of just sprucing up boring themes with gun fights and mecha packed action. This trend is concerning and needs to be reversed. |
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Key
Moderator
 Posts: 18212 Location: Indianapolis, IN (formerly Mimiho Valley) |
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I think you're overstating the immediacy of the problem here. What you're referring to has been going on for well more than a decade now, so it's hardly a "trend" and, I'd argue, there's no pressing need to reverse it. That said, this particular series does have some issues. Although I felt at first that it was running Rin's story and the political side together particularly well, I was not impressed with how they tied things up in the end. Except for spoiler[Rin's dance and her coming fully to terms with what she wanted], the final episode had a rushed, hackneyed feel, and even that seemed forced in, as circumstances had to be tweaked heavily to allow it to happen. Not a bad series overall, but its resolution has dropped my opinion of it quite a bit. |
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Kruszer
 Posts: 7985 Location: Minnesota, USA |
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So find a new hobby, then. 
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jel123
Posts: 108 |
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You are probably correct that I can't tell the difference between a good show and a bad show. Who makes the determination of good and bad anyway? Are we supposed to only like what the critics tell us to like? Perhaps Rideback doesn't match up with the textbook template of what makes a good show. I don't really know, that's not what I look for in my entertainment. For me that's what Rideback is - entertainment. In fact this has been the most entertaining series I have experienced in quite a while. |
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guet
 Posts: 492 Location: Sparta |
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I wasn't too dissapointed with the end of Rideback. The thing I found odd was spoiler[when Fuego started breaking down in the same spot that Rin hurt during her dancing. And then through their bond it somehow manages to be fine until the battle is over and then seemingly "dies". I know it's supposed to be symbolic, but it just didn't seem to fit very well.]
I would have liked to see Tamoyo have more screentime, and more frequent badassery from Okakura wouldn't have hurt either. It wasn't the best show of the season, but it was entertaining. |
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Wellness
Posts: 175 |
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You kind of seem to miss the fact that most media are exactly like this. It is not just the anime industry, Hollywood, fictional books, video games everything pretty much takes the route of taking ideas and meshing them together with a single core (hopefully) at the center. With Rideback, it was entertainment. I can guess the overall theme might have been about being finding something that you enjoy and not giving it up because difficulty. But really, for myself it boils down to fast speeds, stunt tricks, charming characters and an interesting setting. I mean do you really need more? The way all the elements from the political plots to character arcs were handled was masterful, as in the hands of some this could have been a disaster of a series. But given 12 episodes, they crafted a well enough story that some shows would have screwed up if given 25. You had to feel a little of Rin's excitement when she first got on Fuego, you had to love how masterful the races and battles were all usually handled. The creators of the show obviously put a lot of work into the show and did a masterful job. |
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ShadowTrader
Posts: 231 Location: NJ |
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Kruszer your senseless comments are not appreciated, if you don't like my complaining posts then don't read them and especially don't respond to every single one of them just to get attention. My hobbies are my choices not yours. What you all seem to miss is that although this trend might be long standing and penetrates many other mediums, it should not just be accepted as something completely normal and standard. There is undeniable quality in single themed stories, unfortunately they are often overlooked for more "spruced" up ones which in my opinion lack in entertainment value and dilute the market. |
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Kruszer
Posts: 7985 Location: Minnesota, USA |
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Hey it's just a suggestion. When you can't enjoy your hobby anymore it's time to take a break or find a new one dude. Although, personally, I'll put it bluntly and say that I find it hard to take your comments on the matter seriously since I can't really see where you're coming from and don't share your opinion. I apologize, but to me those types of posts come across as mere unsubstantiated whining, even if that was not your intention. Furthermore, people are all different, not everyone is going to have the same standards for judging things as you do, and they shouldn't because that would make this place and others like it inexorably dull because no decent discussion could occur. But then you should already know this if you've read what others have tried to explain to you when you've done similar rants in other threads.
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rainbowcourage
Posts: 1216 Location: what is commonly known as "hell week" |
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Of all threads, I'm surprised you picked this one to post a rant like this in. I'd head over to the Queen's Blade thread if you really want something to talk about. I don't think you're giving Rideback enough credit. Yes, it had some massive gaping holes, but it's also a strange beast which deserves recognition. It was quite gutsy to animate a series with a normal female protagonist, and even sans a love interest. I'd be interested to hear of another series that has done just that, and especially so well and with so much character development. And excuse me, but since when does a good story need to include a moral? Does Beck, which you seemed to have enjoyed, have a preachy over-all message besides "work hard and do your best"? Nope. It's a wonderful slice-of-life and an entertaining story, and that's all there is to it. That's why story-telling was invented.
Well, I'm glad you feel comfortable enough passing judgment on us all . I'm sure that, at a mere 17, my malleable brain is being molded this very second by the amount of crap I'm obliviously wading through. For the record I'm only going to rate Rideback "good" but that has nothing to do with "mindlessness" and much more to do with poor execution of an interesting topic.
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Kruszer
Posts: 7985 Location: Minnesota, USA |
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I'm a little confused there myself as well since Rideback is by far what I deemed to be the best and most original show out of the previous season that I watched. Also yes, if you're looking to rant about the state of modern anime do in the Queen's Blade thread or better yet the "State of Modern Anime" thread.
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ShadowTrader
Posts: 231 Location: NJ |
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Queen's Blade can not be justified, I'm choosing to ignore its existence, and we'll leave it at that.
I think I have a right to complain, whine, or rant anywhere I want, its my opinion and I'll choose to express it where ever it's being irked, this is a public forum after all. You might like this series and I understand you want to be defensive here but I would rather prefer a continual debate rather then just being called a whiner or an opinionated hater.
Morals should never be preachy, but at the very least coherent and understood. To me Beck was about perseverance and the achievement of dreams and goals. I liked it for its' ambitions and the way the story was told, it just can't be compared to Rideback. |
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Duapex
 Posts: 29 |
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I hope I'm not 'resurrecting' a post that's been inactive for too long but considering I just finished this series, I thought my opinion could be a little relevant at least. I think the first few things I want to comment on are these statements above and others this user has shared. While you state that other people's 'senseless comments' are not appreciated, you also claim that since this is a public forum you have the right to complain when and where ever you wish--I would think logically, you could connect this to them and their statements as well. They can make as many 'senseless' comments as they wish, correct? They have the right just like you do? Furthermore, though I can't say Rideback's intentions were very clear, it was still very entertaining and I cared for a few characters and wanted to know what happened to them, hoped good things would happen; I wanted Rin to get over her mental blockage and really fulfill her potential. I think evoking these feelings has a lot to do with storytelling and a lot to do with anime, so I can hardly say it can be written off as it has been. But of course, that's opinion, as this all this. But on a last note, it was stated that Beck (which I have not seen and have not been able to make myself watch) was appreciated for its ambitions. I find this funny because if you can't even appreciate Rideback for its ambitiousness, then you couldn't have gone into it very unbiased. I mean, it's a show based in a world where one major faction has begun governing everything. The actual plot is about a ballerina who joins a club of motorcycles with arms, has a magical ability to control them due to her amazing balance and who then gets entangled within a sloppy, though explosive war between the government, military and police force. If that's not ambitious, truly what is? Oh, one more thing was bothering me. How could they just forget Kenji like he was never arrested and tortured? Like, him getting a lawyer solved the whole problem? That is so ridiculous to me, but not enough to take away from the whole thing. |
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bwcbwc
Posts: 59 |
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Exactly. This should have been a 22-26 episode series, and feels like it was cut down for budgetary reasons. The last ep could have been written similar to the way it was, spoiler[but without the GGP surrendering. After the vice-captain of the GGP assassinates her commander, she could have taken over as a much more effective antagonist as Rin joins the terrorist/freedom fighters and continues "dancing" to avenge the wrongs done to her family and friends.] At this point the story could go in a few different directions, depending on whether how Rin would jump as violence and battle take their toll on her humanity and art. |
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Just kidding. But why not Grandma or the dog for that matter? Suzuri was the most innocent/naive of the group so maybe she was meant to symbolize the 
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