Real Drive

*Review completely rewritten as of 11/06/08* Real Drive is a sci-fi series that deals with the impacts of the dependence on the Internet(the Meta Real Network, in the setting) on society, other than focusing on the effects on single individuals. Set in 2061, it seems to expect a slower evolution of human technology then we see on other similar works. The story mostly occurs on an artificial island that is itself built as the pinnacle of the present technology, but most of it's design and features are not something one would be surprised to find on an high-tech experimental facility today. The plot starts very slowly, with singleepisodes depicting the life of the protagonists on the island and interesting events that occur to them mostly on their jobs, as all are somehow connected to a role of maintaining and developing the island. As the series progresses, comparisons between the Metal and the ocean become more numerous and relevant, and the story starts revolving around the environmental impacts of the island as it reaches it's final stage of completion, and on the development of the main characters, as well as a small focus on the philosophy of human-like AIs. The art is simply astounding, the feeling of connection with nature, specially the sea, is a primary concern, which translates into simple designs for buildings and virtual interfaces (as opposed to heavy designs cluttered with pseudo-scientific artifacts as is common in sci-fi), and an amazingly consistent color palette. For example, it's quite rare to find a frame without a single blue hued pixel in it. Another notable part of the art is the "chubby" character design, specially for females, very uncommon in anime, it is most likely linked to the author's view on the future of the ideal female body, as a consequence of the current fattening tendency of the human populace. The background music is rare, and in most scenes it's present it's hardly noticeable, which, however, fits the mood of the show. The intro and outro songs, on the other hand, are very aggressive and enticing, specially when coupled with their respective video clips. The voice acting is very good, with special merit to the gynoid character Holon and lookalikes, which contributes the most to the believability of the technological setting, along with the audio filter used for voice communications done within the Metal, that at the same time does not hinder the comprehension of the voices and is very easily identifiable by the spectator. Finally, the characters are very well designed, each has it's own clearly defined goals which they are constantly developing towards, through either physical or mental training, self-prompted personality changes or even built up life experiences that give birth to epiphanies. Overall, Real Drive is a refreshing take on the genre, approaching even present day situations with characters' struggles and themes such as environment protection. The slow start, however, hinders some of it's true potential and blows away some viewers, myself included, but the show shines at full force towards it's climaxing end, and, while not really present plot-wise, all previews episodes are part of the build up that leads to it.

Story Real Drive is tough to write a review for. As promising as this series is, it has a major downfall: it can't find its balance. The 1st and 2nd episodes are a great start, giving you all of this information and an interesting and slightly mysterious lead in Haru. I found myself immediately wanting to know more about the Artificial Island these characters inhabit, and, most of all, about what exactly happened 50 years ago to Haru. While the main character may be Haru, this series really switches the focus up after the 4th ep. After that, it becomes Minamo's show until a littlepast the half way mark, becoming a really drab slice of life with the story left on the back burner. Once it hits that later part of the series, though, it ramps up and you start to get a story again. It's a real shame that the entire series isn't like that, because those last few episodes were really fantastic. Art The first thing you notice about this series is how crisp the colors are. The animations for the ocean are particularly beautiful, as they should be when the sea is the focus of this series. The near future setting allows this series to retain a sort of familiarity while being entirely alien at the same time. Many people complain that most of the characters look fat, but by the time you finish this, not only will you not notice it, you probably won't care. The characters themselves are animated well, but its nothing really special. The underwater facility is absolutely gorgeous to look at, like the majority of the background, and you'll probably be paying more attention to them than the characters. The Metal, while an interesting concept, often looks light years behind the rest of the animation standard, with a lot of its CGI looking clunky in comparison. Sound The music is give or take. Some of the more orchestral stuff sounds like it could have come from a Hollywood movie, while other things sound about as boring as elevator music. The OP is decent, but the ED is annoying, and I ended up skipping it every time just to get it over with. The sound effects are spot on, and the V/Os are solid. Character The other supporting characters often had good foils, even if you learn little to nothing about anyone's past except for Minamo and Haru. Since the show focuses more on Minamo than anyone else, when you do get an episode or two that stars someone else, it's a real relief. All of the characters do their jobs perfectly, but none of them are very memorable. Enjoyment I went into this mainly because I love Shirow, and came out with mixed feelings. Its an interesting series, and some of the things it brings up deserve discussion, but there was just too much filler to make this great.

RD is a sci fi/cyberpunk anime that is highly reminiscent of Ghost in the shell. It also sends out the same message in regards to a person's humanity (what is it that makes us human?) and the overall effects of humanity on the world around us. Real Drive is probably one of the more "ethical" animes that I have seen recently. The show comes with a variety of characters, including androids and "cyber-brained" people. So, unless it's watched from very early on, you can easily confuse between the two. I doubt that this is the sort of anime that you can startwatching in later episodes. It's set, for the most part, in the future - mankind has harnessed the power of robotics (hence the afore mentioned androids and cyber-brained individuals). Here, there exists "The Metal or Metal Real" - something that you could consider the future of the internet. Where, individuals can immerse themselves in a world of fantasy, but even that comes with it's own dangers. Real Drive is set in 2061 AD, but the anime starts out 50 years before this during the construction of an artificial island that will eventually be where the anime is focused on (you spend very little time in the past, but it's pretty much central to the anime). It also focuses a lot on the work of Masamichi Haru and Kushima Eiichirou, who are the central characters in this series. I have to admit that the series ended a little too abruptly for me - almost like everything was mashed together into the last 3 - 4 episodes. That said, it all works together quite well. However, it still left me wanting more.

"The problem with RD is that you expect Ghost in the Shell, and instead get Aria the Animation." "Actually, you get their bastard child, but oh well..." -Anidb comments The first statement wasn't fair, but the second one was more accurate. I just wouldn't refer to it as a bastard child of slice of life and scifi, because there's no intrinsic reason that this wouldn't work. It seems a lot of people were disappointed with this series because of its episodic slice-of-life approach centering around a teenage girl with no technical ability, as opposed to an action show utilizing the cyber world promised in the description asa set piece. After all, this is a project authored by Masamune Shirow of Ghost in the Shell SAC fame. I can understand not liking its slow paced approach and bland characters, but it would be a disservice to the show to say that it doesn't deliver on hardcore scifi. Some of the reviews and comments gave me the impression that this was going to be mostly about Minamo's daily life and that the creators only tried to put a plot together in the last six episodes. Neither are entirely untrue, but 1) Minamo's daily activities serve as a framing device for the scifi concepts and allow the viewer to see how the Metal affects people on a day-to-day basis 2) each of the individual episodes were focused explorations of a certain application of the Metal, allowing the scifi ideas to be fleshed out and laying the groundwork for the themes delivered in the last few episodes. Unlike Serial Experiments Lain, series like Real Drive and Ghost in the Shell SAC mostly refrain from asking broad ontological questions that have no real answer and only serve as fun thought experiments to give the impression of depth. Instead, the Shirow's scifi concepts are much more well thought-out in regards to conceptualizing a relatively realistic technological advancement and then exploring all the different aspects of society, nature, and human life that the technology affects. You know, as opposed to reaching for philosophical questions about God in the internet. Yes, the line between the virtual world and the real world is also blurred here, but instead of creating a dementia effect to psyche out the viewer it's done more concretely. Individual topics that are explored include the use of the Metal to simulate taste and pleasure, the effect of electronic noise on Metal users, the sex appeal of androids, the use of the Metal to connect humans and animals, the use of prosthetics for people with disabilities, the connection between math, music, and passion, and the connection between sea diving and diving into the Metal. These concepts aren't here to confuse you and make you question your sense of reality but rather provide very reasonable ways in which technology could affect our lives in the future. Because it utilized each episode for specific, focused thematic development, Real Drive was later able to make broader statements about the relationship between man, nature, and technology without appearing like it was just spewing abstract technobabble or philosophy. Furthermore, the way this relationship was explored was detailed and subtle enough to avoid the preachiness that usually comes with talking about how man should be one with nature. In fact, despite Shirow's trademark weakness when it comes to his characters, I found his thoughts about man, nature, and technology to be quite touching and even spiritual. What's more, the show didn't go out with a massive emotional heave that is common for anti-war mech shows or environmentalist shows, but rather a steady, lukewarm, but substantial tide that had been slowly building up (though some may call it anticlimatic). As for the specific idiosyncrasies of this anime, as I said before, characters are not Shirow's strong suit. None of the characters have much personality but neither are they cringey anime archetypes. I initially thought Minamo was going to be an annoying moe school girl designed to appeal to otakus who like thicker girls, but she isn't that and as the show went along she felt more and more like just a regular girl. This doesn't sound like it's saying much but in the world of anime where teenage school girls are usually sexualized and/or archetypal that's a plus in my book. She still doesn't have much personality and frequently comes off as too enthusiastic, but as an entry device into the various episodic stories she's alright. The biggest issue, though, is her seemingly unfounded attachment towards the old man, Haru, before she's even met the person. Thus, their relationship can come off as forced and creepy. Though towards the end Minamo is shown having the same level of care for an elderly woman at the senior center so it's not that bad. Another relationship blunder was the romance between Souta and the android, which lacked chemistry and came across as Souta developing feelings for an android one day. One pleasant surprise the characterization delivered was the absence of a real villain. No one really knows for sure what direction the new technology would take humanity and how it would interact with nature, so it's just people who are doing what they think is best for the world, while letting their dreams as scientists cloud their judgement. The slow pace of the anime will be a real issue for many viewers and I can't say I felt compelled to keep watching for much of its run time. However, slow pacing can work if the music or visuals of a show are good enough to keep your attention even when there is not much going on in the story, and thankfully the visuals of Real Drive are up to the task. Following Minamo around in her daily life is made pleasant and relaxing by the pretty island resort backgrounds. The series was also able to render beautiful summer evenings of a color and tone that's seldom seen in animation. Furthermore, the visuals help convey the beauty of both the real sea and the sea of the Metal, which is essential for the viewers to understand the characters' connection to them as well as immerse themselves in the themes. Overall, I think the show has some of the best scifi thematic exploration in anime, the characters were serviceable, and I was also able to accept that this isn't Ghost in the Shell SAC so I enjoyed its relaxing pace and setting.