Anime: RD Sennou Chousashitsu 2z6m4r

First off, the good points of the show: good science fiction episodic plots about androids and the "Metal", which is this series equivalent of cyberspace, or whatever you wanna call the full immersion type of internet present in Ghost in the Shell. The show's structure is similar to GitS: SAC, consisting mostly of self contained episodic stories and one major story arc that develops throughout the season. This show is, however, more light hearted than SAC and I wouldn't categorize it as cyberpunk (both of these aren't issues). 6m345g

Now for the bad... The science fiction part of the show has an environmental focus. And how they talk about the environment is what I find troubling. The show talks about the "Earth's biorythm" (which is not a real thing) and about how understanding it, alongside human "intuition", is key to learning about how the environment behaves. Nowadays scientists have reached a consensus on what causes climate change, and that consensus has reached the mainstream. The burning of fossil fuels is the biggest contributing factor to climate change. I understand this show was made in 2008, so climate change wasn't as much of a big topic in the mainstream as it is nowadays, but I still find it problematic. So that aspect got in the way of my enjoyment of the show's main story arc. This aspect contributes to making the first 2 or 3 episodes of this show harder to watch, alongside the fact that in the beginning the show is very cryptic and unclear about how all of this biorhythm and intuition business works and why we should care about it. However, towards the end of the show, there is some political intrigue involving one party with private interests and another that actually cares about the environment, which to the series favor is actually very true to the real world, and not only that but is also entertaining.

Also the two main characters are very one-dimensional and don't get much development throughout the show. Some secondary characters do get developed though, and well enough.

So in conclusion, the good episodic stories and the political intrigue make up for some of the other lackluster aspects of the show. If you watched GitS: SAC and are looking for something else like it, you may find it here, although this show is not nearly as good as SAC.

Innovation and experimentation are always welcomed aspects in any series for me; they always score extra points every time I encounter them. In this particular case, we have something that is indeed trying to go for something new. Being made by the creator of Ghost in the Shell looked very promising, especially since it was also about the dependence of people on technology and how it ends up dehumanizing them in some ways. In practice though, it ended up being a lot less than most expected.

The formula the scriptwriter went for was to basically mix hard science fiction with light slice of life. These two genres are practically polar opposites, as on one corner we have a robot made of a million detailed bolts, fuses and microchips, pondering about the meaning of life with extremely serious and mature language, while on the other corner we have a simplistically drawn moe girl eating cake and enjoying her life. Where the heck is the connection point in all this? Simple; it’s the word “life”. The concept of the series is to show how ones simple life can be affected or deepen through the use of technology.

The word “deepen” is another thing that is used both literally and metaphorically. As the cyberworld is usually described as a sea of information, the s are “surfing” through it or when it comes to one’s mind, they “dive” into his subconscious. So literally the hero of the show dives in the depths of the Unreal like a true diver. I must say that the parallels between the real world and the unreal could lead to something equally captivating as GitS.
… and yet they didn’t.

I have no idea how Masamune Shirow did such a lazy directing over his own work. The entire anime reeks of boredom. Here is what I mean.
- It is very hard to pinpoint the overall feeling of the show. The slice of life aspect is so abundant that to the most part you think this is aimless (as the genre usually is). It simply doesn’t combine well with hard science fiction, which most of the times tries to show some really important concepts that lead somewhere. The fluffy aspect of the cute girls didn’t manage to flavor the setting but instead watered it down.
- The actual cases involving “diving” into the minds of people affected by the unreal world (called simply Metal) are described in one word as unexciting. The hero would just end up in a few holographic projections of one’s mentality, chat a bit about stuff, and it’s all over. There isn’t much of a conflict, tension, anxiety, and thus all the serious messages and concepts are gone to waste. You are given so much sugar candy in the calm moments, your brain turns to pulp and you lose all interest into paying attention to what these guys are saying about happiness or the meaning of life.

“Man, this cake is so delicious. Can I have some more? What? Raison d’etre? Never tried that sweet, can I have a slice? What? The unbearable lightness of being? You are right, I need a diet.”

Speaking of fat, the girls in this series are drawn in a way that appear to be… plump. They ain’t in reality but the industry has spoiled us so much with skinny anorectic character designs that the girls simply look fat, when it is just an artistic choice. A case where the stereotypes stand in the way of enjoyment; I know people who dropped the show because the moe chicks didn’t look skinny enough.

Not that this is all the reason for not liking it. The main character is an old man, who can’t even walk without a wheelchair. His avatar in the Metal is actually that of a well-built young man, but that doesn’t save the series from staring at an old geezer. I know people who dropped it because they prefer bishonens. And what’s with the fascination the main girl has with him? Sure, he is not really as old as he seems but she clearly has the hots for him. Not many people are in favor of such pairs and again many dropped the show because of disgust.

All this time I didn’t say anything about people dropping it because of the dull plot, or the slow pacing, or the anti-climactic confrontations in the Metal. Well it’s because half the viewers returned back to GitS and the rest didn’t even care about how mature the concept or the directing was and just bitched at how the girls didn’t have legs like crooked straws. That is the dreaded power or moe; it makes you demand shitz and completely miss the context. Why did he even include it? Bad choice.

I on the other hand paid more attention to such things and I can say they are nowhere near the complexity or excitement of GitS. Oh but wait a second, why am I comparing this to GitS all the time instead of seeing it as a stand-alone work? Well I can’t; it is made by Masamune Shirow and the guy is now married to his work. You can’t see them as separate entities. And even if you do, Real Drive is still not attractive compared to his second wife (his first was Appleseed but they divorced as soon as he met GitS).

It is a shame though, since the production values are very good in this anime. The artwork is very detailed and almost artistic in the way it depicts the Metal holograms. As usual, I am not that thrilled with Production I.G. when it comes to character figures, as they feel too apathetic and stiff; hard to see them as alive or just lively. It worked with GitS (here we go again) since everybody there was part cyborg, but here it is simply inexcusable. The cute schoolgirls don’t look perky enough. And they are UGLY FAT COWS! (not really, that is just the public opinion)

The sound part is actually disappointing. Although the dialogues are generally well-written and sophisticated, the soundtrack is actually very unimpressive. Nowhere near as great as in … you know where. And the girls don’t have very squeaky voices so they sound wrong (from the mouth of moe fans).

So as you see, RD mixed things that should never be mixed; some things are better off pure. Mixing vanilla with chocolate does not create a flavor that is better than both; it will just be a dull chocolate flavor. And this is what is wrong with this show. It is dull for both fans of slice of life and hard science fiction. So let me put this in plain words: NOT GOOD; THE GIRLS ARE UGLY FAT COWS AND THE CYBORGS DON’T BATTLE EACH OTHER UNTIL THEY ARE SCRAP METAL!

Real Drive is a difficult show to pin down. Shirow Masamune has taken the idea of 'net diving' from his acclaimed Ghost in the Shell series to a new more literal level. The network in RD, known as "The Metal" is depicted as an artificial ocean, similar enough to the real thing that skill as a deep sea diver equates to skill at a 'diving' in the Metal.

The opening episodes give the impression that RD will be a sci-fi thriller based on the typical theme of the loss of nature and humanity that comes with an over-reliance on technology. But in episode four the early development is unceremoniously dropped, not to reappear until episode eighteen. When opening story does reemerge it is driven by a series of rather badly plotted action sequences and an under-conceptualized ecological premise with elements lifted other, better works (e.g. a super-pressurized diving suit straight out of The Abyss). The ending would be utterly disappointing if not for the moderate attachment to the characters developed along the way.

So what of the fifteen intervening episodes? They are a mixed bag of single episode stories exploring life on the Artificial Island. Most are based on the issues that arise from direct brain-level connection to the Metal and the existence of advanced human-form androids. But the mood (as I said in an earlier comment) is far more Aria the Animation than Ghost in the Shell. (I supposed I should have been tipped off by the cheerful, young girls in their sailor suits in the OP). In addition, the producers never seem to be able to decide on their audience. So there is the obligatory story about sex but also one about the importance of eating one's green vegetables.

The character development across these episodes is generally good, and once I realized the direction the show had taken I was willing to sit back and enjoy characters interacting with their world, but much of the good will engendered here was squandered in the overly forced finale.

The animation is technically excellent, top of the line for a modern series, and is what kept me watching through the jarring early change in direction. However, for all its shine, execution is often lacking. At times characters are well detailed and motion is fluid, but too often they seemed rather flat and wooden. I was especially disappointed by a lack of imagination in animating the world of "The Metal." For instance, one of the stories involves a Metal artist, but we never really see any of her artwork.

The OP and ED are rather dull guitar rock pieces which add to the false impression that RD will be an action show. In contrast, the episodes are scored with a good selection of classical music, a style that I find goes very well with animation, and one I wish were used more often. The voice acting is good, if not especially notable. The actors are too often stuck with overly expository dialog.

The low value score is based on the fact that although I know I missed a few salient points of the plot (Who was that woman in the Metal in the last episode? Eliza?), I am not at all inspired to watch the show again to figure them out.

In short, a promising show marred by a lack of overall direction and attention to detail in the animation, but still good enough to repay a single viewing, as long as you know what type of show you are getting.

I saw the entire show and I have to say that it's the best from the fall season 2K8. Very realistic take on the sci-fi genre, vivid characters, beautiful audiovisual presentation and touching stories of the individual episodes. When the meat of the storyline finally kicks in, you can feel the incredible link with that great build-up throughout the course of the series. Everything comes together nicely. Every question about our heroes (Masamichi Haru, Minamo Aoi, Souta, Holon and Kushima-sensei) is answered. They even face a decent foe, who's not your regular insane villain, trying to take over the world. The end itself may be kinda hollywood-ish, yes. But it's absolutely amazing and one has to shed a tear or two, because of that last hug.

Real Drive is not a third sequel to the Stand Alone Complex series, because the overall message of this wonderful vision of future is quite positive, the mood is different and there's no real focus on politics. Instead, it carves it's own way to the heart of the audience.

Yoku dekimashita, Production I.G no minnasan!