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Space runaway ideon eurobeat7/1/2023 I don’t get it: what’s the big draw? Perhaps this anime’s saving grace is the great looking Fujishima Kosuke-inspired character designs. There is less fast-paced action to be found here than in this movie’s counterparts, and on top of that is an awful soundtrack. The character animations are downright awful, as well. The race scenes are animated using CG and they look terrible. I wouldn’t go as far as saying style over substance is the problem here, as I’m not very impressed by the style, either. Every time something mildly interesting happens, it becomes apparent it was just a weak excuse for the éX-Drivers to get in their cars and start driving. If a twenty-minute movie based on the same idea could be entertaining on a deeper level than simply cars going fast, why couldn’t this full-length movie do the same? There is truly barely a story to be found here. This was proven to me in éX-Driver: Danger Zone. The worst thing about éX-Driver: The Movie is that the concept really could have worked. éX-Driver: The Movie fails to be anything more than a recycled idea that didn’t work the first time… and didn’t work this time, either. I am most certainly not an admirer of this movie’s OVA predecessor, and yet even I was frustrated by the lack of actual substance to be found here. Certainly this movie was destined from the start to develop a large fan base, as these niche anime tend to do. Lows: Appalling animation horrible plot character interactions feel forcedĪnime like this are hit or miss. Highs: Character design entertaining chase scenes Car nuts will find this flick fast and furious, but I need more than is offered here to whet my appetite. Such a thin movie should have stunning visuals at least, right? Aside from the cars (which were done well in CG), the character animation was downright horrid… especially for a movie. I will definitely not be buying the CD any time soon at least Initial D has some solid Eurobeat tracks. The music, when I noticed it, was just a terrible cacophony of quasi-trendy pop. While not absolutely atrocious, I detected neither character development, personality nor a story worth the paper it was printed on. Pretty impressive.Īnd then we get to the important parts of any anime: characters and story. The sounds of the automotive world are just as good as the sights big block Chevy V8s rumble with a thundering roar, turbochargers scream toward the redline and tires squeal with plenty of wheel hop. Driving techniques from drifting around a tight corner to heel-and-toe shifting are conveyed realistically. Indeed, just about all of the driving scenes have been painstakingly researched. If there was one thing that I expected going in, it’s a careful attention to detail and authenticity. And after watching éX-Driver: The Movie, I suppose my wait shall continue. I’m still waiting for the day when one of these specialty, niche anime (especially ones based on cars) can showcase somewhat deep characters and a plot that didn’t come from a bubblegum machine. Lows: Unacceptable character animation flat personalities barely a story weak soundtrack Highs: Sweet driving scenes authentic sound effects Neither of these obstacles prove to be as difficult as what awaits them behind the scenes the Mafia, gambling, shooting and kidnapping are just a few of the things looking to stop the éX-Drivers from joining the winner circle. Japanese éX-Drivers Lisa, Lorna and Soichi find themselves in the United States with only two things on their minds: winning an international race set in California and learning to drive on the “wrong” side of the road.
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