Ranked #513

Over Drive

First off, I must start by saying that I may be a little biased when reviewing this anime because I'm totally a sports anime fan. And having watched quite a number of sports animes, Over Drive came as a refreshing change for me.

_Story_
The protagonist of the story is your typical weak willed, unless, low self esteem guy in school. But what is different about his character to other similarly carved sports lead characters is that he has a sense of humor. Unlike other characters, he does not dwell on his uselessness much, which is definitely something i appreciate a lot, since these dwellings can drag on long and slow. Zzz. (Refer to Eyeshield21)

The race (there is only one) in the anime is surprisingly exciting and interesting. I just could not stop watching episodes after episodes of the race. I mean, a race of bicycles must be boring, right? NOT. Though it lacks special effects that other sports anime have, the scenes are realistic and appealing.

_Character_
Furthermore, character development is cleverly embedded into the series by means of flashbacks during the race. You can get more than a glimpse of each main characters during the short 26 episodes, which is quite satisfying already. From the flashbacks, you learn why they enter the sport and why they are so passionate about it. And throughout the race, you enter into the anime and star rooting for all the characters unconsciously because all the main characters are so likable!

_Art_
The art is very simplistic in this anime, but easy on the eyes, and I came to like the art style a lot.

_Sound_
Not too sure about this, too absorbed in the story.

_Enjoyment_
Loved it! An anime that can capture my attention for almost all the episodes, and make me sit up and watch is certainly an anime I enjoyed much.

_Overall_
I would recommend all to watch this anime. It's comical at the right times, and touching at others. But I must say that the story borders on corny at times, but fret not, it doesn't happen often. And I am dissatisfied that the series is so short, I wished it continued on longer and showed us their journey through the Tour de France. Maybe in their next season? read more

This anime is about a boy who finds out the joy and romance in riding a bicycle. From the time he first rides his bicycle to his first race.

The story is unique in that its not everyday you have an anime about bicycle racing. What makes it so interesting is how they make bicycle racing sound so epic and how some unknown little loser can come out as one of the best. Like how they have different types of bicycle riders, climbers,sprinters,down-hil specialists,all rounders and so on.Although i felt that for an anime with romance as one of its genres it was quite a letdown as the romance was very suttle.

The artwork is good i guess,i dont really take into account the artwork so much but i feel that it was sufficient to bring out the action of the race.

The Opening song was very upbeat and i was quite taken in by the song though i can't say the same for the ending song. I think that if they had put inserts in the anime it might have enhanced the feelings or the mood.

The chracters were fabulous. In this anime, there are quite a lot of main characters, this is because many of teh characters has a fair share of showtime in the anime anf this makes it more realistic, instead of just focussing on one or two characters. Each of the main chracters is adequately expressed and their pasts help to enhance their feelings and justify their determination. I was particularly inspired by the main chracter's spirit in not giving up. the uspport characters do a good job in giving the respective chracters a feeling of reverence and respect and this is important in a show where people are constantly competing to be the best. So i feel the character development was especially evident for the main chracter and is one of the best i've seen.

The anime had its fair share of laughs and suspense which makes quite a good combination. I was quite enthraled by the anime for its comic relief as well as its constant cliff-hangers.Once you start watching its hard to stop especially when it come to the race.The story was quite realistic and this allows the audience to empathize with the chracters and this also drew me in and added to my enjoyment.

In my opinion, the anime is well worth watching and if you think you don't like it at the start try the later episodes about 10 or so when the race starts, you'll definitely be captivated. read more