Rio: Rainbow Gate!

One of the things find I generally like about anime is that they almost always have their basis in manga or novels, at least giving it the chance of having a coherent story. Rio: Rainbow Gate! breaks the norm by being based on a pachinko game, and it shows. I didn’t have much in the way of expectations for this series but after a somewhat promising start things started to come apart fairly fast.

Rio's story is, as expected, dreadfully terrible. Our leading character is Rio, a popular dealer and kind of the mascot of the casino she works in, Howard Resort. ... Apparently she has some kind of power that gives people luck and causes them to win when she’s around. You can understand why the casino patrons would enjoy having her around but I never could for the life of my figure out why the casino owner himself would. The setting in Rainbow Gate is a whimsical and over the top look into the casino world. Nothing in this anime is really meant to be taken seriously and everything, at least early on, revolves around putting Rio into embarrassing outfits and playing ridiculous games. Honestly, if the series had just stuck with this slice of life type formula it might have been tolerable to watch.

Where things start to come apart is when they start implementing the "story". We are introduced to a kind of competition called Gate Battles, were other top dealers from around the world compete in casino games for the ultimate goal of collecting all 13 cards and getting some prize. Our dear Rio conveniently is a Gate holder so she is periodically challenged over the course of the series until the Gates become the sole plot point. This is when the series really starts to lose itself too. For one, the Gate Battles are silly and downright stupid. They have little if anything to do with any actual casino games and they rarely, if ever, require any kind of skill. Additionally there is the introduction of an absolutely ridiculous super power called "Roll Ruler" that some of the competitors use to control the game or the minds of their opponents so they can win. Believe me when I say that it is stupider than I can actually make it sound.

The characters are marginally better than the plot. Like so many of its contemporaries, there is also way to many of them too for the length of this series. Since it's impossible to ever really get to know them it relies on tried and true stereotypes and cliches. Rio herself is a nice, sweet, and likable heroine but she lacks any kind of depth beyond her heavy udders. She is always thinking of others and trying to help people but she’s a silly , one dimensional character. Any personality she does have is can be solely attributed to the performance of her seiyuu, Marina Inoue. The rest of cast, like Rio, is wholly forgettable. So much so that I am not even going to bother talking about any of them.

Overall the show is pretty to look at. The settings, backgrounds, and characters themselves are all appealing and well drawn, for the most part. The art captures the over the top style of the series as well as bringing to life a lot of ridiculous games and making them mildly interesting. Some of the characters, well most to be honest, have ridiculous chest measurements. But it’s hard to hold the artists too accountable for this, since pretty much every anime is like that these days. The ecchi is pretty tame as well and there isn't any real nudity, only implied through convenient foreground obstacles and strategic clothing. So if you’re looking into this anime because you like that kind of thing, then you’re going to be disappointed. The vocal performances and music are pretty solid, if unspectacular.

In the end, Rio: Rainbow Gate! is pretty much your average run of the mill forgettable anime. It’s inoffensive and completely unremarkable and is unlikely to impress anyone nor did it ever really have any chance to be any good. Fans of ecchi anime will also find little to appeal to them as it is overall quite bland and tame in that area as well. The ridiculous plot and silly characters drags this show down to well below average and isn't worth your time or consideration.

Why would I give a 9? Because I liked it!

This review will be largely based on the first episode and the synopsis given from the other sites.

Story: The first episode doesn't have a deep story. This is a story about Mint who is a granddaughter of a very wealthy, casino-addicted Mr. Clark who decided to abandon his work and spend his vacation or slack off in a famous casino/hotel/amusement park/beach. This famous casino, Howard Casino, employs a very gorgeous lady named Rio Rollins Tachibana who is rumored to bring luck to any players/gamblers. Yup, this might sound absurd but this is the charm of this ... anime. Its absurdity and stupid humor make the story awesome and great that I watched this first episode 10 times in just a day trying to understand each and every dialogue. The jokes are pretty obvious, but that proposal scene and the last part really made me laugh (or just a half?).

I also learned by viewing other sites synopsis that Rio is competing with other dealers to collect all 13 "Gates" cards in order to gain the title "MVCD" or Most Valuable Card Dealer. This is not just your ordinary gambling, ecchi slice-of-life anime. This anime has a plot!!!!

Graphics: Nice boing here and there. The art looks good and the body proportion of each character is perfect, except for the large mouth of Mr. Howard. The fanservice is not that dirty but I could say its a bit mild but quite memorable that I couldn't get it off my mind. And Rio reminds me of Bazett and Mint reminds me of Kanon. The only flaw on this part is that sometimes the face of the character gets funny or weird. I still give this criteria a high grade because Mint is cute, lol.

Sound: I'm really amused with Rio's "Have a lucky day". The BGM give you a Vegas vibe and I noticed that there are lots of BGM's used just in this episode. Mint's voice is cute but sometime I get tired of hearing it but Rio's voice is just as awesome as her body. She sound like a mature, elegant woman like Sakuya (Touhou). The ED song is cute and reminds me of Ika Musume's OP song, maybe they are sung by the same singer? Lots of fanservice (and furries) in the ED theme but the song makes me hyper. Maybe because there is a hypnotizing pitch in it?

Character: Rio is so awesome I want her to become my older sister. I expect that she have many followers or fans that cult would be formed sooner or later (or maybe there is?). Rio's character is so embellished and she is really patronized by lots of other characters. But she is just mysterious as she is famous. Seiyuu casts are great, but I really didn't care about that. Mint is pretty smart for a child and some minor characters are pretty unique (I'm talking about Dunhild and Mr Howard.)

This anime is quite good and I plan to add this on my watchlist. For those who are dissapointed with the first episode, don't give up on it. Just watch 2 or more episodes and I guarantee that you might like it. (Really)

Ignore all the haters, this Anime is VERY GOOD and may even become GREAT!

I have to be honest, episode 1 is pretty boring and it doesn't give a good impression of what the story is all about. Episode 2 and 3 will make the story more clear and from that point onward it's only getting better and better.

Still, if you don't like fan-service, this is not the Anime for you.

Story:
Give it some time.

Animation:
... The Animation is pretty neat if I may say so.

Sound:
Good, nothing remarkably great about it.

Characters:
With so many characters there should at leas be one character you'd like.

I really recommend this Anime!

There are still 2 more episodes to go, how will it end, we have to wait and see. Then again it is expected that the protagonist Rio will be on top. So without further adieu, how do I rate this? Here's how.

Story- a dreadful number 2.

Well, the story is so simple that the genre described really did much live up, well the ecchi part is co'z every chica in the anime wore very kinky outfits and the ecchi is on the perverted owner of Howard Casino Resort, the comedy is too simple and comedy aspect here is on the fumbling Hellising Aya and the ... black hombre in a kimono. More is focus on the game genre which always involves the heroine Rio who is regarded as the goddess of luck and her quest (actually it was her perverted boss, Tom Howard who get's her into a lot of messy situations) to become the Most Valuable Card Dealer in the casino industry.

Art- a good number 7.

No need to explain since I'm a man who likes sexy bitches.

Sound - a good number 7.

No need to say something, except I like the opening theme.

Character- a good number 7.

Since the characters in this anime are mostly chicas and the setting is in a Las Vegas style casino resort, it's a perfect combination since gambling and gorgeous women go together. Here our heroine Rio epitomizes the gambling mantra "LADY LUCK," since she is the goddess of luck who happens to work as a card dealer in a casino resort which is owned by her perverted, extreme risk taker and overconfident boss Tom Howard, this tanned, fat and cigar smoking slob, knows how to put up a good show (and it always involves the heroine, Rio in awkward outfits), when he sees a situation worth sensationalizing, he's a good fiend of Mint Clark's grandfather who also happens to be a philanthropist and a skilled gambler, however Mint's role is more of a nuisance than anything else, since as a kid she's shouldn't not be even allowed to be anywhere near a casino....maybe in a arcade would for the kid. As for the 3 bunnies: Abbot Tiffany, Elle Adams and Illie Adams, they really go well in the casino setting not just as cocktail waitresses but as crowd teasers because of their playboy like attire, and as for the Hollywood actress working for Mr. Howard, Rosa Canyon, her role fits the typical Mamasan/ Matire'd as would be found in any casino resort. On the other hand there is the antagonist Goltshmit Cartia, who epitomizes the typical gambling cheat with the attitude of a loan shark and her protege/ nice Rina who is a poster girl for a "Lady Scorned"she hated Rio because according to her aunt Cartia, her father left her dying mother for Rio's mom. So a with such characters in there proper role places why should this part deserve a 7?

Enjoyment - a good number 7.

Ok, so I admit that I'm just after the fan service, but since this anime has a little bit of mystery in it and that involves knowing as to who's Cartia's accomplice is, it just worth giving it a benefit of a doubt.


Overall - a good number 7.

I need not say more.

Hmmmmm, where do I begin with an anime like this. There's a lot to say... so how bout, I start with the reception it seems to have received for once. Rio: Rainbow Gate is probably one of the most hated anime of 2011. I've been trying to look at the reason for this from an objective stand point (at least... trying to put in as little of my own bias as possible), and I think I may have figured out why this anime doesn't work. Its a jumble of parts from different anime. Let me explain.

What are probably the 2 main complaints of this anime? ... From what I see, they would be A). The plot is breaky, un-coordinated, and not really flowing, and B). The characters are unrealistically proportioned, and the fan service is out the roof. Personally... when I analyzed the plot, you know what I thought of right away? Slice of life.... That was the first thing that came to mind. The anime, is structured like a slice of life... a series of episodes, each with their own neat little story that gets wrapped up within an episode. It doesn't so much follow a strict plot line as just follows the daily life of a certain character. This can be a somewhat effective story telling method, people seem to love shows like Aria or Azumanga Daioh, and those have about just as much continuity as this show does. The problem is, is part B.

Generally, people who really enjoy slice of life style anime, don't enjoy a very perverted ecchi style like this. I think it goes both ways as well, I think fans of this comedic style, generally prefer a better plot. Now... its not like harems or ecchi comedies generally have all that GREAT a plot line... but they are at least structured from start to end (with some filler). That is to say, you should probably watch from episode 1 all the way to the end in the right order for it to make any sense. In a slice of life style, usually you just have to watch the first episode or 2, then you could really watch it in any order and it would make sense. Its this kind of mix that can really throw off both sides of the debate and make a whole lot of people hate the anime in question. This is probably the main reason why this show got such a bad rep.

But that can't be it really can it? Well sure, what about the characters themselves. Lets ignore the fan service style of the characters for now. Personally, I don't really care much about the design of the characters. Sure maybe they're over the top a bit in the fan service department... but hey its a show about a Las Vegas style casino... of course there will be tonnes of fan service. Anyways... the actually personality of the characters is rather hit and miss. While each character seems to have a fairly decent personality, and could possibly be even considered enjoyable... the show really ditches the idea of introducing them to us. The first episode catalogs the adventures of a 10 year old girl wandering around a casino (bad parenting? whats that), and briefly bumping into what will be each of our main characters. The problem is, you aren't given enough time to identify or understand any of them. The characters are just kinda thrown out at you, and as the show goes on you see what their character traits are... but it just took you 5 long episodes to figure it out. So while I won't say the characters are bad... I'll say their presentation was terrible.

So you've read all this and you look back up at the score I gave it and say... Hey if there are so many flaws with it, how can you give it a score like that? Well I'd respond... because there's one thing that this show does quite beautifully... and that's over the top animation backed up by... semi decent humor. What I found to be the most enjoyable quality of this show, was the strange over the top presentation of freaking casino games. Like in episode 2 where they play roulette on a roller coaster size roulette wheel, using bowling balls instead of the regular ones. Its got an idiotic campy feel to it... The way it goes so over the top about poker and betting. Like somehow she is able to WILL the ball into the right place, or stop cards from entering her opponents hand. Really, I'm gonna say that her super power is just that she is incredibly lucky. Its this kind of idiotic humor that made the show... somewhat enjoyable for me to watch. Taking such a simple thing and putting it on a grand DBZ style scale really makes you crack up at the lunacy of it all.

So again... the anime is pretty bad. Its plot is mis matched, its characters are decent but hard to get to know, and its humor... while usually getting a laugh once or twice an episode... is usually pretty predictable... But its got a bit of charm to it. You can tell that the animators had fun creating this one, building grand scale casino items, and doing over the top gambling battles. I can't blame you if you hate it, quite honestly I think I SHOULD hate it. But that little bit it added, made me feel like I must see it to the end at least.

Maybe I'm too easily pleased when it comes to anime and I'm nowhere near as critical as others, but hey, I liked Rio: Rainbow Gate. I found the concept of a show based in a casino to have been different, oh, sure, I'll admit there's nothing particularly deep or meaningful about this show, and that it's attractive star presents a fair amount of fanservice to viewers, still, I thought it was delightfully goofy, silly and innocent fun, and isn't fun an important part of the anime watching experience? I enjoyed the light, wacky, slightly racy nature of this show which clearly doesn't take itself seriously, ... ditto for the characters, and that's what I took out of Rio, and that's what made it a treat for me, and why I'm eager to watch more.

Yet another shitty fan service anime like Infinite Stratos hits the fan.

First off let me start my review by ranting: SHUT THE FUCK UP ROSA CANYON YOU'RE SO FUCKING ANNOYING! Not just any actress but a Hollywood actress? What the fuck does that mean? And she says it a million fucking times! This show MIGHT actually be okay without her fucking it up in the varying screen time that she has. Every time I see her dumb blue hair and stupidly proportioned knockers I get pissed. In the first place, why does she always hang out with the main character? Its abnormal! You don't have ... any other friends you can hang with in "Hollywood"? She needs to get killed off.

Back to the review...


---Story---

A big-boobed lady is a dealer at a casino with other big-boobed ladies and gets caught in many clothing compromising situations by her enourmously stereotyped 50s nutcracker boss. And they have card battles with grandiose platforms and stages like any kids card battle anime except with out the even more outrageous hairdos- wait they still have outrageous hairdos... It's set in some weird San Fransisco-esque place and is supposed to be like Las Vegas.... People didn't do their research... Also there was an annoying loli who was first the main character but then got pushed aside by the big-boobed dealer lady. Pretty much sums it up.


---Art---

Nothing spectacular. Bringing nothing new to the table or different like Puella Magica. Its not boring its just okay. Not necessarily generic but regular is a better word I guess, generic is too negative.


---Sound---

I didn't even try listening to the OP. The first seven seconds pissed me off in their genericness. ED was the same. WE NEED MORE JAZZINESS IN MUSIC. Its all the fucking same nowadays everyone is like woah its so cool and different and I'm thinking no its not your stupid and have no taste they all sound the same because they are trying to appeal to the same old demographic: Sweaty, gross, and overwieght otakus who'll buy anything that has a hint of "moe" in it. Why don't you have more creativity and make something DIFFERENT. Change the market! Stop conforming its just all the same shit. You watch an ecchi harem from 2000 its the same now in 2011 except maybe more fan service, better art (possibly), and better music (big possibly). I digress (too much digression).

All in all for sound: Nothing new.

---Character---

Other than the major annoying rather have a catheter in my dick Rosa Canyon we have:

-Big-boobed lady #1: The main character. She features red hair, big boobs, and the one card to rule them all.
-Big-boobed lady #2: Protags childhood friend. Yippee. Blondie.
-Big-boobed lady #3: Random service girl who likes explaining things we don't need explaining like rules to the strip games we can figure out on our own. Blondie again.
-Twin #1: The one that talks the most. Okay character.
-Twin #2: The one that copies the completion of a sentence. Fucking annoying.
-Annoying loli: 'Nuff said.
-Nutcracker Boss: Cigar puffing creepo who apparently jacks off to the girls with his collection of videos he takes of them (I'm serious there is a serious innuendo in ep4 where he even does the fap fap motion with his hand.)
-Annoying loli's Ojii-sama: Doesn't say much 'cept for a few boring and obvious lines.

Probably missing some but because I forget they obviously didn't stand out much.


---Enjoyment---

See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catheter



---Overall---

Generic fan service anime. Barely a story at all its really just for fan service. Shouldn't even be called anime it should be called soft soft soft porn. Oh and for last words: Rosa Canyon sucks balls.

Rio rainbow gate is a very odd show. Revolving around the antics of Rio and the side characters, they are bombarded by rival dealers who want to challenge her and obtain the gates. MAL has the tags ecchi, and comedy. However, the comedy in this show is non-existant; I found myself laughing at the show instead of with it. The ecchi is rather moderate and usually dedicated to one part of an episode or outfit oriented.

I found that the plot was actually the strongest point of the show, although not by much. It follows the average showdown per episode, and when the dealers battle they ... aren't bad. However there is little actual gambling in this show as it turns into game contests like human pinball, shooting discs, and racing. They aren't all boring as they are all pretty unique but it just doesn't work. They attempt to throw a few twists which surprised me for this type of show, however I don't think you will be "crying" as the synopsis says.

The characters look unique, but except for the masked joker, and the two main females Rina and Rio nobody has any background or depth. The next prominent character is the loli Mint who is here at the age of 9 due to her fathers obsessive gambling, or something. Like how I questioned how she was pretty much abandoned in that casino forever to be looked over by Rio, I questioned all the other little quirks of the show.

Rio rainbow gate is a stain on anime originals. Unlike most average shows, this is awfully hard to watch and enjoy. I wish there was more to write, but alas the episodes are rather formulated and characters flat. It looks like Xebec took a gamble and lost this time.

After following this particular series, I overall enjoyed it. The fan service was fan service. At the beginning it was very slow, but soon it began to form a plot, which I liked the idea it had. The ending wasn't as climatic as I expected but hey you can't argue with the whole world having good luck. Especially if Rio is responsible for world peace. I will say that I do look forward the next season. Mysterious man with a cape and red eyes with some little girl that has a bone to pick with someone. I would recommend this to anyone who just wants ... a feel good easy anime to watch to pass the time by.

Rio - Rainbow Gate! takes place at the tropical casino paradise called the Howard Resort Casino. The plot revolves around a tournament where Casino dealers challenge each other to various casino games to win the title of being the Top Dealer. Basic, simple, but it works for what it is. The main character Rio is called the Goddess of Victory, as she has uncanny luck and the ability to make anyone win whatever game they're playing just by walking past them.

The writing is, as you would expect, not the focus of the show. The plot is basic for what it is, ... and crosses into silly far more often than not. One must also question why the casino would employee a woman whose abilities actually help the gamblers to win money form the casino, but we see Mr. Howard lecherously uses Rio's sexiness and fame to promote his casino, so one can assume it's an acceptable loss for all the business she brings to his casino. However, that's probably my own fault of taking this show seriously.

Technically speaking, Rio - Rainbow Gate! is a beautiful show; and I don't just mean Rio herself. All the backgrounds and visuals are full of vibrant colors that really capture the feeling of a tropical paradise. The glitter and sheen on the casino floor also do well to captivate the eye and give the show a very energetic and feel-good mood. Rio herself is also gorgeous, and since this is an ecchi anime, the show does well to remind us of this and give us various camera angles and outfits to admire Rio in. The poker game in the first episode between Rio and Orlin is told through a mix of dramatized hand and arm movements, dramatic stares and card drawing, and trippy, psychedelic dream sequences of Rio being bathed in light like this was a magical girl anime, and Orlin exploring a gritty forest of poker cards looking for the four queens to add to his hand. The show is eye-candy in every sense of the word. The music of the show is composed of jazzy, up-beat tunes which are quite catchy and do well to establish the tropical casino setting. Rio - Rainbow Gate! is a treat to both the eyes and the ears.

Overall, this show doesn't take itself terribly seriously, and neither should you. If you want a beautiful, feel-good, sexy anime with some stunning visuals and catchy music, then this anime is worth a look. The dramatized way Rio and Orlin played poker was enough to make me check out next week's episode; it brought a silly Yu-Gi-Oh! and Death Note vibe with how they dramatized such a mundane game Perhaps other casino games like blackjack, roulette, and craps will be incorporated into the show in future episodes.

Ok, so according to my critics I should not be writing review on the first episode of the anime, but after reading the comment from the viewers and other pieces from other MAL users, I can't help but write one of my own as well, so here is my rating for this anime:

Story- a mediocre number 5.

According to comments they all find the anime more of a fan service than anything else, which I agree. Because it is all about Rio whom is regarded as a goddess of luck working as a dealer/maid/babysitter for Mint/ Howard Resort Model, etc in some posh Casino Resort. ... She is the fantasy of all men ( including the resort owner) and the admiration of women (I'm referring to her co workers) so enough of that. Frankly it simply encchi all the way, since all women working in the resort sport a very skimpy outfit, and there simply no senses in it anyway except for those who fantasize about the female lead named "Rio."

Art- a very good number 8.

The art is good from the characters to the buildings, but it great with Rio, who epitomizes the physical beauty of every men........Not forgetting her panty shot and boobs.

Sound- a decent number 5.

No comment here.

Character - a good number 7.

The way the characters were voiced and drawn really matches the roles they play, I never imagine that the same voice actress who played Wataru Tachibana from "Hayate No Gotoku," Miyamoto Rei of "HOTD,," and Tsukiumi of "Siekeiri" would have such talent to have a cuter voice (I wonder if she's anorexic?).

Enjoyment and Overall- a poor, poor number 3.

The anime is all about Rio the "Goddess of Luck" working in a casino and providing luck to all gambling patrons and her curvaceous body.


Trivia: Las Vegas the gambling capital of Nevada USA was once run by the Mafia.

As far as episode 3, R:RG! try to appeal to men passions: Busty girls, and gambling games. I can not argue, that the 1st part is well applied in the series, maid outfits, short skirts, bunny girls, and fan-service when ever they can; on the other hand, this aspects totally kill the seriousness and thrilling of the gambling games.

Should you give it a try?: If what you are looking for is an anime with interesting plot or breaking the regular anime standards, then no, don´t even try 1st episode, or anything related to it, but if you are looking for something to jack off, doesn´t ... mind the weak plot, and is slightly interested in casinos or gambling games, then shut down your computer, and buy the 1st ticket to Las Vegas cause not even for that this show is worth.

From "plot" to actual plot.

STORY
As you may expect from the synopsis of the series, Rio: Rainbow Gate is not a series that focuses all that much on the story.
The basic premise of the 13 "Gate Cards" and the concept of "Roll Rulers" is... pretty vague. It's certainly explained, but not in all that much detail.
Why are there 13 cards? What happens once someone wins all 13? Are they kept by that person? After all, if a Gate holder has to accept a challenge from another Gate holder, if someone has them all, it should mean that they can keep them until they die.
Are ... the Roll Ruler powers effective on everyone, or only other Roll Ruler users?
But questions like this aren't really what the series is about.
Though I must say, in fairness to the series, there is actual story development. As the show goes on, I was surprised to find that characters not only had backstories but by the end of the series the tone had shifted to become fairly serious. Maybe a little melodramatic, but certainly more serious than one would expect from watching the first few episodes.

ART
Do you like boobs? If you said yes then do I have a show to recommend to you!
The key focus of this series (at least, as far as I can tell) is the visuals. Well, and the characters too, but the visuals are certainly one of the points at which you'll either love the series for it, or dislike it.
The art direction is very much on the side of fan-service. The main character, Rio, is regularly shows in revealing outfits, along with the rest of the cast. All the women are generously endowed with more than enough jiggles and shots to demonstrate that there's a big focus on the female form. Overall, it does exactly what it sets out to do: it presents a cast of attractive girls to oggle while the plots slowly amps up around them.

SOUND
The voice acting is good. It's nothing spectacular but then it's not bad either. It... does the job. The characters sound like you'd expect. Shout out to Killer Bee's (of Naruto Shippuden) voice actor voicing a large stereotypical American.
There are also a lot of moans, shouts, screams and other lady noises that would maybe make people ask exactly what it is you're watching if you've got the anime playing on speakers, so watch out for that if you plan on watching it around people who do not understand the context.

The music is also serviceable. There are some happy, breezy sounding tracks, there are some intense, dramatic tracks and overall it fits the feeling of the show well. There are no standout OST tracks that I noticed, though in the final episode it did sound like they used a track from Naruto Shippuden (one of the Akatsuki's themes) which was a little odd. Maybe I was mistaken, but it sounded very similar...
The opening and ending songs are also, as you'd expect, pretty sugary, happy and overall sound like, well, generic J-Pop. The ending theme is certainly catchy and is almost too happy, but overall both fit perfectly within the show, adding to the "looks before substance" theme the anime goes for.

CHARACTER
As previously mentioned, the characters in Rio: Rainbow Gate do have some depth. Well, the main character does, along with one or two others. The series does focus quite heavily on Rio's past, and her links to Rina and Rio's mother, Risa (Yes, her name is Risa, it's not a mistranslation of Lisa, as she is known as "Double R" due to her first and last name starting with R).
The rest of the cast are fairly one dimensional in terms of personality and character, with traits such as "The clumsy one", "The younger sister who copies her older sister's last few words of a sentence" and "The robot girl with tan lines (How does a robot get tan lines?)". Though, as with many other things in this series, that's fine. Depth and intricacies are not two things Rio: Rainbow Gate aims to deal with in terms of plot or characters.

ENJOYMENT
Now this... THIS is the category where Rio: Rianbow Gate shines!
The anime is set at a casino resort, where having a good time is the top priority. And this anime has the same attitude.
It's not about telling an engaging story. It's not about memorable characters. It's not about a moving soundtrack, it's about fun and enjoyment.
In this sense, it actually feels a little like a trip to a resort/casino: You go there to have fun. You may not remember too many details. You may not have your life changed. But you'll more than likely have fun while you're there.
Personally speaking, this was a fun anime to simply unwind to. Put it on and just zone out, watch the pretty girls and the bright colours (which, by the way, are everywhere. It's always sunny in this anime. Unless it's night) and just enjoy being in a world where people have superpowers that change their odds at games of chance.

OVERALL
Overall this anime has a bit of a niche audience.
It's aimed at people who:
1). Like gambling or games of chance.
2). Like fan service.
and
3). Just want to have a good time and enjoy an easygoing anime.

It's certainly not the only anime to have done this. But what it does, it does well.
If you're looking for something serious, or something memorable, maybe look elsewhere.
Even if you're looking for something with plot progression, this may not be for you.
Honestly, if I had to compare it to something, I'd kinda describe it as a fanservice-heavy, colourful version of Yu-Gi-Oh.

Overall I give it a 7. It was good. It wasn't great. It wasn't bad. It was just fun :)

The fact that number 4 on the rating scale indicates decent while number 5 is mediocre is beyond me, but none the less, I'll give it a 4 anyway since that balances out the scores nicely.

now, let's look at the premise to begin with: it's based on a character that is found on a slot machine, with big breasts.
I haven't even begun to really review it yet and just reading the premise you already get an idea of the motivations behind making this into an anime.

But i know what your going to say, "no, mlmatlow0, you overly critical fool, just because the premise sounds ... terrible doesn't mean the anime is as well"

well sadly my optimistic friend, it is as bad as its premise might suggest. Although I have only watched the first 2 episodes, it is enough to come to a reasonable judgement about the show. So let's look at the facts.

story: 1

One thing Rio has that her predecessor on the slot machine didn't is a story, albeit a pretty damn lame one. I don't even have to tell you what the story is actually about, you can figure that much out just from hearing about two of the characters.

Rio is a sexy dealer at a casino with bug breasts and big reputation, her boss, the head of the casino, loves cosplay almost as much as he loves making money

already we can see that the show is mainly him having Rio cosplay in various outfits, mainly for his own enjoyment but sometimes for the promotional purposes of his casino. It's all well and good to say that that's all the show comprises of, but as one might expect from a show who's only redeeming quality is that it has an attractive main character, the climax is a showdown between her and the villain of the day....with added cosplay.
The final showdown plays out as if it where from an episode of Saki, the main difference being that in Saki's case it actually works whilst in RRG it doesn't, in fact it just makes the show seem even stupider than it already is.

So the story doesn't really have much going for it, and it all seems so ridiculous that you wonder how they got producers to back the show to begin with, and then you realise once Rio herself appears and the shots suddenly switch to a series of shots of the faces of the people around her with each one followed by a close up shot of Rio's breasts, that the main motivation behind making the anime was to exemplify Rio's sex appeal; of course what they didn't even consider whilst making this anime was that constant focus on sex appeal goes stale after a while and you have to make up for this with an at least tolerable story which will at least increase the chances of your anime getting at least a second season where you can actually try and make a good story, because that's the only way it will get a third season (this is why there isn't a 3rd season of Rosario + vampire). This show will be lucky to get a second season in my opinion.

art: 7

All that being said, the art isn't all that bad. however, in terms of more recent modern anime the art could have been better. in this case the art and animation is pretty normal and not very unique. so....I gave it a rather boring 7, since the the animation on Rio's breasts seems to have seen the render button a bit more than anything else in the show.

sound: 5

the sound is nothing special, exactly the sounds you'de expect at a casino and the music as well, it all sounds far too cheesy to be honest, and has the sound of something funded by a casino as well, for I'm sure the casino Rio's slot machine comes from has a stake in the shows profits.

character: 1

The main character's in the show are Rio's breasts, since they tend to have an unnatural amount of screen time, but joking aside, the characters are as hollow as an empty ink cartridge. They have no depth to their character, and their dialogue is poor, opting more for long winded explanations of trivialities such as why Rio is wearing a specific outfit, when they could have just said "the president is a pervert".

all in all the characters seem to not matter that much in the scope of who the producers of the show find to be more important. Rio's "assets".

enjoyment: 2

I gave it 2 for enjoyment mainly because there are people who will enjoy this show, as some people just like to switch off and watch a show no matter how crap the dialogue or how stupid the premise, I'm just not one of those people.

I find it hard to enjoy watching something where you can so clearly see the cheese that it's erupting out of the walls like that necromorph jam in dead space.

overall: 4

Overall, this shows smells like a money making scheme aimed at men's carnal desires, and the poetic irony is that it will probably work and make some people (probably people who read the daily sport - a newspaper in England which is as close to porn as a newspaper gets without raising eyebrows)stupidly rich.

Rio rainbow gate is about a dealer named Rio at howard resort the whole story is about Rio player casino games and winning cards. I don't understand this anime its story is kiddish like its characters but its ecchi. Who is this anime for anybody who likes ecchi is old but the story for kids its just crap. I don't hate this show just found it boring.

Okay, first of all, I admit it, I kinda enjoyed the 2-3first episodes, I thought the plot was kinda interesting, it's actually about collecting special cards that a random dude gave to the 13 best casino dealers in the world, the main character being one of them, to collect them, you can challenge other "gate keepers" to a "gate battle", so far so good. But the way it goes is just stupid, she keeps winning gate in the stupidest way possible in the stupidest battles. that anime is simply sexy girls in a child anime, that's it.

EDIT: I'll have to change my review after watching ... episode 7, the plot is turning out actually quite good, it's really a shame that the battle system is that stupid, it could've turned good after all.

also, the tentacle rape scene wasn't necessary.

for god sakes stop eith the ecchi fansevice crap girl and guy(homos) it actually a breathe of fresh air from anime with weak leads and depressing things tha you see in other anime really fanservice is not new you know it exist and when you saw the trailer for this anime you should have expected it i actually enjoy this series because its is not bad good ecchi thats what i call am a ecchi peson i nomally watch action and ecchi anyway because im not a fan of love or depressing anime so you like it or you dont but dont get mad of ... of panyshot and breast dam morons if you want to wacth a anime with good characters and a lot of fansevice give this a shot

First things first. My "reviews" system is explained on a blog entry. Which can be found through my profile.
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✦Story
Start was bright and intriguing, woman of luck being successful dealer in a mega casino. But as episodes went by, it became more far-fetched, chaotic in a bad way and thus from my point of view, it lost it's value and became quite boring. The subplot of main character and her search for someone and that conclusion was as well quite odd. Point being, story was with promising start and then it went downfall. Was potential game/casino Anime.

✦Art & Sound
Pretty, colorful and fun. Also character design of ... "western babes" and clothes. Point being, was good enough.
As for OST & Music, they were okay, but didn't really matter much. Meaning that they didn't leave lasting impression.

✦Character
Aside main girl and pseudo-daughter character, rest were random compost of side-kicks. Did enjoy most of the time characters, whilst some were really tiresome. So overall they were quite okay and somewhat interesting.
Did exist some character development as well, but nothing worthwhile.

✦Enjoyment & Overall
If it wouldn't gone downhill, might have actually gotten 7. Did enjoy, but from episode 6 or so I just started fast forwarding.

Rio's Rainbow Gate first anime to release in 2011 and IT SUCKS BALLS!!!!!

Positives +:
The Animation are the only thing thats good
Bearing yourself to stop watching this
The Actresses are good

Negatives -:
Episodes with no plots(some episodes do but people will send me hate comments if i did not)

... Overalls:This Anime was a blunt disaster the first episode had no plot and about a bear and was stared for a moment not the less not knowing more about the characters which they should've did but ended up with episodes that included plots thats not about the show and plots that do

UPDATED: well a 3/10 is what it'll be cause it feels like im being too harsh to this show but still the plots are kinda pointless so no point intending maybe
to be honest the art is good for the start of 2011 and well it has not been doing so well with the plot but at least having the girl who played as Azusa playing a Mint is a good idea and having some weird plots involving a space pinball game

Rio: Rainbow Gate, a series that's based on Tecmo's line of pachinko games.
Sigh! I honestly don't know where to begin with this one.

Frankly speaking, it's crap! It's art and animation looks fantastic, but it has literally nothing to recommend by despite it's lush visuals. It's all fanservice, gambling, cheap humor, characters so unbelievably bland and absolutely no plot. It's story basically revolves it's title character, Rio Rollins Tachibana who works a both a dealer and entertainer in the Howard Resort. She also brings good luck to all in the resort's casino just by being in the vicinity (Yeah, it's okay to laugh). I actually couldn't ... finish it. I managed to watch the first two episodes in one sitting before eventually watched episode 3, hoping it would improve. It didn't. I dropped it completely as I found it mind-numbingly boring.

Rio: Rainbow Gate is just a series that looks great but has nothing on offer. Take my advice and just don't bother with it. You'll only be wasting your time.