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eX-Driver
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Animation - 8.5 |
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Sound - 7.9 |
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Story - 5.8 |
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Character - 6.6 |
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Value - 6.4 |
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Enjoyment - 6.6 |
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Average - 7.0 |
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| Average |
4.2 |
| Animation |
7 |
| Sound |
7 |
| Story |
3 |
| Character |
3 |
| Value |
2 |
| Enjoyment |
3 |
| Also mit der Behauptung das Ex Driver eine gute Empfehlung für Inital D-Fans ist, stimme ich nach dem ich mich durch diese 6 Episoden stellenweise hart quälen musste absolut nicht überein. Initial D hat mich damals regelrecht „geflasht“ (um es mal umgangssprachlich auszudrücken) und konnte mit spannenden, adrenalingeladenen Races überzeugen. Ex Driver ist da im Vergleich eher ein lahmer Plattfuß, denn die Car-Action ist einfach nur unspektakulär und es fehlt irgendwie der Pfeffer der den gewissen Kick gibt. Das einzige „Rennen“ wo immerhin ein Fünkchen Brisanz im Spiel ist, kommt gegen Ende von Ep 6 ziemlich spät und sonderlich vom Hocker hat es mich auch nicht gerissen. Bis man dort allerdings angelangt ist muss man 5 relativ langweilige und monotone Episoden über sich ergehen lassen die sich alle schematisch ähneln und nur wenig einfallsreich sind. Die Storybasis ist zwar innovativ aber irgendwie schwachsinnig: Das benzinbetriebene Autos die einzige Möglichkeit sein sollen, Autos mit künstlicher Intelligenz, die außer Kontrolle geraten sind, aufzuhalten ist mir eine Spur zu weit hergeholt, besonders wenn man den technischen Fortschritt bedenkt und dass aufgrund dessen den Menschen in der Welt von Ex Driver nichts besseres eingefallen ist als DAS…! Na ja, wie auch immer, mit einer solchen Basis kann man schon erahnen wie alles abläuft: In jeder Episode fährt über kurz oder lang irgendein Auto Amok und die Ex Driver-Crew startet die Verfolgungsjagd bis der „Ausreißer“ schlussendlich zum Stillstand gebracht worden ist. Alle sind happy, alle sind froh, alle lachen und Ende der Episode, Jucheissa!!! Mindestens genauso wenig Substanz wird man bei Ex Driver in der Charaktersparte finden. Die im Mittelpunkt stehenden Figuren sind nicht nur extrem platt sondern auch so stereotyp wie es auch nur gerade geht: Lorna ist das ruhige, ausgeglichene, leicht schüchterne Mädchen mit dem richtigen Überblick in gewissen Situationen, Lisa der mehr maskuline Wildfang der ständig rumplärrt und eine Eifersuchtsattacke nach der nächsten hat und Souichi verkörpert den typischen kleinen, frechen Bengel der aus heiterem Himmel neu zur Truppe hinzu stößt und natürlich auch gleich ein Wunderknabe ist der so professionell Auto fährt als hätte er in seinem ganzen Leben nie etwas anderes gemacht. Das die Interaktion dieser Charaktere dem standardmäßigsten Standard entspricht, brauch man wohl kaum noch zu erwähnen. So streiten sich Lisa und Souichi immer wieder, aber sie lernen sich dann immer besser kennen bis sie sich insgeheim mögen, es aber nieeeeee zugeben würden und Lorna ist halt hin und her gerissen, bla bla bla… Man bekommt keine Hintergrundinfos zu den Dreien und es gibt kaum Entwicklung (und wenn dann ist sie nicht überraschend und natürlich komplett typisch, siehe das was ich zu Lisa und Souichi geschrieben habe). Die Nebenfiguren verdienen eigentlich keine Erwähnung denn diese sind nichts anderes als hohle Statisten. Tja, schlussendlich konnte ich diesem Anime nicht viel Positives abgewinnen. Die folgenden zwei Sätze dürften wohl alles sagen: Wer Initial D noch nicht gesehen hat und unbedingt einen Anime anschauen will bei dem es um Autos und Races geht, der guckt Initial D. Wer Initial D bereits kennt…der guckt einfach NOCHMAL Initial D und tut so als gäbe es Ex Driver gar nicht! :)
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| Average |
7.2 |
| Animation |
10 |
| Sound |
8 |
| Story |
7 |
| Character |
5 |
| Value |
6 |
| Enjoyment |
7 |
| The plot of this anime is simple exactly as the synopsis of the show says. So simple infact that one might consider it boring but what is good about it is that it is very realistic. For example the movement of the cars when turning drifting and etc is exactly the way a real car moves. Also the personality of the characters are very similar to an average person. These are the things that is very rarely seen in anime where everything is dramatized.
The animation of the series is amazing. Most anime usually would use 3d imaging to show proportion as the cars move but the creator was able to show it without using 3d graphics. This shows how good the animator is because in my opinion very few animators have such talent
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| Average |
7.3 |
| Animation |
8 |
| Sound |
8 |
| Story |
6 |
| Character |
7 |
| Value |
7 |
| Enjoyment |
8 |
| After ploughing through a pile of really BAD reviews, I was ready to be convinced that this show would be another one of those trash titles drifting in the market. From what I can recall from the said reviews, this is a rehash of the "magical girl vs. monster of the day(here,car of the day)" cliche, with carbon copies of Natsumi and Miyuki (YUA) as its heroines, plus an "annoying little brat", and the show is nothing more than a mindless car chase. But for some reason, I can't seem to hate the purported weaknesses of the show as much as the said reviewers loathed it, or cast an indifferent/condescending eye upon.
Far from being put off, I actually found this show interesting and watchable. No, not because it was made by my favorite manga-ka Kousuke Fujishima. Nor was it because it starred a little boy teamed up with sexy babes, as my pervy, shota-intoxicated friend here keeps on insinuating. It's only because of two things: SIMPLICITY and BELIEVABILITY. Departing from the usual demand of weird, intricate plots demanded by the so-called otaku, and mechanics that involve anything BUT real-life physics, the show does NOT pretend to be what it's not and focuses on its main entrende: heroes in "vintage" gas cars going against AI cars gone haywire using two things: their driving skills and their paintball guns--to cut off their GPRS sensors and stop. Sure it's unwieldy and boring, but the results won't be as safety conscious if something explosive was used right? RIGHT? But seriously, to me, that's just INGENUIY.
And the characters? Sure, they're stereotypes: agressive, loudmouthed Lisa; gentle, soft-spoken Lorna; and the annoying little brat Souichi, at least to disgruntled fanboys who can't stand to see a little boy share the scene with these babes. But what the author lacks in character development, he makes up in character INTERACTION. Once the story starts moving, the stereotypes act almost like real people, given the situations they're thrust into. And you really can't blame the kid for acting bratty to Lisa; she deserved it, being so difficult =P. Although I do think Souichi suffers from the Takao Kinomiya syndrome: It's alive. The beyblade is alive. Your car is crying. Your beyblade is crying. Gets? . And I initially thought that his English dub voice was a mismatch, but there's just something in that voice of Joshua Seth that just.....grows on me. Ditto for Lorna and Lisa, and the rest of the cast.I am yet to judge the original Japanse dialogue though(stupid Animax).
I do have a complaint though. Is it just me or episode four is SERIOUSLY bordering on shota-con? That free agent gal is purposely trying to seduce Souichi!! And Eeeryone is reacting just like he was a hentai guy twice his age! I'd laugh at this piece of sex comedy if only the poor sap is a bit older. I'd like to grab a megaphone and shout to Fujishima sensei, "Hey, that's a KID for crying out loud! If you want it to turn shota con, raise the age restriction!!"
Overall, the show was not the disaster that it was reported to be, although it is strongly advised to take the show as it is and NOT have high expectations: one big mistake that these reviewers might have made. In other words, don't expect a high horse; just sit back, relax and enjoy the ride.
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Poom |
(2004-12-16 05:49:43) 2004-12-16 05:48:32 |
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| Average |
8.2 |
| Animation |
8 |
| Sound |
9 |
| Story |
8 |
| Character |
8 |
| Value |
7 |
| Enjoyment |
9 |
| This is the stuff. If you don't cares about serious plot, or character development and just want to enjoy the ride?!!! then this is for ya!!! ex-driver doesn't really focus on anything. Pretty much an overall racing cars with a cutes girls in it. But that what good about them. You don't have to be all the expert mechinic or car lover, you just enjoy the animation and cool sound effect take you away. I know I know... girl can't drive, shit and all.. but hey! this is anime not a real life you know. One of the best oav in the market and believe me it hard to find any fun in short ep. Thouse of you who said no story or no plot... have to think about it that there's NO WAY you can fit all the serious plot or background story in 6 X 25min ep. It's just imopossible, so when you rate about oav, you have to think as a oav like you do when you rate animation by year(era), etc.. Anyway, worth my time and effort to write a review :D Hope you like the series as much as I do.
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Ridian |
(2005-05-17 01:30:12) 2004-09-27 21:15:16 |
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| Average |
5.2 |
| Animation |
9 |
| Sound |
7 |
| Story |
3 |
| Character |
3 |
| Value |
4 |
| Enjoyment |
5 |
| I have no idea why I downloaded and watched eX-Driver. I have absolutely no interest in or knowledge of cars, and the only other car anime I'd tried to tackle (Initial D) was rather flavorless to me. Perhaps it was because this OVA series is relatively short, at only 6 episodes, and since I haven't had a lot of time lately that sort of brevity is much appreciated. Unfortunately, eX-Driver represented little more to me than some brainless, serviceable action. Not to say that anime in this genre is always bad, but a solid action feature needs to focus more on its execution in order to be passable. Unfortunately, eX-Driver's primary intention seemed to be aesthetic, and all the other parts of it are diminished as a result.
It's been a while since I've indulged in an anime in the vein of eX-Driver, with its issue-of-the-episode conflicts and resolutions. It's incredibly episodic, with basically each of the six stories consisting of the same content. A car's on the loose! Better go stop it! Uh oh, [insert complication here]! Let's [insert solution here]! Yay, car stopped! The only exceptions to this rule are the final two episodes, a two parter with one of the most ridiculous conclusions of all time (one that will be touched on more in the Character section). The overall premise is stupid as well: computer controlled cars running away and having elitist gasoline drivers chase after them to stop them? For one, the whole concept that the cars automatically pull themselves over when there's a runaway is something that would really bother me...I mean, how can these people get to where they're going without getting pulled over every half an hour? Worse yet, it confuses me that no security measures have been implemented to keep these AI cars from going apeshit like they so often do. The problem seems to be a grave enough one to warrant a little more attention than is bid to it. I guess the car developers are just trying to keep the eX-Drivers in business. Overall, a lame concept combined with shoddily-planned episodes make for a rather cheesy excursion into Generic Anime Land. You can see plotlines similar to this in just about every action anime ever.
On the topic of generic, our heroines Lorna and Lisa may as well represent every female action duo ever. One of them is brash, outspoken and agitating (Lisa), while the other is quiet, collected and agitating to any jaded anime viewer (Lorna). Another issue that arises in eX-Driver's characterization is that Lisa is constantly jealous or irritated about something, and the episode completely changes flow in order to follow whatever irritable emotion she happens to be feeling. Her character ends up really annoying because of this. Furthermore, Lorna is too understated and rarely contributes anything to the episodes, leaving Lisa or Souichi to carry a majority of the episodes. The latter of those two characters is a painfully generic 'precocious young kid who puts the veterans in their place', yet another unlikeable character. Worse yet, he is also the only character who has any sort of significance in the final episode, and since the viewer is even less likely to care about him than the initial two characters, it only renders the denoument pointless. Supporting characters lack any sort of input in the plot, and are just as colorless and generic as the three main ones. The cast to eX-Driver is astonishingly weak, mostly because we've seen it all before, but also because of their unengaging and overly routine chemistry.
eX-Driver is shallow and brainless, but somewhat fun nonetheless. Though a car fanatic will probably hold it in higher regard than a casual viewer like myself, it is hardly the most incredible or award-winning of animes. A decent time is to be had here, but nothing really special, and at some times rather annoying.
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| Average |
6.5 |
| Animation |
8 |
| Sound |
6 |
| Story |
5 |
| Character |
8 |
| Value |
6 |
| Enjoyment |
6 |
| Despite an idea that could be done generally well, there really isn't anything "great" about eX-Driver. It looks pretty and, well, that's about it.
Mind you, making things look pretty has been Kosuke Fujishima's stock in trade. The problem is, with eX-Driver, we have a series that, quite simply, doesn't click together the way his other efforts have done.... It looks like a forced combination from the start, with the main characters being pale imitations of, well, basically every other female duo one can think of, including Fujishima's own Natsumi and Miyuki from YUA.
The lack of character interest leads one to look at the other aspects of eX-Driver for something, and there isn't much there as well. Except in the look of the show, and that is something altogether different.... Plotwise and humourwise eX-D also looks forced, like a series-by-numbers effort.
A shame, really, since it has been a little while since Fujishima has come up with something genuinely interesting.
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| Average |
6.2 |
| Animation |
9 |
| Sound |
9 |
| Story |
3 |
| Character |
7 |
| Value |
7 |
| Enjoyment |
2 |
| This anime could have been so much better. The story is kind of lacking. So they are just stopping and/or racing cars all the time? Give me a real story. I found it boring because there just isn't enough suspense to keep me interested. The art and animation is tops, though. Watch if you're just like cars or whatever, but don't expect anything deep or intelligent. This is just your typical, somewhat mediocre anime.
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| Average |
8.3 |
| Animation |
9 |
| Sound |
9 |
| Story |
7 |
| Character |
9 |
| Value |
8 |
| Enjoyment |
8 |
| Ex Driver is one of the most under-rated series out right now. Hot cars, hotter girls, what more could you ask for? Well, you'd be surprised.
+: The art is great. Then again, this is Fujishima-sensei doing the art. He really makes the cutest girls ever! (Well, him and Akamatsu-sensei.)
Music fits in the environment. Nice group of seiyuu. Don't know about the dub, though I heard it was okay.
I had fun watching this series. I'm not the biggest car fan out there, but yeah. I had fun with the series.
-: There's not much on the story. People who still can drive do earn an eX license. Story does pick up in the middle of the series though.
Uh, this series actually didn't get enough attention in Japan. That's a darn shame because I actually wanted to see this series after looking at an issue of Animerica. Well, I got what I want.
Overall: Really under-rated. I just want to watch the movie! The movie came out last April. So, go out and give the series a shot.
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| Average |
7.3 |
| Animation |
8 |
| Sound |
7 |
| Story |
7 |
| Character |
7 |
| Value |
7 |
| Enjoyment |
8 |
| Ex Drivers was ok. The story about people having AIs drive for them and them sometimes going out of controll and having extreme drivers save them isnt too good in my opinion. The action for this show is ok and it does have some good comedy so its not bad to watch but its not great.
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| Average |
9.3 |
| Animation |
9 |
| Sound |
9 |
| Story |
9 |
| Character |
9 |
| Value |
10 |
| Enjoyment |
10 |
| Cool driving anime that's right up there with initial-d
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