Rideback (manga)

Rideback
	First tankōbon volume cover, featuring Rin Ogata and her Rideback, Fuego
Genre	Action; Mecha; Political drama;
Manga
Written by	Tetsurō Kasahara [ja]
Published by	Shogakukan
Imprint	Ikki Comix
Magazine	Monthly Ikki
Demographic	Seinen
Original run	April 25, 2003 – October 25, 2008
Volumes	10
Anime television series
Directed by	Atsushi Takahashi
Produced by	Fuminori Hara; Kazuo Onuki; Yasuyuki Ueda;
Written by	Hideo Takayashiki; Ken Iizuka;
Music by	Takafumi Wada
Studio	Madhouse
Licensed by	Crunchyroll
Original network	Chiba TV, TV Saitama, tvk, KBS, Sun TV, Tokyo MX, AT-X
English network	US: Funimation Channel;
Original run	January 12, 2009 – March 30, 2009
Episodes	12
Novel
Rideback: Cannonball Run
Written by	Boncho Kuga
Illustrated by	Tetsurō Kasahara
Published by	Shogakukan
Imprint	Gagaga Bunko
Demographic	Male
Published	January 21, 2009

Rideback (stylized as RɪᴅᴇBᴀᴄᴋ) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Tetsurō Kasahara [ja]. It was serialized in Shogakukan's seinen manga magazine Monthly Ikki from April 2003 to October 2008, with its chapters collected in ten tankōbon volumes. Set in Japan in the 2020s, it follows the story of college student Rin Ogata, as she comes across a two-wheeled automobile robot known as a Rideback. It was adapted into a 12-episode anime television series by Madhouse broadcast from January to March 2009. In North America, Funimation licensed the anime series for English release.

Plot

In the year of 2020 (2025 in the anime), an organization called the Global Government Force (世界統治軍, Seikai Toushigun, lit. "World Government Army") (GGF)^[a] has taken control of the world. Rin Ogata was a promising up-and-coming ballet dancer but suffered a serious injury while dancing and decided to quit. Years later in college, she comes across a club building and soon finds herself intrigued by a transforming motorcycle-like robotic vehicle called a "Rideback". She soon finds that her unique ballet skills with balance and finesse make her a born natural on a Rideback. However, those same skills also get her into serious trouble with the government.

Characters

Musashino University Rideback Club

Rin Ogata (尾形琳, Ogata Rin): Voiced by: Nana Mizuki (Japanese); Tia Ballard (English); A college student. Being the daughter of a talented dancer, she was therefore expected to be their natural successor, having participated in dancing competitions from a young age. However, she fractured her left foot while dancing and subsequently decided to leave it, later enrolling in the theater department of Musashino University, where she first comes across the Rideback Fuego.
Tamayo Kataoka (片岡珠代, Kataoka Tamayo): Voiced by: Romi Park (Japanese); Stephanie Young (English); Third year student in the French literature department and a senior to both to Rin and Haruki. The Rideback champion of Japan.
Tenshirō Okakura (岡倉天司郎, Okakura Tenshirō): Voiced by: Rikiya Koyama (Japanese); Bryan Massey (English); Head of the Rideback team. Possessing a strict character and a large nose.
Haruki Hishida (菱田春樹, Hishida Haruki): Voiced by: Yūji Ueda (Japanese); Micah Solusod (English); Second year student in the English department and Rin's senior. An enthusiast of Ridebacks.
Shōko Uemura (上村しょう子, Uemura Shōko): Voiced by: Megumi Toyoguchi (Japanese); Kristi Kang (English); Childhood friend of Rin's.
Suzuri Uchida (内田すずり, Uchida Suzuri): Voiced by: Megumi Matsumoto (Japanese); Trina Nishimura (English); First year student in the sociology department. Being a huge fan of Rin, she is extremely enthusiastic.

GGP (GGF in manga)

Romanov Kallenbach (ロマノフ・カレンバーク, Romanofu Karenbāku): Voiced by: Shin-ichiro Miki (Japanese); Jason Douglas (English); The corrupt commander of the GGP. He runs the government with a dictatorship approach. He is shot and killed by Misawo. He is an anime original character.
Misawo Yokoyama (横山みさを, Yokoyama Misawo): Voiced by: Risa Hayamizu (Japanese); Jennifer Seman (English); Lecturer at Musashino University's department of literature and adviser to the Rideback team. In reality, however, she is a member of the GGP.

BMA

Note: BMA is an acronym for Borderless Military Alliance (国境なき軍事同盟, Kokkyō Naki Gunji Dōmei).

Kiefer (キーファ, Kiifa): Voiced by: Toshiyuki Morikawa (Japanese); Robert McCollum (English); A soldier of BMA, who rides a black Rideback. In his early years, he served in the same GGP unit as Okakura and Kallenbach before later defecting to the BMA.
Kenji Ogata (尾形堅司, Ogata Kenji): Voiced by: Kazuma Horie (Japanese); Jessie James Grelle (English); Rin's younger brother.

Other characters

Yuki Ogata (尾形遊紀, Ogata Yuki): Voiced by: Mie Sonozaki (Japanese); Leah Clark (English); Rin's mother. A talented ballet dancer who died six years before the series' story.
Megumi Yoda (依田恵, Yoda Megumi): Voiced by: Sanae Kobayashi (Japanese); Cynthia Cranz (English); A freelance journalist.
Ryunosuke Kataoka (片岡龍之介, Kataoka Ryūnosuke): Voiced by: Hidenobu Kiuchi (Japanese); J. Michael Tatum (English); An executive of the Metropolitan Police Department and Tamayo's older brother.

Media

Manga

Rideback, written and illustrated by Tetsurō Kasahara [ja], was serialized in Shogakukan's seinen manga magazine Monthly Ikki from April 25, 2003,^[3] to October 25, 2008.^[4]^[5] Shogakukan collected its chapters in ten tankōbon volumes, published from May 28, 2004,^[6] to February 25, 2009.^[7]

Volumes

No.	Japanese release date	Japanese ISBN
1	May 28, 2004^[6]	978-4-09-188471-8
2	July 30, 2004^[8]	978-4-09-188472-5
3	January 28, 2005^[9]	978-4-09-188473-2
4	May 30, 2005^[10]	978-4-09-188474-9
5	December 26, 2005^[11]	978-4-09-188307-0
6	June 30, 2006^[12]	978-4-09-188325-4
7	December 26, 2006^[13]	978-4-09-188350-6
8	June 29, 2007^[14]	978-4-09-188367-4
9	December 26, 2008^[15]	978-4-09-188430-5
10	February 25, 2009^[7]	978-4-09-188455-8

Anime

An anime adaptation was announced in April 2007.^[16] The 12-episode series was animated by Madhouse and directed by Atsushi Takahashi.^[17]^[18] It was broadcast on Chiba TV, TV Saitama, tvk, KBS Kyoto, Sun TV, Tokyo MX and AT-X from January 12 to March 30, 2009.^[19]^[20]^[b] The opening theme is "Rideback", performed by Mell, and the ending theme is "Kioku" (記憶, lit. "Memory") by Younha featuring Goku.^[18]^[21]

In North America, Funimation announced the license to the series at Anime Central in May 2010.^[22] Funimation released the series on Blu-ray and DVD on June 28, 2011.^[23] The series made its American television debut on July 26, 2011, on Funimation Channel.^[24]

Episodes

No.	Title	Original air date ^[20]
01	"The Crimson Iron Horse" Transliteration: "Shinku no Tetsuba" (Japanese: 深紅の鉄馬)	January 12, 2009 (2009-01-12)
Rin hops on a Rideback, loses control, and ends up jumping off a ledge with the Rideback.
02	"Tamayo the Maestro!? Spread Legs Form" Transliteration: "Tamayo Jōtō !? S.L.F ~ Supureddo Reggusu Fōmu" (Japanese: 珠代上等!?S.L.F〜スプレッド·レッグス·フォーム)	January 19, 2009 (2009-01-19)
Rin agrees to race Tamayo Kataoka, the club leader and national Rideback champion. She impresses Tamayo who decides to train her as a Rideback driver.
03	"And Then the Flag Swings" Transliteration: "Soshite Furaggu wa Furareru" (Japanese: そして旗(フラッグ) はふられる)	January 26, 2009 (2009-01-26)
Rin and Tamayo enter the All-Japan championship race. Rin has some trouble with her Rideback: Balon. She eventually makes a comeback from last place to fourth but is forced to retire on the last lap. Tamayo wins the race.
04	"Shōko, In the Nick of Time" Transliteration: "Shōko, Kiki Ippatsu" (Japanese: しょう子、危機一髪)	February 2, 2009 (2009-02-02)
Shouko goes shopping. There is a terrorist attack at the new GGP commander's inauguration ceremony and Shouko is taken hostage. Rin goes to Shouko's rescue on Fuego, evading both the terrorists and the army. She is eventually cornered by the army but saved by a mysterious man on a Rideback.
05	"Mystery Rideback girl" Transliteration: "Nazo no Raidobakku Shōjo" (Japanese: 謎のライドバック少女)	February 9, 2009 (2009-02-09)
Shouko does not come to the club, but then a journalist arrives to investigate Tamayo. Okakura go dismantle Fuego, Rin's little brother Kenji is dragged into a shady plan, the GGP wants to force the deployment of the White Ridebacks and knows Rin is Rideback Shoujo.
06	"Ride lightning" Transliteration: "Denkō Sekka Raido" (Japanese: 電光石火ライド)	February 16, 2009 (2009-02-16)
Biker gang incident set up by the GGP to test in real conditions the not yet approved White Ridebacks. The incident involves Kenji: by chance Rin and the journalist are near-by: she takes pictures while Rin tries to save her brother's life.
07	"Crime and Punishment" Transliteration: "Tsumi to Batsu" (Japanese: 罪と×)	February 23, 2009 (2009-02-23)
Kenji and Rin are in jail: he admitted to crimes he did not commit to protect Rin. While being transferred to a GGP facility, Rin gets kidnapped by the BMA. Okakura goes to meet the BMA leader Kiefer. He's being followed by the GGP.
08	"Chosen" Transliteration: "Get Ride! Erabareshi Mono" (Japanese: GET RIDE! 選ばれし者)	March 2, 2009 (2009-03-02)
The journalist investigates the legendary Arizona Battle. Kiefer and Rin have a long talk about life and riding. Finally the GGP starts the assault on the BMA's location, but the terrorists have already laid traps. Okakura escapes with Rin. After neutralising the attackers, Kiefer threatens to kill Romanov on the radio.
09	"In the Sunny Garden" Transliteration: "Hidamari no Niwa de" (Japanese: 陽だまりの庭で)	March 9, 2009 (2009-03-09)
GGP declares an emergency state causing resistance from civilians. Okakura brings Rin to the Takaoka's house and asks Tamayo to take care of her. He then goes to find Kiefer. The journalist goes to Arizona to investigate former comrades of Romanov. Tamayo calls her dad. Romanov unloads a new rideback weapon.
10	"Master of the war" (Japanese: Master of the war)	March 16, 2009 (2009-03-16)
Rin and Tamayo flee the Takaoka house using her father's influence. Kiefer and Okakura plans an assault on GGP. The treacherous second in command of Romanov wants to make a deal with Takaoka Ryuunosuke. Tamayo's father is arrested. Tamayo and Rin head toward the city while an anti-GGP protest begins. While on the train, they see Suzuri who is mistaken for the mysterious female Rideback and is pursued by the GGP white rides. Suzuri is killed as she attempts to escape. A devastated Rin claims that both her and Okakura's obsession with Ridebacks killed Suzuri.
11	"Sometimes it's Cloudy after the Rain" Transliteration: "Kumori Nochi Ame Tokidoki..." (Japanese: 曇りのち雨ときどき...)	March 23, 2009 (2009-03-23)
Rin reflects on her past. Rin refuses Kiefer's assault on GGP. Shoko attempts to buy flowers for Suzuri, but all the stores are closed. As BMA beings their attack, Rin and Tamayo prepare to escape with a helicopter, Rin has a flashback and decides that she cannot leave. The BMA base is overrun by new autonomous Rideback models Grimoire, but Rin and Tamayo manage to escape on their Ridebacks.
12	"To the Lighted Stage" Transliteration: "Hikari no Butai e" (Japanese: 光の舞台へ)	March 30, 2009 (2009-03-30)
Tamayo's fuel tank is shot. Rin baits the Rideback models to chase her. The BMA and the GGP engage in combat. In the midst of the firefight, GGP is ordered to stand down. Kiefer and Romanof have a face off, however, Romanof is shot by Misawo. Meanwhile, Rin leads the Ridebacks to the location where Suzuri died and fights them. She "dances"/rides with Feugo. The news cameras are rolling catching every jump and everyone can see her, from her best friend to her little brother in jail. As Rin finishes, snowflakes to fall. Soon after, the GGP steps down from total government control and Tomayo's father is put in charge. A new school year has begun, the Rideback club is up and running again. The final scene is similar to the beginning, with cherry blossoms falling. Rin ends the episode by saying "I'm back."

Novel

A novel, titled Rideback: Cannonball Run (RIDEBACK―キャノンボール・ラン―, Raidobakku Kyanon Bōru Ran) was released by Shogakukan, under its Gagaga Bunko, on January 21, 2009.^[25]

Notes

^ Global Government Plan (世界統治構想, Seikai Toushi Kousou, lit. "World Government Plan") in the anime.
^ Chiba TV listed the air dates for the series on Sunday at 24:00, which is effectively Monday at 0:00 a.m. JST.^[19]

References

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^ 月刊 IKKI 2003年 6月号 (in Japanese). Shogakukan. Archived from the original on October 27, 2003. Retrieved September 17, 2020.
^ Kasahara, Tetsurō (October 25, 2008). 炎舞 [Flame Dance]. Monthly Ikki. Rideback (in Japanese). No. December 2008. Shogakukan. ASIN B001I9XUD6.
^ Kasahara, Tetsurō (October 26, 2008). もえつきしんどろーむ. kasaharatetsuro.hatenadiary.org (in Japanese). Archived from the original on July 11, 2022. Retrieved July 11, 2022.
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^ RIDEBACK-ライドバック- / 7 (in Japanese). Shogakukan. Archived from the original on July 25, 2017. Retrieved October 28, 2020.
^ RIDEBACK-ライドバック- / 8 (in Japanese). Shogakukan. Archived from the original on July 25, 2017. Retrieved October 28, 2020.
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^ Loo, Egan (April 29, 2007). "Ride Back Motorcycle Robot Manga to Be Animated for TV". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on May 2, 2021. Retrieved January 13, 2009.
^ Loo, Egan (December 10, 2008). "Rideback Anime's TV Ad Officially Posted Online". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on January 25, 2021. Retrieved January 13, 2009.
^ ^a ^b Loo, Egan (December 18, 2008). "Rideback Motorcycle Robot Anime's 2nd TV Ad Streamed". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on January 25, 2021. Retrieved January 13, 2009.
^ ^a ^b TVアニメ『ライドバック』がチバテレビほかU局系にて、2009年1月放送開始!. Mynavi News (in Japanese). Mynavi Corporation. December 3, 2008. Archived from the original on September 17, 2020. Retrieved September 17, 2020.
^ ^a ^b "RIDEBACK". Media Arts Database (in Japanese). Agency for Cultural Affairs. Archived from the original on April 16, 2022. Retrieved April 16, 2022.
^ 2009年冬期(新春)放送開始の新作アニメ一覧. Gigazine (in Japanese). December 5, 2008. Archived from the original on December 9, 2023. Retrieved September 17, 2020. OP：MELL「RIDEBACK」 ED：ユンナ featuring GOKU「記憶」
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^ Manry, Gia (September 17, 2020). "North American Anime, Manga Releases: June 26-July 2". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on September 24, 2020. Retrieved September 17, 2020.
^ Funimation Channel (July 6, 2011). "FUNimation Channel – Weekend Roudup (7/1 – 7/3) The Uber Late Edition". Funimation. Archived from the original on March 29, 2012. Retrieved November 26, 2011.
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