Rideback - Episode 8

Well, it didn't take much to get Rin out of her funk did it? After seemingly losing the will to do anything much last episode, even after being rescued from the clutches of GGP, all it took was a quick spin on a Rideback to get our favourite messy-haired girl smiling again.

Before all that of course, Rin gets to meet the mysterious fellow who helped save her when she broke through GGP's barricades during that now infamous "Rideback girl" incident - His name is Kiefer, and (of course) he's fighting for the terrorist group currently setting themselves against GGP. Of course, he's not just any old terrorist, and this episode reveals both his origins as well as Tenshirou's, which in itself links them both to the current man at the top of GGP, Romanov.


Rin also gets a short but informative lesson about how and why she "synchronises" so well with Fuego - In brief, it's all down to a system designed by a certain (you guessed it) Tenshirou Okakura. This is all explained to Rin by Kiefer, setting a cue for lots of slow motion scenes and dancing around with Ridebacks between the two of them for no particular reason other than "because they can".

The episode ends with an all-out assault by GGP on the mansion being used by the terrorists, and where Rin currently resides, although it seems that she's too busy grinning like a madwoman to even be phased by said assault, which all seems a little unlikely.

Overall, this was a reasonably well realised episode, but the series really needs to get back to some serious Rideback action - The brief moments of proper (i.e. not pointless, slow motion) action along these lines were suitably enjoyable to watch, but when we're being regaled with back story or otherwise not seeing Rideback's being put to good use either jumping around or shooting people you can't help but pine for it. Surely episode nine is set up for hardcore Rideback action aplenty?