Anime sometimes really fs up. Evangelion? Could have been a pretty good adventure instead of this long slow suicide drama. Ugh. RahXephon was Evangelion done right.There are shows with outrageously fun characters, largely discarded around the start because they're machines. FLCL thankfully didn't ignore the sheer presence of the P! yellow vespa.
Few people, prior to witnessing the spectacle of FLCL realize that a Vespa is a formidable demolition derby powerhouse, capable of bulling small trucks into the air with its 49cc 2-stroke powerplant and 10 inch wheels. FLCL is madness, of course, but its got a good grunge sound track and the characters are fun so you don't mind. Its a lighthearted show. That's why its a popular mod in the real world.
Now consider shows which have vehicles just as awesome and proceed to ignore the heck out of them. In Eureka 7 AO, we get shown a flying Tuktuk. Its a tuktuk, and it flies about 5 feet in the air, or higher, thanks to a quirk of the show mechanics that allows for flying cars using magic rocks without any visible sort of engine. Forward propulsion, nonsensically, is still the 200cc 2-stroke scooter engine you find in all Tuktuks. Part of what makes them rock so hard. That and having 3 wheels so braking hard makes them flip over onto the driver. They're famous for that. They still rock because that aspect of being tricky to drive and dangerous means an underpowered vehicle like a tuktuk is a sign of manliness and derring-do. In its way Tuktuk drivers are like a Harley rider with a job, and probably a family rather than a drug addiction and criminal record.
Unfortunately, instead of focusing on how the flying tuktuk brings families closer together and enables the local health clinic to get supplies and bring the doctor to house calls, the planet explodes with alien nanites from outer space that grow glowing coral and everybody is a prick in Okinawa and they all deserve to die and why won't Renton just step back and let them? That was a really stupid show. A "what were you thinking?" kind of show. It wasn't funny. Just made you more and more angry, and further support for US control of Japan's military since the popularity of that show is continued proof that Genocidal maniacs are the dominant mindset of Japanese youth, same as during WW2 and the rape of Nanking. If we step away, they'll go back to raping and killing everyone. And this time the world would glass Japan.
Finally, I bring you Vividred Operation, which oddly enough has nothing to do with Vandread. Weird. Vividred is sort of a more lighthearted, lesbian seagull version, of Evangelion. Only without all the angst. And a flying scooter, completely unique in the show, used as a newspaper delivery bike.
This is apparently another world without pants. Like Strike Witches. Go figure. Apparently this is some crazy arc of the multiverse where the idea of women and pants just doesn't ever occur to them. Even skirts seem to be confusing. Only in Japan. Like Kiki's delivery service had a baby with strike witches and the war ended, only to get slightly different CGI aliens attacking their tower of magical flying scooters and broadcast electricity straight out of Tesla's wet dreams. A pity more of the show isn't focused on this scooter. It would be a better show if it was. The rest of it is pretty dumb. At least its light hearted.
If Rideback, which was about huge transforming segway-motorcycles with arms for no good reason and no shown ability to control, stayed a sports anime it would have been better. The violent terrorism subplot? It was crap. The first 4 eps of the series were pretty good. I keep running into that: shows which should be about sports and competition, friendly competition, turn into bloodbaths and murder. WTF Japan? And you call yourselves pacifists. Riiiight! Yeah, not gonna let you loose of that leash anytime soon.
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