RD Sennou Chosashitsu (First Impressions)
About:
RD Senno Chosashitsu is an Anime TV series, created by Production I.G and Masamune Shirow. Real Drive is produced in collaboration with Japan’s largest commercial broadcaster Nippon Television Network Corporation (NTV), and premiered in Japan on NTV on the 8th of April 2008.
Story:
2061 AD. Fifty years have passed since mankind developed the Network society. It was anticipated that this new infrastructure would realize a utopia where people connected with each other at the level of consciousness. However, new social problems such as personal data leaks and proliferation of manipulated information began to surface. Nevertheless, people still relied on the Network to exchange information, and proved unable to opt to abandon it. In due course, a new Network realm with more effective security measures was developed. This was called Meta Real Network, usually abbreviated as “the Metal.”
The Metal accommodated personal memory data within protected virtual stand-alone organic cyber enclaves called bubble shells and eventually pervaded the everyday lives of people. However, people gradually learned to release and explore their instincts within the secure environment of the Metal.
The unleashed instincts pushed each individual’s consciousness to drown in the sea of information and to be exposed to the pressures of desire. Meanwhile, norms and regulations continued to bind their real world lives. Thus, strange friction between the two worlds began to manifest themselves as aberrations beyond the bounds of the imaginable. Experts who challenged the deep sea of the Metal to investigate and decipher such aberrations were called cyber divers.
First Impressions:
Someone mentioned this show to me some time back, when we had a discussion about the lack luster Anime shows of 2008 and I decided to give this a try. And since its the new collaboration between Studio I.G and Masamune Shirow the same people who brought us the top notch Ghost In the Shell: Standalone Complex how could I resist. As you can see from the screenshots I have taken the animation level of the show is in the same class of that used in every other Production I.G Anime, the screenshots just don’t do it any justice.
The story seems to take place in the same universe as the Ghost in The Shell: Standalone Complex series. With androids and humans with cyber brains living next to each other, they are all interconnected by the Meta Real Network, usually abbreviated as “the Metal”. It is still a bit early to tell in what direction the story is going to go, since only 2 episodes has been released so far. But if the first episode is anything to go by then we are in for one hell of a good show. I will definitely keep my eye on this show.
Trailer:
Here is the promotional 2 minute trailer that was posted on youtube and the link to the official RD Sennou Chosashitsu website:
