eX-Driver Episode 1
"AI vs Recipro"
Cute high school girls driving fast cars. Can't go wrong with that setup, right?
Kosuke Fujishima's art style is immediately obvious in the character designs for eX-Driver (really unique looks, pretty girls, all that goodness). The art direction is really good, and goes well with the souped up cars and futuristic style of the show. Lorna and Lisa go through a lot of the classic Fujishima character expressions, so fans should feel right at home.
From reading some of Fujishima's manga and watching YUA and AMG, it's really obvious that he is a huge car nut. Detailed drawings between chapters in AMG, the upgrade-happy drivers of YUA, and finally this, a show set in a future where people no longer drive their own cars, leaving it up to AI and a large, connected traffic system. The eX-Drivers are sent in to handle situations in which cars malfunction or drive hazardously. There's some pretty neat car tricks in the two car chases in this episode, and all in all, it's a pretty fun show.
Light on substance, but good animation and fast pacing makes it an easy watch.
Rating: B
eX-Driver Episode 2
"On and On"
By the time the eyecatch came up, I could have sworn I had already watched a full episode.
Another episode with a runaway car that requires the intervention of the eX-Drivers to save the day. The car chase stuff is fairly entertaining, but it's barely enough to make up for the extreme nothing (which is passed off as "character development") that happens in the first segment of the show.
Lisa's character seems to be built around whining, which is always a winning character trait.
Though, this is only episode two, which is acceptable lead-in suck time for all anime series.
Rating: D+