RErideD: Kokukoe no Derrida has a number of long-established anime figures associated with it, including writer Konuta Kenji, director Satou Takuya (who apparently turned down Steins;Gate 0 to work on it) and character designer Abe Yoshitoshi. Abe especially is a figure of some renown, though as much as a writer as a designer (there’s no indication he’s involved in RErideD in such a capacity), and hasn’t been directly attached to an anime in some 15 years. The studio behind it, however, is a brand new one to anime – Geek Toys, which previous worked on a few commercials and live-action projects.
None of that matters in the end as much as what’s on the screen, but one episode in, it’s hard to say just what that is. The first four episodes of RErideD: Kokukoe no Derrida dropped early, but I’ve only seen the first. Reports from the premiere were initially quite negative as to the production values, but I honestly thought the first episode looked fine. There some interesting design decisions and the overall look was distinctive enough so as to not feel generic.
For me, though, the writing did feel pretty generic if I’m honest. Apparently RErideD was initially a straight adaptation of Robert Heinlein’s Door Into Summer, but evolved over time to focus more on the cute girls in the cast until the connection was dropped entirely (seriously, if I could make shit like that up…). I didn’t know that when I was watching the premiere – I just knew that the dystopian robot rebellion premise and time travel elements didn’t feel especially fresh, and I certainly didn’t immediately make a connection with Heinlein. I also noted that not only is the protagonist named Derrida, but his father is Jacques – though again, if there’s any intended connection to deconstructionism or Derrida generally it isn’t immediately apparent in the first episode.
I haven’t decided yet whether I’ll continue with this series, though I suppose I’ll give it at least one more episode to convince me. In a way it’s surprising that Abe isn’t more prominent in anime these days since he’s effectively a loli fetishist, and his sensibility does seem to be what stands out in the premiere. The cast is solid, the production is professional, and maybe there’s the potential for an interesting old-school sci-fi story in here somewhere. RErideD: Kokukoe no Derrida has the air of style over substance to it, but first impressions can be deceiving.
donhumberto
September 24, 2018 at 8:19 pmReally enjoyed the premiere a lot. Kept thinking about Kurau Phantom memory, which I love to bits. It kinda has a similar feel to it (sci-fi thriller set in a near future with a strong focus on human relationships… it was probably that birthday scene that reminded me of Kurau the most). A definite keeper for me
Matti
September 25, 2018 at 2:07 amI’ll take your word for it. I really liked Kurau (that wailing guitar bgm loops in my head as I type this), but the screenshots of this show here didn’t really do much to get me interested. Guess I’ll just download and find out myself.
Matti
September 25, 2018 at 3:33 amWatched Ep1. Sorry, not feelin it.
donhumberto
September 25, 2018 at 6:03 amOops! Sorry, I hadn’t realised that you had actually watched it and posted my previous comment, my bad 😉
donhumberto
September 25, 2018 at 5:59 amI really hope you like it. While it’s obvious that it’s not visually as unique as Kurau (that was Bones at its finest, after all, and here we have a newbie studio doing their best) it does share a similar vibe (at least for me it did in the first ep, haven’t watched the other 3) and I really dig the setting and overall plot a lot. Oh, and the soundtrack is really damn good too, forgot to mention it in my first post and it was one of the things that stood out the most for me.
Dop
September 24, 2018 at 11:38 pmHaving watched the first four episodes I’ll probably stick with it to see where it goes.
That said, I think show about a French philosopher travelling through time would have been a lot more interesting!
Guardian Enzo
September 25, 2018 at 6:19 amOui.
justfun
October 5, 2018 at 5:43 amHave not seen the episode yet, but I am surprised by the normal art style in the screenshots here. I was anticipating this series based on Abe’s involvement and somehow was already expecting a show like Heibane Renmei or Lain.
Guardian Enzo
October 5, 2018 at 10:00 amOther than the loli fixation, I would have had a hard time telling Abe was involved. The series looks good for the most part (design-wise – the animation is already pretty wonky) but relatively generic.