In eX-Driver’s take on the future, the highways are occupied entirely by automated cars and trucks that transport their passengers with no accidents, no road rage, and no human input. This makes it all the more troublesome when the occasional vehicle goes berserk and starts tearing around the road. That’s when the eX-Driver unit goes into action, sending the hotheaded Lisa Sakakino (think Natsumi from You’re Under Arrest) and the gentler Lorna Endo (Miyuki to Lisa’s Natsumi) to bring down these rogue vehicles with sensor-blinding paste guns and their skills at driving two of the few old-fashioned, engine-powered cars on the road.

During a particularly heated chase one day, Lisa and Lorna are helped by a mysterious driver in a bright yellow Subaru Impreza. Awed by the stranger’s skills at the wheel, Lisa proclaims that she’s found the man of her dreams, only to discover that he’s a wise-ass kid by the name of Souichi Sugano. Just to vex Lisa further, he’s also the latest member of eX-Driver and the newest transfer student at the girls’ high school. (Yes, they’re in high school, even though they look closer to college.) Lisa and Souichi spark a rivalry while Lorna tries to make the best of it, even when the team becomes the subject of a nosy, Americanism-spouting documentary maker.

It almost goes without saying that eX-driver’s most accomplished feature is its attention to automotive detail. From the contours of Lisa’s Lancia Stratos to the clever near-future designs of the robot cars, there’s rarely a machine in the series that isn’t rendered with a realistic flourish. The first DVD even includes footage of eX-Driver’s creators test-driving vehicles to gauge their sound, handling, and architecture. This devotion clearly paid off; as far as car chases go, eX-Driver is gorgeous.

However, it’s not nearly as compelling out of the vehicles, as the characters seldom exhibit any unique traits or explore any interesting plot points. Runaway vehicle pursuits form the central axes of the first three episodes, and though the writers try to put a spin on each race, it gets tiresome in a hurry. The fourth episode introduces Rei Kazama, a buxom eX-Rider (because she chases crazed cars on a motorcycle, you see), but the results are little more than hackneyed fan-service opportunities to embarrass Souichi. Even the finale of the series, in which the eX-Drivers face off again an automobile hacker and his band of punks, does little to add intensity.

It’s strange that Fujishima’s storytelling should fall so flat, but perhaps that’s due to the limited setting of eX-Driver. While the police-oriented You’re Under Arrest always drew upon criminal elements and Oh My Goddess! held a reader’s attention with creative pairings of science and mythology, eX-Driver has little more than car chases, car chases, and a car-and-bike chase or two. There’s not much here to work with, and the production crew seems more concerned with mechanical accuracy than characterizations or story.

As they often do, Anime Works has put out a nice localization regardless of a title’s quality. Bang! Zoom’s English dub is rather pleasant, with Joshua Seth giving a suitable Souichi and Lia Sargent (Nanami in El-Hazard, Milly in Trigun) playing against typecasting by taking on the constantly ticked-off Lisa. The Japanese cast is similarly accomplished, and there’s a surprising array of extra footage, including a production team interview and a short in which the voice actresses of eX-Driver race with go-karts and RC cars.

Given Fujishima’s past success with lighthearted storytelling, I was actually looking forward to a bit of cute, harmless, and unrealistic fluff with eX-Driver. But there’s really nothing beneath the shiny surface and fast cars. Much like a brief spin in one of the high-powered roadsters that it stars, eX-Driver is a short, pretty ride to nowhere.

C