Groove Adventure Rave [TV]
The Dark Brings – stones that contain corrupted power – ignite a destructive war between the forces of good and evil. Left with no choice and faced against the ever-growing power of evil, a swordsman uses the holy power known as the Rave in an attempt to destroy the Dark Brings. This caused a massive explosion that destroyed a tenth of the world, and came to be known as the Overdrive.
Rave Master takes place fifty years after the events of Overdrive, when an evil group called Demon Cards wreak havoc once again with the newly found remains of the Dark Bring. The return of darkness also calls for the return of light, and Haru Glory is made the new Rave Master, along with its guardian Plue. Haru and several other warriors must now band together, and save the world from Demon Card’s hands.
About the Show
Rave Master, also known as The Groove Adventure Rave, is an anime adaptation of the action-adventure manga series under the same name, written and illustrated by Hiro Mashima. Produced by Studio Deen, the series aired a total of 51 episodes (divided into two seasons) between October 13, 2001 and September 28, 2002.
Characters
Haru Glory
Energetic, friendly, and persistent, Haru Glory was made Rave Master by Shiba, shortly after accidentally fishing Plue out of the ocean. Since then, Haru has promised that he will find the lost Rave Stone with Plue, and stop the Demon Card’s evil plan. He is joined by several adventurers during his journey, and fights with his shape shifting sword, the Ten Commandments.
Elie
Similar to Haru, Elie is as energetic and lively, and loves going to casinos. She suffers from amnesia, and has no idea how she lost her memories. Haru is very protective and always looks out for her, but she can also fight using her ton-fa blasters.
Plue
Plue is a strange small creature, resembling a shivering snowman with a carrot for a nose. Despite Plue’s harmless appearance, he possesses several powers. Being the Rave Bearer, Plue can sense the presence of Rave Stones, and can even destroy the Dark Brings. Additionally, he can utilize the Rave of Combat, an ability that enhances his power and Haru’s.
Hamrio Musica
Leader of the thieves group called Silver-Rhythm, Hamrio Musica is a Silver-Claimer and can turn silver into any form or weapon he wishes to. He is Haru’s good friend, and later forges him the holy sword Ravelt.
Griffon Kato
Griffon Kato is another strange creature, who often addresses Plue as “Master Plue”. He rides his horse-like steed and acts as the cartographer of Haru’s group. Additionally, he has shape-shifting abilities, allowing him to inflate or elongate some parts of his body.
Ruby
Ruby is a wealthy penguin sentinoid who owns a fancy floating casino. After being saved by Haru, Ruby decides to join him in his quest. He loves to spend his massive wealth purchasing rare treasures, and has a tendency to carelessly reveal their group’s plan during battle.
Belnika
Artificially experimented on to gain the power of Etherion, Belnika joins Haru’s quest after she discovered that she was going to be used for evil deeds. She possesses a vast amount of magical power, and has healing abilities and can also negate harmful magic.
First Season Summary
Haru, Elie, and Plue band together, after defeating several enemies in Hip Hop Town. They meet Musica, and they set out to rescue Elie who was abducted by Lance. Lance turned out to be too powerful for Musica and defeats him. Haru arrives shortly after and defeats Lance in battle.
Musica and his gang escape prison after being captured due to a failed bank robbery. They are later informed by Garein that a Rave Stone was located North of where they were. Immediately, they set their courses towards the North.After several battles and confrontations, Elie, Haru, and Plue destroy another Shadow Stone, and rescue a village from a thunderstorm plague. They proceed on their search for the Rave Stone, now accompanied by Griff.
They arrive on Tremolo Mountain, guarded by the Shadow Guards. They almost die several times, but Haru finally acquires the Rave of Knowledge from Deerhound, and defeats Schneider. Shuda returns and fights Haru. Meanwhile, Musica and the others are also under attack. The group barely escapes after their enemies set the base for self-destruct. Their plane almost crashed, but was saved by Hegi.
The gang decides to head out to the beach and try to relax after the tense events of Tremolo Mountain. There, they are attacked by Sieg Hart, who wished to kill Elie. Haru battles with Sieg Hart, with the help from Elie. Elie’s past is revealed and her true capabilities. Reina arrives and attacks Haru as well. Haru then uses his sword to seal the power of Etherion.
After the battle, the group now head to Blues City.
Quick Review
Story: The story might be cliché; a hero must set out on an adventure around the world to collect items that will make him stronger, ultimately giving him the power to defeat the great forces of evil. However, the show is excellently paced, and as it progresses, it reveals various interesting backstories, making the series more colorful and entertaining.
Character: Similar to the story, you might judge the set of characters as the usual types that appear in many adventure stories, but it is their development and backstories that make them unique. I would say that they were written well, and the interactions between them can invoke different emotions.
Animation: The animation might not stand out, but it is sufficient. The character designs are nice and the animations are fluid. However, the background is poorly detailed, and could have had used much more improvements.
Sound: Similar to the animation, the sound is somehow mediocre. While the opening theme and closing theme can be catchy, the background fails to do its job sometimes. Although, the voice actors do an excellent job and successfully portray the characters.
As long as you won’t mind a slightly poor animation and sound, the 51 episodes of Rave Master can be very entertaining all throughout.
