Line #3 Anime/RealDrive


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/VLC00003_png_7655.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:350:The central characters from left to right: Holon, Minamo, Haru, Sota and Kushima]]
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4	''Real Drive'' is produced by Creator/ProductionIG and Creator/MasamuneShirow, and aired twenty-six episodes during its run in 2008. Masamichi Haru was involved in a diving accident when he was thirty, causing him to [[ConvenientComa slip into a coma for fifty years]]. Upon awakening, he found himself confined in the body of an eighty-year-old, unable to travel without a wheelchair. Haru later receives assistance from the fifteen-year-old Minamo, who is assigned to take care of him as part of her school's extracurricular activities. Despite their age gap, Haru and Minamo form a close friendship; fuelled by their mutual interest in the sea and nature's splendour, Minamo becomes Haru's "diver buddy" despite lacking cyber-enhancements.
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6	It turns out that the experiment Haru was involved in led to the construction of the Artificial Island and the Network society, where people hook up to a global network using so-called cyber-brains. Since entering the inner workings of the network is very much like diving in the open sea, Haru finds he still has some purpose in life by becoming a virtual "diver". With Minamo, they undertake various missions into the Metal, where people's desires gradually lead to information leaks and instabilities. Together with Kushima, Haru's long-time friend, they also search for the ''answer in the sea'', which shares an intimate link to the earth's biorhythm.
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8	----
9	!''Real Drive'' provides examples of:
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11	* AIIsACrapshoot: While it is not malevolent, its actions have far-reaching consequences.
12	* AloofBigBrother: Souta is initially quite cold and distant towards Minamo, but as Minamo becomes more involved in helping Haru with his investigations into Metal, he [[CharacterDevelopment gradually grows more supportive of her]].
13	* ArtificialHuman: Holon is an android tasked with assisting Haru in his everyday life.
14	* BrandX: The "Sous-Marin" sunglasses bear a striking resemblance to Rudy Project glasses
15	* CloserToEarth: Minamo's lack of a cyber-brain sets her apart from the other characters: in fact, characters of any importance to the plot without a cyber-brain just happens to be female, too.
16	* ContemplateOurNavels: Thematic elements in ''Real Drive'' serve as a subtle reminder about the impacts of technology and humanity's increasing reliance on the internet to function.
17	* ConvenientComa: After an accident leaves him comatose for fifty years, he reawakens to find the world has changed considerably, but his diving skills remain relevant in helping identify and diagnose issues in the Metal system.
18	* CoolOldGuy: Despite his age, Haru is a highly skilled diver and plays an instrumental role in investigating Metal.
19	* CorruptCorporateExecutive: After weather-altering nanomachines are successfully tested, the Secretary General approves of their deployment to manage the climate.
20	* {{Cyborg}}: Kushima's youthful appearance is a consequence of his [[spoiler: having a prosthetic body.]].
21	* {{Determinator}}: His old age notwithstanding, Haru does not allow his body to impede him, and makes an effort to learn how to walk again in order to improve his ability as a diver. By the end of the series, [[spoiler: he is successful]].
22	* DoesNotLikeSpam: Minamo expresses a profound dislike of green peppers, and sets about eliminating them by eating them out of existence.
23	* EverythingIsOnline: On Artificial Island, everything is connected to a ubiquitous network known as Metal.
24	* EyesAlwaysShut: Yukino, one of Minamo's friends, is rarely seen with her eyes open.
25	* FishOutOfTemporalWater: Haru finds himself in a radically changed world after he awakens from a coma.
26	* {{Flashback}}: Developments pertaining to Metal and Haru's past are explored by means of interjected scenes set prior to the main narrative.
27	* FoodPorn: Food in the series is rendered with the same quality as the background, and this is noticeable in the parfaits that Minamo and her friends frequently partake in.
28	* FriendlyPlayfulDolphin: Haru loved to swim with a dolphin as a boy, although it is implied that have become extinct along with many other aquatic animals by the time the series takes place.
29	* GainaxEnding: At the series' end, Haru [[spoiler: is returned to a younger body, and the ocean itself takes on the function that Metal originally fulfilled]].
30	* GenkiGirl: Minamo is optimistic, cheerful and generally tries her best to make the most of a situation.
31	* GratuitousEnglish: The electronic blackboard in Minamo's classroom can be seen with the text "All today's classes ended" after classes have concluded for the day.
32	* GreenAesop: ''Real Drive'' deals with the implications surrounding the application of technology towards controlling a system as complex as climate.
33	* HandshakeSubstitute: Haru and Kushima are fond of using the fist bump gesture to greet one another.
34	* HeterosexualLifePartners: Haru and Kushima's friendship remains strong despite the Haru's fifty year-long coma.
35	* HollywoodPudgy: This is averted in-universe; while the girls have fuller figures, the characters themselves do not mention this. The creator once explained that he wished to design women who resemble actual Japanese women.
36	* IntergenerationalFriendship: Minamo and Haru share a close friendship despite their age differences.
37	* TheInternetIsAnOcean: The Metal is depicted as something of an open sea, and it's the job of Virtual Divers like Haru to search for secrets the deeper they go.
38	* [[ItsAlwaysSpring It's Always Summer]]: The climate control on Artificial Island translates to a warm, subtropical climate year-round for the island's residents.
39	* {{Joshikousei}}: On Artificial Island, high school girls wear a SailorFuku style uniform that appears tailored for the island's warm climate.
40	* TheMetaverse: The Metal is the ubiquitous network that users can physically explore when connected to a full-dive system, featuring a unique visualisation and representation of data within the system.
41	* MoodWhiplash: The tone in ''Real Drive'' frequently transitions between a cyberpunk, dealing with the more serious aspects of the Metal system, and calmer {{slice of life}} moments with Minamo and her friends.
42	* OddCouple: Haru and Minamo get along surprisingly well with one another despite their generational differences.
43	* PostCyberPunk: Lacking the dystopian interpretation of the pure cyberpunk genre, ''Real Drive'' explores the impact of high technology on society within a world that is similar to our own.
44	* RobotGirl: Being set [[TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture in the near future]], robots made in the likeness of human females are plentiful, including Holon, the Metal operators and a female battle android.
45	* RecapEpisode: While Minamo goes for a dive in the fourteenth episode, the remainder of the time is spent summarising the events that had occurred up until that point.
46	* RidiculouslyHumanRobots: Their sophisticated construction means Holon and other androids of her model are indistinguishable from humans.
47	* RollerbladeGood: Minamo's shoes conceal retractable rollerblades that allow her to quickly skate to a location when the need arises.
48	* RousseauWasRight: ''Real Drive'' lacks villains with malevolent intentions, and the conflicts in the series arise from environmental challenges forcing organisations to adopt extreme measures with the goal of saving humanity, even if there is a great risk for causing a global catastrophe.
49	* TheRuleOfFirstAdopters: In the fourth episode, it is mentioned that Metal became popular because virtual sex was surpassed the equivalent experience in reality
50	* SceneryPorn: The landscapes are vividly rendered, conveying to viewers the details present in the island's tropical landscape.
51	* SliceOfLife: When ''Real Drive'' is not discussing the mechanics behind Metal or political aspects associated with the system, it follows the everyday events in Minamo and her friends' lives.
52	* SuperDrowningSkills: Minamo says in the first episode that she does not know how to swim. This is because she grew up in Australia far away from the sea.
53	* SweetTooth: Minamo, Sayaka and Yukino are very fond of sweets, especially the parfaits served at one of the island cafés.
54	* TechnoBabble: Computing and network jargon is commonplace. This extends beyond computing; techniques for playing the violin are also discussed at length.
55	* ThemeSongPowerup: The fight between Sota and a fighter, Iron Schwartz, in the fifth episode is set to the ''Real Drive'''s theme song.
56	* WhatMeasureIsANonHuman: Androids and non-human [=AI=] constructs are given the same treatment as humans within ''Real Drive'', suggesting a society that has accepted and integrated artificial intelligence into everyday life.
57	* WindTurbinePower: Minamo activates an old wind turbine to provide emergency power for Artificial Island following a power outage that disables the main and backup power supplies.

Context Anime / RealDrive