Brief Synopsis
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Fifty years ago the world was caught up in a terrible clash of rivaling kingdoms where the mystical powers of “Dark Bring” and “Rave” would determine the disastrous outcome. Shiba, the gallant warrior who alone could control Rave, attempted to destroy the source of the evil Dark Bring, but instead wound up triggering a massive explosion, known as Overdrive, that destroyed 1/10 of the world and scattered both Dark Bring and Rave. Now Rave has chosen a new master, a young boy named Haru Glory, who is given the task of hunting down the remaining Dark Brings and destroying them.

Haru departed from his home on Garage Island after being commissioned by the previous Rave Master, Shiba, with his only companion being Plue, a strange animal who has an unknown connection with Rave. They soon join up with Elly, an unusually lucky girl who doesn’t remember her past, and Musica, the leader of a notorious ring of bandits. Together they’ll brave the many challenging adventures that lie ahead on the path to the answers to the questions that burn in each individual’s heart, and hopefully save the world from another Overdrive at the same time.

My review
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I started watching Groove Adventure Rave with the prejudice that it was going to be a chore, which can be attributed to the anime’s lack of popularity, but after a few episodes my mind changed quickly. The cheery atmosphere and the happy-go-lucky attitudes of the main characters is just a mantle for what turns out to be an exciting fantasy-style adventure that kept me fairly interested to the last episode. The quality of the story probably took me most by surprise, as I didn’t expect a show that seemed to be targeted for younger audiences to have such an extensive amount of details to be expounded upon. All developments and revelations worked together to push the main story forward, with two of the main characters, Haru and Elie, at the front of the thrust.

Rave isn’t a shining example of audio and visual superiority, but it features enough quality in said categories to keep distractions to a minimum. But technical issues aside, my main gripe with Groove Adventure Rave unquestionably concerns the conceptual potential that it did not take advantage of, chiefly by capping its level of solemnity by including goofy characters and creatures, excluding any killing, and attempting to force poor comedy. Now, I have no problems with light-hearted adventures, but something just tells me that Rave wasn’t meant to be one, or at least not one of this magnitude. The tremendous amount of creative background and the exciting and unique world that the anime has at its fingertips could have produced a much more passionate, intriguing, and ambitious story.

Perhaps that’s just my pipedream, but in any case, Groove Adventure Rave is worth your time if you’re looking for an above-average action/adventure show set in a fantasy environment. I give Rave 6 out of 10.