When Anime Let Humans Take the Wheel Again
The Forgotten OVA That Predicted Our Future
Released in 2000 by Studio Actas and directed by the legendary Kosuke Fujishima (of Ah! My Goddess fame), Ex-Driver was a six-episode OVA set in a near-future world where almost every vehicle was self-driving. It’s a utopia… until it isn’t. When the autonomous cars start malfunctioning, the government calls on an elite squad of “Ex-Drivers” — skilled human drivers trained to take manual control and save the day.
For car fans, this premise was pure gold. It wasn’t about superpowers or giant robots — it was about cars, driving, and the human connection to machines that think they know better.
Manual Mode in an Automatic World
The show’s main characters — Lorna, Lisa, and Soichi — drove everything from a Lotus Super 7 to a Subaru Impreza WRX Type R. Each episode blended mechanical detail with hand-drawn action sequences that felt real. You could almost smell the burnt clutch and hear the turbo spool.
The mechanical fidelity was impressive for its time. Fujishima, a genuine car enthusiast, made sure the animations reflected authentic handling, tire grip, and power delivery — far more than you’d expect from a niche OVA.
Car Type Highlight Episode Lotus Super 7 Lightweight Roadster Lorna’s analog weapon of choice, seen in the pilot Subaru Impreza WRX Type R AWD Turbo Coupe Soichi’s high-speed pursuit star Super Seven Replica Student-built racer Central to the Ex-Driver: Nina & Rei Danger Zone movie Ahead of Its Time (Literally)
Looking back, Ex-Driver feels prophetic. Its world of AI-driven cars parallels our modern landscape of self-driving experiments, from Tesla to Waymo. The anime asked: what happens when we give up control too easily?
In the early 2000s, that was pure science fiction. In 2025, it’s a relevant conversation at every auto show.
There’s also something beautifully nostalgic about its tone. While the tech was futuristic, the heart of the series celebrated analog driving — the joy of shifting gears, controlling throttle, and trusting your instincts instead of a sensor. It was a love letter to car enthusiasts in a time that feared we might one day lose the wheel.
Legacy: Small Fandom, Big Heart
Ex-Driver never reached Initial D fame, but it carved a cult following among those who grew up taping it off late-night anime blocks or renting the DVDs from Suncoast.
For fans, it’s remembered as the show that dared to ask if “driver” still meant something. In a world now filled with EVs and autopilot modes, Ex-Driver is more than a retro curiosity — it’s a reminder of why we love to drive.
Final Lap:
If you’ve never seen Ex-Driver, it’s worth tracking down. It’s a time capsule from an era when anime celebrated manual mastery and the sound of an honest-to-goodness combustion engine.
And for those of us who did watch it back in the day — yeah, we still want that Lotus Super 7.