Appare-Ranman! has been my favorite anime to watch during the recently
finished summer season. Technically, it
isn’t really a summer anime, as it debuted last spring and was supposed to run
in that season. However, after only a
few episodes, its production was interrupted by the pandemic, so its run was
postponed. It restarted itself back to
episode 1 for the summer season, wherein it finally got to complete its 13-episode
run.
Set in an alternate late 19th
century, Appare-Ranman! follows the
adventure of an eccentric, genius inventor named Appare Sorano and the hapless
samurai tasked to watch over him named Kosame Isshiki. After a mishap with the steamship that Appare
made, the duo gets stranded in the open sea, until a passing American ship picks
them up and takes them to Los Angeles.
There, they learn of the upcoming “Trans-America Wild Race”, which will
take place from Los Angeles to New York.
Appare, having become totally enamored with automobiles, decides to
convert his steamship into a race car so that they can enter the race and win
the prize money, which they can use to return back to Japan. Soon, a Native American boy named Hototo
joins their team. Now a trio, they have
to overcome their zany, formidable rivals as well as the various challenges and
perils of the Wild West as they aim to become the first ones to cross the finish
line.
Wacky Races is probably my most favorite Hanna-Barbera cartoon
ever. I never get tired of re-watching all of its episodes once every few years. So Appare-Ranman!
being seemingly reminiscent of Wacky
Races was the main reason why I checked it out in the first place. However, while the anime features an
unconventional race and a cast of colorful characters, it isn’t necessarily the
Wacky Races anime I thought it was
going to be.
First of all, while the cars have
distinctive designs, they don’t necessarily have special motifs like the cars
in Wacky Races. With the exception of Appare’s car, the other
cars don’t really have gimmicks. And
even the gimmick of Appare’s car is pretty basic compared to the delightfully comical
ones that the cars in Wacky Races
have.
Secondly, while they are
legitimately competing against each other – two of the characters, Dylan and
TJ, are even regularly legit shooting at each other – the racers don’t really have
that sense of rivalry going among them. From the get go, it’s clear that their
dynamic is that of the typical nakama. Dylan and TJ’s gun fights are essentially,
for all intents and purposes, just banters between two opposite nakama members, similar to that between
Zoro and Sanji in One Piece.
And thirdly, the story isn’t
necessarily centered on the race itself, but rather on the events that occur before
and during it. In addition, the main
conflict isn’t the competition among the racers themselves, but between the
racers (again, they’re a nakama) and a
ruthless gang of bandits who proceed to disrupt the race.
But it doesn’t really matter if Appare-Ranman! is not a Wacky Races anime. It’s still an extremely appealing show. It admittedly doesn’t that much unique depth to it, but it is oozing with so much style and swag. The tone and humor are amiably apt. The characters are fleshed out well enough and thoroughly lovable. The storytelling and worldbuilding are utterly
immersive.
I especially love how it’s a
creative genre mashup in the same way Cowboy
Bebop is. If nothing else, it’s a pleasing
fusion of steam punk, racing, samurai, gunslingers, outlaws, Indians, hip hop
culture, Americana, and other elements. As
a result of this kind of implausible mixing, various cool, amusing anachronisms
arise, such as automobile racing and a 1960’s diner existing during the Wild
West time period. Furthermore, because
of the eclectic character types and themes on hand, there’s diversity with
the action – from typical Western battles to kenjutsu to fencing to kung fu to even
freakin’ gun kata. And, of course, the music also reflects all of these as it also ranges from jazz to
hip hop to J-Rock (the OP is fantastic, by the way).
All in all, Appare-Ranman! is an absolute treat. It’s unfortunately not as popular as it
should be, but I genuinely believe it’s one of the most worthwhile and inspired
anime in recent years.
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