Appare-Ranman!
When one thinks of the Historical anime genre, they seldom expect it to be Comedic. Granted, even history stories can have their own hints of humor to add to the overall experience, but it won’t generally be expected as the main genre. Well, the unholy combination between Historical and Comedy genres indeed does exist. How good are they? Best to take a look at a classic example.
“Appare Ranman!” is a 13 episode TV anime series that started airing from the 10th of April until the 25th of September as a Spring 2020 anime. The title was produced collectively by Lantis, AT-X, Docomo Anime Store, Sammy, Kadokawa Media House, Kadokawa, Bandai Namco Arts, and Bit Promotion, licensed by Funimation and brought to life by Studio P.A. Works.
The main staff involved in the production are Hashimoto Masakazu (Director), Iida Satoki (Sound Director), Morikubo Shoutarou (Theme Song Performance), and Mia REGINA (Theme Song Performance). The anime features the three unlikely genres of Cars, Comedy, and Historical.
The series is rated PG-13 for Teenagers 13 years or older audiences. The source is original, being adapted from the “Appare-Ranman!” manga series. This manga started publication on April 3rd, 2020, and is still ongoing by author and artist Ahndongshik and serialized in Young Ace.
For Protagonist Appare Sorrano, there is no dream that is too big, so despite whatever barriers he faces, he will never seize to reach for the stars. He is but a very socially awkward inventor, who lives in a miniature rural town within Japan, sometime in the late 19th century, no less. Ever since his childhood, he was utterly fascinated and engrossed with the creation of steamships capable of connecting countless people across great distances.
To this end, he learned how to make machines of all types from various scientific texts he could get his hands on. His end goal is bigger still, as it is to sail across the ocean, beyond the skies, and ultimately reach the other side of the moon itself.
Unfortunately, though, fate is not going to go so easy on him, as an unlikely string of events leaves Appare stranded in the middle of the vast ocean on his mini steamship. On the bright side, he is not alone in this sticky situation, as floating alongside him under these weird circumstances is an exceptionally skilled but cowardly samurai named Kosame Ishikki. Kosame has a simple enough reason to be there; he is tasked with keeping Appare’s eccentric behavior in check. Surely this could not be the end, so just when all their hope seems to be lost, a large steamship appears and rescues the unlikely duo, taking them to the massive city of Los Angeles.
The pair neither have any cash or plans, so they decide to participate in the "Trans-America Wild Race," which will allow Appare to build his very own automobile, bringing him even close to his dream and will give Kosame the chance to utilize the Cash prize money to return home to Japan. Winning will not be easy, though, as they are up against many rival racers and unknown challenges that lie in wait within the vast wilderness. So amidst these challenges, just how far will this peculiar adventure take Appare and Kosame down their respective roads?
The iconic duo of Appare Ranman goes on to face many outlaws and madmen during this epic race, so much so that they question their return home safe and sound in one piece. The characters are weird but unique looking, with supercars, presented alongside countless puns and comedy that are also unique and funny.
The automobile race spans from Los Angeles to New York, and there is no small number of competitors from all the parts of the world taking part in it. Some are in it for the fame, some thrive on speed and live for that constant rush of adrenaline, and then some just need the money to return home or even survive in their harsh world. No matter the drive, Appare is an engineer that does not like to concede.
The story itself is pretty straightforward. It explains why the duo needs to participate in the race and provides the protagonists’ required backgrounds. Overall, the story is done pretty well, but it lacks originality to stand out amidst other anime, but enjoyable nonetheless.
The Characters of Appare Ranman are its strongest point, the aspect that makes the series shine. Appare is the typical anime genius, an innovative engineer, who can put together a car out of almost nothing, but is terrible at communicating with other people and socializing overall.
He does, however, stand out from the fact that he does not care much about being seen as the best and getting other people to acknowledge that he is superior to them. He just wants to live his life as an engineer, and he is through with the smart-ass people telling him what to do. Kosame is clever yet timid and is a low-ranked government official.
Even when they get stranded on unfamiliar land, with customs and people vastly different from their home, the duo manages to put their heads together and work in unison towards success. The supporting characters are weak in comparison, receiving little to no development.
The story is centered around the main duo, so this isn't necessarily a significant flaw. The supporting cast does their parts as the story needs them and doesn’t generally take up much screen time.
The Art and Animation of Appare-Ranman are catchy and unique. Unique art styles are rare to come by in recent anime, but these guys pulled it off neatly, in an eye-pleasing way too. Every car in this show has its own unique flair and design that reflects the drivers’ personalities.
The character designs look amazing and memorable as well, oozing the entire feel of the show. The backgrounds mainly depict a Feudal Japan and an older version of America, which are very cool and nicely executed.
The Music and Sounds of Appare-Ranman are also pretty well done. The Opening theme is "I got it!" by Mia REGINA, and the Ending theme is "I'm Nobody" by Shoutarou Morikubo. Both of these go well with the themes of the series and compliment each other well.
They perpetually give a great start and end to each episode, with the latter raising the anticipation for what's to come, step-by-step. The OSTs have a very nostalgic feel to them, particularly of the 19th Century worldly norms. The show considers what viewers already know of the timeline and puts a nostalgic spin on it. In doing so, they set the perfect atmosphere for the series. The voice acting is praise-worthy as well.
Overall, Appare-Ranman is an entertaining and enjoyable series to watch. It caters to the viewers’ entertainment above all else and does a great job doing so. Cars and racing fans will appreciate this unique take on the genres a lot.
Despite it starting slow, it progressively gets better at a good pace, without anything being forced; all it needs is to be given a fighting chance. Granted, it may not be a masterpiece of an anime, but it is a jolly good show to watch, and it will definitely be enjoyable. On these grounds, it can be recommended to a majority of anime fans.
