Appare-Ranman!

Appare-Ranman is an original PA Works anime from last year. Yes, the studio behind Canaan, Another, Charlotte and some less impressive works like Fairy Gone. Still, they're a studio that generally does pretty well as far as I'm concerned. I mean, the weakest anime I've seen them produce was still average.

Story:

Our tale is set in a fictitious version of the Meiji era, so around 1870s since it seems to be pretty early on. In this time, there's an eccentric young inventor named Appare. He gets into some trouble at home and sets sail in a steam boat where he's pursued by the young ... samurai, Kosame. This results in the pair being propelled forward and going all the way to the United States where they eventually decide to take place in a cross continent race called the Trans-America Wild race because Kosame wants the prize money to return to Japan and Appare just wants to tinker with cars.

The whole narrative is a balancing act since it's largely more light-hearted and comedic but it does bring up some pretty serious things. And it's one that's actually executed pretty well. They basically take the route of letting the darker elements be very subtle and mainly conveyed through insinuation in order to maintain the light-hearted aesthetic. It also helps that nothing too bad happens to any of the major characters. It is refreshing to see a work that can manage to maintain its light-hearted aesthetic while also having some content that delves into more serious territory. Especially given how many things I've seen fail at it.

The biggest issue with the series has to be that they try to do a bit too much with the time they have. There are a lot of plot elements and flashback that aren't really taken advantage of and are generally under-developed. Like, the stuff with the Thousand Three is barely touched on given how much of the plot it helps drive. It's also a bit bizarre that the series starts around the end of episode five and then goes back to the beginning. It's one of those "Yes, that's me. Wanna know how I got into this situation?" openings but with no apparent reason for it.

With that said, the series is charming and entertaining. The whole idea of the eccentric genius and his more grounded companion isn't anything new, but this series does put its own spin on it and it uses the concept very well. I also do think the comedic elements are well done. Particularly the jokes based off of major cultural differences.

Characters:

The major characters in this have a surprising amount of complexity. They have various motivations for what they're doing. They have little bits of back story flavour. Which does make them more relatable and likeable. The big exception is the antagonist who has this vague "might makes right" philosophy and is just kind of evil for the evils. There are a lot of good interactions and dynamics as well. The dynamic with TJ and Dylan is really good, for example. So is the relationship with Appare, Kosame & Hototo. Nice of them to use an actual Native American name for their Native character. Although I admittedly don't know enough about the Hopi to know if he's portrayed accurately in other ways.

Art:

The biggest issue with the art is that it has the shounen style character designs with bizarre hair styles and other design elements that just look odd. Appare's hair, the thing TJ wears over his eyes, also his hair. There are quite a few. And, when it comes to certain characters, these over the top design elements could be seen as mildly racist. I actually wouldn't go that far in this case, but I can sort of see why some other people might.

Sound:

The acting is well done. Hanae Natsuki, Yamashita Seiichirou, Yuuki Aoi, Amamiya Sora and the other actors all give strong performances. I'm not completely sold on Evan Call's music for the series but it works fine, I guess. I think my big issue with it is that it's very modern but the anime is set over a hundred years ago and I kind of prefer for historical works, like this one, to base their music around the time period.

Ho-yay:

There is some stuff that comes across as a bit gay. Like, towards the end Kosame and Appare develop a dynamic that comes across the same way Holmes and Watson do in their more ho-yay moments.

Areas of Improvement:

1. The music should be more suited to the time period. Modern day hip hop is just weird in that context.

2. The series could benefit from a little more time on the background of the Thousand Three and some of the other under-developed elements. Maybe this should have been fifteen episodes. Maybe it should have spent less time recapping the previous episodes. Either way, it could have managed its time a bit better.

3. Just start at the beginning. You don't need to show where the series is going right from the start especially in a short series like this that moves fairly quickly.

Final Thoughts:

I actually enjoyed this series quite a bit. Its strong sense of fun, solid comedy, surprisingly complex characters and fast but well paced narrative made for a satisfying viewing experience. I'm going to give it a solid 8/10.

Buckle up for a wild ride. Appare-Ranman is an anime I've grown to love over time. It slow start was hurtful to witness but when the story gained speed it also get my interest. Lets get this review up to speed!

The story is pretty simple and linear yet well written and entertaining. As this follows a dynamic trio and their racing rivals it gets wilder and wilder. The story shift in another gear when we arrive with the big bad boys. Some puzzling pieces fall in place as we find out who or why the race gets slowed down. The bad part is how long ... it took to actually get on point but in the end it paid off to watch the whole thing.

The character design is done pretty well. Each character has their distinct traits but still fit together as a whole. i had some troubles with accepting Appare's behaviour as it was just plain stupid. However the payoff is that i got to see a nice character development that is not to cheesy but realistic and rewarding.
I like how Kosame can be a clown but isn't a laughing stock. He perfectly wields the mysterious aura of being a skilled samurai. This badass is the right wingman and a lovely support.

As for the rest of the characters its to be expected that most of them stick to their character design and won't change to much over time. It was fine because the characters weren't annoying or to repetitive.

The art was very nice. I missed the waxed shining chrome wheel plate shots but that's forgiven. The calm background made it easy to focus on the character and movement. The action was fluent and the colours were nice and vibrant. Overall a good job and a satisfying atheistic.

I enjoyed this goofy story much. There were some spots which could have been better executed but overall it did a great job. The catchy OP is always a banger to listen to and I would gladly see a second season.
Do you love samurais, gunslingers and a bit of racing? Then watch Redline! jk, Appara Ranman is surely an anime you should watch.

I can't help but feel like this is a show with something of an identity crisis. While at the outset, it pitches itself as fundamentally a racing story; the development of the car, the establishment of rivalries between the competitors, even the early stages of the race, all play out pretty impressively. While it took a couple more episodes than I would have liked for it to really capture me, once it did, I was excited to see the race play out. As a big fan of Formula 1, a proper show about motor racing sounded great.

Which is why I find it a shame that, ... right as the series draws to a close, it loses its way a bit, and turns from a unique show about racing rivalries and teambuilding into another shounen action show. To give it its due credit, it's an excellent example of those; the fighting we see is energetic, and the characters have distinct styles, just like their distinct cars. But in shifting itself to this dramatic, action-packed finale, it forgets that it was a show about racing.

So, after all of the excitement and development starting out the race, the show stumbles across the finish line having failed to really fulfil the thing it pitched itself as. What it really was, to be clear, was very good; I really did enjoy this show. But I can't help but feel a little disappointed when I think about the potential it wasted to tell a much more unique story in the process.

i enjoyed appare ranman a lot
you can say that it isn't the most perfect anime or the most relatable,but if you watch it in the way you are supposed to watch then it is a great show

in my opinion the characters are probably the best aspect of the show,each character has a vibrant and unique design but what stands out the most is their personalities.each character felt like a potential MC for me.

tbh this show was a solid 8.5 with me,but due to the lack of an actual score like that,im gonna rate it a 9 cause the word great sounds closer to what i ... think this anime is

the story isn't as solid as the shows we have now and it may be short.but i can understand,i mean after all a race anime doesn't have many possible arcs if its bound to the laws of reality.but this show makes you forget about the race and you just cant take your eyes off of the characters.tho this show was able to show a lot of emotions in the span of just 13 eps . which in my perspective is a pretty big thing to pull off

it gave of a lot of various vibes from several anime
the american setting gave me the jojo[stellballrun] vibes
appare gave me a lot of senku vibes
and probably a lot more

the opening is also a great op.it was able to show what type of show it was just by the jumpy music and animation

the character i really liked were tj and gil.even if they were given like almost non existent backstories,just their interactions,designs and personality do the job perfectly

once again.this isn't an anime with a specific message towards the watchers and its a really enjoyable show

Appare-Ranman is a racing anime (for the most part) set in the 19th century. That is such a unique sounding idea which is why I watched this anime in the first place.

Story: 6/10

The story is primarily about the Japanese duo, Appare and Kosame, building a car to win "Trans-America Wild Race" and win the prize money. They meet friends/rivals that are all unique in their own personality and also different part of the world. When this series is about the meeting and competing with the other competitors is where this series shines the most. The racing, the planning and building for and during the race ... is the most exciting moments. However, this is only for the first 8 episodes and sadly the last 5 episodes completely forget about the racing for some generic bad guy they got to beat. It's truly a shame as the original and unique concept is tossed out.

Art: 7/10

The character designs are really nice, the 19th century America looks nice and the cars are all visually vibrant. There are some points where the animation can feel odd, especially near the end but for the most part its pretty good, albeit not going to stun you but its satisfactory.

Sound: 6/10

The soundtrack is pretty good but ain't going to make you want to search it on youtube or anything. The openings and endings are pretty awesome though and really fit the era this series is set in.

Character: 7/10

Every character has their own quirks and struggles. Some are over the top and some are more down to Earth. Our main leads also have some pretty strong character development with some supporting characters, Hototo and Jing, also getting some character arcs. All of them are lovable characters and none of them are hatable, except for the dumb villain group that appear near the end.

Enjoyment: 7/10

I enjoyed the series and definitely glad I've watched it. Just wished the whole series just focused on the racing rather than the dumb villain group garbage.

First of all let me add some genre tags:
Adventure, Action, Western Steampunk
Cars and Historical are rather optional.

This anime was the surprise of the season for me, I went in with 0 expectations since Cars isn't necessarely the thing I like but it was amazing.
In my opinion the focus is not on cars but more the engineering side of view it could've been a airplane or ship race.
In any case I absolutely loved it, as someone who loves decent adventure storys and not, "I'm overpowerd af and have no problems" "adventures", this was like finding gold.
Imagin landing per pure coincidence in America as ... an engineer and a samurai during the wild west period. Swords pistols and no money, what could possibly go wrong? Well a whole lot while travelling through America they live all kinds of stuff gain friends and overcome difficutys.

Admitted it might not be worth a 10 because it still have some flaws here and there, but as someone who loves this kind of stuff I couldn't help but encourage these storys with my good vote.

Mix Need for speed The Run, Dr Stone and Steel Ball Run and you get this!

A competitioing that has to be stopped due to the covid, but there it is. Appare-Ranman! completed.
I love how away of the cliché it is, an how the series can be colorful, warmful but without stopping from killing people when necessary. Its 1900s America baby! Old clichés wont work here.
The sad thing about this series is being 13 episodes. The context, characters and universe makes a story capable of being longer and full, but with the standart 13 episodes the last episodes could be felt rushed, and so, the ... whole enemy gang plot could not be seen as the big issue it was. In a 26 episode anime where the story, the villain's goals, could develop better, the anime would have been a 10/10 for me.
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Still a great anime, with original situations, a little of a good ol spaguetti western style, and its own pace, even with its limitations

Appare Ranman centers around a cross country car race, and it generally relishes in its own over-the-top silliness. The characters and the cars that they drive are all presented in day-glow colors, and their antics are overwhelmingly absurd. This is not a realistic series at all.

The working relationship between the three lead main characters is a bit contrived, especially in the early episodes. I honestly found it hard to believe that they would stick together long enough to eventually race together. I also found the tech savant to be difficult to warm up to, but this is balanced by how likeable the samurai character was.

With ... the short run time, the biggest problem was the villian. They only start antagonizing the cast directly in the last four episodes, and their scheming is slightly orthogonal to the thrust of the cross country car race. This means that that they felt more like a random obstacle rather than something that would bring the story together at a climax.

The biggest strength of Appare-Ranman is the strong supporting cast of characters (these characters wear flamboyant outfits that run the gamut from "cool" to "what?" to "oh no"). Each of the racers is decently well developed given the constraints of a single cour series. They played off of each other surprisingly well and helped invigorate the proportionally high number of breather episodes.

Animation and production values are extremely appealing. There was clearly a decent budget here.

Wow! Appare-Ranman is something totally different than anything I've watched. The art style is lovely, and I LOVE the character designs. Appare is probably one of the coolest designs I've seen. The story is fun and action packed, even though it's not exactly realistic (especially for a "historical" anime lol). My only issue is that some moments were a bit lack luster, and some characters seemed very weak compared to others. Appare, TJ, Dylan, and even Kosame were so fleshed out and unique and had some badass moments, but then the females (Xialian and Sophia) just seemed bland and kinda just there to have some ... female characters...
The voice acting was great and the cast all did an amazing job! I put a 7 for sound because I honestly can't remember anything else about the sound design, but at least the voice acting was awesome.
I highly recommend this show to anyone looking to try something new or if you're just looking for a cool story with great characters!

"Appare Ranman!" might very well be one of the most insane anime I've ever seen. I'll be the first to admit that I've always had a soft spot for anime taking place during the late 19th to early 20th century and since those don't often come around I was immediately intrigued by this one. Although historical accuracy isn't precisely a strong point of the series the setting does contrast well with the vibrant characters and over-the-top premise. With it's striking character designs, incredible fight choreography and soundtrack by none other than Evan Call himself this show is a wild ride to say the least.

The story ... is very much driven forward by the characters and the show spends the first 4 episodes setting up stakes for several major characters showing us why they want to win the race. Appare wants to win to prove to everyone that he can build a faster car than anyone else, Jing wants to prove to the world that she can be a racer despite being a woman and Kosame wants the money so he can go home to Japan and so on. Overall those episodes do a good job of introducing the characters and setting up the stakes but they are undeniably slow and not the most entertaining. However when the show starts to pick up it REALLY picks up. Kosame and Hototo's backstories constantly being retold to us in the form of the same flashbacks gets old after a while and the plot itself never comes across as spectacularly creative in itself unlike the characters and setting. I am also aware some people were unhappy with the direction the plot didn't stay centered around the race but I have to disagree with that and say that I really liked the turn it took.

I believe the ending was satisfying enough, most of the major characters in the rather large cast had their arcs resolved during the final fight which was an incredible showdown and one of the best fights in anime that I've seen in a long time. Personally I enjoy seeing what actually happens to all the characters in a show after the story has concluded and since most of them really didn't get anything in that regard I was mildly disappointed but it was still better than what P.A did in Angel Beats! so I really shouldn't complain.

The character designs are all vibrant and unique from the poshness of Sofia and Al to the pure crazy that is TJ to whatever the hell Appare's design is. Despite many of them being out of place and ridiculous it still works very well. The characters are one thing but what about the vehicles? Considering how big a role the cars play in this show you would expect them to be well designed and they absolutely are. Each of them radiates character and you could easily tell which vehicle belongs to which character without any previous knowledge just by looking at it. Overall the art of the show is truly outstanding which is just what I've come to expect from a P.A works anime original

Evan Call stands at the very peak of soundtrack composition and he has once again outdone himself with the music in "Appare Ranman!". Everything from lovely strings to high tension standoff music straight out of a western movie to jazz-rap somehow all fit together perfectly in this spectacular OST.

"Appare Ranman!" overall is a good anime with great music, fights, designs and setting. As for the lack of realism... well it is what it is. Why can Kosame slice bullets with his katana? Why can TJ dodge a bullet fired at point-blank range? How does Appare manage to fly by simply adding more power to his engine? Because it's fucking cool that's why and that's very much the attitude of the show. Like I said "Appare Ranman!" is a wild ride, or dare I even say wild race.

This anime was so solid and so much fun all around. I'm absolutely in love with the eccentric character and car designs. Music was great. I don't necessarily remember any standout tracks from the soundtrack, but they did their job in establishing a decent 1920s-esque vibe, even though historically it can be a little confusing as to when this Appare-Ranman actually takes place when you juxtapose the racing scene against the outlaw environment the show takes place in.

This is a story that takes its drama seriously, but takes its historical accuracy less-so, and that's totally fine with me. All ... 7 of our main protagonists get their fair share of character development, even in this short 13 episode package, and by the end, I am convinced by the bond that they share.

2020 has been a tough year, especially for this anime since it got delayed, but do give this show a watch! 9/10!