Appare-Ranman!
Appare-Ranman! (天晴爛漫!, "Appare in Full Bloom!") is an original Japanese anime television series produced by P.A.Works, and directed by Masakazu Hashimoto. The series premiered on April 10, 2020. A manga adaptation by Ahndongshik was announced on March 4, 2020.[2]
Appare-Ranman! | |
![]() Key visual | |
天晴爛漫! | |
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Manga | |
Written by | Masakazu Hashimoto |
Illustrated by | Ahndongshik |
Published by | Kadokawa Shoten |
Magazine | Young Ace |
Demographic | Seinen |
Original run | April 3, 2020 – present |
Anime television series | |
Directed by | Masakazu Hashimoto |
Written by | Masakazu Hashimoto |
Music by | Evan Call |
Studio | P.A.Works |
Original network | Tokyo MX, AT-X, BS11, KBS, KNB, SUN TV, TVA |
English network | Funimation[1] |
Original run | April 10, 2020 – present |
Episodes | 13 |
Plot
Set around the late 19th Century, near the start of the Meiji era in Japan. An eccentric inventor and second son of a respected merchant family, Appare Sorano, decides one day to set off on an adventure. However, the samurai Kosame Isshiki is tasked with keeping Appare's eccentric behavior in check. While trying to drag Appare back to Japan, Kosame accidentally strands them both at sea, until they are saved at the last moment by a passing American steamship. Now stuck in Los Angeles with no money and no easy way to return to Japan, Appare and Kosame decide to enter the "Trans-America Wild Race," where Appare gets the chance to build a custom automobile and Kosame gets the opportunity to earn enough money to return home. The two of them will have to work together while fighting off other rival racers, bandits, and other challenges as they try to win the race.
Characters
- Appare Sorano (空乃 天晴, Sorano Appare)
- Voiced by: Natsuki Hanae[3]
- The second son of the Sorano merchant family. Much to his family's dismay, Appare doesn't care much for social norms or inheriting the family business, instead spending his time inventing new gadgets and studying various scientific texts. He was inspired from a very young age when he got a copy of the Jules Verne novel From the Earth to the Moon. He decides to enter Trans-America Wild Race in his own steam-powered vehicle.
- Kosame Isshiki (一色 小雨, Isshoki Kosame)
- Voiced by: Seiichirō Yamashita[3]
- The head instructor of his family's dojo and a samurai under Lord Kuroda. Kosame was tasked by his Lord with keeping Appare under control, but was dragged with him to America after a series of accidents. Despite being a strong samurai, he has PTSD from an incident in his past and has trouble attacking another person.
- Hototo (ホトト)
- Voiced by: Aoi Yūki[3]
- A Native American boy from a northeastern tribe whose family was slaughtered by a man with a snake tattoo on his neck. After being rescued from thugs in Los Angeles, he joins Appare and Kosame while hoping hunt down his family's killer.
- Jing Xialian (ジン・シャーレン, Jin Shāren)
- Voiced by: Sora Amamiya[3]
- A general assistant for an auto-racing team who dreams of becoming a racer, only to be denied due to prejudice against women. She secretly drives the team's cars at night and befriends Appare and Kosame. After an altercation with the team driver, she earns the owner's grudging respect and he provides her with an old car to enter the Trans-America Wild Race herself.
- Al Lyon (アル・リオン, Aru Rion)
- Voiced by: Sōma Saitō[3]
- A wealthy European from the family that owns one of the three B.I.G. Boss auto companies, BNW. He seeks to win the Trans-America Wild Race to prove to his family that he should be the heir to the company.
- Sophia Taylor (ソフィア・テイラー, Sofia Teirā)
- Voiced by: Fumiko Orikasa[3]
- Al's self-proclaimed "chaperone" and assistant whose mother serves as a domestic maid to Al's family.
- Seth Rich Carter (セス・リッチー・カッター, Sesu Ritchī Kattā)
- Voiced by: Kazuyuki Okitsu[4]
- An engineer for General Motors (G.M.) and an organizer of the Trans-America Wild Race, with ambitions of running the company.
- Dylan G. Oldin (ディラン・G・オルディン, Diran G Orudin)
- Voiced by: Takahiro Sakurai[4]
- A top racer driving for G.M. in the Trans-America Wild Race and a skilled gunman. One of the legendary "Thousand Three" outlaws known as "Dylan the Hero."
- TJ (ティー・ジェイ, Tī Jei)
- Voiced by: Tomokazu Sugita[4]
- Known as Crazy TJ, he is another of the legendary "Thousand Three" outlaws who is hired by the Iron Motor Company to drive the Trans-America Wild Race.
- Gil T. Cigar (ギル・T・シガー, Giru T Shigā)
- Voiced by: Daisuke Ono[1]
- Known as Gil the Butcher, he is another of the legendary "Thousand Three" outlaws and driver for Tlaloc.
- Chase the Bad (チェイス・ザ・バッド, Cheisu za Baddo)
- Voiced by: Tetsu Inada[1]
- Partner of Gil T. Cigar
- Richard Riesman (リチャード・リースマン, Richādo Rīsuman)
- Voiced by: Kenjiro Tsuda[1]
- Competitor in his car the GT3.
Production and release
On October 12, 2019, P.A.Works announced that they are producing the 13-episode original anime television series directed and written by Masakazu Hashimoto. Yurie Oohigashi is designing the characters based on the original designs by Ahndongshik, with Shiho Takeuchi handling mechanical designs, and Evan Call composing the series' music.[5] Mia REGINA performs the series' opening theme song "I got it!" and the ending song is performed by Showtaro Morikubo. It premiered on April 10, 2020 on Tokyo MX.[3][4] On April 17, 2020, it was announced that airings of episode 4 and onward were delayed due to the effects of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.[6] On June 9, 2020, it was announced that the anime will restart on July 3, 2020 and the fourth episode will premiere on July 24, 2020.[7]
No. | Title[8][lower-alpha 1] | Original air date | |
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1 | "Sunny (Appare), with Occasional Showers (Kosame)" Transcription: "Hare, tokidoki Kosame" (Japanese: 晴れ、ときどき小雨) | April 10, 2020 | |
A colorful cast of racers sets off on the Trans-America Wild Race, a competition to be the first to drive their car from Los Angeles to New York to win a large cash prize. The show flashes back to one year earlier, where a samurai named Kosame Isshiki is tasked by Lord Kuroda to oversee Appare Sorano, an eccentric inventor whose latest contraption damaged the Lord's garden. In anger, Kuroda threw Appare in a jail cell with violent criminals, but Appare breaks out and quietly heads back to his room on his family's land. Kosame begs Appare to ask the Lord for forgiveness, but Appare ignores him, heading down a secret passageway to a custom mini steamship he has built. Appare says goodbye to his sister and heads out on his ship, with Kosame trying to drag him back, but Kosame accidentally hits the emergency throttle, stranding them both at sea with no food or fresh water. Miraculously, a large steamship passes by and rescues them, carrying them all the way to port in Los Angeles in America. | |||
2 | "In the Dark" | April 17, 2020 | |
Appare and Kosame set up in a storehouse near the Los Angeles port when the steamship captain informs them they'll be stuck there unless they earn enough money to pay for a trip back home. The pair have no luck finding jobs, until Kosame uses his sword training to earn some money on the street. Later that day, the two come across a racetrack where the B.I.G. Boss auto conglomerate announces a prize of $1.51 Million to anyone who can beat their racecar and win in the Trans-America Wild Race to New York. Appare decides to enter the race, and sneaks onto the racetrack later that night with Kosame to study the cars up close. Appare wanders onto the racetrack while looking for a lantern and nearly gets run over by another racer. The racer in question is Jing Xialian, a "chore girl" who was denied being able to race due to prejudice against women, and she fears being fired for racing a car without permission and breaking it while trying to dodge Appare. Appare responds that she shouldn't let other people dissuade her from racing, as he secretly fixes the car overnight. The next night, Kosame tries to confront some thugs who are beating up a child, but suddenly has a bout of PTSD and can't draw his sword. He is saved at the last moment by another gunman. | |||
3 | "DUEL" | April 24, 2020 | |
The thugs flee when they discover the gunman is Dylan of the "Thousand Three". The next day, the boy tells Appare and Kosame his name is Hototo, and that he came to the city from a tribe in the north-eastern US to find the man who killed his parents. Later, A European driver, Al Lyon, lands at the port with Sophia, hoping to win the Wild Race and prove to his family that he is a worthy heir to the BNW company. While drinking tea, Al informs Appare and Kosame that he has bought the storehouse in which they are staying. Appare proposes that if he can make a car to beat Al's in 10 days, they'll keep the storehouse, and he offers Kosame's swords as collateral. After visiting Jing for spare parts, Appare returns and mounts his wind-up two wheeler invention[lower-alpha 2]. Appare and Al then raise the stakes to include wagering Appare's two wheeler against Al's BNW car. On the day of the race, Appare chooses a wasteland track on the outskirts of the city, and arrives in a large contraption with Kosame. Despite Al having the faster car, Appare ejects a piece of his vehicle and slingshots Kosame to the finish line, winning the race. Al lets Appare keep the storehouse, Appare gives his two wheeler to Sophia, and the two racers pledge to have even better cars at the official Wild Race. | |||
4 | "Let It Go" | July 24, 2020 | |
Kosame has the idea of selling Al's car to pay for a return trip to Japan, but Appare has completely disassembled it to integrate its parts with his own vehicle. Meanwhile, Jing is frustrated by the patronizing attitude of her boss and his driver David against women. Following an altercation, the owner gives her a chance to race David using an old spare racer, before she is fired. She manages to get the broken-down car to Appare who convinces Al to repair it. On the day of the race, David leads for 9 laps in his faster car after Jing loses her early lead. On the last lap, her strategy of tailing David pays off and she gains the lead, but as they approach the finish line, he shoves her car off the track and wins. The owner punches David for endangering his car, but he is impressed by Jing’s skill and offers her the car for the Trans-America race. In a change of heart, some mechanics offer to modify the car for her. Later, Dylan Oldin, driver at the GM company, learns that Iron Motor Company has hired Crazy TJ as a driver and that Gil the Butcher is also entering the race. | |||
5 | "The Eve, and..." | July 31, 2020 | |
On the eve of the Trans-America Wild Race, Kosame quits his part-time job at Bob's Café and the team attend a pre-start party. They meet Seth Rich Carter and the other competitors, Crazy TJ, Gil T. Cigar and his partner, Chase. The rules are explained to the competitors which encourage the use of gasoline as the fuel and forced rest stops which benefit the larger manufacturers. Outside, Hototo confronts Dylan about the man wearing a snake tattoo who killed his family and Dylan reveals that is was probably one of Gil the Snake's men. TJ interrupts the draw for pole positions, and the event descends into chaos as a fight ensues to decide the position. The next day, the race begins and Appare takes off with Kosame and Hototo in the only steam-powered vehicle, in last position. | |||
6 | "I Am Gil!" | August 7, 2020 | |
The racers head towards the finish line of the first stage in the town of Lancaster, and Dylan wins followed closely by Crazy TJ. Appare's vehicle arrives in last position although he made up time in his slower machine by driving cross-country. During the rest stop, Hototo sees a snake tattoo on one of Gil's men, and follows them to their camp. He overhears Chase plotting to slow everyone down with a roadblock at the entrance of the Valley of Despair, then bursting through the roadblock themselves. They then plan to set off an explosion as the other competitors pass through behind them on the way to Death Valley. Unfortunately, Hototo is captured and Gil's men lock him in a box, planning to blow him up with the dynamite the next day. Kosame realizes Hototo is missing and while searching for the boy, Richard Riesman tells him the location of Gil's camp. Kosame finds the camp but not Hototo. At midnight, all the racers except for Appare leave for the next stage, but they are soon stopped by Gil's barricade. Meanwhile, Hototo has managed to escape and he joins Appare and Kosame just as dawn breaks. Appare takes off after the other cars while Hototo explains Gil's plan to dynamite the valley. | |||
7 | "FAKE" | August 14, 2020 |
Notes
- All English titles are taken from Funimation.
- A personal transporter which resembles a Segway
References
- "P.A. Works' Appare-Ranman! Anime's Video Previews Opening Song, More Cast". Anime News Network. March 21, 2020. Retrieved March 21, 2020.
- "P.A. Works' Appare-Ranman! Wild West Racing Anime Gets Manga in April". Anime News Network. March 4, 2021. Retrieved March 4, 2020.
- "P.A. Works' Appare-Ranman! Wild West Anime Reveals Cast, Character Profiles, April Debut". Anime News Network. January 6, 2020. Retrieved January 6, 2020.
- "P.A. Works' Appare-Ranman! Wild West Anime Reveals Cast, Character Profiles, April Debut". Anime News Network. February 11, 2020. Retrieved February 11, 2020.
- "P.A. Works Makes Original Wild-West Car Race Anime Appare-Ranman!". Anime News Network. October 12, 2019. Retrieved October 12, 2019.
- "P.A. Works' Appare-Ranman! Anime Delayed Due to COVID-19". Anime News Network. Retrieved 2020-04-17.
- "P.A. Works' Appare-Ranman! Anime Restarts on July 3 After COVID-19 Delay". Anime News Network. Retrieved June 9, 2020.
- "ストーリー オリジナルアニメ「天晴爛漫!公式サイト" (in Japanese). Retrieved April 5, 2020.
External links
- Anime official website (in Japanese)
- Appare-Ranman! (anime) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia