Appare-Ranman!

 Appare-Ranman! (天晴爛漫!) is an original TV anime created by Hashimoto Masakazu.  The series ran for 13 episodes and aired over the Spring and Summer of 2020.

    The series is set in a fictional mashup of post Edo Japan, 1890's and the 1920's.  The series follows eccentric (both in thought and look) Sorano Appare as he casually flees Japan with his unwilling companion, upright heir to a samurai family, Isshiki Kosame.  In a set of random chances they end up across the Pacific in Los Angeles.  Once there they learn of a cross country car race that has a winning prize pool large enough to get them back home.

    The race is an effort by the largest car manufacturers to show off the new mode of transportation to the world.  Unfortunately for everyone the race ends up attracting a motley crew of criminals and weirdo's...Appare and Kosame included.  Appare is drawn to the race as a mad scientist inventor and quickly converts the steam ship that got them to America into an all terrain...boat.  Will the confident eccentric and his honor bound prisoner/companion be able to survive the challenges ahead of them as they race across the continent?

    The first thing you need to do to enjoy Appare-Ranman! is to suspend ALL belief.  The series is at its core a test in reason and reality.  The next biggest challenge is to not be distracted by the rampant stereotyping in its cast of characters.  From the the solitary black character who looks like Boosty Collins, to the vaguely Native American kid to the eye candy Chinese immigrant.  All of the primary characters have there own filled in backgrounds which directly relate to their motivations and personalities...accept for Appare.  He's just driven by his own sense of accomplishment and we really don't see his back story.  While the catalyst for the plot is the race a large portion of the anime focuses on other things, like character back stories and continuous plot derailments.  So while at first glance it looks to be a modern historical take on Speed Racer the race is more a McGuffin for the assembled cast.

    In general the series was watch-able.  I didn't watch it until it was done and crammed it in 3 sessions.  I don't think i would have kept interest if i would have watched it as it came out.  The artwork is lack luster, with lazy CG on many places and nothing entirely compelling overall.  What kept me hitting Next at the end of each episode was to see where everything was going as it really wasn't about the race.  In the end it didn't truly redeem its self for the time spent...but I also don't regret consuming it.  Would I recommend it...probably not.  You're not going to miss much is anything if skipping.

    The series is available in North America via FUNimation and their partnerships.