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EP. REVIEW: Appare-Ranman!


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meiam



Joined: 23 Jun 2013
Posts: 3442
PostPosted: Fri Apr 17, 2020 11:20 pm Reply with quote
I like the idea the idea of a anime wacky racer (did any of the wacky racer ever air in japan?) and the production value area really great. But ooooof, Appare is obnoxious! And it doesn't seem like the show realize just how obnoxious he is, especially his appearance which doesn't fit his personality in the slightest. I'm glad more character are getting involved just so we spend less time with Appare.
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Gina Szanboti



Joined: 03 Aug 2008
Posts: 11330
PostPosted: Sat Apr 18, 2020 9:46 pm Reply with quote
I don't know what they were thinking having Hototo pull up a hoodie over the feathers in his hair. That would mangle the crap out of them, and actually made me wince when he did it.
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Nom De Plume De Fanboy
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Exempt from Grammar Rules


Joined: 14 Jan 2011
Posts: 611
Location: inland US west, pretty rural
PostPosted: Sun Apr 19, 2020 7:54 pm Reply with quote
This is a fun show so far, with hints of some seriousness in the stories of the characters, alongside the Wacky Racers vibe in a steampunk-ish Wild Wild West. So I'm not putting it down for things that just shouldn't, or couldn't, have happened. For example, I was getting into the trivia of when it was set; in another forum, we thought it was around 1900, probably 1903-ish? Now one of the steam ship crew says that they can't spoiler[ go back to Japan, because they are headed east through the Panama Canal. Ahem; the Canal opened in 1914. Maybe one of the ships had a really old flag.] Surprised Oh well, I shouldn't care about little details. And I mean that; when we get some more eps, this could be an entertaining bunch to watch. Along with those crazy cars. Shocked
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yuna49



Joined: 27 Aug 2008
Posts: 3804
PostPosted: Mon Apr 20, 2020 8:20 am Reply with quote
I did a little research on cars, and roadster #4 that appears in the second episode, has a number of similarities to the Model T Ford roadster from 1920.

https://forums.animesuki.com/showthread.php?p=6412948#post6412948

I wish they'd mention if World War I has happened, or even the Russo-Japanese War. If WWI has ended, it's likely the show takes place in the 1920s (to the extent there's any concern for verisimilitude). From watching Shirobako we know that such accuracy was important to the folks at Musashino Animation. Maybe Diesel-san did the research on the cars.
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scowler



Joined: 30 May 2009
Posts: 92
PostPosted: Mon Apr 20, 2020 1:09 pm Reply with quote
The US flag depicted in this show has 45 stars. That flag was adopted in 1896 (after Utah officially joined as a state) and was used until 1907 (when Oklahoma joined).
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all-tsun-and-no-dere
ANN Reviewer


Joined: 06 Jul 2015
Posts: 605
PostPosted: Mon Apr 20, 2020 1:17 pm Reply with quote
Quoth the director:
Quote:
Although this series is not set in the modern day, it has a lot of anachronistic and fantasy elements. It's not determined what year or month the story takes place. I didn't want the anime to get caught up with realism. It's not a historical story, and the historical setting is merely a backdrop for a story where the characters could shine.



Stop trying to determine what year it takes place. It's a fool's errand.
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Dop.L



Joined: 23 Mar 2007
Posts: 713
Location: London
PostPosted: Fri Apr 24, 2020 4:33 pm Reply with quote
Technically, it’s more of a ClockworkPunk Segway.
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Agent355



Joined: 12 Dec 2008
Posts: 5113
Location: Crackberry in hand, thumbs at the ready...
PostPosted: Sun Apr 26, 2020 2:54 am Reply with quote
Love this show—I’m not into cars, racing or Shonen sports tropes, but it has a great sense of humor, and is just fun to watch. The characters are great. I like Appare—“socially oblivious genius” characters are fun to watch as long as they’re young/naive/not mean spirited enough to annoy me (for comparison, I really like the show Young Sheldon even though I dislike The Big Bang Theory).

So, who else thinks Hototo is AFAB (assigned female at birth, physically female)? Their character is giving me major Dororo vibes. I wish their outfit had less stereotype markers, but if their backstory and culture is given depth, it’ll make up for the outfit.
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Gina Szanboti



Joined: 03 Aug 2008
Posts: 11330
PostPosted: Sat Aug 01, 2020 4:23 am Reply with quote
Yeah, that noose. Shocked I'm thinking it's not a fashion statement. Kinda gave me Django vibes somehow, not sure why. Maybe it's the defiance in it. I wonder if the juxtaposition of that and the insistence on wearing a necktie was intentional or not. I did get a kick out of TJ and Appare comparing hair though.

Anyway, now that we're back to the starting line again, I'm looking forward to the actual race!
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Agent355



Joined: 12 Dec 2008
Posts: 5113
Location: Crackberry in hand, thumbs at the ready...
PostPosted: Sun Aug 09, 2020 2:31 am Reply with quote
I don’t know how I missed the noose, probably because AJ’s character is always in motion. Ugh, that’s a mark against recommending this otherwise fun show to anyone.

I liked the Hototo plot in episode 6 a lot, especially in how it worked to emphasize the bond between the three members of our racing team. I don’t mind the cute mascot we got out of it, either (is that a chipmunk? Prairie dog? Couldn’t tell). I hope Appare & Kosame end up helping Hototo find their father’s killer, and that Hototo accepts their help—it would mark character growth for Hototo.
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Gina Szanboti



Joined: 03 Aug 2008
Posts: 11330
PostPosted: Thu Aug 13, 2020 4:37 am Reply with quote
Quote:
It's both an underhanded and lackadaisical approach to winning, which fits with how they see fit to “dispose” of their little spy by just tying him up and leaving him on the side of the road.

There was something off about that. The gang's plan was to put him among the boxes with the dynamite. I think Gil personally dumped him off there. He only deigned to intervene at all when he heard why Hototo was there. There's clearly more to Gil hiding behind his Darth Vader mask and henchmen.

I think Hototo II is a prairie dog, though why it has a mohawk I couldn't guess. Really quick thinking on Kosame's part.
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Yuvelir



Joined: 06 Jan 2015
Posts: 1543
PostPosted: Fri Aug 21, 2020 5:26 pm Reply with quote
I'm pretty sure that isn't what shotguns shoot...
Anyway, at this point I don't have any hope of seeing much racing done, so instead I'll just enjoy the Jojo aura it exhudes with its quirky characters and zany events.
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Gina Szanboti



Joined: 03 Aug 2008
Posts: 11330
PostPosted: Sat Aug 22, 2020 3:21 pm Reply with quote
So is "Eli, NV" supposed to be a fictional town or do the subbers not know there is an actual Ely, NV? It's not clear, since Ely is about 300 miles ne of Death Valley, but they made it seem like it was maybe 30 miles away from DV as a rest stop.

Yeah, yeah, I know, don't take it so seriously. But as a previous participant in the St. Valentine's Day Massacre cross country road rally, it's hard to ignore such details. Laughing
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Zerreth



Joined: 16 Mar 2006
Posts: 207
Location: E6
PostPosted: Sat Aug 22, 2020 6:36 pm Reply with quote
Gina Szanboti wrote:
So is "Eli, NV" supposed to be a fictional town or do the subbers not know there is an actual Ely, NV? It's not clear, since Ely is about 300 miles ne of Death Valley, but they made it seem like it was maybe 30 miles away from DV as a rest stop.

Yeah, yeah, I know, don't take it so seriously. But as a previous participant in the St. Valentine's Day Massacre cross country road rally, it's hard to ignore such details. Laughing




You're correct, it's pronounced "ee-lee" and most definitely a reference to Ely, NV.
The fact that they wouldn't even have to research that hard as it shows up in a list of cities of Nevada just seems really lazy.
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Agent355



Joined: 12 Dec 2008
Posts: 5113
Location: Crackberry in hand, thumbs at the ready...
PostPosted: Sun Aug 23, 2020 5:43 am Reply with quote
A Magnificent Seven/Seven Samurai crossover! Laughing
Ep 8 didn’t quite work for me. I think it indulged to much in samurai and Wild West tropes
without enough unique AR wackiness (although I loved the little detail where Appare says “my weapon is up here” and you think he’s referring to his brain, but he actually has a net releasing device in his hair). I did like that we finally got Kosame’s backstory, although I hope there’s more of it (did he find out who killed his mother?). And he may have killed the man who killed Hototo’s father...or not, because Gil is still out there.
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