As so often seems to be the case, just when I was resigning myself to dropping a series it comes out with a really decent episode. This week was probably as good as Appare-Ranman! has been, and now it’s past the halfway point too, so… With the bar getting a little lower and the output getting a little better, it becomes easier to justify staying with it. For at least one more week, anyway (though no promises).
It’s not like this episode did anything revelatory, but everything was tightened up and the result was a lot more impactful. Hototo’s backstory has the most resonance so it being in focus helps, but there’s also the way it ties into Kaname’s to consider. In point of fact both Kaname and Appare came off better here than at any time in the series (though that’s not saying much in Appare’s case), and the pacing was better too. There was a sense of urgency to events that has sometimes been lacking, and when you’re talking about a series with this premise narrative momentum is everything.
Appare’s car being the automotive industry’s first hybrid was kind of an interesting twist to begin with. It’s not practical to use the thermal energy from an internal combustion engine to power a steam engine but conceptually it has a certain elegance. Importantly, Appare – for the second time in two eps – acts in an “illogical” manner, trashing the gas engine in order to warn Al and in about “Gil’s” plot. Later they return the favor by towing the disabled car to the supply point (which Appare finds just as puzzling as his own actions), and Kosame gives Appare a lecture about how humans aren’t machines no matter how much Appare would like it to be otherwise.
Appare’s nature is sort of cliche, true, but this is pretty effective. Appare is certainly more relatable when he’s actually struggling – either with his emotions or with his inability to be useful when an overnight in Death Valley is necessitated. And Kosame is emerging as more than just a neurotic older sister type. He’s the emotional center of the group, effectively. It’s interesting that when Hototo challenges his ability to relate to his own pain over losing a parent, Kosame chooses to let it slide. I suspect that will change later, but he senses that Hototo needs his impotent rage left unchallenged for the moment. That’s the positive side to Kosame’s sensitive nature.
I also liked the camping scene generally – the bit with original and new Hototo was as legitimately funny as any attempt at comedy Appare-Ranman has ventured – and the confrontation between Hototo and Gil. We got a taste of anti-native bigotry, and everyone rallying to Hototo’s side – and Hototo showing his vulnerability was well-handled. As for Gil of course he was never Gil, just an impersonator – but even if he and his “bad” brother don’t kill kids and women, they still cheated and nearly killed several of their competitors (which include a kid and woman). That lends a certain air of satisfaction to Appare’s well-timed sabotage of their car.
There’s certainly enough in the pot here to make the rest of Appare-Ranman potentially interesting. The race itself, Hototo and his quest for revenge, along with Kosame’s efforts to dissuade him from it, the matter of the real villain in the massacre, and who’s trying to sabotage the race. As long as the execution is as good as it was this week, that ought to be plenty to make the rest of the run engaging and entertaining. But this show has been inconsistent enough that I’m going to want a little more convincing before I start to feel confident.
