[DmonHiro] Appare-Ranman! (BD, 720p)

Sorano Appare is a strange person. He has almost no social skills, but is an amazing inventor. Isshiki Kosame is a down-on-his-luck samurai tasked with keeping an eye on him. But when Appare’s invention gets them stuck on a drifting boat and then stranded in America, Kosame has to think of a way of getting them back home. As luck would have it the Trans-America Wild Race is about to begin and the prize money would be more than enough to get them back to Japan. Even more lucky is the fact that Appare wants to build machines, so he built a car. Well, it’s time to win the race and get back home. But nothing is ever easy when your partner is a knack for getting into trouble. Also, the rest of the participants in the race are not of sound mind either. On your marks, get set, go!

Do you like Wacky Races? Well, this is pretty much it. Just with a wild west theme. It’s a lot of fun though and the animation is also pretty good. While Appare is technically incredibly annoying, his antics and Kosame having to play the straight-man are hilarious. The rest of the cast is pretty strong too. I especially liked Xialian and Hototo. Hototo was in fact the only socially capable person on Appare’s team, and he was only 11. If I have to say something bad about it, it’s that the final act dropped the racing part. I understand needing a final confrontation, but they could have worked in the racing a little better. Still, a good watch. Subtitles by Erai.