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P.A. Works' Appare-Ranman! Wild West Racing Anime Reveals More Cast, April 10 Debut in Video
posted on by Rafael Antonio Pineda
The official Twitter account for P.A. Works' original television anime Appare-Ranman! began streaming a new promotional video for the anime on Wednesday. The video reveals three new cast members for the anime, as well as the anime's April 10 premiere date on Tokyo MX and other channels. The Twitter account also revealed the theme song artists and a new visual for the anime.
The trio Mia REGINA perform the anime's opening theme song "I got it!" and the song's single goes on sale on April 22. Showtaro Morikubo performs the anime's ending theme song.
The new cast members include (character name romanizations are not official):
Tomokazu Sugita as TJ, one of the legendary "Thousand Three" outlaws. He is known and feared as "Crazy TJ," both for his outlandish fashion and hairstyle, to his tendency to jump into danger even knowing the risks. He is employed by the Iron Motor automobile company to take part in the race. He feels a kinship with the brash Appare, especially with regard to crazy hairstyles.
Kazuyuki Okitsu as Seth Rich Cutter, an employee of the GM automobile company, and one of the organizers for the race. He is the one that proposed the race to the company's upper management as a way of showing off the company's work by winning. To publicize the race, he has spared no expense to organize parades, plan festivals, and hire Dylan. He has past experience as an engineer designing race cars.
The previously revealed cast includes:
Seiichiro Yamashita as Isshiki Kosame (family name first), a 21-year-old man, and low-ranked government official who lived in the same town as Appare. He is a master of cooking, cleaning, and laundry, due to having lost his mother early on and having to take care of his father and sister. He is a straightforward man who is often prone to worrying about his friends, and this often leads to him being led around by Appare. Though initiated into the hantsuki ittō-ryū style of swordsmanship, he doesn't get into fights often. According to his father, he has been promised in marriage to a beautiful fiance which he has never seen.
Aoi Yūki as Hototo, an intensely proud 11-year-old Native American boy. He is on a lone journey for revenge, but meets Appare and Kosame in his journeys. He is mature for his years, which leads to him disliking being treated like a child. He will not hesitate to fight anyone, even adults, to protect what he loves. Having inherited his skill of living off the land from his grandfather, he is capable of foraging for food and water, making his own weapons, and reading the terrain and climate. He has great respect for Appare, who seems to not be driven by the whims of society.
Sora Amamiya as Jin Xiaoleng, the only female racer in the Trans-America Wild Race. She was born to Chinese immigrants who run a laundromat. She began doing odd jobs for various racing teams as a starting point to her strong desire to be a racer herself, but began to become worried when she started losing opportunities due to being a woman. She had halfway decided to give up until she met Appare. She is a master of both her self-honed driving technique, and the martial arts that her father taught her.
Soma Saito as Al Leon, a 19-year-old European, and the youngest of three siblings. He represents BNW, an automobile company that is one of the many businesses owned by his family's conglomerate, and appropriately drives a car born from his wealth and privilege. He proves a match for the free-spirited Appare, and desires nothing more than a fair match, considering Appare a worthy rival. He is as able a hand at driving as he is with the violin, fencing, golf, and many other skills.
Fumiko Orikasa as Sophia Taylor, a gentle-hearted girl who watches over Al by the order of his father. He has been friends with Al since childhood, and they share a relationship close to siblings, often serving to stop Al before his schemes run out of hand. She has an unexpectedly curious and active side to her. While she wishes for Al to win the race, she also wishes for the safety of Al and his friends.
The story is set at the end of the 19th century and on the eve of the next one. After a certain mishap, the brilliant but socially inept engineer Sorano Appare (family name first) and the shrewd but cowardly samurai Isshiki Kosame find themselves drifting on a boat from Japan to America. Broke, the two decide to compete in the Trans-America Wild Race to win the prize and return to Japan. The two battle crazy rivals, outlaws, and the great outdoors itself as they race through the wild West from the starting line in Los Angeles to the finish line in New York — in the steam-powered car they built.
Takeshi Kikuchi and Daijō Kudō are credited with project planning, with APPERRACING credited with the original story concept. Masakazu Hashimoto (Tari Tari, Crayon Shin-chan films) is directing, supervising the series scripts, and credited with the original story drafts. Yurie Oohigashi is designing the characters based on the original designs by Ahndongshik (Dongshik AHN, Gagoze), as well as serving as chief animation director. Shiho Takeuchi is drawing the mechanical designs.
Miho Sugiura is directing the art, and Satoshi Namiki is the compositing director of photography. Naomi Nakano is the color key artist, and Motonari Ichikawa is directing the 3D. Ayumu Takahashi is editing. Satoki Iida is directing the sound, and Evan Call (Violet Evergarden, YU-NO: A girl who chants love at the bound of this world. ) is composing the music at Lantis.
Sources: Appare-Ranman! anime's Twitter account, Comic Natalie