The Good, the Bad, and the Autistic
Possibly the most interesting thing about the production is that the main, Appare, does appear to have autism. He's not simply indifferent to social interactions or unbearably dense in the way socially awkward or socially clueless mains often are. He's of the high-functioning variety and arguably an inventive genius who converts his peculiar steamboat into a car that can compete with other gasoline-powered cars. While some of the character drama can be a tad sappy, the main is the most interesting character by far, even if he looks somewhat like an avant-garde Japanese clown.The rest of the cast is likable enough as well. A Chinese female mechanic turned race car driver who is a strong, independent waman. A young Indian boy on a quest for vengeance, a samurai who went along for the ride with Appare, a European aristocrat who is the heir to one of the three oil companies sponsoring the races, the "bad brothers," and then Dylan and TJ, who turn this into kind of a crazy western.
There's little very original in the character interactions, but the friendly rivalries, the passion for science, the thrill of the sport, and the simple determinations of the characters work pretty well to carry the series to the end.
It's your standard transcontinental racing formula for the first six or so episodes, similar to Wacky Races. There's a little bit of the technique behind racing and a small amount of design and behind the scenes mechanic work, but nothing much--the main focus are the races themselves.
This takes a backseat eventually with the overtop, nihilistic, and MWHAHAHAHA EVIL villain holding hostages. Then we're treated to wild samurai/western action. They do that kind of silly "gun fu" stuff you'll see in Equilibrium or the Matrix, where the gunmen get right next to each other and mix gunplay with martial arts. The samurai, once he finally grows a spine, holds up well against gunmen as well. The main villain can square off against 5-7 people who all have guns, easily dodging their bullets and shooting the guns/kicking them out of their hands. So if you're not in the mood for ridiculous over the top action, this probably isn't the anime for you. Most people sign up for the racing and don't know this is also coming. If that doesn't sound appealing to you, then you should probably avoid this one.
Then, by the end, we get to return to the races, though I'm sure you already will know how it ends before watching it, but, hey, it's the journey that counts.
Thematically, you'll see a lot of the characters either clinging to an older era or embracing a new one. The samurai will soon have to put away his swords, whether or not he goes back to Japan, the outlaws are already turning to less unsavory ventures, and cars are beginning to overtake the train in terms of overall importance and for personal travel. Japan is portrayed as old fashion and in need of adapting, whereas Appare's apparent genius is realized rather quickly in the U.S.
But is it good? Well, for most of its duration, its a serviceable race car anime with a decent, though somewhat by the numbers, cast, and pretty solid visuals. The action is hit or miss depending on if you're looking for a zany style or something more grounded. It's not afraid to play cheesy music and have the characters sob when the show decides to go into cheap tearjerker mode, like with the "twists" it plays with the fate of one character. This isn't a classic by any means, but if the trailer looks appealing, you might like it.
score 4/10
CantileverCaribou 19 October 2020
Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw6189528/14755
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