English Dub Review: APPARE-RANMAN! “Heavy Rain”

Overview:

Trauma isn’t an easy thing to shake off.

Our Take:

It’s been built up for a long time that despite having pride as a swordsman, Kosame is unable to fight. Even when cornered in an alleyway, or threatened by thieves, his trauma comes back to him. Kosame is afraid of blood, or at the very least afraid of the weight of injuring someone with a weapon for good. He has spent his days in a dojo, but training in a straightforward environment with a wooden shinai is very different than cutting someone with a true blade.

His friends are in trouble, and Kosame is defeated. The thieves don’t see him as a threat, and to be fair, why would he be, if he can’t handle his own weapon? Unlike the fake Gil, where the gang got off fairly easily since it turns out the imposters were decent enough people minus the trickery, these are hardened criminals who don’t take mercy. They line the gang up and try to hang them in the middle of town, and while this does buy some time, that is a pretty gruesome way to do things– via public execution.

Kosame previously, like Appare, has acted like their partnership is a troublesome thing. He seems exasperated and frustrated by Appare and his quirks, but the truth is, he likes the ragtag gang that they have all formed. He is also an honorable person, and has his own fair code of conduct. Most of the story before this has focused on Appare, with Kosame mostly being the average person who follows societal rules commenting on the whole thing. He is the layperson in the face of a genius, and so he seems rather simple by comparison. His one standout part is his qualification as a bodyguard, and now we see what he can do.

So when that Kurosawa-style showdown comes, it’s fantastic. It really feels earned, and I’m glad for Kosame to finally do something. The fight scene is also done so well and so coolly- even something improbable like dodging bullets makes sense because Kosame’s fighting style relies on reading body language. He dispatches the entire bunch of criminals, and it’s awesome to see. He really did just let out everything he knows, and it proves that he can be just as deadly when he puts his mind to it. Congrats on pushing past your trauma, Kosame.