English Dub Review: APPARE-RANMAN! “OVER THE MOON”

Overview:

Everyone races against the clock to stop Gil.

Our Take:

I’d say this finale felt a tad bit rushed. There were three parts to the finale overall: the fight with Gil, catching up to the train before it reaches its destination, and then the conclusion of the race itself. The first part was very tight-packed, with adrenaline on a high as the entire group fights to not just outgun but also outsmart Gil. For someone who has a handle on both how people think and is the person responsible for orchestrating the whole situation, Gil is a person to be feared. The amount of intensity and effort needed to get a leg up on Gil felt necessary and well deserved. The action scenes in this series are pretty great, and it definitely showed in the final episode.

By comparison, the train catching sequence and the race finale felt very rushed. I had to rewatch portions of the train catching to recall what happened, and the end of the race came off as a little tacked on. It would’ve made more sense for it to be split into two episodes for the finale, but seasons have limits, unfortunately. It’s a shame, because the finale would’ve been even more impressive had it been given more time to breathe.

Appare shows his humanity once again- in the bonds he’s formed with people (him sharing his dream with Al was very touching), but how he mourns for Kosame. When Kosame heads back to Japan, Appare once again spends his time pushing down his feelings until they’re too much to bear. In truth, his bond with Kosame matters a lot to him, and not having Kosame by his side makes him incredibly upset. He only finds the courage to say something until it’s too late– potentially. It turns out that Kosame values his bond with Appare equally so, and decides to stay behind. That they’ve gone from unwilling allies to the best of friends is such a great progression, and I loved seeing it.

Overall, I’d say this was a pretty good show! It’s not particularly deep, but it doesn’t really have to be. In the end, what was most highlighted were the characters, how the cast gelled together and all managed to inspire each other. Each one of the main cast was unique in their own ways, and brought a lot to the table. This is a fairly unique show in that regard, and it’s a lot of fun! In truth, I’m going to miss it a lot.