All right, the Trans-America Wild Race is about to start!
The rules are simple--
you drive your car from here in Los Angeles across the country,
and the one who is the fastest to arrive in New York is the winner!
The first day is a pre-race, with a prize of $10,000 on the line!
The daredevil challengers competing in this unprecedented survival race
are impatiently waiting for the start signal to be given!
Aren't you ready yet, Appare?! The race is about to start! What are you doing?!
Final tuning. I'm hurrying. Keep quiet.
Sheesh, we're the only ones doing it.
Kosame, settle down. We have far to go.
You're a child; you be quiet.
Appare, I'm going on ahead!
You've known for a long time that today was the start of the race, right?
Why didn't you have this finished yesterday?!
--Done. --Oh, good.
Hurry, hurry, hurry!
Hototo...
Right.
Hitch up your loincloth, Kosame.
Huh? D-Drive safely...
So, let's go and see where this road leads!
Here we go!
Whoa!
Be careful, everyone.
There you are, Appare. Race me!
I'm not going to hold back!
Hmph, interesting guy.
Kosame, Hototo, hang on! We're gonna blast out of here as fast as we can go!
"Episode 1" "Sunny [Appare], With Occasional Showers [Kosame]"
"One year earlier" So you know what my boy did...?
The steam pressure I can estimate from my experiment results
"Fuyutsuki Prefecture, Yukinoshita Village" The steam pressure I can estimate from my experiment results
"Fuyutsuki Prefecture, Yukinoshita Village" was about 65% of what I expected.
To get the thermal conductivity to the boiler to approximate my design calculations,
I'll need to readjust the heat pipe.
How much clearance between the pipe and the boiler will be enough?
I guess I'll need to reexamine the cooling system
to see how long I can extend its practical running time.
There's still some room for improvement.
Next!
Big Brother!
What is it, Fumi?
Where are your manners? Also, in the dojo...
--...address me as "Shihandai." --...address me as "Shihandai."
Shihandai, a messenger from Lord Kuroda has arrived,
and says that you are to come to his mansion immediately.
What?! Why didn't you say so?!
You know Sorano Appare, right?
The Sorano family's second son?
Yes, sir.
He's a genius when it comes to gadgets,
and creates the most unusual things, under the guise of being experiments.
Rumor has it that he carries on in some rather wild behavior.
They are not rumors!
Wha--?!
What is that?
I don't know! But look at my treasured garden!
If this were the Tokugawa Era,
I would slay him for this insolence, no questions asked.
Huh?
But though they are commoners,
their family were major merchants who once even dealt with the shogunate.
If I'm not careful, this could blow up in my face.
Yes, quite right. The fellow is trouble, all right.
Which brings me to you, Kosame. I'm ordering you to be Appare's overseer.
Huh? Me?!
You're close to his age. It's the perfect fit.
The perfect fit for what, sir?
Also, from what I hear, he was once a pupil at your dojo.
Oh, no, sir, his father twisted my arm to let him join,
but I expelled him within three days--
I am done talking!
If anything else happens, you will be jointly responsible.
Keep a tight watch over him.
Yes, sir.
Then again, he may have already been killed inside the jail by now.
Huh?
I had him thrown into the major criminals cell.
If he dies in a run-in with another criminal,
no one will have to accept any blame.
Hey, new guy, too good to say hello?
I don't say hello. Waste of time.
Wh-What?! Why, you...!
Move your foot.
Ha, why don't you go ahead and make me?
Ee-yow!
What the hell was that for?!
--My foot...! --He told me to, didn't he?
You've got some attitude.
Let me teach you the rules in here.
That won't be necessary.
Huh?
I'm leaving now.
H-Hey, wait! Open it up once again! Hey! Come back!
Hey, they're raising a racket.
Let them be.
We're on notice to pretend not to see anything, no matter what happens.
Right.
Huh? There was one other, wasn't there? A sassy little brat.
He got the hell out.
Huh?
"Sorano's"
Appare!
Where have you been?!
The beach. After that, I broke into an estate, got put in jail,
and now I've come home.
What exactly do you think you're doing?!
You wouldn't even understand it if I explained it to you.
Appare! You can't talk to your father like that!
You're 19 years old now. Stop wasting your time with nonsense
and help out with the household business!
Just because you're the second son, I won't have you messing around!
I'm busy right now. I have other things to do.
If you aren't going to work, then get out!
The thing is, he opened the jail door on his own and walked away.
Escaping from jail is a serious offense. Gather some men!
We'll catch him, and make sure he can't ever pull his foolishness again!
--Yes, sir! --Yes, sir!
Damn it!
He's such a handful!
"Measure of Last Resort"
All right...
"Measure of Last Resort" What do you need your katana for?
"Measure of Last Resort" To catch a criminal.
"Measure of Last Resort" Is everything okay?
Yeah. I'll handle this before things get out of hand.
Huh?
Hey, don't worry. I'll be back in no time.
Ah...! Aw, man...
"Sorano's" Ah...! Aw, man...
"Sorano's" Pardon me, but is Appare in?
You're the Shihandai from the Hangetsu Dojo.
I'm his older brother, Hanbei. Has he done something again?
Ah, yes, sort of...
For crying out loud, he never does any work,
and spends all day tinkering with his devices!
So, um...
Right. He's in an old storehouse. Please head around back outside.
Much obliged.
He's good for absolutely nothing around here,
"Sorano's" He's good for absolutely nothing around here,
"Sorano's" so if you would, please tell him to at least not bother others!
Appare! I know you're in there! Appare!
I'm coming in!
Oh, tea. Isn't that thoughtful?
The explosion is still too late, huh?
The internal steam pressure could use a little tweaking.
Hey, hold on!
What is this place?
A western technical manual?
It's not a technical manual; it's a story.
A story?
No touching. Who are you?
Have you forgotten who I am?!
When you enrolled at my dojo three years ago,
and used that underhanded weapon on me...
Men .
Yeah, you're that guy who lost to me.
That did not count as a loss!
And these days, I am a Shihandai of the Hangetsu Ittoryu School.
Oh, but this isn't the time.
There are men out there gathering right now to arrest you.
The way things are looking, they'll have your head.
I will help you beg them to at least spare your life,
so you have to turn yourself back in at the jail.
Nope.
Wha--?
It's no fun in there.
No fun...? Listen, you, it's not a question of being fun or not.
Then what is it a question of?
Huh? Well, you know, it's... it's...
Either way, they're going to catch you like this!
Suit yourself. I'm going to do whatever I want to.
Look, you... Stop being so inconsiderate!
You may think that, but who says it like that?
Now's the time to start to panic, and beg for your life, right?
I'm trying to reach out and save you, here.
I never asked you.
I'm also responsible, since I was ordered to be your overseer.
If that's your attitude, then I cannot afford to leave you like this, either.
Please! I'm begging you!
You have to come with me, and apologize to Lord Kuroda!
I still have an unmarried younger sister and an elderly father!
I can't afford to answer for you with my life!
Please! Please try to see reason!
Incidentally, my father has arranged a wife for me.
I haven't met her yet, but I'm sure she's a beautiful, well-tempered girl.
I can't very well widow her before we even get married!
--Come on! Come on! --Stop, already!
I've had a lot of people try to get me to bow down to them before,
but you're the first one to bow to me.
It's making my skin crawl.
Then, does that mean you'll come with me?
No, I won't do that.
In exchange, I have a favor to ask.
Huh? In exchange for what?
"Sorano's"
Excuse me! Is Sorano Appare here?!
Yes. Is there something you needed?
We're hauling Appare in! It won't end well for you if you try to hide him!
Where are we going, for heaven's sake?
Where are we?
My ship's dock.
Dock?
I'm building a steamship here.
A steamship? You can build something like this by yourself?
Yeah. Ever since we got the new government, it's been easier to get foreign books and parts.
They have just about anything if you go to the shipyard in Nagasaki.
That's fine and all, but does it work? It's pretty small for a steamship.
Yeah. That's what's new about this engine.
It has the same horsepower, but shrunk down.
Once it's finished, it's possible it could be the fastest ship in the world.
In the world?!
You're such a dreamer! Your brother was worried about you, too.
You should do some honest work, and put your parents' minds at ease--
You're the same.
Huh?
I thought you might be a little different, but sure enough,
you're just like my old man and my brother.
How so?
Just go away. I'm leaving.
Leaving?
There.
Hmm? H-Hey...
Think about this. Stop for a minute.
Appare!
Big Sister?
What's up?
A lot of officers just came to the house. They're looking for you.
Aw, didn't I tell you so?
Okay. I'm going to head out for a bit.
Oh... Is everything all right?
Mm-hmm.
When are you coming back?
I think it will be a while.
I see.
Well, off you go. Take care of yourself.
Here.
Good luck charms are just superstition.
That's okay.
Please? Consider it a gesture to reassure me, and take it.
Off I go.
Hey, hello, everyone! Thanks for coming! I just now spotted Appare.
You know, he's not really all that bad,
and I can convince him to turn himself in,
so can I ask you all to wait here? There's no need for anything rough--
Hey...
Huh?
Ah! H-Hold on a minute!
That's dangerous. Are you sure you wanna do that?
All right. Suit yourself.
Okay, let's go.
Mm-hmm, that sounds great.
Hey!
Stop this ship right now and head back!
I'm going off on a journey. If you don't want to come, get off.
A journey?!
Nagasaki, Kobe, Yokohama... Then I'll cross the ocean and--
Are you kidding?! I'm going back!
Oh, hey, let go!
No, you let go! I'm going back!
Oh, that's...
It's hopeless. We have no food or water.
I already told you that.
If you were planning to go on a journey, why didn't you get anything ready?
I brought everything I needed. Tools, tech manuals, gadgets for crafting...
Food and water!
I never planned to come this far out to sea.
Can you repair it?
I'm not fixing it, I'm just checking its condition.
The emergency acceleration device was meant to be disposable,
so it's impossible to repair it here.
We're also out of fuel. And the rudder is busted.
Is there any way we can survive this?
Taking into account the position of the stars and our departure location,
as well as the direction we took off in,
land is most likely in the direction of the Serpent's watch.
The ship ran all-out for half a watch.
Calculating our inertia and direction the ocean currents have since taken us in,
as well as how fast we're being carried,
I would estimate the distance to shore is between 22 and 25 ri .
"22 ri ~ 25 ri " I would estimate the distance to shore is between 22 and 25 ri .
Can you swim?
There's no way I can swim that.
Same here. Can I get back to work?
Go ahead.
What's with you? We could be dead tomorrow.
How can you be so fixated on that machinery?
The world is connected.
Huh?
When I was four, I saw my first steamships.
I more or less knew that the ocean was a vastly expansive body of water,
but there these huge ships I'd never seen before that came across it.
Do you get it?
The ocean that I thought was just water connected us...
...to a world I'd never even seen.
The ocean connects to unknown lands.
The sky connects to the moon. The moon connects to the stars.
This is a story, right? A work of fiction.
But there is someone out in the world who thought,
"What if we could go to the moon?" Incredible, isn't it?
How far can I go? Across the sea? Beyond the sky?
Or even the other side of the moon?
The ocean floor, at best.
If anyone's ever going to reach the other side of the moon...
...I'm gonna be the one who gets there first!
This ship is only the first step.
Your first step is likely to be your last step.
Fumi... live a happy life for the both of us...
So the ferry that takes us across the Sanzu River... is a steamship?
Huh?
Its basic construction is...
Hey, you get working, too!
So this is America! Los Angeles!
Oh my God!
"Next time"
"Episode 2" "In the Dark"