Timestamps: 0:00 Intro 0:15 Watching Anime in the early 2000s 1:58 Part 1: Breaking Borders 6:30 Part II: Ranma's Anime 9:28 Why did the Anime End? 10:38 Anime vs. Manga 12:48 Takahashi's Intentions 14:18 Conclusion
Even to this day, more than 30 years later, ‘Ranma 1/2' (and Rumiko Takahashi’s works in general) can still blow most of the modern rom-com and harem mangas out of the water, even with just the art alone. Rumiko Takahashi's art during the Ranma period remains my favorite: it's simple, cute, and incredibly expressive. The story, though again, featuring a simple concept, was way ahead of its time. It's divided into bite-sized arcs with quirky characters, exciting fight scenes, over-the-top comedy, and endearing romantic moments between the two main character, making it perfect for a quick read during a 5-minute break between work and study sessions. However, it's worth noting that some of the characters and elements in Ranma may not have aged well and could even be considered offensive by today's standards. I’ve been searching for something that scratches the same itch as Ranma (excluding works by Rumiko Takahashi herself), and frankly, I don’t think I ever will. Ranma is one of a kind, the perfect combination of art, comedy, romance and storytelling in a way that just can’t ever be recreated again, by anyone else.
The thing always pissed me off is that out of Rumiko Takahashi's entire manga series THIS, THIS is the ONLY one that the anime NEVER finished out. Her first work Urusei Yatsura got all those anime episodes and all those movies and got a movie to finish out the last volume of the manga. Her second work that she did monthly from 80-87 Maison Ikkoku finshed out as well. But not Ranma 1/2. Inuyasha got a second series to finish out and even a sequel series. Urusei Yatsura got a reboot and looks like season 2 will be focusing on the last volume/anime movie in a preview. Rin-ne was able to finish up. I don't get how no anime studio will touch this series to finish out. I mean there was an OVA that showed Urusei Yatsura and Inuyasha in a exhibition throughout Japan called Rumiko World in 2008 that followed Rumiko Takahashi's 30 years doing manga. Would have thought that after all those years some studio would have picked up her work and continued. The anime still has a LOT of manga to cover like Ranma 1/2 mother Reunion, Akari Unyruu, Saffron, etc. They could do so much but no studio has picked it up which baffles me.
@@disgaealikerasapOG I am just freaking happy that it finally happened. It almost 30 years, but hey better later than never. I am just shocked they waited that long. How no studio even picked this up all the time. I know the anime studio can't get to it all, but I just want to see the Musk Dynasty arc, Akari Unyruu finally for Ryoga, and Mirror Ranma. They'll put the Jusendo arc last and get that BS open ending. I wish they could put out one more movie to tie all together where Ranma and Akane finally openly confess to each other.
@redmustangredmustang I just hope they dont drop the ball. Ive heard mixed things about the urusei yatsura reboot...even seen some comparison scenes. If they do the same thing on ranma as they did on that ill be disappointed.
@@disgaealikerasapOG it's not going to be the same,hopefully they keep as much of the original stuff as they can. I mean you don't have the luxury of putting out over 100 episodes like the original Ranma and Urusei Yatsura anime was able to do.
Urusei Yatsura received a reboot due to its iconic status in the anime and manga industry. It played a pivotal role in kickstarting Rumiko Takahashi's career, along with that of several directors. Additionally, it helped put studios like Kitty Film, Pierrot, and Dean on the map. As a result, UY naturally maintains a loyal audience and respects, which can be capitalized through various means along with the remake. However, because UY wasn’t very popular outside Japan during its prime, the UY remake hasn't gained widespread recognition worldwide amidst the sea of blockbuster anime that airs each season. If you haven't watched the UY reboot yet, I highly recommend it. In contrast, Ranma ½, while not as iconic and impactful in Japan as UY, boasts a massive global following. Many who watched Ranma during their youth are now in their thirties or older, and they would undoubtedly pay to see a well-executed Ranma reboot. However, anime producers face a dilemma when considering a reboot for this 30+ year-old intellectual property. It's uncertain whether it would perform well in Japan based solely on nostalgia, and there's no guarantee it would be picked up by a popular streaming service to capitalize on Ranma's substantial worldwide fandom. Investing in a Ranma reboot presents a significant risk when there are countless other manga and light novel titles, often flashy but sometimes lacking substance, that promise quicker returns. A Ranma reboot is very possible, but also very unlikely. I’d kill to see a Ranma reboot, or any other well-executed Rumiko contents. A little hopium wouldn’t hurt.
Ranma 1/2 remake in the works reportedly. We’ll have to wait and see though since nothing is official yet, but there’s gonna be a huge announcement about it in July so it’s very likely.
@@huyquang4149 Oh frigging sweet! I saw the articles by ScreenRant and SugoiLite, but I was like "there's no way." But I just checked again and Cruncyroll confirmed it! I'm so hyped
Ranma 1/2 did everything right, in trying to court a mainstream Western audience, that UY did wrong: AnimEigo practically invented subbed anime TV when they released Urusei on VHS, and it would have hooked newbies immediately, if it hadn't been a small garage label that did mail-order only and couldn't afford to renew the license. Viz was a big company that released Ranma on the strength of their manga sales, and could afford to dub it onto mainstream commercial shelves--Ranma was basically a "Ryuunusuke & Shinobu" UY spinoff, but it LOOKED more "Japanese", and was a gateway taste of Rumiko Takahashi silliness for newbies.
I'm surprised the west even got Ranma considering how much nudity there is, especially when girl Ranma shows no shame due to being a boy to begin with. One can only imagine the number of kids that got into trouble when their parents saw them watching the show and a naked scene suddenly comes up, especially that bathhouse episode The anime is very memorable for casting some of the biggest names in the Japanese seiyuu industry at the time, like Noriko Hidaka. It was also Kappei Yamaguchi's debut, as well as the Queen of voice acting Megumi Hayashibara's very first big job. In essence, the show gives us a glimpse of these famous seiyuus in their humble beginnings, and from their voices you could tell they really put a lot of efforts into their work and gotten no small amount of joy out of it at the same time. It was a much simpler time
Small correction: Ranma 1/2 was *not* the next anime made by Studio Deen after Urusei Yatsura. It was Maison Ikkoku. And it started airing just a week after Urusei Yatsura ended in 1986. It had 96 episodes and it ran until 1988. The manga of Maison Ikkoku ran from 1980 to 1987. Yes, Rumiko Takahashi was working on 2 manga series at the same time from 1980 to 1987. 1987 was the year she concluded both Urusei Yatsura (which was a weekly series) and Maison Ikkoku (which was bi-monthly) and started working on Ranma 1/2. I think Maison Ikkoku is the best Rumiko Takahashi series and also the most underrated. It also has an interesting dub history with Viz media cancelling it once and then bringing it back with some different actors (including Light Yagami's dub actor). So I really think it deserves a video.
Great video! also vide suggestion: since the remake is on the way, make a part 3 about what chapters/arcs should be included and maybe about the expected reactions from new viewers once its released. cheers
Still to this day, love the fanfiction scene of Ranma, way past it's heyday but still has good new gems coming out. I just hope we get a reboot, gods know I want to see Herb animated.
5:21 Of course you forgot Latin America, the show was able to stand next to DBZ on tv, although DBZ casted a giant shadow over Ranma, so of course Ranma wasn't much talked about, but it stayed in the minds of many, that Latin America is now driving the ratings of the remake, but is also worrisome because Latin America is a looked down market, so it won't matter to any of the producers.
I watched Ranma 1/2 on French TV when it premiered in 1992 and I immediately loved it despite a rather awful dub and french opening. Ranma-chan was very cute! Around the same time I came across the first volume of the manga from viz and then the classic comic book style single issues. A year later I got in touch with people in Geneva who were already deep into anime fandom. I overheard a guy talking about his japanese laserdisc of the second Ranma movie and asked him if I could have a copy on VHS, which I later got. That was also the time when I started to buy import anime soundtracks and one of my earliest CDs was a compilation of Ranma's openings and endings. This all to say that Ranma had a big influence in my early emerging as an anime and manga fan and that's why I still love it today even if I acknowledge some of it's faults (filler episodes in the anime and some annoying side characters like the one you mentioned from the later OVAs).
it’s nice seeing fans of ranma cuz omg when it got canceled before being finished and all these other anime’s was being done i felt that ranma failed or something
Great video you are one of the reasons I decided to go ahead and collect Rumiko Takahashi manga and fingers crossed the Ranma 2 in 1 I need come back in stock so I can binge read them 🥰
I'm glad Netflix has this new remake of Ranma. Growing up I wanted to watch all the episodes, but no TV networks in Canada had it. I'd find VHS copies at comic book stores, but they only had a few episodes on a tape. So I'll be surprised on how far Netflix will go with this new remake. I'm already enjoying it.
I agree with your statement about Ranma’s character. I look at media in that it can be interpreted differently than the author intended. The Death of the Author is a literary theory that argues that the meaning of a text is not determined by the author's intention, but rather by the reader's interpretation
My first anime in 1996. Saw the manga in a comic shop and was curious about the art style and was hooked, Ranma being my first anime and manga. Akane deserved so much better as a character. Expensive to own, all VHS and could only find at Suncoast or special ordered. Both the sub and dub are top tier. Just wished they finished the anime and didn't have a lame ending, though I do understand how it ended, doesn't mean I like it. I remember SJWs tried to cancel this a few years ago, with being shut down after hearing the creator is female.
@NewCanada not sure why. He never claims to be both genders and only liked the girl-type when fighting for certain advantages. He isn't trans at all. Only in the OAVs does he embrace the girl-type doing the idol stuff.
Calling what the manga did a "conclusion" is an overstatement haha. I don't think they can get away with that today. Ranma is great! But SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER would a new audience forgive that the Ranma's curse was never lifted!? That Ranma and Akane never got a kiss!!? That Tofu and Kasumi got no development!!!? The only full circle was Ranma's mom arc.
Personally, I think I prefer the anime of Ranma 1/2 over the manga. I know the anime was cruelly denied a lot of good stories from the later manga, but at the same time, the anime actually treats the other girls after Ranma's heart with far more seriousness than the manga, which instead makes them as cruel and evil as possible - very important to me personally, because I don't find Akane that great as a female lead. More importantly, I think that the anime's ending honestly has a lot more weight and impact; there's a very real bittersweet optimism to it, a real feeling that things could get better for Ranma. The manga's ending, on the other hand, feels rushed and almost tacked on; we have a cure being ripped away from Ranma at the last moment *yet again*, and then a 14 page epilogue that just tacks a failed wedding on with no preamble and no real buildup. It honestly feels like a cheap, second-rate knockoff of the Urusei Yatsura manga's ending, but it just lacks all depth because there's no real exploration of either Ranma or Akane's feeling. Seriously, I could write an essay on why I think Urusei Yatsura did its ending better.
Akane shouldn't have been the lead. It was the shinobu story all over again. Characters like Akame make horrible leads because they are uninteresting. For example shampoo is magnetic and amazing to follow as a character but same cannot be said about Akane who we have shoved down our throat all the time
Yeah, I was primarily introduced to the series through the anime, but I can honestly say that it's the manga I prefer. One, naturally, because the manga went farther, and two, because a fair amount of the so-called "filler" episodes really didn't do it for me. Oh sure, a handful of these episodes, like "Ranma the Lady-Killer", "A Christmas Without Ranma" and Akane Goes to the Hospital" which focus on the established characters, are perfectly fine outings, because it's just the usual cast of screwballs bouncing off each other. But then you'd get episodes, such as "The Killer from Juusenkyo", "A Formidable New Disciple Appears" and "Akane's Unfathomable Heart" where the studio would try to introduce their own characters into the series, and that's where things usually went off the rails. Because these characters would almost always vanish as quickly and mysteriously as they appeared, never to be seen again (only rare outliers like Sasuke and Ling Ling & Lung Lung were blessed with recurring roles), generally no time is spent trying to reveal who they were. As a result, their motivations for showing up and causing trouble AT ALL would be...nonsensical, AT BEST, and practically NONEXISTENT, at worst. At least, that's just MY thinking on it.
Ranma, it's goofy, it's funny. It wasn't a boy anime like Dragonball and it wasn't a girl anime like Sailor Moon. Measured against 2024 animes it's occasional nudity would be pointless to mention. But the 80s were more prudish and anime was still new outside Japan. It triggered something in me though. It's big with the transgender community. Even if that was never its intent.
Ranma actually becomes a woman when splashed with cold water. He doesn't just put on a dress and identify as one. So I think its quite a stretch for any fans wanting to read too far into the gender politics.
Timestamps:
0:00 Intro
0:15 Watching Anime in the early 2000s
1:58 Part 1: Breaking Borders
6:30 Part II: Ranma's Anime
9:28 Why did the Anime End?
10:38 Anime vs. Manga
12:48 Takahashi's Intentions
14:18 Conclusion
Even to this day, more than 30 years later, ‘Ranma 1/2' (and Rumiko Takahashi’s works in general) can still blow most of the modern rom-com and harem mangas out of the water, even with just the art alone. Rumiko Takahashi's art during the Ranma period remains my favorite: it's simple, cute, and incredibly expressive. The story, though again, featuring a simple concept, was way ahead of its time. It's divided into bite-sized arcs with quirky characters, exciting fight scenes, over-the-top comedy, and endearing romantic moments between the two main character, making it perfect for a quick read during a 5-minute break between work and study sessions.
However, it's worth noting that some of the characters and elements in Ranma may not have aged well and could even be considered offensive by today's standards.
I’ve been searching for something that scratches the same itch as Ranma (excluding works by Rumiko Takahashi herself), and frankly, I don’t think I ever will. Ranma is one of a kind, the perfect combination of art, comedy, romance and storytelling in a way that just can’t ever be recreated again, by anyone else.
The thing always pissed me off is that out of Rumiko Takahashi's entire manga series THIS, THIS is the ONLY one that the anime NEVER finished out. Her first work Urusei Yatsura got all those anime episodes and all those movies and got a movie to finish out the last volume of the manga. Her second work that she did monthly from 80-87 Maison Ikkoku finshed out as well. But not Ranma 1/2. Inuyasha got a second series to finish out and even a sequel series. Urusei Yatsura got a reboot and looks like season 2 will be focusing on the last volume/anime movie in a preview. Rin-ne was able to finish up. I don't get how no anime studio will touch this series to finish out. I mean there was an OVA that showed Urusei Yatsura and Inuyasha in a exhibition throughout Japan called Rumiko World in 2008 that followed Rumiko Takahashi's 30 years doing manga. Would have thought that after all those years some studio would have picked up her work and continued. The anime still has a LOT of manga to cover like Ranma 1/2 mother Reunion, Akari Unyruu, Saffron, etc. They could do so much but no studio has picked it up which baffles me.
What are your thoughts about the announcement?
@@disgaealikerasapOG I am just freaking happy that it finally happened. It almost 30 years, but hey better later than never. I am just shocked they waited that long. How no studio even picked this up all the time. I know the anime studio can't get to it all, but I just want to see the Musk Dynasty arc, Akari Unyruu finally for Ryoga, and Mirror Ranma. They'll put the Jusendo arc last and get that BS open ending. I wish they could put out one more movie to tie all together where Ranma and Akane finally openly confess to each other.
@redmustangredmustang I just hope they dont drop the ball. Ive heard mixed things about the urusei yatsura reboot...even seen some comparison scenes.
If they do the same thing on ranma as they did on that ill be disappointed.
@@disgaealikerasapOG it's not going to be the same,hopefully they keep as much of the original stuff as they can. I mean you don't have the luxury of putting out over 100 episodes like the original Ranma and Urusei Yatsura anime was able to do.
They’re rebooting Ranma this year.
Rumiko Takahashi Urusei Yatsura 1978 My favorite Anime and manga Ever ❤and Ranma 1/2 anime and manga and my second favourite of Rumiko Takahashi ❤
Urusei Yatsura received a reboot due to its iconic status in the anime and manga industry. It played a pivotal role in kickstarting Rumiko Takahashi's career, along with that of several directors. Additionally, it helped put studios like Kitty Film, Pierrot, and Dean on the map. As a result, UY naturally maintains a loyal audience and respects, which can be capitalized through various means along with the remake. However, because UY wasn’t very popular outside Japan during its prime, the UY remake hasn't gained widespread recognition worldwide amidst the sea of blockbuster anime that airs each season. If you haven't watched the UY reboot yet, I highly recommend it.
In contrast, Ranma ½, while not as iconic and impactful in Japan as UY, boasts a massive global following. Many who watched Ranma during their youth are now in their thirties or older, and they would undoubtedly pay to see a well-executed Ranma reboot. However, anime producers face a dilemma when considering a reboot for this 30+ year-old intellectual property. It's uncertain whether it would perform well in Japan based solely on nostalgia, and there's no guarantee it would be picked up by a popular streaming service to capitalize on Ranma's substantial worldwide fandom. Investing in a Ranma reboot presents a significant risk when there are countless other manga and light novel titles, often flashy but sometimes lacking substance, that promise quicker returns.
A Ranma reboot is very possible, but also very unlikely. I’d kill to see a Ranma reboot, or any other well-executed Rumiko contents. A little hopium wouldn’t hurt.
Ranma 1/2 remake in the works reportedly. We’ll have to wait and see though since nothing is official yet, but there’s gonna be a huge announcement about it in July so it’s very likely.
@@DJRen18 They just announced the remake about an hour ago. Can’t wait.
@@huyquang4149 Oh frigging sweet! I saw the articles by ScreenRant and SugoiLite, but I was like "there's no way." But I just checked again and Cruncyroll confirmed it! I'm so hyped
Ranma 1/2 did everything right, in trying to court a mainstream Western audience, that UY did wrong: AnimEigo practically invented subbed anime TV when they released Urusei on VHS, and it would have hooked newbies immediately, if it hadn't been a small garage label that did mail-order only and couldn't afford to renew the license. Viz was a big company that released Ranma on the strength of their manga sales, and could afford to dub it onto mainstream commercial shelves--Ranma was basically a "Ryuunusuke & Shinobu" UY spinoff, but it LOOKED more "Japanese", and was a gateway taste of Rumiko Takahashi silliness for newbies.
When you consider how Ranma 1/2 tells its stories, those "filler" episodes just feel like a normal setting for a manga story.
It wouldn't surprise me if David production remake Ranma 1/2 next after the conclude Urusei Yatsura
And Ranma’s getting a new adaption! Can’t wait to see how it turns out!
I'm surprised the west even got Ranma considering how much nudity there is, especially when girl Ranma shows no shame due to being a boy to begin with. One can only imagine the number of kids that got into trouble when their parents saw them watching the show and a naked scene suddenly comes up, especially that bathhouse episode
The anime is very memorable for casting some of the biggest names in the Japanese seiyuu industry at the time, like Noriko Hidaka. It was also Kappei Yamaguchi's debut, as well as the Queen of voice acting Megumi Hayashibara's very first big job. In essence, the show gives us a glimpse of these famous seiyuus in their humble beginnings, and from their voices you could tell they really put a lot of efforts into their work and gotten no small amount of joy out of it at the same time. It was a much simpler time
Small correction: Ranma 1/2 was *not* the next anime made by Studio Deen after Urusei Yatsura.
It was Maison Ikkoku. And it started airing just a week after Urusei Yatsura ended in 1986. It had 96 episodes and it ran until 1988.
The manga of Maison Ikkoku ran from 1980 to 1987. Yes, Rumiko Takahashi was working on 2 manga series at the same time from 1980 to 1987. 1987 was the year she concluded both Urusei Yatsura (which was a weekly series) and Maison Ikkoku (which was bi-monthly) and started working on Ranma 1/2.
I think Maison Ikkoku is the best Rumiko Takahashi series and also the most underrated. It also has an interesting dub history with Viz media cancelling it once and then bringing it back with some different actors (including Light Yagami's dub actor).
So I really think it deserves a video.
Thanks for the insight! I'm planning to read Maison Ikkoku soon and would love to make a video on it in the future!
Ranma was my first Manga and probably the first Anime I knew was an Anime.
I've read and watched Ranma 1/2 multiple times, and it is honestly the funniest thing ever.
Great video! also vide suggestion: since the remake is on the way, make a part 3 about what chapters/arcs should be included and maybe about the expected reactions from new viewers once its released. cheers
YES
It's was the inspirations for the Scott pilgrim graphic novels.
Still to this day, love the fanfiction scene of Ranma, way past it's heyday but still has good new gems coming out. I just hope we get a reboot, gods know I want to see Herb animated.
Not just Herb but the last big bad, Saffron. His fire power could be done really cool.
For me, it was Zoids: Chaotic Century.
That was my 5:00 AM childhood secret anime gateway.
My treasure that nobody else had ever even heard of.
Ranma fanfiction was everywhere online in the 90s. Miss ya, Donny Cheng.
5:21 Of course you forgot Latin America, the show was able to stand next to DBZ on tv, although DBZ casted a giant shadow over Ranma, so of course Ranma wasn't much talked about, but it stayed in the minds of many, that Latin America is now driving the ratings of the remake, but is also worrisome because Latin America is a looked down market, so it won't matter to any of the producers.
I watched Ranma 1/2 on French TV when it premiered in 1992 and I immediately loved it despite a rather awful dub and french opening. Ranma-chan was very cute! Around the same time I came across the first volume of the manga from viz and then the classic comic book style single issues. A year later I got in touch with people in Geneva who were already deep into anime fandom. I overheard a guy talking about his japanese laserdisc of the second Ranma movie and asked him if I could have a copy on VHS, which I later got. That was also the time when I started to buy import anime soundtracks and one of my earliest CDs was a compilation of Ranma's openings and endings. This all to say that Ranma had a big influence in my early emerging as an anime and manga fan and that's why I still love it today even if I acknowledge some of it's faults (filler episodes in the anime and some annoying side characters like the one you mentioned from the later OVAs).
our prayers have been listened, a reboot is pon the works... and I think it's by studio Deen so
Ranma 1/2 reportedly in the works of remake.
i recall seeing one episode of the ranma 1/2 live action and i thought it was super funny but i swear it just doesn’t exist anywhere anymore
it’s nice seeing fans of ranma cuz omg when it got canceled before being finished and all these other anime’s was being done i felt that ranma failed or something
This anime is so underrated.
Really good video! Ranma 1/2 is awesome and Fumiko Takahashi is such a legend
What's your favorite episode/chapter of Ranma?
Great video you are one of the reasons I decided to go ahead and collect Rumiko Takahashi manga and fingers crossed the Ranma 2 in 1 I need come back in stock so I can binge read them 🥰
I'm glad Netflix has this new remake of Ranma. Growing up I wanted to watch all the episodes, but no TV networks in Canada had it. I'd find VHS copies at comic book stores, but they only had a few episodes on a tape. So I'll be surprised on how far Netflix will go with this new remake. I'm already enjoying it.
I was just done with your previous Ranma 1/2 video lol, really like your content!
Thank you so much!!
I agree with your statement about Ranma’s character.
I look at media in that it can be interpreted differently than the author intended.
The Death of the Author is a literary theory that argues that the meaning of a text is not determined by the author's intention, but rather by the reader's interpretation
loved the video =. im excited for the reboot and see if it takes your ideas to heart. 🙌
I see new Red Panda Productions video, I click. I am simple man.
My first anime in 1996. Saw the manga in a comic shop and was curious about the art style and was hooked, Ranma being my first anime and manga. Akane deserved so much better as a character.
Expensive to own, all VHS and could only find at Suncoast or special ordered.
Both the sub and dub are top tier. Just wished they finished the anime and didn't have a lame ending, though I do understand how it ended, doesn't mean I like it.
I remember SJWs tried to cancel this a few years ago, with being shut down after hearing the creator is female.
@NewCanada not sure why. He never claims to be both genders and only liked the girl-type when fighting for certain advantages. He isn't trans at all. Only in the OAVs does he embrace the girl-type doing the idol stuff.
it wasn't davepro, but we got our remake after all
Calling what the manga did a "conclusion" is an overstatement haha. I don't think they can get away with that today. Ranma is great! But SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER would a new audience forgive that the Ranma's curse was never lifted!? That Ranma and Akane never got a kiss!!? That Tofu and Kasumi got no development!!!? The only full circle was Ranma's mom arc.
Commenting for the algorithm.
Personally, I think I prefer the anime of Ranma 1/2 over the manga. I know the anime was cruelly denied a lot of good stories from the later manga, but at the same time, the anime actually treats the other girls after Ranma's heart with far more seriousness than the manga, which instead makes them as cruel and evil as possible - very important to me personally, because I don't find Akane that great as a female lead. More importantly, I think that the anime's ending honestly has a lot more weight and impact; there's a very real bittersweet optimism to it, a real feeling that things could get better for Ranma. The manga's ending, on the other hand, feels rushed and almost tacked on; we have a cure being ripped away from Ranma at the last moment *yet again*, and then a 14 page epilogue that just tacks a failed wedding on with no preamble and no real buildup. It honestly feels like a cheap, second-rate knockoff of the Urusei Yatsura manga's ending, but it just lacks all depth because there's no real exploration of either Ranma or Akane's feeling. Seriously, I could write an essay on why I think Urusei Yatsura did its ending better.
Akane shouldn't have been the lead. It was the shinobu story all over again. Characters like Akame make horrible leads because they are uninteresting. For example shampoo is magnetic and amazing to follow as a character but same cannot be said about Akane who we have shoved down our throat all the time
Yeah, I was primarily introduced to the series through the anime, but I can honestly say that it's the manga I prefer. One, naturally, because the manga went farther, and two, because a fair amount of the so-called "filler" episodes really didn't do it for me. Oh sure, a handful of these episodes, like "Ranma the Lady-Killer", "A Christmas Without Ranma" and Akane Goes to the Hospital" which focus on the established characters, are perfectly fine outings, because it's just the usual cast of screwballs bouncing off each other. But then you'd get episodes, such as "The Killer from Juusenkyo", "A Formidable New Disciple Appears" and "Akane's Unfathomable Heart" where the studio would try to introduce their own characters into the series, and that's where things usually went off the rails. Because these characters would almost always vanish as quickly and mysteriously as they appeared, never to be seen again (only rare outliers like Sasuke and Ling Ling & Lung Lung were blessed with recurring roles), generally no time is spent trying to reveal who they were. As a result, their motivations for showing up and causing trouble AT ALL would be...nonsensical, AT BEST, and practically NONEXISTENT, at worst.
At least, that's just MY thinking on it.
Ranma 1/2 is getting a reboot.
Ranma, it's goofy, it's funny. It wasn't a boy anime like Dragonball and it wasn't a girl anime like Sailor Moon. Measured against 2024 animes it's occasional nudity would be pointless to mention. But the 80s were more prudish and anime was still new outside Japan. It triggered something in me though. It's big with the transgender community. Even if that was never its intent.
AKa-Nay?
saying here in the west and meaning the usa....
Ranma actually becomes a woman when splashed with cold water. He doesn't just put on a dress and identify as one. So I think its quite a stretch for any fans wanting to read too far into the gender politics.
The fact rumiko has directly shut it down numerous times is proof enough that people should drop it.