Beginning in 1987, mangaka Rumiko Takahashi rose to success and surpassed the pinnacle of fame with her monthly manga series Ranma 1/2.
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It's essentially a romantic comedy featuring a boy who turns into a girl by being doused with cold water (and transforms back with hot water), who's also forcibly engaged to an impulsive tomboy named Akane, and both of them are romantically pursued by all sorts of crazy guys who also know dangerous martial arts and techniques. And some of them have their own curses to endure. It's 38 volumes of shenanigans, shonen and harem anime tropes galore, and it's a riot to read to the point that it received its own anime series and movies.
Creator: Rumiko Takahashi
Stars: Kappei Yamaguchi, Megumi, Hayashibara, Noriko Hidaka
What the last adaptation was missing was an ending, which is what I think this year's 2024 adaptation could rectify if it hits well with today's anime-watching audiences. And so far, after a couple of episodes, I can safely say that this Mappa-produced anime delivers.
The first season of Ranma 1/2 (2024) is about a boy named Ranma Saotome who is engaged to a girl named Akane Tendo against her will. That's because the Saotome family and the Tendo family wish to unite to become a giant martial arts dojo powerhouse. The problem? Ranma is afflicted by a curse from his training in China, where he transforms into a girl if he's hit with cold water. Hot water turns him back into a man. His father Genma has a similar curse, but he transforms into a panda.
In fact, the manga's running joke is where the curse comes from: a mystical hot spring in China that Genma thought would be a great place to train his son in fighting. This means that the two will be assaulted by other victims of the hot spring, from a rock-hard warrior to a female Chinese martial artist with equally hilarious curses. Also, Ranma and Akane have to go to a school where they are also chased by crazy students with exceptional fighting styles and want to hook up with any of them. As a cherry on top of this fight-filled sundae, Ranma and Akane hate each other in tsundere style.
So yes, they will eventually grow fond of each other throughout the series, while the wacky martial arts comedy and fanservice add fuel to the fire. And it's the kind of comedy that will burn thanks to the studio that put in the effort in this remake. Studio Mappa made an outstanding joke that stayed true to Rumiko Takahashi's manga while also keeping everything moving along nicely.
The fight scenes also receive a huge upgrade from the TV series and even the OVA movies from the 80s and 90s. Newcomers will enjoy the craziness and humor of each of these battles between Ranma, Akane, and their thirsty suitors, while old-school anime fans will fully appreciate the care and love that went into the battles they loved in the manga's earlier chapters. From the appearance of the kendo-wielding, poetry-reciting Tatewaki Kuno to the ice-skating battle with the Golden Couple, there's no shortage of crazy scenarios our high school heroes will find themselves in.
What really caught my attention about the remake is the sheer number of nods to the manga and the print style in the show's transitions. The remake looks brand new and fit for 2024, but it does include some monochrome parts and stippled colors for the sake of style, and it really works in matching the show's tone and bright palette. Veterans may need to get used to the "new" look of the character here, as it tries to be almost one-to-one with the manga, but Studio Mappa really nailed it with the overall look, animation, and everything else. Plus, some of the episodes come with their own plot overview in cute little vignettes.
The production house should also be commended for bringing back the old Japanese voice actors to reprise their roles from the anime. From Ranma (Kappei Yamaguchi) to Akane (Noriko Hidaka) they all have the same energy, enthusiasm, and charisma from their previous 80s performances. And you should never doubt the voice work and consistency of veteran Megumi Hayashibara, who reprises her iconic role as female Ranma.
That being said, if you're not a fan of a martial arts comedy anime that's filled with fanservice and its rather old-school narrative structure, you might not like this adaptation. It's a faithful take on the original manga, with arguably little to no deviation and no filler episodes to pad out the show.
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