"Ranma ½" (1989) TV series

Creator:

Rumiko Takahashi

Seasons:

1

Release Date:

15 April 1989 (Japan)

Genre:

Animation | Action | Comedy | Fantasy

Tagline:

Just add water!

Plot:

A series of the relationship of a girl who is involuntarily engaged to a boy who turns female when hit with cold water and male with hot.

Plot Keywords:

Water | Panda | Love Triangle | Magic | Challenge

Cast

Kappei Yamaguchi	...	Ranma Saotome Male / ... (18 episodes, 1989)
Megumi Hayashibara	...	Ranma Saotome Female / ... (18 episodes, 1989)
Noriko Hidaka	...	Akane Tendo (18 episodes, 1989)
Sarah Strange	...	Ranma Saotome Male (18 episodes, 1989)
Myriam Sirois	...	Akane Tendo (18 episodes, 1989)
Michael Donovan	...	Jusenkyo Guide / ... (9 episodes, 1989)
Venus Terzo	...	Ranma Saotome Female / ... (8 episodes, 1989)
Kôichi Yamadera	...	Ryoga Hibiki (8 episodes, 1989)

Also Known As:

Ranma ½: The Digital Dojo (USA) (first season title)
Ranma 1/2 (Japan) (alternative spelling)
Ranma nibun no ichi

Runtime:

Japan:30 min (18 episodes)

Country:

Japan

Language:

Catalan | English | French | German | Italian | Spanish | Japanese

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Australia:M (some episodes) | Australia:PG (some episodes) | Singapore:NC-16 | South Korea:12 (DVD rating) | Argentina:Atp | New Zealand:PG

Company:

Kitty Animation

Trivia:

Rumiko Takahashi's design for Nabiki Tendo is patterned after silent film actress Louise Brooks (1906-1985).

Quotes:

Nabiki Tendo: [before Ranma goes out with Kuno while in female form] This is Kuno, remember? What if he can't CONTROL himself?
Akane Tendou: Ohh... She's right... What if he...?
[Akane's thoughts]
Tatewaki Kuno: Magic sword, make me ONE with the Pigtailed Girl!
Ranma Saotome: [seductively] You want it, Baby? You got it!
[puckers up]
Tatewaki Kuno: Here I come!
[End Akane's thoughts]
Akane Tendou: AAAHHHH!
Ranma Saotome: [disgusted] EEEAAGHH! Don't even JOKE about that, okay?
[...]

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in "Abenobashi mahô shôtengai: Fired up! Abenobashi Hong Kong Martial Arts Shopping District (#1.4)" (2002)

Soundtrack:

Platonic Tsuranuite

Cute and meaningful

At first, I was reluctant to see Ranma ½ , having heard it described as a gratuitous slapstick comedy, but I've changed my mind.

Ranma is one of the cutest and dearest series you will ever watch. On the surface, it is about a young man with a terrible, but comical curse who has a fiancée he is not too fond of. That in itself (the curse) is extraordinary, but the meaningful characters make Ranma ½ so much more.

In Ranma, things are not always what they seem, and besides the protagonist's dilemma, there's Akane, Ranma's fiancée. If I have to name my favorite character of all time, it must be Akane. (Much of this review is due to her.) Although Akane seems to be only a girl of violent temperament, she is really, deep down, gentle and eager to be more feminine and dear. Her hidden character glimmers through sometimes during the show, like when she tells Ranma something to the effect of, "I know you're not telling the truth when you say I'm cute, but I'm just happy you said it." (Ranma's bewildered facial reaction is, 'she really is cute'). Akane's model is her eldest sister, Kasumi, who is the epitome of Japanese feminine grace and beauty. (The show also focuses on Ranma and Akane's growing affection/love for each other.)

Of course, what would Ranma ½ be without the humor and the wit of which it has been so lauded for? The host of magically-cursed humans, especially the panda, is very cute and funny, and the fantastically silly Tendo-dojo is a place of endless fiancé and family fights (literally). There are many plays on words that non-Japanese speakers would miss (like how Ranma's last name foreshadows his curse, and Akane's name means crimson, scarlet). There are some gratuitous displays that would make some people blush, but you must keep in mind that Japanese view nudity in a different, less severe way, than the West.

I have seen an episode of Ranma ½ in English dubbed, and I recommend that you *never* see this version. The dubbing does no justice to the characters, especially Ranma and Akane, making them too forceful. If you have the means, see the original version or the subtitled version and enjoy the nuances of the voices.