Ranked #564

Ranma ½

Well, I finished this series a short while ago, so now it's time to put in a review for it. If you don't know what Ranma 1/2 is about, check out the synopsis above before reading.

Story: 7 (Good)

Ranma 1/2 does have somewhat of an ongoing story, although there is no major objective in the series other than Ranma's constant failed attempts to return his body to normal. Even though Ranma can return to 'boy-type' Ranma by taking a warm bath (cold water returns him to 'girl-type' Ranma, aka Ranko Tendo for some purposes), he still desires to once again become 'all man' by ridding himself of the Jusenkyo curse that was placed on him when he fell into the Spring of Drowned Girl. He feels as though his pride as a man has been dented by being able to turn into girl form, either willingly (for some purposes he does this for his own gain) or unwillingly (for either Happosai's entertainment or when some mishap occurs).

I gave the story a 7 because despite it not having a lot of depth, each episode usually strives to be unique and entertaining, and more often than not, does this without complaint. After about the first 120 episodes however, the episode stories do become pretty predictable, but there is still much enjoyment to be had if you've come to like the characters (which I have). So the story ends up with a 'good' rating, because it was, afterall, 'good', and not particularly bad.

Art: 9 (Great)

For the time period, Ranma 1/2's art and animation was pretty well done. No complaints really, some parts are more well-done than others, while you have the occasional background or scene where you can tell there was *some* degree of slacking off. But there is nothing really you can bash it for considering when it came out and how many episodes it ran for. I'm quite surprised the level of quality remained fairly consistent, although the animation from the start of the show did change part-way through, as you can tell if you've seen the series through to the end.

Sound: 8 (Very Good)

Most of the music in this show is fairly catchy, you might find yourself humming along with it, or when you're by yourself just doing something random. Again, nothing really to complain about here, yet nothing particularly spectacular either.

Character: 9 (Great)

While most of the characters do stay the same throughout the series and don't develop too much, Ranma 1/2 has a vast array of likable characters, ranging from minor and hardly-ever seen to major and always up to something predictable, yet hilarious. In fact, one of the strengths of this show is knowing what each character is going to try and do in certain situations, because even though you can see it coming before it happens, you find yourself rooting for your favourite character in hopes that their plan is successful. That's part of the fun in this show. And sometimes you *think* you know exactly what's going to happen, only to have a twist thrown in that you never expected that will have you laughing hysterically, only to find yourself playing back that scene a couple more times before moving on.

Ranma, Moose, and Ryoga seem to be the usual favourites of this show, and quite honestly, when these three go at it, comedy can't help but follow. Ryoga is usually getting lost when he has to walk more than a few minutes in a straight line, Moose is completely clueless of anything without his glasses, and Ranma is the glue that ties them all together with his level-headedness and arrogance. Most of the characters have one or more traits about them that make them who they are, and you come to know them by those traits. So even though none of the characters are very deep (with maybe the exception of Ranma and Akane), you learn to love them. And it's all too easy to do so.

Enjoyment: 10 (Outstanding)

I'll admit, I did start to get a bit bored by the time I got around to the episode 120-or-so mark, but overall, I'm glad I picked up this series, as it was a great watch most of the time. The fact that it ran so long may have been to it's detriment, but I'm sure if you take it in small doses and watch a little here and there, you can retain most of the comedic atmosphere and avoid some of the boredom that comes with watching this show in marathons, as I did frequently at the start.

Overall: 9 (Great)

It wasn't the best show in the world, but it's one I believe most anime fans should at least try a bit of at some point or another, because it's got something in it for everyone. It's made by the creator of Inu Yasha, which in itself might make you think it's *like* Inu Yasha, but no. I'll tell you right now, this show is not like Inu Yasha, the show where absolutely *nothing of interest* ever happens. Sure, nothing really epic happens in Ranma either, but at least it's *interesting* nothing. Sort of like Seinfeld, in a way.

Another thing I liked about it is that this show does not try to be ecchi. Far from it. Sure, someone will walk in on Ranma as a girl the odd time and you might catch a glimpse of some (uncensored) boobs, but it's not meant to be a big deal, there is no big eccentric close-up like in the ecchi series of today, there is no "WHOOA! Nosebleed!" effect (none that I can recall), and there is no 'kawaii' exclamation from someone every couple of minutes. It's simply a moment for the character, and it passes, and it's not a big deal.

An example: Ranma goes to a public bath. Ranma gets splashed with cold water by Happosai. Oh noes, boobs (because of the situation), but no one seems to care (and why should anyone? It's just boobs.) Ranma fights with Happosai. Ranma is eventually done and turns back into a guy, having gotten his revenge by punching Happy out through the ceiling or something. And that's it. These days series make a big deal of boobs on 'kawaii' girls and panty shots at unexpected times, and make them out to be a big deal. Ranma does not attempt to do this (maybe because of the time when it came out). It assumes more maturity on the part of the viewer, and I commend the PG rating on this show and the fact that no one felt it needed to be censored. There exist some otaku out there that love this show because it's down to Earth, and there also exist some otaku out there who may not like it because of that as well.

SO IS RANMA 1/2 FOR YOU?

If you're looking for a comedy series with a lot of laughs, interesting characters, and some memorable moments that you can share with other anime fans, then go for Ranma 1/2. Martial arts fans, you get a lot of that in this show as well, but it's not taken very seriously, and in fact, sometimes it's taken to a ridiculous (yet humourous) extent (ie. Martial Arts Tea Ceremony, Martial Arts Gymnastics, Good Ole Days Martial Arts, etc).

If you're looking for boobs or panty shots, well, you'll get boobs, but they won't be a big deal (nor should they really unless childish ecchi is your thing). If you're an ecchi fan, sorry, this won't do it for you.

Are you a rather mature anime fan who likes that classic aged animation, comedy, anything-goes humour, and a wide array of likable characters? If so, then Ranma 1/2 IS for you. read more

Ranma 1/2 is something that is difficult to pin a single description on. At times there are lots of action scenes, explosions, and various attacks flying around. At other times it is side splitting humor due to an awkward time and place for Ranma to transform, or situations he gets roped into, and still other times where Akane's explosive temper or jealousy takes us by surprise. Scattered here and there are some genuinely sweet and tender moments as well.

(8) Ranma 1/2 is episodic. It has no overarching plot other than to perhaps reverse the curse placed on Ranma and several others we meet along the way. We have our core group of Ranma and friends, and a number of other characters that come and go.

(8) The art is generally very good. Age is no qualm here as an excuse for sloppy art. The animation quality is a bit simple at times. But at others, especially during fight scenes, is very good. Quality overall is still very good though. Although in rare occasions, the art quality drops significantly.

(9) The sound quality suffers a little bit due to age. Especially having been on VHS for over half of the series lifetime. But otherwise the sound quality is still very good to great. Surprisingly enough the core group of characters have very good English dubs. Even a lot of the supporting and background characters have good voice overs. Occasionally we run into a bad voice over, but by far that is in the minority.

( 10) The characters here all have a healthy dose of insanity. With few exceptions most of the characters have some unique personality traits that either put Ranma and crew in massive trouble, or cause such an awkward scene that you can't help but burst out laughing. Also with few exceptions most of the characters are so tenacious that they just cannot give up. ever. It doesn't matter how many times they get pounded into the ground, or launched into the sky, or made a total fool of, they just keep coming back for more. But it fits with those characters personalities and makes them what they are. We do have a number of one or two shot characters that appear for a scene or two and are never seen again.

(9) Ranma 1/2 is a very long series, 161 Episodes, 12 (now 13) OVA's and two movies are a lot to watch. This series is no exception to getting a bit burnt out on itself. I won't lie and say I enjoyed every single one of the stories, but I'm willing to forgive them in light of the insane fun of the majority of the set.

(9) Overall I loved Ranma 1/2 and highly recommend it to anyone looking for a bit of insane fun mixed with various action bits and a romance plot that is extremely warped due to the number of opposing parties involved. Not to mention that Ranma is both a boy and a girl, and with the plentiful insanity, various people either love him or hate him depending on which he is at the time.

The only bad things I can say about the series is that sometimes enough is enough. Ranma's immaturity, and Akane's explosive temper can get a little old
but still.
9/10 without a doubt. Bias included.

*This could easily be a solid 10, but the series was never finished. The anime cuts off roughly in volume 22 (out of 38) of the manga. The OVA's only take on a few more stories but leave a substantial number untouched.
There are still a lot of interesting characters that we never see, and a lot of fights, plots, and other bits that I would have loved to see animated. Not to mention the resolution of the series as a whole.* read more

A comedy/romance based on the manga by Rumiko Takahashi, Ranma 1/2 revolves around the arranged marriage of Ranma Saotome, a boy who has been trained by his father in martial arts since childhood and Akane Tendo, an average girl who is also a martial artist, living with her father and two sisters. Although their relationship starts off rocky at first, over time they begin to grow close to each other, but not without complications brought about by many of the other characters.

Story: The premise of Ranma 1/2, that makes it unique to other comedy/romance anime, are the many Jusenkyo springs which, if fallen into cause the person to be cursed. Ranma is cursed and turns into a girl whenever he is splashed with cold water, and is changed back to a boy when splashed with warm water. The story focuses on the many love webs between the numerous characters, with most of them being in love with either Ranma or Akane. This leads to various conflicts which are usually resolved through martial arts or other supernatural elements. Although the first few seasons introduce new characters and elements, the latter few become stale and repetitive and fail to rap up many of the plotlines. You could almost say that nothing much drastically changed from season 3-4 to season 7

Animation: Hard to comment on the animation of an anime from the late 80's early 90's. However I have to say that it seems very well done for its time, The character's appearence are consistant and the fighting scenes, like I said, for its time, seems well done. Although in some instances they seem to come off a little choppy or with recycled animation.

Sound: The sound is fitting to the tone of the show, music for battles scenes come off as both serious and silly at the same time, which many of the battles are. The opening's and ending's also fit the show very well and were enjoyable. I watched the show in japanese, and although the voice acting was average, it gets extra points for having the great Kappei Yamaguchi as male Ranma, and Megumi Hayashibara as female Ranma.

Character: The anime feature various characters, alot of which have feelings for either Akane or Ranma, and spend alot of their time trying to wedge them apart and win the favor of the one they love. Like Ranma, many of the characters also have Jusenkyo curses and change their form, some curses include a cat, duck, pig and panda. There are also many minor characters who appear only a few times, usually they present some type of martial arts, or perhaps supernatural challenge.

Enjoyment: I was disapointed with the way the repetitive plot and shallow ending, but overall I did enjoy it. Many of the situations were very humorous as well as the over the top personalities of alot of the characters. If you are a Rumiko Takahashi fan (although if you are you have probably seen this already) or just like overly silly comedy/romances with quite a bit of action then I would have to recommend this to you. read more

A person needs good taste and a sense of humor to enjoy Ranma ½.
If you possess these attributes then Ranma ½ should appeal to you.
Don't expect it to be like Akira or Death Note because this is a true comedy.
If you enjoy Monty Python then Ranma ½ will entertain you.
If you aren't amused by it then you have no sense of humor.

Story:

The episodic format often prevents a long story arc from developing
but most of the story arcs that occur throughout the series develope
the overall plot with the character learning new techniques
although some of the story arcs bring the story back to square one.
The main form of plot developement that happens is cast expansion
which means more and more characters are introduced that can later be
used in subsequent episodes.

This massive cast of characters eventually developes a complicated web of relationships that change very little but the web does continue to get larger.
In other words the situation grows more than it actually progresses.

Art:

The art quality was magnificent early on in Seasons 1 and 2
and later on in Seasons 6 and 7 but Seasons 3, 4, and 5 were inconsistent.
This inconsistency is because different animators with varying levels of skill
animated different episodes throughout these middle seasons.
Asami Endo worked on way too many episodes and her style detracts from the quality of the seasons that she worked on extensively.
Atsuko Nakajima was the greatest animator and every episode she made
was entertaining and her style of art and animation was perfect in every way.
Yuka Kudo and Chi Isono were also excellent animators.

Sound:

The sounds effects and music are perfect and they fit the series well.

Character:

Above all else the characters are hilarious, charming, and unusual.
The characters are actually extremely deep and most of them have extensive
back stories that provide extensive information about their past.
Whoever said they're not deep is completely wrong and obviously didn't pay any attention to the comprehensive background information that was given to tell about the events that led up to the ongoing circumstances of
the series and give depth to the characters by telling parts of their life story.
The characters are extremely eccentric but they have believable personalities
because they almost always act in character.

The characters have consistent personalities that make them believable and insanely hilarious. The characters are this anime's best characteristic.

Enjoyment:

Enjoyment is what this anime is all about.
You should chill out and make sure you have a sense of humor before you watch this anime.




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I first heard of Ranma ½ maybe a full year ago on a “Top Ten Funniest Anime” list. It sat comfortably in the number two spot, right before Full Metal Panic: Fammofu. After watching the latter, I was still curious about the former, so I gave Ranma a shot as well. The first time I saw the episode number on my favorite anime website, I honestly felt intimidated. This anime is REALLY LONG. If you aren't prepared, back out while it's still possible. Because of a vow- To always finish every anime I start, no matter how long, stupid, or bad it is- I had to watch every moment of this anime, all one-hundred-sixty-one episodes. It took me no less than six months, possibly more. And I'm genuinely sad now that it's all over, for two main reasons:

1.It definitely felt incomplete. More on that later.

2.I grew a somewhat powerful bond with the characters over the seasons and actually feel devastated having to let them go like this.


Story: 6

How sad. A pitiful little six. For those of you who don't realize, a strong plotline is the most important component of an anime. However, Ranma ½ just doesn't pull it off. Let's begin with my earlier point: it felt incomplete. The more sensitive people may consider the next paragraph a breeding ground of spoilers. It is for that reason that I indent here in order to be fair to everyone. However, in my personal opinion, these shouldn't count as spoilers, but warnings. I won't tell you what does happen, only what doesn't.




Ranma never confesses to Akane. Their relationship never gets anywhere. Ranma never becomes all-man. If there is any conflict that isn't resolved in the same episode it originated in, it will invariably persist throughout the series. Unfortunately, I can only think of one exception (codewords “Martial Arts Tea”). The last episode doesn't actually feel conclusive until its final moments, and not because anything happened there either; just because it was a familiar looking scene. The final two episodes have their own special conflict a step above the regular events of the series. However, ironically, not even that lonely circumstance is given a satisfying ending. Just another “we're back where we started” ending. Absolutely every single possible step forward is chained in place because of the character's inability to move out of square one. I don't know why they refuse to progress the plot even in the series' dying moments. Although an actual storyline may prevent the writers (namely Takahashi) from using ideas they surmised after they made it canonically impossible (i.e. if Ranma became all-man halfway through, then they couldn't use the female Ranma ever again), they should at least grant us a true ending where at least SOMETHING happens.

This series is episodic, and what I previously mentioned was only one of the flaws such a setup brings. The tones vary from episode to episode, sometimes with two neighboring stories feeling like two different anime for the a lack of a consistent voice. Special techniques Ranma learns during the course of one episode are quickly forgotten after the credits roll. He and Ryoga only readily use one attack each that we saw them train to obtain. The rest you never see again, even when they would clearly be useful. There are characters you only see once. And while the romantic scenes between Ranma and Akane become more common the longer you watch the series, they never last a very long time or tell you anything that you wouldn't already know.

However, each of these individual episodes are creative and well written. Ranma 1/2's colorful cast of friends, family, and enemies make this series an interesting watch to those who are already used to a decidedly more “American” structure. Even if they don't add to an overall plot, these are still very fun tidbits about the Tendo family and their daily affairs, about Ranma and his futile shear for a cure, or about some strange relic that's been unearthed. Excepting the episodes which yank the cast back onto linearity at the last second in order to prevent plot progression, Ranma's individual storylines and arcs are filled with action, comedy, and occasionally even heartwarming moments. Something which I can say about Ranma with a clear conscience is that it is never, ever dull. However, it's famous sense of humor may have been only slightly overrated. You'll still enjoy it if it's your style.


Art: 7

I don't care about animation quality. I like eye candy as much as the next guy, but the only time I'll ever be angry about animation is if it somehow detracts from from the overall experience. And I enjoyed Evangelion's ending, so it looks like I have pretty low standards regarding this subject. Or a low attention span. Anyway, Ranma ½ has a noticeably slow frame rate along with a purposeful lack of detail. I love the art style anyway, as its movements and colors, along with Rumiko Takahashi's flawless character designs, fit the series perfectly. I liked the lighting in particular. The backgrounds are relatively simple, too, though again, it really shouldn't matter if you like the anime.


Sound: 8

Ranma ½ has fantastic music. The battle themes and everyday songs were well composed and well used. None of the songs have stuck with me, but I was instilled with excitement or a sense of calm whenever I heard them play. There wasn't a single opening that I didn't try to sing along to, even if most of the endings lack that charm. It's hard to describe music, though. The Japanese voice acting was great, too. Every voice fits each character with perfection.


Character: 9

No doubt the series strong point. Its varied cast is full of faces, voices, and personalities that you're certain to remember long after the series ends. None of them are simple, lazy archetypes, but full-fledged well thought out people that really help flesh out Ranma's crazy universe, even if you sometimes don't see certain favorites for ten or so episodes. However, they don't often develop.


Enjoyment: 8

As I mentioned earlier, while Ranma ½'s storyline isn't as strong as I'd like, everything else pretty much makes up for it. This is an anime that I find impossible to hate. There's too much spirit in it for me to ever even comprehend slandering its good name. Simply put, it isn't hard to see why this is a classic, though you'll have to see the anime for yourself to truly realize why, even with my detailed description.


Overall: 7

While Ranma's story may never reach condescending levels of greatness, the depth of the characters, the hilarity and fun, and its truckloads of charm pull through to give it a passing grade. This series isn't for everyone, but if you want to immerse one of your good-humored friends in the world of anime, this would be an excellent first step.




Rezindez, the Immortal Crow read more

I watched this anime about 3 years ago, but I've gone back and rewatched it a lot. I've always wanted to let others know how I view this anime and how much more hidden depth there is in it. However this anime is a lot harder to sum up together then one might think. -.-

Story- 8

Ranma 1/2 story plot is fairly odd, but you can really feel for the main character, or at least I did. The main gist of the plot always comes back to Ranma(wanting very badly) to return to a being normal guy, getting stronger, and who he should marry. You could say there really is not straightforward direction plot wise, but there is reasoning. Ranma Saotome is a guy with a curse that turns into a chick when spashed with cold water, but turns back into a guy when warm/hot water hits him(or he just takes a warm bath). This is pretty darn great to watch because it is something that isn't what you see in typical anime. Another thing I noticed was all the things that happen to the main character would bring down any other person, but he never gives in for long. Although it comes off as a funny romance with some action, it is also a bit sad and can get pretty dramatic and cute.

I gave it a 8 because some of the epsides become kind of predictable, but it was really fun to watch one you warm up to the characters. This anime would have a lot higher ratings if it was completed.


Art-9

For an older anime, it's one of the best animation I've seen comparing it to other older animes. Though the change in art kind of bugged me, but it only gets better.


Sound-9

I really enjoyed the music, and really it's pretty catchy and fun! You'll for sure catch yourself songing along too!

Character-9

As strange as it seems the characters stay pretty much the same, they are pretty likeable and will get you laughing your head off. The only two that do change and grow as characters are Ranma and Akane(though old habits do die hard). Sometimes when you think one character will do something in their character there are times when you're in for a twist.

Akane Tendo and Ranma Saotome are (as I said before) the ones that grow the most (compared to everyone else who doesn't) and can surprise you with how they interact with one another (when they aren't fighting).

Ranma, Moose, and Ryoga seem to be the usual favourites of this show, and quite honestly, when these three go at it, comedy can't help but follow. Ryoga is usually getting lost when he has to walk more than a few minutes in a straight line, Moose is completely clueless of anything without his glasses, and Ranma is the glue that ties them all together with his level-headedness and arrogance. Most of the characters have one or more traits about them that make them who they are, and you come to know them by those traits. So even though none of the characters are very deep (with maybe the exception of Ranma and Akane), you learn to love them. And it's all too easy to do so.

Enjoyment- 10

I could not stop watching and rewatched a lot of the episodes (normally something I don't really do) and it never ceasese to amaze me how something that seems so comical can have a bit of hidden depth of sadness.(It's not all that obvious but you will see a bit of it yourself)

Overall-10

I am fairly picky with my anime and have trouble liking the newer anime due to them being overally perverted, but even though we do see nude-ness it doesn't become annoying, or overdone. I really recommend this to anybody out there who is sucker for romance, action, interesting twists, and insane fun!

As I said before this show would be a lot more amazing if it had an ending, and if you guys check out the manga you'll know what I mean. There's even more not-so-hidden darkness to Ranma 1/2 and it's pretty twisty! ^^

As a last thought, it is so worth watching! I've even gotten a few anime-dislikers loving it (my friends) :P read more

Ranma 1/2 is one of those typical old school animes, you don't watch it expecting awesome graphics or great sound effects; you basically watch it for two reasons. Reason 1, cause you want to and enjoy it or Reason 2, you want to, to fill up your anime list.

Story: the whole series is split into little stories, though they don't contribute greatly to the overall picture, they do provide some kind of comic relief at times. It might be good in one point, having missed one or two episodes here and there doesn't really hinder your enjoyment and your understanding of the plot; but at the same time it does create a downfall in that one might say there's no real plotline involved. I happen to agree that you could watch the first episode and then skip all the rest (maybe just watch the ones where new characters are introduced) and watch the last episode and you would still understand what is going on.. but then let me ask you, what purpose did that serve? you didn't enjoy it one bit, so might as well watch it in the whole and laugh at some of their "try-hard" jokes.

Art: old school art, nothing spectacular, graphics can be considered old times. But it's anime nonetheless and quite well given if you watched it in those times.

Sound: same goes for art.. expect a few muffled sounds etc. But the background music and various other music pieces were chosen pretty well, fitting to the current situation presented.

Character: new characters get introduced quite frequently at the beginning, which was pretty interesting, but then it just kind of halts. It's ok in a way, I guess you don't need to remember another new face and a new name, but it does get dull, especially if there's no new change for several seasons. Also a disappointment was the seclusion of developing characters, ie. characters do not age. But that could just result from the way the series was intended to be presented.

Enjoyment: I quite enjoy it. The ministories, though have little impact overall, are sometimes quite funny and enjoyable to watch. However, I still vouch for a continuous storyline, at least some form of connection would be nice, just enough to show that time is ticking and things are moving forward.

Overall: So, given all that, the overall is a 7. It could be better, but instead it's just average. Oh and if you really wanted to know, I chose to watch this series for reason number 2, but I do not regret watching it. read more

Well, I never thought in a million years that I would review an anime like this would make me rethink the harem genre to an extent and this is also a very well-known anime among otaku and fans with the element of gender bending or basically Rule 63 the Anime and for those you don’t know about that rule (and you should and you will, eventually), Rule 63 is a rule of the internet that reads as follows: “For any given male character, there is a female version of that character.” I just never thought that rule has some more backstory to it. Saotome Ranma, a teenage martial artist, and his father Genma travel to the ‘cursed training ground’ of Jusenkyo in China. There, despite the warnings of the Chinese guard, they fall into the cursed springs. From now on, whenever Ranma is doused in cold water, he turns in to a girl, and a cute, well-built red-head at that. Hot water changes him back into a man again, but only until the next time. To make matters worse, his father engages him to Tendo Akane, a girl who hates boys.

First glimpse of the show, it had the keywords of harem, marital arts, fan service and gender switching and my thoughts were that the show is going to be either “meh” or something that was insulting and irritating and when I got to watching it, I turned out to be wrong. The show is actually pretty funny in a way where they use fan service not to ogle at the characters, but make the situations around them more humorous. They had a reason for the whole awkward poses/scenes and some of the characters being perverts than just doing them for the sake of doing them. However, with it being 161 episodes with 13 OVAs, it can get old very fast unfortunately.

Now for the characters, the main title character Ranma Saotome is the teenage martial artist who’s really knows his moves when it comes to fighting his opponents and can often be an ass but not so much, it makes him unlikable as I did like his character with what’s going on with him and knowing whenever he changes into a girl….even though his girl personality isn’t too shabby. wink wink nudge nudge (Why did I do that? Because you touch—-“gunshot”—-Yeah, that’s what I thought.) Akane could’ve been that one character that irritates me with her making ridiculous accusations and beating on Ranma but she wasn’t. I find Akane very tolerable as a character as she wasn’t just the tsundere type of character but one that is likable. Plus, I get why she hates boys, because most of them either want to fight and/or fuck her. I’d be pissed off, too, if I was her (Wait! takes a good look at him (her) self again……dammit Angel!!) There’s also his father who also has the effect of changing, but into a panda and when him and Ranma often clash heads, it is a delight to watch. Akane’s sisters, Nabiki and Kasumi, are the ones who always try to make Akane act more like a girl, although I thought even though Akane isn’t really a fan of the boys (except for one Dr. Tofu Ono, whom she had a crush on ever since she was little). Then there’s Ryoga Hibiki, Ranma’s rival from his old high school and yet he wants revenge for something, even though we don’t know what it is about in the first run but as it turns out he’s cursed, too, but his form is a little black pig and then there’s Shampoo, who now plans to kill the female Ranma but wants to marry the male one.

The animation by Studio Deen with Kitty Media has proven it has aged well but is like the many anime in the early 90s as it ages and while some of it does handle the fighting animation well, it does have the case of some speed lines in there and character designs do have a classic feel to it. The background music does have that zany feeling that the show is going for and for those serious moments with some subtle pieces. The Viz Media/Ocean Group dub is…….um……well, it does get better for a while and I did notice some incorrect mouth movements but it was at the time when English dubbing companies aren’t exactly taking it seriously but for what is it, the dub is OK.

FINAL VERDICT: I can see why this is a classic anime series as it handle the harem aspect of the show without being too edgy and it helps that some of the nudity is organic to some of the situation and it’s being played for humor. This is something that most anime fans should really watch but I would not rush into it quickly, with it being 161 episodes. Just take your time watching it and if you like it, continue to watch.
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(A little warning... this is a style of Review that I am trying out. I have three characters that are apart of my storyline that goes with my reviews. I am trying to integrate them into my reviews as well so please excuse the small conversation in it. This one is a trial version of where the male character Kurai suddenly turns into a girl as a April Fools joke by Angel.)

So wow, um… as you read from the description or just by knowing this pretty well known anime, this is a gender bender harem. As such, the show has numerous amounts of fan service, awkward tension, misunderstandings, and secrets. You can’t watch the whole series without a boob popping out once in a while or the occasional pervert showing up now and again. (Kurai: “You are not going to be seeing mine!”) (Angel: “Sounding more like a girl already are we?”) (Kurai: “Shut up!”)

I have a big question, how is every freaken boy after Akane? I never see anything in her that would be the normal of a girl the boys would drool over. I guess in a way, that’s what makes this show special. She’s not the nerdy girl with glasses, the moe girl with childlike aspects, or a full adult style body. She’s just a normal girl who practices martial arts and is kind of (ok, really bad) at cooking. Sometimes she does have a sweet side but she doesn’t show it to just anyone so how they know about it would be beyond me. We can understand why everybody wants Ranma though; he’s strong, agile, and really athletic. He is also somewhat like a bad boy so it sums him up slightly. But even in the first episode, Ranma shows that he can be sweet and has a code that’s rather good. Now if only he wasn’t afraid of cats… (Kurai: “Ha! That’s the stupidest fear…”) (Angel: “Watch it or when I find out yours, your going down!”) (Kurai: *Shuts up*)

One could also wonder about a lot of characters in this show because they are really super stupid. They may have some times where they are at least a little smart but oh god that doesn’t last long at all. I can understand some of the love triangles and some of the problems with nearsightedness, directional problems, and other such things. BUT… that does not excuse more then half the stupid stuff they do. Believe me, if I go too much into the other characters, we will be here all night. That’s another problem with the series; we have the main characters; the supporting characters; the characters that come up every other episode; the ones that stay for a short time, go away and come back again in the next season; and then there are the characters we think may show up again and don’t. (Akuma: “What about the ones that turn into animals?”) (Angel: “I’m getting to that.”) The ones who turn into animals (and I talk about the ones that actually are more like main characters) are somewhat interesting and if you really get into the animals they turn into and their personalities, they pretty much all fit.

Ryoga who’s the pig, and he is pretty much as strong as a boar and a lot of times he runs head first into a situation without thinking. He gets lost easy to the point that he would get lost going to the bathroom in his own damn house! There is Mousse who turns into a duck, and he pretty much talks like one when he starts explaining things all the time. And yet, he is so nearsighted that even when standing two inches away from something, if he doesn’t have his glasses, he thinks it’s someone else. And then there is Shampoo who turns into a cat, she’s feisty and acts like a cat in how cunning she can be.

Then we get to the point where I bet every one wants me to point out, the fact the series runs to damn long! There are seven seasons, three movies, and 12 OVAs. I will get to the OVAs later on though but the seasons… this show should not of gone on as long as it did and it still didn’t end! The manga didn’t end either but I feel that most of the reason the series went on so long is they were playing it out for the end of the manga. The jokes are reused so many times that it feels stale and I hate to say it but most of the episodes aren’t really even part of the manga.

There are some inconsistencies that happen within the show, as in the first episode, Genma turns into a man after being a panda but he has clothing on. One of the big things about people who turn into animals is that they lose their clothing. It’s a major part of the story but yet at times it seems that it only happens when it inconsistencies them. Other times they turn back with clothing on. It makes it a little confusing.

The artwork is rather good for how old the show is and it aged rather well. It does get even better in its later episodes as it grew with the time although the older ones have a nice feeling that they did different animation for flashbacks to previous episodes. The female body is very sexually created and yet many of the girls do seem to have a bit of muscular body structure to show they have been working out. There is a lot of nudity and though in the earlier episodes, they luckily don’t show the nipple (Well, at least for the moving images but then they are sitting there, sometimes they do. In the later ones though, they show practically a well-detailed body.

The English voice acting… well it gets better over time. Oh come on now, you can’t tell me that after how many seasons Ranma got (and the many amounts of movies) it wouldn’t at least get better. Many times the lip sink does get out of sink but with so many characters screaming and having exaggerated mouth movements, it happens. The music can be really fun at times and then switch to a mysterious few cords. They may be annoying but since they have been used over and over, there are ones I can pick out perfectly as what the soundtrack is supposed to represent. read more

ANIME NOSTALGIA SERIES
Full list of the review series can be found on this page, 3rd post from bottom:
http://anidb.net/perl-bin/animedb.pl?uid=251338&show=userpage&do=blog&blogid=29009&page=0

TEASER: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8oTsQeapz1I&feature=related

After the huge success of Urusei Yatsura (I made a review about it as well), mangaka Rumiko Takahashi decided to make an equally queer series, with more focus on action and characters. And the result was Ranma!

ART SECTION: 6/10, SOUND SECTION: 7/10
- Very old style but will stay adorable no matter how many years pass. This series has memorable character figures, distinguishable voices and behaviors, a huge heart-warming variety in backgrounds and humor that still gets to you without needing realism, CG graphics or unbelievable visual effects.
- Most episodes make several image and sound references to very known movies, traditions and myths (of the 80’s and before, that is) making most episodes a parody of every renowned title you can think of. The rest are funny, every day situations, with the characters experiencing new pleasures or taking part in weird games and contests. So, this department has no significance over the real value of the series.
- Production values are rather bad and become much worse as the show goes on but rejecting the series because of the old graphics and sound is NOT an excuse. Jerky movements and more crude graphics make the series less interesting later on but if you got all the way up to the turning point, it means you liked the series and this is not a major problem anymore.

STORY SECTION: 4/10 (5/10 in the manga)
A common trademark of all of Rumiko Takahashi’s works is the stale and unfinished scenarios (although Maison Ikkoku and Inu Yasha are exceptions). The series begins with a story, spends a few episodes introducing the characters and then has really thin continuity. All episodes are divided into stand-alone small story arks and only those introducing recurring characters or another attempt at a given situation can be called to have an on-going scenario. Beyond that, no matter what happens in the end of an ark will have little effect in the beginning of the next. Although there is an evolving story, the series is focusing on humor rather in scenario continuity. Especially, after the third season, the continuity becomes very scarce.
By the way, the manga takes the story far beyond the ending of the series and it is a must if you want to know more.

CHARACTER SECTION: 8/10
A major plus of the series. Almost all characters are hilarious albeit two are the most memorable.

Ranma: A cult figure, Ranma is a young male martial artist. He and his father fell in a cursed pond and now every time they are showered with cold water, he turns into a girl and his father into a panda! He has to hide this fact from everyone and find a cure. If that is not enough, he has been arranged to marry Akane, who doesn’t like men in general. Also, everyday he faces challenging martial artists, other cursed-pond creatures and weird people who are either in love with his male or his female side. He can be seen as the ridicule of the perfect Japanese manly stereotype, as he is supposed to act like a man, even when hiding in a dress.

Akane: A young female martial artist. She can be seen as the ridicule of the perfect Japanese girly stereotype, as she is good in beating people and completely useless at every task any typical housewife can do. She hates men and yet she is arranged to marry the queer Ranma. She is constantly chased by men who want to date her while defending her father’s dojo from challengers, as there are no male descendants to do the job.

The one theme, which stays constant in the series, is the true love between Ranma and Akane, despite their flawed nature. In many episodes they have opportunities to part ways, but always the two come back to each other. Some of the best dramatic moments in the series are in these episodes.

There are half a dozen other beautiful women that circle Ranma from time to time, giving the series a hint of harem anime. The main two are a Chinese noodle martial artist and a cross-dresser girl raised as a boy, who is also aimed to marry him. There are a hundred more secondary characters that spice up the story even more, from the pathetic fathers of the two main heroes, to their hentai martial arts master, to Akane’s day and night different sisters, to Ranma’s animal-based cursed rivals.

To sum it up, most characters are essentially reverse stereotypes of the ideal images of Japanese people. You must be well aware of Japan’s traditions if you want to “get the joke” but even if you are not, they are still very funny most of the time.

The main characters in Ranma are not totally stale as many of them change (not mature; CHANGE) as they interact with several secondary characters that are introduced later in the story. They also learn more fighting techniques and in theory become stronger. Still, they are not as memorable as those in Urusei Yatsura .

VALUE SECTION: 9/10
A must-series for all retro fans who seek quality. It still is amongst the longest and better comedies of the 80’s, even if its production values betray it half way. In fact, every martial arts comedy anime in the last 20 years owes something to this series. It has a pretty high rewatch value, since you can start at any episode and you are almost guaranteed a good laugh without spoiling any story continuity (because there is almost none). Its humor is a parody of the Japanese culture and its stereotypes, becoming a sort of self-criticizing essay on Japan’s history and thus offering some food for thought as well.

ENJOYMENT SECTION: 7/10
1/4th of the episodes are not funny at all. Especially after the 3rd season, the characters become more stupid and less interesting. But the rest made me laugh hard and that is all that matters. A great series, in spite of its flaws.

VERDICT: 7/10
The accused is found … NOT GUILTY! … He is shallow, but funny as hell. read more

Ranma is probably the anime that got me completely hooked on all anime. It was not the first i had ever seen but it was in the first 10 at least. When i saw the very first episode of this show i immediately sat down and watched the entire series from beginning to end over the span of a month. This is truly my all time favorite anime and this is my review of it.

The story of Ranma is not a very deep or complex one, it doesn't even have a conclusion. Ranma is majorly episodic and has very few two part episodes. Ranma has constant conflicts in his life between rivals,love interests and his own personal goal of removing his curse.This premise sets of the show for hours upon hours of laughter and excitement with lots of surprising moments. The show is simple and sweet which is all a romance comedy action anime like Ranma should be. Being set in the 80s the show tends to have lots of wacky and silly humor poring out of it which can be unappreciated by some people. I love anime of this generation cause of its boldness and just ability to be unpredictable cause it was the start of the industry's explosive growth.

As far as characters go Ranma is riddled with bizarre characters that never cease to amaze me. The supporting cast is full of original and funny characters that almost make it feel like some kinda odd themed game show at times. The show used to catch me off guard by throwing in standard character types but with a wacky twist or just by making them goofier than they were ever meant to be. One of the best things about Ranma is all the characters are really original and don't feel like rip offs from another show. They also did not hold back on the soft color pallet full of primary colors. It can be really hard to talk about Ranma characters since they are very 1 dimensional but they are all fairly memorable and even the show acknowledges this at times with some of the gags. The only characters that are every really expanded upon deeply or at any length are Ranma and Akane and it usually is about there subtle and tsundere emotional connection.Even if it lacks a lot of character development i grew to love all the characters a lot.

There is at least a dozen frequent minor characters that are all noteworthy and important to the series but my personal favorite has always been Shampoo. Shampoo is the Chinese amazon with the unrelenting love for the main character that drives her to try wacky and mystical love schemes a like. She was also my favorite character visually cause it always just felt like she was special, when you saw the way she was drawn in the first season it was obvious she was not just my favorite. Compared to most other character she stands out quite a bit with her blue hair and Chinese clothing.

When i watch anime from the 80s time period i'm always given a warm fuzzy feeling from the way everything looks but Ranma used to give me this really vibrant feel of joy when i watched it. I was always enchanted by the backgrounds even if some were recycled too often, it always just seem to set me in the right mood for the show and i could forgive it easily. I was also very glad to see the usage of color was so utilized as compared to other shows of the time. A lot of shows got away with just changing characters hairstyles and wearing school uniforms but in Ranma most characters get quite a few different uniforms that really show off the colors of the rainbow. Another great thing i liked about the show is that only a few characters had strange hair colors, with the exception of Ranma and Shampoo everyone has natural hair colors like black or brown. I like that the show used the color of there surroundings to emphasize the characters more than eye catching neon hair colors.

Audio wise Ranma has a lot of standard sound effects from that period of anime but its soundtrack was pretty catchy. I remember season ones soundtrack being so charming and cute that i listened to it more than a few dozen times. As for voice acting, i enjoyed it pretty thoroughly. I have seen both Ranma in English and Japanese and i can say that both are pretty fair to amazing in voice talent. I did however resent the change in voice for Ranma in the English version as it was somewhat drastic. All in all the audio is very good though i feel it was strongest in season one.

Overall i enjoy Ranma more than anything i have ever seen before which is saying a lot about it. I love to laugh, i love bright and warm shows and I like too see things that i haven't before. Ranma offered me a lot of new things and if you have seen tons of anime and then watch it you may not see the originality as much as i do but it is there. I still wish a studio would remake or continue from where the first one left off even if they gotta recast the voice actors and add actual plot. I cant help but gush about how happy it makes me to watch this show. Season one was definitely the best season overall before they did the changes for big time production but the rest of it is great too.

Ranma 1/2 is Outstanding to me and i think people can still get lots of entertainment and enjoyment from this show.

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I watched Ranma a little over a year ago and I absolutely fell in love with the anime. Most people don't see the intention of the plot and drop the show, but you have to watch it from beginning to end to actually see the development. It shows an engagement maturing from one episode to another through trials and triumphs. This is a great anime that has comedy, martial arts, and romance. It's a really great anime that isn't much on the serious side, but either way it still makes you want to tune in to more. Also, it isn't those holding-hands, passionate kisses, or lovey words that is shown with the couple. No, it shows that a little embrace, or a kind word every now and then, can be just as welcoming. Either way, Ranma 1/2 is an anime I would recommend for anyone. read more

I really liked this and I saw 7 seasons in almost a week.
I loved it as it is fun and entertaining and romance.
But the think it lacks on is development. It makes a great series but it feels that
neither the character nor the story get any futher than last time.
I would love to see Ranma 1/2 anew where the new season would push the story forward and make more permanent changes.

Oh, where to start..?

Well, I give credit for at least trying to make a good anime; however, this was far from it. I don't mean to offend any lovers of Ranma 1/2, but the story was very poor. The plot, however, was imaginative, and it was enjoyable for a little while. The episodes kept drawing me back again and again, even though sometimes I'd yell out to myself "That was the worst episode EVER!"

The creator tried too hard to make Ranma 1/2 funny, so it fails dramatically later in the series. The events begin to be extremely predictable, and although sometimes the humor made me laugh my heart out, most of it was simply annoying.

With my taste in anime (I like to see adventure, occasional humor, and a LOT of character development), I found this show to be somewhat... Annoying. All right, maybe very annoying. Some of the episodes are like a pornographic version of Looney Tunes (what with all the slapstick humor), and it really got on my nerves. Not to mention that the characters NEVER develop. This makes for fun characters at the beginning, but the quality of events and story begin to fail later on.

However, I still finished the series, and found some episodes very fun and hilarious; but when I finally reached that last episode, I breathed a sigh of relief and moved on to different anime.

I have to give the plot some credit. It's fairly original and even cute sometimes, and pretty inventive (I mean, Ranma turns into a girl when splashed with cold water, and this makes for some very humorous moments).

The music is fun and catchy. Not cool or exciting, just catchy, and sometimes a bit... Weird. But it's fun nonetheless.

The art fits the plot very well. It's fairly cute and an original way to illustrate, and I somewhat like it.

Depending on your taste in humor, characters and their development, you may want to give this anime a try. read more

Ranma 1/2 is the most hilarious anime ever. Even though you may already know what the plot for this story is; but to refresh your mind it's focused on this teenaged guy who turns to a woman when splashed with cold water. He reverts back to his original self when he is splashed with hot water. I would say this anime is a romance/action/martial arts/comedy.

The plot was really well done, there wasn't too much of each genre and everything isn't a drag. Although I mentioned that there wasn't too much of one genre, i would say there would be a tint more on comedy than the other two. I wouldn't say it's a fast paced anime, but everything was amusing to watch.

Although it's one of the older animes that were made, but it has some of the characteristics that some animes in the present don't have. Some of the scences that weren't used in the present animes and was used in ranma1/2 had a more effective response (emotion-wise)

Many people would think a long long anime is going to be very wrong, well their wrong (no offense) but there are some exceptions, and ranma1/2 is one of them. I had a CD collection and I just couldn't stop watching it lol.

This is a harem serious and most girls change into other creatures (you'll have to figure it out yourself).

I hope my review helped, give it a try! Better trying then not :) But I tell you it's AMAZING! read more

Before I watched the Ranma 1/2 anime series, i read the whole 38volume of ranma. Its really bring out the excitement because of the slap stick jokes in it. And also there is possible romance between Ranma and Akane so i decided to watch the series instead since i am a big fan of Ranma. To my horror, the art in the anime was terrible and out of my expectation. The manga was much more better than anime. Although the plot is almost the same except for the additional episodes that manga dont have, but its kinda a 'turn off' after seeing the art in anime. So i decided to drop this series and stick to the manga instead. If u are big fan of Rumiko's Art, i think u better stick to the manga instead. Overall, its enjoyable. =) read more

Overall: It was painful to remember about this anime, Ranma is sort of your typical pointless anime, no good story, no real point to the entire story, and defiantly not funny enough to be considered a good comedy series... it deserves to be lumped up in the pile of "boredom-inducing-fillertasitc" anime, along with Naruto, Inuyasha, and others...

Story: they laid out the story in the first episode, ranma is engaged to akane because of odd circumstances, and they didnt advance whatsoever till the very end, actually, it didnt have a story at all pretty much, just random junk happening, if you like a massive pile of fillers, this is your thing.

Art: its old school, but its not that impressive or anything, not bad, not good either. The art seems really bland compared to the Anime of today, so if you are just starting this out, you will notice that really easily, though I'm not saying old school anime is not good...

Sound: well, nothing really outstanding here, no epic soundtrack or anything...

Character: theres not that much depth in the characters and they introduce them by the dozens, even the main characters are not that deep, it feels like they just slapped it together out of randomness and kept going not knowing where to go.

Enjoyment: well its ok the first couple episodes you watch, though it goes downhill from there, it never really picks up or goes on an epic story arc or anything, just pointless random bickering and fighting. It gets old very fast, even with the mass produced new characters. read more

nao cheguei a ver todo este anime, mas acho que vi episodios suficientes para fazer esta review (ando no episodio 83). Para os novatos, que viram primeiro o inuyasha, e so agora e que tomaram contacto com este, (como é o meu caso), irão logo notar imensas semelhanças entre os dois animes, tanto em desenhos, situaçoes, e algumas partes "romanticas", penso eu. Basicamente, a historia fala dum rapaz de nome ranma, grande perito em artes marcias, que durante um dos treinos que ele tava a ter com o seu pai na china, teve o azar de cair num lago amaldiçoado, e a partir dessa altura, cada vez que leva com agua fria, tornasse rapariga, e com agua quente torna se homem (acontece a mesma coisa com o pai, mas ele torna se num panda). E mais tarde, fica se a saber, que ranma tem uma noiva, akane, so que, eles nunca têm uma conversa pacifica por muito tempo, e andam constatemente as turras,(como é normal quando duas pessoas se amam xD), mas eles ainda assim, nao escondem o que realmente sentem um pêlo outro. A partir daqui, descubram por voces. Este ranma tem tanto de bom e divertido, como passado algum tempo, tornasse muito mais do mesmo. Ha imensas situaçoes comicas e parvas, muita acçao tambem, e algumas situaçoes que puxam para o ranma e akane se juntarem de uma vez. Mas o chato vem a seguir: a primeira season é boa, alias, eu gostei das 4 que vi ate agora, so que passada a primeira season, e ao começar a ver a segunda, ja temos ideia do que ira acontecer, as piadas sao quase sempre muito semelhantes, o motivo das lutas é quase tambem sempre o mesmo, e as ditas situaçoes romanticass, sim puxam para que eles se juntem, so que isso nunca acontece...Este é o grande ponto negativo de ranma, torna se repetitivo pasado algum tempo. Quanto aos desenhos, no geral sao bons, nao poderei dizer muito, pois o anime ja tem alguma idade (estreou em 1987), em termos de historia, é apenas aquilo que eu disse ao inicio, vaisse apanhando mais alguma coisa durante os episodios, mas nao sera assim muito siginificativo. Apesar de, como eu disse, o anime tornar se um bocado repetitivo pasado pouco tempo, nao consegui parar de o ver, pois apesar das piadas serem muito semelhantes, rio me sempre xD. Portanto, posso recomendar este anime, como apenas para verem alguns episodios, e de vez em quando, devido as razoes que mencionei, agora sera com voces :) read more

This was one of those situational exploitation animes. They had funny characters with VERY intereting backgrounds but that's all they had going. There wan no coherent story and though there was a possible satisfying end (which they met in the anime), they showed no real progression to it. The two people that are ment to be together in the end move from strangers to a love-hate relationship but where that relationship was supposed to progress more towards the love half, the ratio between the love-hate stayed exactly the same throughout. Also, any story that lasted usually wasn't much longer than 3 episodes. You can practicallyhear the author saying: "Okay, so I have some characters with really great potential (funny, heart-warming, etc) how many situations can I put them in?" As entertaining as the variety is, it doesn't change the fact that just like Detective Conan or Pokemon, it still 100% filler. read more

It is cute and fun, but you never fully reach the pay off you are looking for. We all sorta have something in out mind we wish to see happen in the anime, and sometimes it does happen...but never in this one. It doesn't really leave you wanting more in that way, but it is a cute and fun anime you can pick up, or leave whenever.