However, what does the modern adaptation bring to the table? For all the praise I just gave Ranma ½, it's very flawed in the modern day. It's a typical slapstick rom-com trope with some genderbender elements that use characters that fall in love with Ranma's female and male form to create comedic effect, as well as the perverted old geezer trope to further propel the ecchi humor. Akane and Ranma never get together until literally the very end because otherwise, how would the rom-com even function? Even my favorite characters like Shampoo, to be honest, aren't amazing.
To say that Ranma ½ is trope-ridden and of no value also doesn't seem to be fair, though. It's kind of tropey because other romantic comedies took inspiration from it. At the time, Ranma ½ was quite fresh and unique. I mean it was literally released in the 1980s. So to say that Ranma ½ shaped the landscape of the genre for generations to come is not an exaggeration. Ranma ½ is still a good anime, no doubt about that.
So, with all the rambling, would I actually recommend the Ranma ½ remake? Probably only if you're a diehard fan or never introduced to the series before. I do agree that the remake is just better in every way possible. Animation quality, voice acting, pacing, coloring, storyboarding, sfx, and more. However, it's ultimately a remake. If you've watched the original 160+ episode run with OVAs and read the manga, the remake doesn't bring anything new to the table. As someone who has completed that journey, the remake is nice and it's cool to see some it animated superbly well, but I wouldn't actually watch it myself since it's all the same. If I've never watched the series, I'd probably drop it because it's not amazing. Since I already watched it, I'm, dropping it because I don't want to watch it again. I'm just curious who the hell the actual target audience is. These remakes are getting a bit out of control.
