Ranma 1-2 Review
By Norimune
Ranma 1-2 Review
Rumiko Takahashi
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Plot Synopsis
Ranma Saotome is a 16 year old student and heir to the Anything Goes Style of Martial Arts. However, Ranma is not your average student: since a 'fateful' day at a Chinese Training Ground called Jusenkyo, he turns into a cute girl when he comes in contact with cold water. Only a dose of hot water can reverse the effects... Temporarily. Yet the crazyness of Ranma's life does not end here; due to an agreement between Tendou Soun and Ranma's father, Genma (who himself is cursed with transforming into a panda...), the gender-wise unusual boy is now engaged to Tendou Akane, a rather violent and tomboyish girl. Sure enough, romance unwillingly blossoms and time brings about problems inlcuding cute pig-boys, ego-inflated Sempais and countless new fiancees...
Written by Caya.Story & Characters
Ranma Saotome is a boy who practices marcial arts (free style wrestling to be
more precise) with his father Genma Saotome.
When Ranma was a little boy his father decided to marry him with one of the
daugthers of an old friend called Shoun Tendo. But something happened they
didn't quite expect.
Genma decided to take Ranma to one of China's most dangerous training grounds,
the Jusenkkio ponds. These ponds had a terrible legends about men animals and
other creatures that had drowned in them. If someone fell into one of these
ponds, they imediately transformed into that wich downed in it ages ago. Well,
needless to say, Ranma and Genma had a bit of this curse. Ranma fells in a pond
in which a beautyful lady had drowned, and Genma fells in one in which drowned a
giant Panda bear. From that moment on, when they get wet with cold water, they
tranform into these alternative forms. And to return to their original forms,
they must soak in hot water.
Imagine the surprise of Shoun Tendo and their daugthers when Ranma goes to Tokyo
to meet his wife.
Full of humour, romance and lots of funny characters, this is (in my opinion)
the best of Rumiko Takahashi's works.
I must highlight the crazy fighting styles that appear along the story, such as
Okonomiyaki Ryu, or Ganso Musabetsu Ryu, etc.
- Rating
- 9 (very good)
Art
The art is great. like in other Rumiko Takahashi's works, the drawing is quite
simple, yet beautyful and full of feelings. the backgrounds are very well
thought. And the clothes the characters wear along the story define perfectly
their personalities and state of mood.
The fighting scenes are very well done howerver without the computer effects
you´ll see in Rumiko's latest works like Inu Yasha.
I love how she draws the girls, with a rather casual and sexy look. Without
abusing of any aspect of their fisiology (like the giant breasts shown in
Bakkuretsu Hunters, Agent Aika or Ikkittousen). The only bad thing are the
openings and endings... Really laim... I think a great anime must have an
opening that you can watch thirty times before you get tired (Argento Soma,
Evangelion, Card Captor Sakura, Chobits, etc). Rumiko didn't pay much attention
to this aspect... Whis is a big mistake.
- Rating
- 8 (good)
Sound
Here´s when I get in trouble... I consider Ranama's 1/2
sountrack as one of the WORST I´ve ever listened. Not only
the openings and endings which are awfully instrumetalized and sound like they
were sung by 70 year old women. But for the melodic tunes for the whole anime
which are really mediocre.
Rumiko tries to overcome this mistake later when she chooses the audio for Inu
Yasha (her earliest work) wich is simply great.
All songs in Ranma have a chinese background, but the are not well composed...
It´s a really big mistake for an
animé which has proved to be so beautyfull in every other
aspect.
- Rating
- 3 (poor)
Presentation
The beauty in Ranma Ninbunoicchi (1/2) lays in the incredible variety of
characters Rumiko unloads in each of her stories. From a lustful old marcial
sensei who steal ladies underwear, to a spoiled little girl that names as a
person every object she desires and does everything to have it, to a mortal
enemy without any sense of orientation, or a hidden weapon fighting expert who
wear glasses so thick he can´t tell the difference beetwen
the woman he loves and a statue of Coronel Sanders (it´s
quite funny the scene in wich he proposes to a pig thinking
it´s her), each one of the million characters shown in
this serie its filled with flaws, desires and love. And in the middle of all
this mess is Ranma, that has to choose a bride eetwen the girls that love him
while he tries to escape alive from the most unexpected and funny situations.
Ranma Ninbunoicchi is a beautyful anime and I encourage everyone to wach it.
You´ll get trapped from the moment it starts and
you´ll do anything no to miss one episode, but, overall, I
promisse you will laught your heart out...
- Rating
- 9 (very good)
Final Verdict
7.83 (good)
Reviewed by Norimune, 3y 26wk ago
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I personally think that Ranma 1/2 is one of the best stories i've ever seen and read. I agree in general with the ratings, i suppose if i had to be critical of the show, the ones you've stated might be the main points. The only quarrel i have, is that the music wasn't all bad. ignoring the OAv's which had some of the best music, i think that the music during the season was better then a 3. It's arguable and more of a sense of my taste. I know my roomate didn't enjoy the music nearly as much as i did.
I'm not really trying to argue the point. I just figured i'd add my opinion to it. I think the singing is better then what you claim. I liked a few of the songs, but yes, they where not as good as it could have been.