Before her success with Inuyasha, mangaka Rumiko Takahashi created a martial arts romcom manga called Ranma 1/2. Released in 1987 for Weekly Shonen Sunday Magazine, Rumiko fans remembered Ranma’s wacky story for its progressive perspective on unique fighting styles, enticing slice-of-life, and transformative identity. Inuyasha would take Ranma’s spotlight and became a stunning action folklore narrative anime in 2000. After 37 years, Ranma 1/2 has announced an anime reboot in production.
What is Ranma 1/2?
Ranma 1/2 is a martial arts romcom about a boy named Ranma Saotome who is set to be engaged to Akane Tendo, the daughter of Tendo Dojo master, Soun Tendo. The problem was Ranma was cursed by the Accursed Springs during his training in China with his father, Genma. When they touch cold water, they become a different form. For Genma, he becomes a panda who uses signs to speak his mind. Ranma becomes a young ginger-haired girl.
Throughout Ranma 1/2, Ranma and Akane encounter different people cursed by the Accursed Springs. They will either fall in love with one of the two arranged lovebirds or attempt to duel for their pride. For Ranma, their transformation speaks volumes compared to the rest as his is the only curse that isn’t a beast.
The Creation of Ranma
In an interview with Kana Bits, Rumiko Takahashi explains her thought process on creating Ranma Saotome:
“I was looking for a way for Ranma to transform between a woman and a man. Suddenly the idea of a bathhouse hit me. Regular water turning him into a woman was the start, and then hot water would revert him to his male self. China gave me the inspiration of jusenkyo (cursed springs), unisexual clothing, and ponytails. It helped readers follow which gender Ranma is.”
Rumiko soon experienced that fans loved Ranma in a non-comedic way and found it beautiful how her readers perceived his gender transformation. In the manga, Ranma goes through different situations as both genders such as being crushed on by males, being questioned about his morality, and understanding what it means to be a person undefined by gender.
The Ranma OVA
In April 1989, two years after publishing Ranma 1/2 for Weekly Shonen Sunday, Rumiko’s manga distributor, VIZ Media decided they wanted to adapt the manga into an anime. The animation would be entrusted under Studio DEEN under director Tsutomu Shibayama. During its first airing, the audience found the story’s pacing slow as the animation would hold on a cue for too long during comedic moments. This led the OVA to be canceled in September 1992 airing 18 episodes with low-ratings.
Ranma would be given a second chance under its new anime director, Kenji Kawai in 1993. The series was rebranded as Ranma 1/2 Nettohen (Hard Battle in English translation), continuing as Season 2. The reception of Ranma’s animated return was praised higher for better pacing between battle scenes and slice-of-life drama. Nettohen would go on with 5 additional seasons and four films. However, its ending in 1996 left fans unsatisfied when Rumiko interrupts the wedding with her cast trying to separate Ranma and Akane leaving the conclusion open-ended.
The Return of Ranma
On June 21st, a Twitter (now X) post from the MangaReporter announced Rumiko Takahashi is looking forward to releasing the new Ranma 1/2 anime. According to the post, the mangaka will reveal more details on the project on July 17th, 6 PM JST (Japan Standard Time). Ranma 1/2 will be joining alongside another Rumiko anime reboot from 2022, Urusei Yatsura, the story of the Oni Lum who lives with humanity’s savior, Ataru.
Rumiko fans hope the studio, David Production, can modernize Ranma as most of its humor is no longer acceptable in this era. It’s why fans of the original Urusei Yatsura loved the 2022 reboot thanks to adapting scenes that still hold their original meaning intact without something offensive. We hope over the past 28 years, Rumiko will create a satisfying ending for Ranma and Akane without the shenanigans.
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