Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)
Watching ‘Ranma ½’ took me back to my last year as an under-grad student, when I’d taken up a part-time content writing gig. That was the first time I came across the ‘gender bender’ genre, while writing some promo posts for a manga website. And of-course, I ended up reading a wildly wacky vampire manga about a guy who’d erratically turn into a girl and then back into a guy. Ranma ½ is about martial arts prodigy Ranma Saotome, who gets cursed after a trip to China, turning into a girl whenever he touches cold water!
Based on the Japanese manga series by Rumiko Takahashi, Ranma ½ was first adapted into an anime series by Studio Deen in 1989, while the 2024 remake is by Studio MAPPA, known for titles like Attack on Titan, Jujutsu Kaisen, The Rose of Versailles, among others. Season 1 follows Ranma as he arrives in the fictional neighborhood of Furinkan in Tokyo with his father, where he meets his fiancée, Akane Tendo. Both of them are only sixteen, and neither is interested in marriage or romance, but as Ranma starts to attend the same high school as Akane, comical chaos ensues.
In another hilarious sub-plot, Ranma’s father Genma is also cursed and turns into a giant panda whenever he’s splashed with cold water. So the anime is a mix of magic, martial arts, and a whole lot of teenage shenanigans. All of this is wonderfully animated by MAPPA in colorful 2D, offering not just retro nostalgia for older anime fans, but also a refreshing visual break for anyone tired of gloomy, dark shows and craving some comedic, dynamic, brightly colored animation.
Akane is also an ambitious martial artist, known at her school for both her beauty and strength. So throughout the ten episodes of the show, Ranma and Akane either keep fighting each other or other rivals, some of whom are romantically interested in them. All the action scenes are entertaining, with Ranma usually gliding in the air like a martial artist God, even when he is in his female form.
Each episode of the anime usually introduces a new supporting character, often someone who challenges the lead pair, be it to a “fight to the death” or an ice-skating championship. Among them is Ryoga, another teen martial artist who unfortunately gets cursed and turns into an animal. He blames our gender-bending hero for the fiasco and is determined to get his revenge. Ryoga also comically develops a huge crush on Akane, so there’s a slight love triangle going on in the series, even though Akane has zero clue about his feelings.
The story’s most hilarious moments obviously come from poor Ranma turning into a girl at unexpected times, because the residents of Furinkan comically keep throwing cold water around whenever they feel like it. His female form is cute as a button, which means quite a few boys want to chase her. And since this is based on a manga, the anime creators have retained several of its more risqué comedic moments to please male fans, like female Ranma walking around half-naked or simply showing lots of cleavage. I was both rolling my eyes and laughing at those scenes.
The romantic sub-plot is a cute slow-burn, with the lead pair slowly becoming friends, and developing a mild crush on each other, despite never voicing their stand to each other. Those hoping for a stronger romance might feel a little disappointed, but I guess this is more of an action-comedy, love obviously comes second.
Overall, this is a fun, silly teen action-comedy you can casually watch over a few days without worrying too much about what happens next. It’s just teenagers sparring, battling, bickering, pouting, and crushing on each other.
Watch Ranma ½ on Netflix.
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