Summary
After the successful launch of another reboot based on a Rumiko Takahashi series, fans will be getting another reboot in the form ofRanma ½.The series will be premiering on Nippon TV on October 5th, 2024 (and will stream exclusively onNetflix Japana few days later; America’s release of the show is more complicated).
Unlike the other reboot though,Ranma ½has the potential to be quite the controversial release, making this one of the more complicated previews this site will have published. Let’s discuss what makes this one of the most interesting reboots to come from the anime scence in years.
The Second Coming of Rumiko Takahashi
Anime fans may be aware that this isn’t the first reboot of a Rumiko Takahashi anime; a couple of years ago a reboot ofUrusei Yatsurapremiered and ran for two seasons and 46 episodes (a much shorter run than the original animes' four seasons and 194 episodes).
While there was concern about whether or not a modern audience would be receptive to a reboot of such an old anime, it proved to be a critical success, showing that Takahashi’s humor continues to be timeless all these years later. If you missed out on the release, you can catch up with the series on BluRay and on HiDive. With that series done though, it seemed like it was only a matter of time before another Takahashi series would be rebooted, and fans now have our answer on what series that would be.
The Return of Ranma ½
Ranma ½is a classic manga and anime series created by Rumiko Takahashi. It was serialized in Weekly Shōnen Sunday from 1987 to 1996, spanning 38 volumes (all of which are available in print and digital from Viz Media in America). The story revolves around Ranma Saotome, a martial artist who falls into a cursed spring during a training journey in China.
As a result, he transforms into a girl when splashed with cold water and reverts to a boy with hot water. Complicating matters is that he is engaged to Akane Tendo, a hot-tempered martial artist, as part of an arrangement between their fathers (despite the two having a frosty relationship with each other). The series is known for its comedic, action-packed plot with martial arts battles, romantic entanglements, and Ranma’s struggle to cope with his curse while navigating the chaos of everyday life.
A Pioneer in Anime
It can not be stressed how much of a pioneerRanma ½was in the anime world. Ranma ½ played a significant role in popularizing anime in the West during the 1990s, as it was among one of the first anime series to be licensed and widely distributed in the North America home video market.
It became one of the gateway series for many Western fans in the same wayDragon BallZ andSailor Moonwere, and it helped to establish a broader interest in anime. Though it was a pioneer, that doesn’t mean modern fans will embrace it in the same way.
What Will be Covered?
Considering the episodic nature of the franchise, it is difficult to determine just how much ground will be covered in the first season. Obviously, the series will start at the beginning and introduce many of the key players upfront, including: Ranma, his grandfather, Akane, Kuno, and Ryogu.
Other characters like Shampoo and Happosai may make appearances in the latter half of the first season, or they may be held over for the second. Either way, this will be presented in a way that people who may have never watched previous incarnations of the franchise can step in and have no issue in getting familiar with the world Takahashi has created.
How Will Modern Fans React?
This is the million-dollar question, as there are several reasons to suspect modern audiences may not respond well to the world of Ranma and his friends. WhileRanma ½may be known for its unique blend of action, martial arts, romance, comedy, and supernatural elements, the mixture of these elements have since been copied and imitated by many series since then. What made this combination so fresh and unique may no longer be so for audiences who have more than 30 years of anime history on various streaming services.
What may be most complicated are the gender-bending themes, with Ranma’s transformations between male and female not only being a key part of the story, but also a main source of the humor. While audiences in the eighties and early nineties found this kind of exploration of gender fluidity groundbreaking at the time, the political climate is such that modern transgender audiences may not find the humor in the series. On the other hand, the series was also known for having strong female characters and excellent action sequences, and if these elements inRanma ½hold up as well as the elements inUrusei Yatsuradid, this may be a moot point.
The Takeaway
Ranma ½is undoubtedly a product of its time, so it seems like a strange series to go back to. But then, so did too didUrusei Yatsuraseem like a show who’s heyday was in the past, and that turned out to be great.Ranma ½is going to be an even bigger test as its humor and revolutionary ideas came from a time period that isverydifferent from the views of the world today, and we’re just going to have to wait and see how some of these ideas and style of humor will translate into the modern world, or if the creators are going to be updating the franchise to account for modern day viewpoints. What fans can see is that the animation is gorgeous and, so far, everything does seem to be spiritually in line with whatRanma ½has always been. Fans will just have to wait until October to find out if that’s true.
It should be noted that Netflix has shared the trailer with American audiences, suggesting they will be the home of the anime when it comes to America. However, seeing that Netflix has a spotty recordwhen it comes to how they release anime, whether fans will get a simulcast release or have to wait until blocks are available is unknown.
Ranma 1/2
Cast
In this comedic series, martial artist Ranma Saotome navigates life with a unique predicament: he transforms into a girl when splashed with cold water. His engagement to Akane Tendo adds further complexity, as they encounter numerous challenges within familial and martial arts dynamics.
