We share one soul and one body!
Well I sort of busted my thumb on an ISU 90 on my first day on duty, thankfully it still works. So yes garrison duty, so much more relaxing than school except on drill weekends. Much more free time once liberty is granted, even better if your unit just killed its budget for the remainder of the fiscal year. I left my desktop at the dorm and seeing as how I do not have much to watch in terms of new stuff I decided to dust off some old DVDs of Ranma 1/2 and watch them on my 46” LCD using a PS3. Well it does at least look less grainy now, but it was still much as I remember it when I first saw it. Since I have no idea how to hack a PS3 I have no screen caps of Ranma ½ in what is supposed to be 480p, I am terribly sorry for the lack of screen caps.
Maybe it’s because I am getting old and forgetful or maybe my attention span back in the day was just shoddy as hell, in any case I had forgotten how much they could get away with back in the day. In any case if you have been living under a rock for the past few decades all you really need to know is that Ranma Saotome (spiritual ancestor of Alto-hime Saotome) is a boy who turns into a girl when doused with cold water and reverts back to being a guy when doused with hot water. Basic premise is that Ranma has been engaged to numerous girls some by accident others because his dad was always willing to trade his son for some food. As one of the first successful love dodecahedrons it’s a much more silly slant on the harem genre mostly because gender bending makes things so much more fun… It’s one of the few animes that actually toys explicitly with full on gender bend than the more common trap or reverse trap, suffice to say the fanfiction associated with Ranma ½ is scary enough to send chills down me spine…
I just blitzed my way through what is considered the first season (1-18) in a series that is infamous for being a long journey to no where. I’ll spare you chaps the drudgery of review and episode summary since you “have” buy it on your own, but for those who remember, for those who still have it lying around collecting dust let’s take a trip down memory lane…
Ranma Saotome, I have say I prefer the girl (mostly but not entirely because Megumi Hayashibara was doing the voice work) version, but over all the bloke is an idiot, but he’s at least decidedly underhanded and while a bit mopey about being a girl at first comes to realize how he can abuse his ability to gender swap in fearless and inventive ways. Ranma is my kind of scum at least early on his womanizing ways are quite mild since he’s basically stuck with Akane until Shampoo starts busting down the walls to kill girl Ranma. You know for a guy who can change into a girl Ranma doesn’t actively abuse his powers to go to the girls locker room or something just as pervy, perhaps Ranma is quite accustomed to seeing his sexy girl self or maybe because he’s just that legendarily thick. Still for bilking lecherous old men and blue balled boys out of free stuff it at least shows that Ranma is thinking if only with his gut. I just loved how Ranma was always beating up Ryoga and mocking him.
That said I hate Ryoga the little fucktard, P-chan is by far the biggest perv of the series next to that thrice cursed Happosai. I wish Jusenkyo Guy really did feed him to the Pandas or that Shampoo really did slit the little piggy boy’s throat to makes some delectable cuisine. P-chan is not only a perv but is a hateful coward as well; he can’t even muster the courage to confess and indulges in his craven and pig nature by abusing his power to sleep with Akane. That’s pretty damn low in fact girl Ranma is more man that P-chan will ever be the bloody coward. Still as a military man perhaps I loathe P-chan mostly because he’s the kind of son of a bitch that gets his unit lost, and dead or captured. I have no use for a so called “warrior” who can’t use a compass and a map to triangulate his position; I don’t even think GPS would help the fucker seeing as how P-chan can’t read. P-chan is the smug asshole who has little reason to be smug since he can’t beat Ranma in a fair fight.
Akane is another thick headed moron, for some reason she never really grew on me mostly because despite her status as “martial artist” she rarely gets herself out of trouble and gets out classed pretty quick. Akane is faux action girl, for the simple reason that she tried to be Kasumi and for God knows why feared Kuno…freaking Kuno. Maybe I am just prejudiced against her since Akane loves her stupid little P-chan and gives him a good look at all of her classmates. Ignorance is no excuse, pigs aren’t pets they are food! While Akane is impotent I did appreciate the first rival Shampoo who was just plain evil and pushy. Other than her bunker buster methods of making an entrance I just loved how Shampoo nearly killed P-chan like the pig he is.
Genma and Soun are pretty ho hum for the first season with notable exception to the time when they beat Ranma half dead for Akane. Kasumi and Tofu are pretty milquetoast as well though Tofu’s ability to become a brainless sod is rather fun to watch. Nabiki however is in a league of her own. I like her underhanded and evil ways, from extorting money to selling lewd pictures of girl Ranma and Akane to Kuno there is nothing that she holds sacred enough (aside from herself) that she won’t sell or sellout for some money. Kuno and Kodachi are also delightfully quirky. Kuno in particular has clearly been making love with himself via puppets. I liked how Kuno was such a blowhard and yet was the only person that Ranma feared. Both of them have a lovable idiot quality to them Kodachi (oddly enough I thought her arc was one of the better ones) with her laugh and Kuno’s pretension to greatness in getting both girl Ranma and Akane. Maybe it’s just me but I love to watch them fail at life. Especially Kuno whose only action he will ever see is fapping to the pictures he got off Nabiki until he dies.
All in all I still like this series despite the QUALITY animation at times. Maybe in the end Ranma 1/2 is something that is timeless since gender bending hasn’t gone away nor has that love dodecahedron. All in all so far it has been much less painful than I anticipated, usually things that I watch that I looked back on nostalgically don’t always hold up. If you have not watched it before I recommend it if only as a piece of history and as one of the establisher of some anime tropes. So any one else still remeber this series or am I just that damned old? Also is any one here interested in retro blogging at all by chance? I was going to revist the Gundam Movies and Crest of the Stars, but I am unsure if there are still people who remember the old stuff.
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27 Comments
if i remember right the pictures of Akane that Nabiki sold to Kuno could hardly be considered ‘lewd’
of course for Kuno a little skin is probably to hot for him.
i wouldn’t mind reading blogging on old stuff… though i have to say i can’t remember what ‘Crest of the Stars’ is.
I remember Ranma 1/2, though I never watched the anime, I just read the manga. I would not mind you blogging old stuff, I’m actually looking for older stuff to watch
Actually Crusader, Ranma is a little misrepresented in the anime — in the manga he was pretty shrewd, and quickly picked up ANYTHING given time (not only martial arts). The bone-head aspect was amplified in the anime for comedy sake, whereas in the source material, he was more like, y’know, faking being an oblivious dolt.
i remember ranma too but i liked the manga way more then the anime
and in my eyes crest of the stars is one of the best animes ever made but the gundam movies …. not my thing the old gundam stuff ^^
(sry eng isnt my nativ and im realy bad at it
)
All I can say is, I don’t think I’ll ever forget Kodachi’s laugh, nor will I ever want any of my secrets near Nabiki, and Genma definitely qualifies as one of anime’s worst parents ever (though recently being outclassed by Emperor Wakamoto, but Genma has the predate advantage). Now excuse me as I start feeling old as well.
Indeed. The manga is quite a bit better.
An entry on the First Gundam Triology would be sweet though.
Ranma 1/2 is (was?) one of my old favorites. It’s actually one of the 2 series that got me into anime because it was so ridiculous and unlike stuff in the US (although, reality TV may be fast approaching that level). Kuno and Kodachi are probably my favorite side characters because they’re just plain nuts.
Pretty much what got me into anime. I remember being confused when the German station switched some episodes around due to low ratings and showed Shampoo before her “introduction”. Back then we took it as the show being silly once more – it´s true what Myssa Rei said, the anime put the “sillyness” on a Backburner.
The series is basically a huge sexism joke. Ranma fears turning into a girl for real (not just the body) more than anything. Akane acts very masculine, Shampoo comes from a Matriachic soceiety…
Romantic development is sacrificed for the status quo since that is a great setup for the unique slapstick humor of the series which is for me the shortcomming of series and Manga.
There isn´t development just wackiness piled up despite Ranma REALLY needing to sort out at least some of his issues. But aside from that a recommendation from me.
i cant quite remember how many times i fapped to girl Ranma. I also fondly remember the episode when Ranma lost his memory and thought he was a girl instead of a boy. Ahh the good old days.
Hmm, your second retro-blog in a month and once again it’s an anime that I have fond memories off. Granted I didn’t buy this on VHS (just rented).
If anything, Ranma 1/2 has a bit of old school charm that newer anime just can’t seem to match. I attribute alot of this to series creator Rumiko Takahashi. She just has a certain touch and seems to be one of the few who can subtly and creatively push character and relationship development while maintaining the status quo so to speak (moreso in the manga).
@Caitlin
Yes, I believe that for alot of us older fans, Ranma is what ogt us into ‘anime’ proper.
http://that.animeblogger.net/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/ranma.jpg
Zentran and Meltran in one… de… DECULCHA!!!
Yeah, Ranma 1/2! I’m still watching it. It has great humor and is one of my top three anime/manga.
@Crusader
BTW, I think that a retro blog would be a good idea. It would at the very least, provide me with something on THAT to read once Macross Frontier (and Geass, meaning no more drunken rants) is over.
Also, I’ve got copies of the series burned on disc, so if you have any specific screenshots you’re looking for, I might be able to get a few.
I actually like Ryouga. I don’t know why.
Crest of the Stars and Gundam movies? (I rather have G Gundam blog’s) count me in
~ Take this, my LOVE, MY ANGER, AND ALL OF MY SORROW!~
man, watching this series makes me feel so old…
I pray to all Gods that you won´t find the other seasons as satisfying :p damn Ranma ½ is a long show where almost nothing happends and in the long run it freaking boring.
With that I stopped watching when i was at the 5th season I think…
Sure, when I was young all anime was good but now? Freaking NO to Ranma. He´s cute when he´s a girl though…
@Tenryu
Kuno faps to puppets…he can get off on anything it seems.
@Wraith
Roger that.
@Myssa Rei
Hmm.. haven’t read all of the manga but so far Ranma is skilled at fighting and shows signs of being observant. Sadly he just can’t seem to make his plans work…
@Furbl
Good to know that there are some people still out there who remember Crest of the Stars I though that it had been shrouded my the mists of time.
@issa-sa
I don’t know Emperor Wakamoto sold out his kids for power and didn’t pretend to care, Genma sold out his son many times over for a single meal and still had the gall to pretend that he cares…
Nabiki is just evil…
@Valmanway
I just finished the first three Gundam movies…post up soon I think…
@Caitlin
Ranma 1/2 I still a good starter anime in my book, Kuno and Kodachi though weren’t just nuts they were full on psycho stalkers…
@Unentschieden
I guess having Shampoo was one way to get that second season though. At least it remained funny for a while. Now I have to finish the managa, hell forgot where I left off all those years ago.
@Setsuna-san
I haven’t gotten that far yet but my enjoyment did peak en Ranma was stuck as a girl for a while…
@d3v
Well I have to borrow some later seasons from friends and comrades, but right now 50 USD for a DVD of a season ain’t so bad… Never could afford the VHS tapes as a kid. Thank God for the public library! XD
I only find one of them deculture. I might take you up on your offer but right now on to Gundam!
@Ukyo
Glad to see that it is still counted amoung wome peoples all time favorite lists.
@DKellis
Maybe you like pigs…
@Acesoldia
I don’t own all of it… T_T
@EvilDevil
Comrade, we are positively ancient.
@manga
I still like it, even if it goes nowhere fast. Over all it aged pretty well.
I read some of the manga of this but haven’t watch the anime yet. It’s so hard to find old stuff nowadays. Even Ebay doesn’t help much.
@Unentschieden
IF you put it that way, then the way Ranma gains the title of “man among men” from his mom is quite fitting indeed.
I know I watched a lot of Ranma but I can’t think why, because the only thing I really remember is loathing it. That was a good ten years ago, things change. Maybe I’ll give it another shot sometime.
Yeah, it has aged pretty well. The old Naruto but with more focus on the love aspect :p
I just couldn´t take it. And now I don´t want to sit down and watch it. Since I remember most of the plot and the techniques used and all.
Ranma is probably the anime I rewatched the most, all thanks to the airings and reairings in our local and cable channels (watched it first on Chinese Star Mandarin), then in our local TV with the english VIZ dubs, then later on in AXN, as well as in Tagalog dub in another local channel @__@ It never fails to make me laugh and giggle, even after yearss. All the characters in that show all had their own quirks that it’s certainly not easy to forget them (main characters and side characters alike). Pantyhose, Tsubasa the trap, super yandere Azusa, narcissist Mikado, etc. I’m pretty surprised I remember the details of the episodes quite vividly despite watching it mostly for the Romance x Akane antics.
Also, up until now I still wonder how Cologne and Happousai shrunk to the way they are… o.O
@usagijen
Tsubasa may have been a big enough trap to keep Admiral Ackbar in business ’till kingdom come, but Konatsu could give Alto-hime a run for his money.
Ranma 1/2 FTW!
(Damned browser fail for double post)
This was one of the first Viz releases on anime ever and it still is among my favorites, both anime & manga. I remember all the controversy when this was first aired in Mexico, but ironically, reruns still aired up until last year, maybe even today, but would need to check tv listings. Quite a masterpiece by Takahashi-sama
Crest of the Stars and its saga is one of the most endearing and amazing anime I have had the pleasure to watch and hold dear. Though the current fandom rarely references it, it is one of the greatest space operas of all time and helped cement the anime industry on this side of the Pacific puddle.
@Crusader: A retro anime blog would be awesome, if nothing more than for the nostalgia and to get some news on developments in some olden stuff. Let us not forget that Slayers is alive again and Birdie The Mighty & Golgo got remakes, plus some good retro action with Casshern this fall season. Even the old school feel for Itazura na Kiss is gaining some fans. Retro is making a comeback and a blog for that could be an interesting project. Plus, all the old fans will have a place to relive old glories.
@EvilDevil & Crusader: Yes, we are part of the Ancients, I’m afraid….hopefully there is no Jenova to wipe us out.
meh, I used to hate this anime (mainly because i didn’t understand cantonese slang when i was in primary school)
However when I ran out of things to watch, I thought i gave this anime another chance, and I loved it, however the ‘running’ themes of some of these character’s personalities annoy me in particular that annoying old pervert guy.
However the whole gender blending thing was probably the reason why I really loved it ^^” I don’t know whether you count as ‘old’… my mum’s in her mid ages and she still watches anime with me e.g. Itazura na Kiss :p