Ranma ½ is another of those series in the Patron Pick election (hey, it’s election season – Japan is having one today). And spoiler, it’s doing quite well. I don’t know if it will win but it definitely has patrons – including a few who said “I like it the best of those five but I’m voting for XXX”. Which I sort of get. Many of us know Ranma pretty well at this point, and it’s not like it’s super deep or nuanced of anything. Just a fun farce that triggers a lot of happy memories for a lot of anime fans.
So the question as ever for me will be (if it comes in second) to blog or not to blog. I could consider a digest post, though that would require a dance partner and the schedule rarely cooperates on those (though Ao no Miburo might be a possibility). I do know that I continue to have fun with it. From the 8-bit cold open this week, this reboot really hasn’t put a foot wrong so far. And this ep really illustrates one of the charms of this show, which is the chance to hear great old voice actors really enjoying themselves. There are a lot of series from that era (I would say comfortably most) where using the same cast in a new version would be a mistake. With Ranma ½, I think it was a master stroke.
Yamadera Kouichi is a perfect example of that. He returns as Hibiki Ryouga, one of the seemingly endless train of idiots passing through the station here. But he already made an impact returning as the Jusenkyo Guide, a great small role. He and Kappei Yamaguchi dueling as seiyuu was at least as much fun as Ranma and Ryouga dueling in the schoolyard. Especially with Seki Tomokazu joining in as Ichirou (the broadcasting club guy). Three absolute icons of the business, instantly recognizable and clearly under instructions to just go all out.
The fight itself is pretty balls-out, too. Ryouga is so hopelessly inept at directions that Ranma waited three days for him at their old school for their appointed challenge, and Ryouga was pissed when no one was waiting for him on the fourth. This time around he shows up a week late (despite already starting out in the neighborhood) for the revenge match Ranma assumes is about the curry pan he poached from Ryouga at the school store. It’s an interesting dilemma for MAPPA with something like this. Obviously they can animate a fight like this far, far better than Deen 35 years ago (or Deen today for that matter). But should they? I think yes, but not too ostentatiously – and I’d say they struck a pretty good balance here.
Also of note here is the way Akane comes to Ranma’s aid in the fight when she realizes how beastly strong Ryouga is. Honestly I think Ranma can handle him fine, but still. And then after he turns female, the blush on their faces after “she” carries her to safety. I’ll give Ryouga this much, he’s smarter than Kunou – he realizes almost immediately that this girl flashing her underboob at him is actually Ranma. And keeps on fighting, ROFL Which results in Akane having her ponytail involuntarily removed, which even when I watched this the first time 20-odd years ago I knew wasn’t going to end well for anybody…
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