A boy who becomes a girl, a dad who becomes a giant panda, a girl who becomes a kitten, a friend who becomes a black pig. If you haven't gotten there yet, the next anime we're going to talk about is the unforgettable Ranma 1 / 2. A cartoon that takes us to take a leap between China and Japan, between cursed sources, loves, rivalries and traditions. After traveling with Sampei, fought with The Tiger Man, faced challenges with Holly and Benji e Mila and Shiro, discovered the vices of the gods with Pollon, let's delve into the thrilling adventure of Ranma Saotome.
- Ranma 1/2: the plot
- Ranma e Akane
- Ranma: finale
- Ranma 1/2: Manga Vs Anime
- Initials Ranma 1/2
- Ranma 1/2 characters
- 80's cartoons: our column
Ranma 1/2: the plot
We are in 1989 when the first episode of Ranma 1 / 2. The protagonist is precisely Ranma Saotome, a young boy who travels with his father Genma looking for places to train. Both, in fact, are martial arts experts but it is one of their travels that turns their life upside down forever. In China, they visit the Hundred Cursed Springs not knowing that it is a very dangerous place. Legend has it that in each of these hundred springs a person or an animal is drowned and that anyone who falls there is destined to transform themselves. During the special training, Genma and her son Ranma fall and end up in two different springs: the first in the one in which a panda drowned thousands of years earlier, the second in the one in which a girl drowned. From this moment on, both are doomed to transform in contact with cold water and return to 'normal' with hot water.
Ranma and Akane: a combined engagement
While ranma and his father return home from China to Japan By having Soun warns her daughters of the strange couple's arrival. Soun and Genma are two longtime friends and have decided that Ranma will marry one of the daughters of Soun: Kasumi (19 years), Nabiki (17 years) e Akane (16 years). But when a giant panda and a red-haired girl arrive at the Tendo house, everyone is speechless but the girls (Akane in particular) breathe a sigh of relief, convinced that they have escaped the arranged marriage. After the introductions, Akane, a martial arts enthusiast like Ranma, actually asks Ranma to train together. A hot bath follows, but this is where the discovery comes: Akane goes to the bathroom and meets Ranma (who has become a man again thanks to hot water) on the way out. After the shock, Ranma and his father explain the whole story of the Springs and the curse to the Soun family. Finally Kasumi and Nabiki nominate Akane for their engagement: "You hate boys and Ranma is only half so," they tell her.
A long line of suitors
Se Akane she is totally furious about this arranged engagement, too ranma disagrees with their parents' decision at all. However, there is nothing else to do: the decision has been made and they are officially engaged. Neither of them knows that this is just the beginning of a series of misadventures that will involve a long line of very particular and often annoying characters. Both Akane and Ranma will have to deal with some suitors ready to do anything to push away any rival.
We find then Kuno Tatewaki, captain of the high school kendo club, who is madly in love with Akane and, therefore, ready to defeat Ranma. But when he meets Ranma as a woman, he will fall in love with her too and will want to conquer her at all costs. Conversely, Tatewaki's sister, Kodachi Kuno called the Black Rose, he falls in love with Ranma and will do anything to thwart Akane. But the suitors for boy Ranma didn't end there: there's the Chinese fighter Shan-pu e Ukyo Kuonji, Ranma's childhood friend. For Akane, however, there is also Ryoga Hibiki, an old acquaintance of Ranma's arrived in Japan to take revenge on him. It is because of him, in fact, that he fell into the waters of the Cursed Springs and that he turns into a black pig in contact with cold water. A transformation that, however, will work in her favor as the pig will become Akane's pet (who obviously doesn't know her true identity). This will therefore give Ryoga the opportunity to always be close to the girl he loves.
Ranma: finale
The story of Ranma 1/2 moves, therefore, between a thousand adventures and antagonists. Parallel to the search for the protagonist and his father for an antidote that definitively puts an end to the curse and transformations with hot water, the knowledge between Ranma and Akane moves and the birth of a feeling that, in the end, will bind them. to each other despite the obstacles of mutual suitors. But what is the ending of the story?
Let's clarify immediately that the Ranma 1/2 anime does not have a real ending. We could in fact talk about an 'open ending', probably wanted at the time to give the possibility to develop a sequel. In the final part of the series, the protagonist reunites with his mother but he never reveals himself to her, on the contrary, he presents himself to her in his female form and with the name of Ranka. Her father Genma, on the other hand, does not want the curse that afflicts them to be revealed to her. This will create a series of unexpected events at the end of which the woman will decide to leave. However, she will be stopped by an unexpected event: an explosion will put her at risk of life. The woman will be saved by her son and on that occasion she will be able to see his face (as a man) and recognize it, and then faint immediately afterwards. When she awakens, however, Ranma is a woman, determined to keep his resolve not to reveal his identity to her yet. The woman therefore believes she has dreamed and leaves the city. Ranma decides that once the curse is lifted, he will go to look for her and reveal everything to her.
Ranma 1/2: Manga Vs Anime
As is almost always the case, anime and manga differ in many things. The same is true for Ranma 1/2, written and illustrated by Rumiko Takahashi and published in Japan in Shogakukan's Weekly Shōnen Sunday magazine from 1987 to 1996. From this was then taken the anime series, developed on 161 episodes broadcast from 1989 to 1992 in Japan (in Italy it will be broadcast from 1996).
It must immediately be clarified that the TV series it covers about half of the comics, this is because, at the time of airing, the manga had not yet been concluded. This is why the anime has many 'filler' episodes, lengthening events that are covered in the manga for a few pages or scenes. From here we understand why many details are different, so many meetings take place sooner or later than expected and why some events are treated so accurately.
Certainly one of the most important differences concerns the end, very different in the manga compared to the anime, albeit 'open' in the same way. If in the anime it focuses on Ranma's mother, in the manga it focuses on the relationship between the protagonist and Akane. Ranma finally decides to declare his feelings to her (reciprocated by her), so the two decide to get married. Too bad Akane's wedding gift for her future husband, the magic spring water, is accidentally drunk by Happosai. This triggers a quarrel between the two future spouses who mess up the marriage. However, they remain together and, in the last scene, they go to school, hand in hand, like every day.
Initials Ranma 1/2
The Italian theme song of Ranma 1/2 is 'Ranma Ranma', sung by Massimiliano Alto and Monica Ward, who are also the voice actors Ranma boy and Ranma girl. The arrangement is that of Jajauma ni sasenaide.
Ranma 1/2 characters
Ranma Saotome - the protagonist of the saga. She turns into a girl with cold water.
Genma Saotome - his father. It turns into a panda with cold water.
Akane having - betrothed to Ranma and passionate about martial arts.
Kasumi having - the eldest of Akane's sisters.
nabiki having - Akane's other sister.
Soun having - great friend of Genma and father of the Tendo sisters.
Shan-pu - Chinese girl in love with Ranma. It turns into a cat with cold water.
Ukyo - Ranma's childhood friend and in love with him.
Tatewaki Kuno - Captain of the high school kendo club, in love with Akane and Ranma woman.
Kodachi Kuno - Tatewaki's sister and experienced gymnast, she is in love with Ranma.
Ryoga Hibiki - Ranma's arch rival, he is in love with Akane. With cold water it turns into a black pig.
Happosai - master of Soun and Genma.
FOAM - Chinese boy, in love with Shan-pu. Turns into goose with cold water.
Azusa Shiratori - expert figure skater, Akane's rival for P-chan.
Mikado Sanzenin - Azusa's skating partner.
Ranma ½ collection (Vol. 4)
- Takahashi, Rumiko (Author)
80s cartoons: our column
We've come to the end of our Ranma 1/2 review. If you love 80s cartoons and anime and are looking for more of this type, check out Tech Princess' 3s anime column now. Candy Candy, Carletto, Sampei, Pollon, Lady Oscar, Daitarn XNUMX and many other fantastic characters are there waiting for you.
Tagsanime ranma ranma 1/2 Ranma 1/2: Martial Arts, Love, and Cursed Springs
