View Full Version : Ranma 1/2 is greatness!!!
Ranma-san
2004-02-03, 00:28
Ranma 1/2 is one of the greatest manga/anime of our time. Tell me what makes you love it.
diabolistic
2004-02-03, 01:03
Ranma is great, but the plot gets awfully predictable after a while...
Ranma and Akane get closer
new girl from china (who is master in -insert any profession, hobby, or sport- kung fu)
new girl falls madly in love with ranma
akane gets in to competition with new girl
akane FAILS MISERABLY
ranma comes in and kicks her but as female ranma
after reading 18 volumes, i gave up on the idea of character development :/
*note*
the chapters when ranma fights the opens-my-mouth-real-wide person is just.. disturbing
babbito2k
2004-02-03, 01:29
Ranma's great as a concept, but just got flogged to death. I started buying the Viz books way back. I loved the comedy and the parodying of martial arts, but after 10 volumes I felt like I was in hell! >$100 and no end in sight. Nothing really happens with Ranma after the second volume - he likes Akane but is too immature to do anything about it other than be protective and secretly jealous. After a certain point I grew to dislike the characters; what with all the new side characters du jour whirling around only Ranma and Akane appear in every chapter, and they just act like jerks.
Maison Ikkoku IMO is a better long series by Takahashi. The characters are older (wider variety of dumb things they can do), more likable and better-developed; they change over time and the story has an ending.
This "of our time" thing is kinda off base too. Ranma, which started 15 years ago, is a throwback to Urusei Yatsura, which is damn near 25 years old! Manga has changed so much since then...
Great concept, great main cast, extremely repetitive plot.
You can see the "Villain of the week" trend throughout the series. It's basically all filler.
Therefore, in my opinion, Ranma should be read with humor in mind, not plot. Cause for the latter, you really won't find any. :D
Flash_Squirrel
2004-02-03, 01:52
*note*
the chapters when ranma fights the opens-my-mouth-real-wide person is just.. disturbing
The gourmeat from France that wants to marry Ranma? HAH, that was pointlessly funny for some strange reasons.
Ranma 1/2 is one of my favorite mangas! Ive read it all scanlated and Im trying to buy my favorite volumes. I love it cuz its the epitome of all kooky adventures! It may be a little repetitive and Rumiko Takahashi has better dramas... but the humor in Ranma is just so random, I'll love it forever.
babbito2k
2004-02-03, 03:24
... Ive read it all scanlated and Im trying to buy my favorite volumes.
Scanlated, you say.... I thought Viz published this ages ago. The Viz comic books were scanned and distributed, but that's the equivalent of DVD rips.
TechnoMage
2004-02-03, 05:43
Actually, Viz has only released till volume 25, with 13 volumes (Going by the Japanese numbering) volumes left, so one could have only read the entire series either with books in another language, or the scanlations (Which were done of books Viz had yet to do at the time).
As for the series... I love it. I can't wait till Viz gets (which I consider my favorite) to the Pheonix Mountain arc... Though I still have a while to wait. It's probably where the story has the deepest plot.
babbito2k
2004-02-03, 06:39
Actually, Viz has only released till volume 25, with 13 volumes (Going by the Japanese numbering) volumes left...
@_@
@_@
now I am very frightened of Ranma and its fans... I'm lucky I got away after blowing only $100 + some odd...
well, "great" also means "stupendously large"...
:) :) :) Fantastic anime!!love it!!the story kinda make those two lovebirds unable to get together peacefully. :) :heh:
Ranma 1/2....the manga that divided Takahashi Rumiko fans into two groups.
Ranma 1/2....the manga that divided Takahashi Rumiko fans into two groups.
It was my first manga I read and I was definitely satisfied with it. It's one of my top series and if you can managed to get to Volume 40 I think it's worth the wait.
Ranma-san
2004-02-03, 17:28
The best part of the series is fan fiction. Although it doesn't offically have to do with the series...who cares. The fan fiction can create a different atmosphere while keeping all aspects of the characters the same. Fan fiction causes a different tone compared to the actual manga and anime.
Fin Fish
2004-02-04, 21:00
I've finished all volumes of Ranma Nibun no Ichi about a year and a half ago (yes, all volumes scand from japanese)..... well, there are four things I like about Ranma, 4+1:
SHAMPOO!!
Ryoga
Moouse
Ranma-chan (not Ranma-kun :uhoh: )
+ the music
In the anime, the first season was good, but I just couldn't stay put for the second season.... I can whatch that season and the others.... once in a while, maybe two episodes, but...... it's funny, but.... boring.....
The manga..... eh, the last two volumes suck on a very high rate IMHO.... the ending was, well.... it was "good", but after 38 volumes I would have expected much more, though, well, this series is funny, and good, and I kinda a like it, but its not all that.... it is very boring after 5 to 10 volumes.
megacoolspot
2004-02-05, 23:30
ranma is such a great manga series. everytime i feel depress or sad, i will lay in bed, read the book and I'll feel much better :-)
ranma's father and happosai is just funny as heck
Ranma 1/2....the manga that divided Takahashi Rumiko fans into two groups. Hmm... How so?
Can elaborate?
Thanks. :)
The best part of the series is fan fiction. Although it doesn't offically have to do with the series...who cares. The fan fiction can create a different atmosphere while keeping all aspects of the characters the same. Fan fiction causes a different tone compared to the actual manga and anime.
Hear hear! I just recently got into all the Ranma fanfics out there. They're just so addictive! Especially if you find an author who can keep the characters in character well (I reccommend Lord Archive for anyone who is interested. I'd post his site, but he does lemons too, and I may get yelled at for posting inappropriate material).
There's sex in Maison Ikkoku!! O____O I don't know what to say... I... I just don't know what to say... It wasn't that interesting anyway, but the last volume just opened my eyes quite a bit.:twitch:
Back on topic. :heh: I liked Ranma too, for the first 10 volumes or so. One day I just stopped buying them and discovered that I didn't miss it as much as I'd thought I would. And that was it for Ranma. If I had the chance, I'd love to continue reading the series because some of the scenes just made me laugh so hard I couldn't breathe, they were that funny. I just don't think I'd like to buy them any time soon, especially on my very limited budget.
Tsuki_Phoenix
2004-02-07, 17:15
Ah...Ranma 1/2. One of my first manga.
^_^
I thought this series was pretty cool....mainly because it is funny and the plot is just hilarious.
And I like how they incorporated fighting scenes in with little bits of humour here and there.
And I also like the development of Ranma's and Akame's relationship....:)
Ranma 1/2 was my first ever manga! I remember my bro gave it to me as a birthday present. Even after seeing the animated version, the Ranma manga still holds that sweet essence of humour, and light hearted teen romance.
My fave character would have to be Shampoo! yes the crazy and violent Chinese Amazon cat girl! I just love her hair!!
Hail Rumiko Takahashi!!!
Kanesuke
2004-02-10, 12:12
Ranma 1/2 has to be one of my favourite mangas, although it seems to have dragged on a bit too far. Maybe ending it sooner would have been better??
Hmm... How so?
Can elaborate?
Thanks. :)
No problem.
The fact here lies that Takahashi Rumiko started off as a doujinshi artist under the name "kemo kobiru" in the late 1970s.
There were many fans of Takahashi Rumiko's work back then as she did very satirical doujinshis of social lives (and still does in "Takahashi Rumiko Theater" shorts). Anyway, she went pro after winning a young-artist contest with the title "Kattena Yatsura" (actually, she had a short serialization for the manga "Dust Spart" a little bit earlier on a different magazine....).
"Kattena Yatsura" can be said to be the beta-version of..."Urusei Yatsura." And "Urusei Yatsura" went on to become what made her a famous artist that she is today. Satirical. Pointless. Yet amusing. Her next work (alongside with "Urusei Yatsura") was "Maison Ikkoku." For Takahashi Rumiko fans, it was something that they have seen her do since her late doujinshi periods - social issues in everyday life. This was in the midst of the golden age of the 1980s.
Then came "Ranma 1/2." Everyone was excited about Takahashi Rumiko's new work. However, as time progressed and the manga evolved, some old fans felt disoriented. They felt "Ranma 1/2" was becoming more "DragonBall-like," focusing on meaningless fighting rather than her usual satirical-yet-slapstick jokes on social issues.
So, here in Japan, there are splits among Takahashi Rumiko fans:
A. Those who loved "Urusei Yatsura" and "Maison Ikkoku" who continue to read Takahashi Rumiko works based on her satirical and more "adult" jokes (i.e.: "One Pound Gospel, Takahashi Rumiko Theater, etc.) - mainly people in the late twenties and early thirties.
B. Those who started with "Ranma 1/2" and continue to do so with "Inuyasha." - mainly people in the teens and the early twenties. There are a lot of people here in Japan, who first began reading Takahashi Rumiko manga from "Ranma 1/2" and/or "Inuyasha." Many of them refuse to read "Urusei Yatsura" or "Maison Ikkoku" as they are "written and drawn in a different style." ("Ranma 1/2" ikou shika shiranai Takahashi Rumiko fan-tachi)
Wow. Thanks for that background information. ^__^
I love the majority of Rumiko Takahashi's works. I've read a few Urusei Yatsura issues but never really go into them.
One seires that intriges me is the Mermaid sagas. These are completely different to the light hearted comidies that Takahashi are known for. But all the same, a great piece of work!
Wow. Thanks for that background information. ^__^
I love the majority of Rumiko Takahashi's works. I've read a few Urusei Yatsura issues but never really go into them.
One seires that intriges me is the Mermaid sagas. These are completely different to the light hearted comidies that Takahashi are known for. But all the same, a great piece of work!
Be sure to buy the third volume of the "renewed" Ningyo series.
The title is called "Yasha no Hitomi" and has two previously unreleased stories in them.
Cool! Thankyou again! I've been meaning to look for this series' graphic novels!
^__^ You're very knowledgable kj1980.
Great info... thanks man.
Ranma was quite memorable for me as I had probably mention before. It is also one of the first few series I was exposed to that has some ecchi content. However, I never did like Inuyasha. I have read the manga volumes until around book 8 or so (can't remember), never really caught on to it. The story was quite bland and seeing Inuyasha battle demons every chapter is nothing to be really excited about. Though I heard of the appearance of Inuyasha's brother, but I still didn't went back to it. I didn't watch the animated version cause I decided that it won't be too much different. Anyway, I was still on 56k when it started, so I don't have much choice there. :p
Urusei Yatsura however is one of the older series that I have been looking for. I have heard much about it and really hope to read it first hand. Mermaid Forest is still in my hard drive, haven't got much time to even keep up with the new series so it will stay there at the moment until I have my holidays. :D
Great info... thanks man.
Ranma was quite memorable for me as I had probably mention before. It is also one of the first few series I was exposed to that has some ecchi content. However, I never did like Inuyasha. I have read the manga volumes until around book 8 or so (can't remember), never really caught on to it. The story was quite bland and seeing Inuyasha battle demons every chapter is nothing to be really excited about. Though I heard of the appearance of Inuyasha's brother, but I still didn't went back to it. I didn't watch the animated version cause I decided that it won't be too much different. Anyway, I was still on 56k when it started, so I don't have much choice there. :p
Urusei Yatsura however is one of the older series that I have been looking for. I have heard much about it and really hope to read it first hand. Mermaid Forest is still in my hard drive, haven't got much time to even keep up with the new series so it will stay there at the moment until I have my holidays. :D
It's great that you have an interest on older Takahashi Rumiko works.
Be forewarned in advance that if you are to read "Urusei Yatsura" and "Maison Ikkoku," the first several volumes are drawn in a very different style than you are used to seeing in "Ranma 1/2" and "Inuyasha."
This also happens to be one of the main reasons why "new" Takahashi Rumiko fans tend to stay away from her older mangas.
A good analogy would be a person who only has seen 007 movies by Pierce Brosnan versus someone who has seen 007 from Sean Connery, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, and Timothy Dalton.
If a person grows up with Takahashi Rumiko from her beginnings, you get to see her art style gradually change from her origins to what she draws today. However, if someone who just recently picked up the latest issue of Shonen Sunday magazine for "Inuyasha" were to suddenly go back twenty five years to her older drawing styles, they might feel some uneasiness.
So, if you are going to start reading her older works, I suggest you throw away whatever thoughts you have on her art style that you know of. And, if you find it interesting, start reading her works in chronological order, and you'll find yourself suddenly adapting to her evolution of manga art style.
As for "Mermaid Forest" ("Ningyo no Mori"), the anime that recently aired is actually based on a compilation of her Mermaid series manga shorts. Although the anime itself was pretty new (minus the OVA that was released in the early 1990s), the actual manga shorts start way back from the late 1980s. Takahashi Rumiko is also known to do many shorts - some even series, that she does them once every several months, even years! Her "Mermaid" saga and "One Pound Gospel" actually span close to a decade, but there are only few stories (two-three volumes worth) since she does them rarely.
I read all of Maison Ikkoku recently. I actually rather enjoyed it. It was nice to have a romance story from Takahashi that had an ending to it. :heh: The art style in the beginning is indeed different from the later mangas, but there were a number of times later on in the series when I thought Godai looked a lot like an older Ranma without the pigtail, and Kyoko looked a lot like an older Kagome, or even like an older Akane before her hair got cut.
Overall though, I think I might like the older Takahashi more (even though Ikkoku is the only older title by her that I have read). I'm a bit of a sap for romantic stories, and from what I've heard (since I've only read 6 volumes of the manga), Ranma and Akane never really advance much in their love story. Same goes for Inu Yasha (of which I have seen every subbed episode, but have not read the manga).
zgmf-x19a
2006-03-04, 07:42
I was wondering if someone could tell in which volume does Akane discover Ryoga's secret
Another 'the fanfiction is the good part about it' person here. Though the Ranma/Sailor Moon crossovers seem to be the most interesting sometimes. Fukufics has quite a few.
I never actually understood why Ranma seemed to like Akane, even if at the start she seemed to be nice, you'd think that'd be malleted out of him. Though the situations that always happen is another good thing about Ranma 1/2.
I was wondering if someone could tell in which volume does Akane discover Ryoga's secret
She doesn't.
Ranma was the manga that got me interested in anime and such again. It's no masterpiece for reasons already stated here, but has its place in my heart.
Can someone tell me the volume where Nodoka discovers Ranma's curse? At least assuming she does, it seems to be pretty common in fandom to have her knowing.
volume 36, fresh in my mind as I have just finished the manga today.
I like Ranma 1/2 a lot but Akane's on my "Hate List". -_- She annoys me so much. And she's ugly, i.m.h.o. >_>;
zgmf-x19a
2006-03-11, 09:59
weird I remember that she does know about it in the manga much later but I dont know when she discovered it
(I'm talking about Ryoga's secret)
hoboselbow
2006-05-02, 21:23
I say "BOOYAH!" to Ranma 1/2! Yes, the plot does get sortta old after awhile, but you just gotta love it! I mean, who else do you know that turns into a girl when splashed with clod water?! Anyway, I'm a sucker for the falling in love type deal, so I love Ranma 1/2! Lots of love, and remeber Just smile and nod!
Ciao!
-hoboselbow:love:
Ranma 1/2 will always have a special meaning to me, since it was the first manga that I knew was "manga". I think it was in 1992 when I entered a comic book store with a friend (for his purchases, I didn't collect comics back then), and as soon as I gazed into the direction of the comic-sized manga (I think it was chapter 8) the style caught my attention.
Of course I saw the Astroboy/Robotech/Captain Harlock/Cat's Eyes/Dragon Warrior/etc. that were shown on tv, but I just thought that they were just made in the same settings as G.I. Joe and the rest.
Anyhoo, the manga was great at first but then the character development just seems to stop (around where Shampoo is introduced). Then there's the constant flirting with the relationship development, mostly Akane's feelings, that are then tossed out like dirty Kleenex. Also, many characters never really appealed to me because they seemed to be just there to fill the manga with characters (Kuno and his sister for example).
I respect the idea but at the same time it's that lack of development that makes this series so episodic. I originally hated the ending but having re-read the series lately I find it more bittersweet:
-On one hand they basically end up starting back on square one and could place this story in the middle of the series, making it a very open ending that didn't feel like an ending.
-However it seems rather clear that Akane has evolved and clearly is concious and accepts her feeling of love towards Ranma. Ranma however is basically the same guy/girl/person that I've read back in the first few chapters.
Being a guy that values highly endings with closure, Ranma 1/2 was probably never my type of manga to begin with, but overall it was a nice ride.
camathalion
2006-05-13, 13:56
ranma 1/2 is a great manga. some people dislike it because they think it's just a pile of random stories put together. but that is exactly why i like it. These little stories are funny, entertaining, and sometimes touching. Ranma isnt the same as other mangas like "berserk", it is suppose to relax you, and make you feel happy. it cheers you up when your down, it makes you laugh when your depressed. That's wat ranma 1/2 is all about.
x_Kotori_x
2006-05-13, 15:23
I havn't read the Ranma 1/2 manga and i have only seen a few episodes, but i liked what I saw. ^_^
OrphanedKitty
2006-05-14, 20:16
hmmm I unno *shrugs* I guess the characters are just loveable ^^;;
I read my first Ranma volumes last year (my introduction to manga--Ranma is so big it's even at the public libraries here), and I really liked it, it was funny, and Ryoga was kind of cute :heh:. A month ago I tried to resume the series, and I just couldn't get into it. Even the jokes were boring: Ranma is his usual cocky self, always meaning to get back to being a man and do the "right" thing, but all these forces compel him to do otherwise and in the meantime get some time with Akane (which he constantly excuses as something with another purpose, for eg, going to China). I know comedy has it's restrictions, but the characters are so boxed in and limited: Ranma can't feel anything/ do anything other than be naively self-centered, and want some way or the other to restore his true masculinity, Akane is always a tomboy who in vain tries to be properly feminine (the jokes about her cooking got dull after the 100th time), Happosai is this hateful old underwear stealer and never anything more, etc, etc. Caricatures are funny, but caricatures doing the same thing over and over again for 40 volumes are boring.
Same went with Inuyasha: the characters are in a box. They never do/feel anythign besides a narrow defined range, and that just gets boring and unsatisfying if kept on for too long.
Agreed with the above post. You covered what I tried to in my previous post.
The only evolution in the 30-something volumes (36-37?) was that at the end, Akane accepts her feelings for Ranma. And that's about it. Every other plot element was left as open as they were when those elements were introduced.
Back when I was first reading (and since it was also my intro to manga) this was everything that western comics weren't, and that in itself was great. As a seinen who seeks deeper content development -even in mindless comedy- I loathe the idea of re-reading the repetitive slapstick jokes and standstill storyline that Ranma is. Take a comparison with most other harem anime (Girl Saurus, Love Hina, etc) and in the middle of all the comedy there will be an advancing storyline coupled with character and relationship developments -at uber-snail pace, but it's moving at least-.
That being said, I wouldn't feel bad introducing Ranma to any pre-teen kid (12 to 1 15 years of age)that doesn't overeact at the sight of breasts and light sexual theme. Any older however and they might criticize that it looks like Pokemon for teens.
The best part of the series is fan fiction. Although it doesn't offically have to do with the series...who cares. The fan fiction can create a different atmosphere while keeping all aspects of the characters the same. Fan fiction causes a different tone compared to the actual manga and anime.
Haha yes i'v read a lot of fanfiction and have two in fact. Because of ranma i also got into Cheeky angel well sort of. Favorites fan fics about ranma is where ranma gets cursed as a girl permanelty. Ranma is my favorite manga that i read out of order. read 34 but haven't read 25-30 or 14.
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