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RANMA 1/2 |
| REVIEW |
STORE |
GALLERY |
| Release Year:
1989 |
Episodes:
Undetermined |
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| Directed by:
Hideharu Luchi |
| Written by:
Ryota Yamaguchi, Shigeru Yanagawa |
| Based
on the Manga by: Rumiko Takahashi |
| Music by:
Kenji Kawai |
| Distributed by:
Viz Video |
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| Parental
Warning: Martial arts combat
violence, nudity and edgy humor. I think anyone over 14 should be
able to handle it. That's when I saw it. |
| Rating: Super |
Review
by: Mark
Capitelli |
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Ranma 1/2 was the
first anime series I ever saw...now I have this anime
site. Put it together. Ranma 1/2 is the most
incredibly quirky and somewhat insane, yet charming,
funny, and well-conceived anime I've ever seen. It
really appealed to me as a teenager, and I think that's
the perfect age for this one. If you are too old for
it, you might think it's immature and ridiculous. If
you are too young, you probably won't even get it and
might be sexually scarred for life. WHAT'S
THAT? Did Mark say "sexually?" Yes,
I did. This is a sexual, situation comedy, not
hentai (Anime porn)! There is nudity (breasts and
rear-ends only), but there are no sexual acts or real
vulgarity. I can't believe I'm saying this, but the
truth is that it is innocent. I wouldn't suggest it
for kids under 13 (as the VHS/DVD boxes clearly state),
but I would say that it is definitely not something you
should freak out about if you find it in your kids' VCR/DVD
player. Well, now that I've gotten that out of the
way, let's review this puppy!
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Ranma and his father, Genma, are martial
artists travelling through China on a training mission
when an accident causes them to fall into different pools
of cursed water. The result is that now when Genma
is splashed with cold water he turns into a panda
bear. Much to Ranma's dismay, the same action
results in his turning into a beautiful teenage
girl. Luckily, warm water reverses the
curse.
The series begins with Ranma meeting his
betrothed, the high-spirited, tough cookie Akane.
Neither youth is interested in each other (so they say),
but their father's (who are also best friends and training
partners) insist on the marriage to consolidate their
school of "Anything Goes Martial Arts."
Still with me? Good.
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The series and the movies all concern Ranma and
Akane's hidden (from each other) love and
all the garbage they have to go though because of
it. What kind of garbage? Everything from
unwanted suitors and a perverted old martial arts master,
to ancient magic and insipid ghosts and demons. Through it all
is humor, martial arts action, young romance, and other
people similarly cursed when splashed with cold
water. The series is a lot of fun. So why
didn't I rate it HUGE? |
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Well, unfortunately, the series suffers
from its own longevity. Ranma and Akane's
relationship needs to develop over time so that we (the
audience) remain engaged. It did through the first
two seasons, but then it seemed to plateau for the rest of
the series until the conclusion (which I have not seen,
but I'm told it finally pays-off). The bottom line is that after years of
watching Ranma, I finally stopped because it got a little
boring. Ranma and Akane's romance stopped evolving
and I lost interest. Sure the addition of new characters is
fun, but that can't be the only thing driving the series. Unfortunately, for Ranma 1/2, it is.
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The bottom line is that it is a very fun
series with great characters and situations. I
highly recommend it to open-minded anime fans looking for
a laugh.
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