Ranma 1/2, an Anime YEARS Ahead of It's Time

[@Bonsaipop]

More below, but Use our code BONSAI10 and link: bit.ly/3i6IFEC to get 10% off (save up to $47!) your own authentic Japanese subscription box from Bokksu! Don't miss out on this amazing snack-journey through Japan! This one has been long awaited for us, finally getting to do some Ranma 1/2. I love this series, and Tyler put in a lot of work editing most of the video, though i'm gunna pat myself on the back for the thumbnail lol. Thanks for watching everyone, i'm excited and slightly terrified to see the comments but hey, never back down know what I mean? Go with that gut, do what's right, talk about the real real. And of course, have a lovely week. We'll be back soon, on the 8th of October actually! Here's to you! -Mike

[@mistingwolf]

I think one of my favorite episodes is when Ranma is so traumatized by cats that he turns into a cat. Figuratively this time, though.

[@LowellLucasJr.]

Sorry Genma is one the greatest character in anime. Sure he can be terrible but somebody's gotta teach that smug Ranma a lession!

[@tmattt8133]

Dude well said. Keep speaking your mind fuck those people. We live in america!

[@joshwimpee6419]

I have that Yuyu Hakusho shirt. What's up.

[@williamjones3534]

FINALLY! YOU DO RANMA! this is a classic that I was shocked you never did considering you did Legend of the Overfiend. That being said there is a manga called "Futaba Kun Change" with the same premise since it was Ranma inspired that goes where Ranma didn't with a boy and his family born with the ability to shift between sexes. It was pretty funny. Since you said you read all the comments I decided to comment. I was pretty excited when I saw that Bonsai pop had FINALLY done Ranma one half since it's a classic. It ranks up there with Ninja scroll in that a person cannot call themselves a true Anime fan if they don't know or never heard of Ranma. However now that Bonsai pop has done it I am a bit disappointed. While you mention politics to which I have no issues with so long as it's not misinformation being spread (happens a lot on social media) I do not believe that this anime should be looked at and analyzed through the eyes of present day politics and attitudes. The manga and anime were ground breaking this is true and done as a social commentary. However it was SOCIAL COMMENTARY OF AND FOR IT'S TIME. Neither Ranma nor Rumiko Takashi was about gender politics or rather trans gender politics at the time. You are absolutely correct about the politics of women and how they were treated but everything else? No. Ranma was comedy but also used as a lens for how women were treated and to judge this based on present day politics is a disservice to both anime and manga. It is akin to me, an African American man judging Huckleberry Finn, Tom Sawyer, or even Gone With the Wind through present day eyes. News flash Both Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer were progressive for it's time and a commentary of social ills (slavery) of the day. Gone with the Wind, though racist was and is a film making master piece and a depiction of Antebellum south. Simply put it was what it was just like Ranma is a depiction of the times and SHOULDN'T BE JUDGED through a present day lens with buzz words like "Toxic Masculinity" tossed around. Enjoy it for what it was, the commentary of the time, a comedy series, a successful series and nothing more. I think I understand why this never aired here. There are too many damned brittle souls who would take all the fun out of the Anime. Now, the other thing I'm going to touch on which may piss some people off is 26:45 Gender and sex. I hate to break this to you but Gender is SEX. Gender in it's scientific term is the classification of ones sex in that either (for humans) you are male or female or to put it another way do you inseminate or the one who gets Impregnated, I.E. lays eggs or carries a child to term. Gender roles, and Gender Identity, are completely separate from Sex (the definition not the verb) / Gender. FYI for us Humans there are only two choices, a person is either male or female as evidenced by what reproductive organs present between ones legs. With today's modern surgery yes that and the appearance can be altered but GENETICS will stay say if a person is male or Female. Unlike other species such as frogs we as humans cannot change our sex or possess multiple gender classifications. However who or what a person chooses to identify as is their own business. I find it funny how lot of what people based their gender identities on are gender, Normative Values that change from culture to culture, as well as through out the decades. What was considered male and female or masculine and feminine 20 or 50 years ago is very different from today. This goes into 29.00 when you mentioned your own issues with masculinity. You are correct in many ways you were basing your ideas of what is and isn't masculine on some VERY out dated and dare I say exaggerated notions of masculinity. Note, I said masculinity not feminity. America has had a very bad habit of projecting this exaggerated image of the Rugged, Masculine, Male, who never cried, were never supposed to be sensitive, instead holding their feelings inside like a real man because feelings were women stuff. Women cried men didn't. America pushed this "image" much to the derision of the world at large. This is epitomized in the big corn fed blond haired blue eyed football player or farm boy. If you didn't look like some giant athletic god and play a sport you were a sissy. It didn't matter if you liked lady parts or not, a sissy was a sissy. So you my friend, a guy who seems sensitive, thoughtful, and a musician would have been seen as a HUGE SISSY who should have liked the dangly according to that. \ Part of your problem my friend is that you suffer from the Justin Bieber syndrome. You may not be a rich, entitled, piece of trash, waste of a human being like he is but you are a pretty boy like him. A very scruffy looking pretty boy but one none the less. I don't think that's a bad thing. What is bad is how that power is mismanaged and misunderstood. Justin at the height of his pretty boy popularity had lesbians willing to overlook the dangly bit because he looked like a cute one of them. This was in addition to all the sex crazed girls, cougers, and men who wanted a piece of the bieb. Where he went wrong was trying to butch it up with all the cheap looking tattoos in an attempt to look more "manly." What he should have done was taken the Prince route and embraced the pretty and his SEXUALITY. Prince at the height (and even after) his career made women wet and straight men question themselves. Prince, this five foot something dude was the exception for many straight men. I think that is your appeal, not this bi energy nonsense. Simply put, when you clean up you're a pretty boy that could possibly make men question their straightness and make the ladies swoon if you embraced what you got. Sorry for the essay long response but the video was thought provoking. I'm sure I'll piss some people off but I stand by what I say. As an African American man who happens to be part of the alphabet community I have no issues with how someone chooses to identify. What I do have issues with is the misuse of the terms and misinformation associated with it.

[@BoredGhostInk]

I love how Rumiko Takahashi came up with Ranma 1/2 because she couldn’t decide on having a male or female protagonist in the forefront, so she basically went “why not both?“ 🤷‍♀️

[@DemonicRemption]

@Vick_does_stuff Been there, done that, didn't use the same method... Well I did, kinda... A pair of fraternal twins would merge into one being.

[@uhhh_adam]

​@@DemonicRemption that actually sounds pretty tite af u should do it

[@projectmessiah]

@@DemonicRemption Thats just the Shaman King manga ending

[@falconeshield]

Respect to the Queen

[@Clayinator]

That’s why the pun 1/2 in the title is so clever because the protagonist is literally split into two separate beings.

[@Irochi]

Also, after all this years, I think about Mousse, who transforms into a duck and I still wonder what specially stupid kind of duck managed to drown himself in a F'ing pond

[@CaptainFrost32]

Maybe a duck that crossed the Mob and gave him cement webbed feet? AFLAC!

[@zaxchannel2834]

Ducks fight by drowning each other and they have no qualms about ganging up and drowning one particularly unpopular duck that picks a fight

[@justinsanchez6255]

I mean what about the drowned octopus? Isn't that part of Taro's curse?

[@chadmarsh5356]

@@justinsanchez6255 the magic isnt about dying, its about drowning. Technically speaking if it breathes water its drowning by definition. Akane didnt die but there was a pool of drown Akane after all, before Ranma blew out the side of the mountain and flooded them anyway.

[@thatguythatdrawzz749]

Not gonna lie, Didn’t like mousse. Still don’t

[@alejandromolina7270]

The funniest moment for me, in the episode where Akane was training to go up against a gymnastic martial artist, Ryoga, in piglet form, walks in on Akane's dad taking a bath, dunks himself in and walks out in human form in the nude. The dad sees all this and he does nothing as this seems to be a common occurrence. I had to pause the video after that. Out of all the absurdity in this show that moment broke me, apparently.

[@jamesgasik3424]

Soun is so mentally unstable he may have convinced himself he imagined it. Many fanfic writers have attempted to retcon this as being part of some secret plan to make Ranma jealous to accelerate the betrothal...but that sort of sneakiness is more akin to Genma, and that level of subtlety is typically beyond any character other than Nabiki. Or it was just played for comedy. You make the call!

[@ernestorio3550]

@@jamesgasik3424 I like to imagine it happen for comedy purposes, like really nobody in the story is kinda save from common sense lol

[@nunyabiznes33]

@@jamesgasik3424 Probably the former. Like, how was he OK with a man sleeping on his daughter's bed?

[@jamesgasik3424]

@@nunyabiznes33 Genma got him drunk first?

[@lichking654]

The funniest for me was in the first episode where genma and soun were in tears and kasumi or nabiki walks in 🤔 or that ova where akane turns evil and ryoga taught that ranma and akane went that route y'know adult stuff or atleast what I've understand to their context of the issue 🤔

[@johnmobley9369]

Ranma not caring about his modesty was hilarious and kinda realistic.

[@MrEvldreamr]

Ikr! I loved ranmas character, ngl

[@damnname2398]

this is why female ranma is one of my fav characters

[@jamminjay6439]

I don’t know if I’m going mad, but I feel like girl ranma is somehow less of an ass or she got the sweeter moments

[@falconeshield]

​@@jamminjay6439Sadly a relic of when Ranma was made. Female Ranma is sweeter sometimes cause she has better temperament. A bit sexist towards men. At least it made sense in the last 80s. Modern men weren't allowed to explore their softer side until metro became a thing in the 2000s.

[@LittleHobbit13]

Honestly the lack of feminine modesty was one of the things that always stood out to me about the show. It would have been soooo easy for them to find reasons to cover him up, but the fact that there are multiple instances of him in female form running around topless simply because _it doesn't occur to him_ to cover up was iconically realistic. Ranma didn't "become female" so much as he became a guy in a female body. Unless he was purposely leaning into female behaviors, all his mannerisms remained fairly masculine.

[@vulpes6144]

I simply LOVE how in the second movie Ranma just states that if Akane, or everyone else he cares about, accept who he is, the curse really doesn't matter.

[@Ranuyasha]

Yes but he still sees it as a curse not a trans allegory here.

[@dicorockhimself]

​@@Ranuyashawell he's not trans he's genderfluid theirs a difference

[@thestarsailor972]

​@@dicorockhimselfthe gender fluid is water

[@dicorockhimself]

@@thestarsailor972 i like your style magic man

[@MrSophire]

That’s my fear with this generation, Ranma isn’t Trans nor gender fluid, he is cursed. People keep trying to make him trans

[@acecosmonaut5559]

Ranma 1/2's first opening song has lived in my mind rent-free for 16 years.

[@thebeautifulfootball5845]

Same here. Literally 16 years, since 2005. I'm truly grateful I watched Ranma in my childhood. unforgetable memories.

[@delphidelion]

For me it was "Little Date." Literally the first Ranma intro I ran across.

[@LadyHawke78]

The Neko Hanten song will still be in my brain on my deathbed…

[@nishikaze]

Same. Catchiest. Opener. Ever.

[@dulcebautista1437]

I watched this in Mexico in the late 90s, the song in spanish still lives rent free in my head and I'm STILL waiting for the Live action to be available for us to view

[@725TheRizzo]

Ranma 1/2, when your MC is both best boy and best girl.

[@zekramnordran9526]

Everyone knows Ryoga and Ukyo are best boy and girl respectively

[@dannyt6160]

Ukyo best girl!

[@kaiyyeleighakira8607]

lmaoo true!

[@razorflossrazor2937]

Shampoo is best girl

[@Nastyn1nja808]

Hahahahaha

[@jacktwelve1710]

Ranma is the original: IT TAKES A REAL MAN TO BE BEST GIRL

[@varimkadas6068]

God, that should have been on one of the episode covers ...

[@lainiwakura1776]

But Shampoo is.

[@tabithaAsher2171]

Don't tell him that lol

[@mnmgamingplays4593]

Rimuru been real quiet since he found out about ranma

[@simpleevan3583]

True

[@redmustangredmustang]

We're back guys after 30 years. It's BACK!

[@isaacthenoob1953]

YEAHHH

[@falconeshield]

IT'S BEEN 84 YEARS

[@binusdimas]

IM READY

[@crapatron17]

Akane's cooking was always one of the funniest gags in the show to me. That and the ridiculousness of tatewaki kuno. The English dub of this show was probably one of the best at the time IMO

[@caseydonners9220]

The poetic way he talks is so hilarious and annoying at the same time😭😭

[@fedesoulpus2031]

Ranma's father didn't throw him intoto a pit of cats to cure him of his phobia, he did it so he could learn the secret cat fighting style.... (The phobia was a secondary effect to that) and he succeeded, but it can only be triggered when he is exposed to cats, and his fear becomes incontrollable, he starts acting like a cat and becomes nearly invincible. Also Akane is the only one who can calm him down afterwards

[@chadmarsh5356]

I can think of at least 3 other people that have snapped him out of it without just triggering his curse like everyone else has to. The random old lady from the introduction of the neko-ken, his mother, and Ryoga of all people. I also remember him playing with some string with Kasumi (or maybe Ukyo) once before Akane hit him with a bucket of water. Without speculating too deep into it Neko-Ranma just finds something familiar that garners his attention long enough for him to not see everything as a threat. by my recollection he "plays with" (read: beat the crap out of) Ryoga then takes a nap on him. I would assume that's likely how Genma got him to calm down when he was younger too, but I don't remember it being shown.

[@fedesoulpus2031]

@@chadmarsh5356 yeah! I think I remember Kasumi did calm him down one time, like Akane did. It was during the episode of the big cat demon, if.im not mistaken. The one that wanted to turn Akane into a cat.

[@chadmarsh5356]

@@fedesoulpus2031 The one that wanted to marry Shampoo? I know he shows up again but forgot why, sounds right though. I should watch it all again, too many years of fanfiction plots overlapping leaves me with a very opinion colored memory of it that I'm trying to look past, lol

[@jamesgasik3424]

The FIRST time he threw him in was the teach him the Cat Fist. The subsequent times were attempts to cure him, at least that's how I remember the Viz dub.

[@Alex_Rodd1526]

@@jamesgasik3424 From what I remember (I watched a foreign dub), he was thrown multiple times, all of them as part of the training, Genma even changing the type of cat food between throws to see if any was more effective. It wasn't until he finally snap, that the training ended, only to be snapped out of it by an old woman living nearby. It was also kind of a plot point during the episode, that until Akane came, that old lady was the only one to ever been capable of calming Ranma, and that most of the cast belived he was going to stay like that permanently.

[@seandarbe2521]

Rumiko is a Grand Mistress in the art of manga. I love how great she is at dressing people in interesting clothes that are reflective off characters personalities and that actually are real clothing people whould wear when the comic's where made. Her art gives you an idea on normal life in Japan, despite the fantastical nature of her stories.

[@falconeshield]

After Tori, I don't want to lose her too

[@haroldthaf]

Also, Japan is the world capital of Buckets and Kettles. They're never running short of those.

[@Irochi]

And in this series, they don't seem to have police or military. since you can pretty much try and kill somebody in the middle of the street and everybody is like "yup, today is Wednesday, all right"

[@kyleberndt1362]

Ranma 1/2 has an incredible, legendary fanfic scene. Going back decades and still kicking.

[@falconeshield]

My first fanfic ever was Heart of Ice

[@Peacebunnie]

​@@falconeshield OMG I haven't thought of that for years!

[@X7Excalibur]

Genma didn't throw Ranma into the cat pit to cure him of his fear. He didn't have one. He did it to teach him the Neko technique, which is arguably Ranmas strongest mode. However, that gave him the phobia, and he can't control himself when he is in that mode, he thinks he's a cat. Which is adorable because cat ranma loooooves Akane.

[@Heavensrun]

The nekoken is not *actually* a strong technique. Ranma becomes way more dangerous without it than he is in it by the end of the series. All it really does is boost his aggression.

[@darthvenus3432]

I'm so glad you cover older animes like this. Ranma is an amazing manga and anime.

[@doraeguyakaneddie6586]

So many other ani tubers only talk about things from late 90s-present

[@darthvenus3432]

@@doraeguyakaneddie6586 right. And the 90s have only been in the recent year or so.

[@doraeguyakaneddie6586]

@@darthvenus3432 The thing I love most about anime is being able to dig deep into the past and find a hidden gem

[@LordYamcha]

Awesome I haven't seen anyone cover Ranma in a while- I can tell this is gonna be a treat

[@joshwright4799]

Yamchad what's your favorite anime character, my little pony character, & cartoon character?

[@livecoilarchive1458]

So way back in the day, before KZbin truly cracked down on copyright, most of Ranma 1/2 dubbed was available to watch for free on this site. When I was just starting middle school, my father and I started watching the series on here. He remembered the show from his own childhood (or adolescence, whatever) and wanted to share it with me. Every now and then, there'd be a purge and we'd have to find a new channel hosting all the episodes, but I'd estimate we watched a good 100 together before slowly stopping. The nudity rose my eyebrows, but Dad did a good job of contextualizing it, saying it was pretty much never in an outright sexual context. I started thinking more clearly about the separation between nudity and sex appeal in all media, so there was educative merit to the show. We both loved Ranma, but after a while, I think we both grew tired of the lack of story progression or character evolution. Ranma works if you know its capacities as a sitcom rather than a proper narrative going in, but there's JUST ENOUGH story progression that this isn't immediately obvious to newcomers, or people who don't fully remember the show when it was new. He and I both felt constantly teased with interesting plot elements to the point of annoyance. Any time a trait of one character should have been revealed to others, the show would almost always invent an excuse for why it should not. It was this constant push and pull, jerking around that we both grew tired of. I now understand this is the point of the show as a sitcom, but back then, and I can safely say even now, that storytelling approach is just not for me. I need a little more substance with my media to justify me spending hours on it. I need to feel some sense of character evolution. There needs to be consequences. Ranma remains a nostalgic show for me regardless. It's far from perfect, but part of me really wants to go back and finish it, some day. This video does a good job lauding the gender subversion the show brings, which for Japan in the late 90s was quite revolutionary. I will never argue Ranma is a bad or unimportant show, it's just one that maybe should have had more substance to it, or maybe shouldn't have been as long.

[@saltyfish7512]

Its still up for free lol

[@DylanYoshi]

I've got good news for you buddy. kzbin.info/aero/PLCyQireo0gUyW4qxeTik9OIxSeTeo7y_w

[@happywithdrawal]

we had basically the same journey. i first watched ranma 1/2 back when it was available on youtube. i was about nine. i absolutely love it but you've managed to articulate one of my main frustrations, which is this constant need to maintain the status quo. i will always love ranma 1/2 but that's the one thing that keeps it from REALLY shining

[@sorayuu8134]

You've probably heard this alot but if you're interested in character development, the actual manga has alot going for it! Many loop holes in the anime have been tied up through the entire manga.

[@livecoilarchive1458]

@@sorayuu8134 That's great to hear. Maybe I'll give the manga a shot, one day.

[@Emma-ki3fv]

I was like "How come this isnt talking about the recent series?" then realized this video was made 3 years ago...

[@TribeDownSouth]

Right? The reboot is very welcomed. Gives people here in the west to catch up to something they've been missing this whole time🎉 the intro song for the remake is fire too

[@Emma-ki3fv]

@@TribeDownSouth I loooveee the end credit song! Gotta check out the OG series too

[@Fonky_Fesh]

I dont think ranma was years ahead, it's just that the past decade or so we've been going backwards in terms of creativity and pushing boundaries.

[@richardrizon1733]

This series is probably my biggest comfort series. I've owned the entire show plus OVAs and movies on DVD for almost 20 years now. Every couple years I break it out and watch it through from start to end. It never fails to make me smile and laugh, even at jokes I know are coming. And every time I reach the end I always wish there was more to watch.

[@yunogasai1338]

One of my favorites is when all of the cursed boys have to look for three magic pots to cure themselves. It's freaking hilarious.

[@joeyzapata6786]

The OVAs in particular are godtier anime.

[@falconeshield]

​@@yunogasai1338I hated that arc. It went on forever and it turned out to be a hoax.

[@LoneLionLeo]

I always called it “ranma one half”. Ranma half just sounds wrong to me

[@AndyLifeInVideo]

Did I stumble upon a Mandela Effect moment too?

[@LoneLionLeo]

@@AndyLifeInVideo I’m glad I’m not alone in this. Kinda strange tho.

[@neckromancer009]

@@AndyLifeInVideo Not really. I was looking around fan websites in the late 90s and we usually called it Ranma "one-half."

[@sirrealgaming6913]

Yea it's "Ranma One Half" to ye olden Fanbase

[@delphidelion]

Same. I started watching it around '94 or '95. Hard to remember. It was always just "Ranma One-Half." I vaguely remember it being referred to that way in an ad or something.

[@reikolupus136]

A couple years ago, I went back to watch the Anime of Ranma 1/2 to check if it was as good as I remembered, or I was being blinded by nostalgy. It wasn't as good as I remembered. IT WAS BETTER. How the hell does taht happen? XD Ranma is, without a doubt, one of my favorite characters of all time, and this Manga is pure genius and WAY above it's time! Damn, the more you know about things about gender and sexuality, the more you can read about the characters (Especially Ranma for obvius reasons), and even if the author never really thought about those things when making the characters, the fact that you CAN dissect the characters using modern knowledge nad understanding, and arrive at clear and solid conclusions depending of the angle you take them from, speaks ton of them from a writing perspective. The characters are extremely silly and exaggerated to make for good comedy in a story where they could be fighting using ice skating martial arts one day and stopping a pervert gremlin from stealing underwear teh next, but are also exdtremely solid and deep. Ranma 1/2 is a masterpiece, one of the best works of one of the best mangaka of all time.

[@VereditoRainbow1012]

Yesss, I watched like 10 episodes when I was a kid, now I'm watching it all with my cousin and it's so much better then what I remembered. And I remembered to be great, so.... Omg, so awesome.

[@vincentalonzo9252]

Its really nice seeing someone who fell for this series as hard as I did and find it a total underrated gem.

[@RenaRoo123]

My love for Takahashi's work is immeasurable

[@Lumeriadeborel]

I was lucky to watch it all (including movies and ovas) in Mexico during my childhood. One of the main channels (Canal 5), would show it in the evening slot after school. My dad would watch it with me, but kind of didn’t want me to due to the nudity and freaking Happosai 😂 but he gave in and let me watch it all. Ryoga is my favorite one.

[@ThePrynceemo]

I watched it in Mexico too. When I visited my abuela

[@kitbashjay]

I had a friend in Mexico who would record it off the TV and bring the VHS to school with hand written translations so I could watch too.

[@neckromancer009]

Same. The Philippines dubbed it in Tagalog, and got around to censoring bath scenes by drawing bubbles.

[@MikeyMiked9]

I watched the episode where shampoo goes to the bathroom as a cat and then goes back to human all naked, all my family was yelling about how canal 5 was allowed to show that to kids 😂😂😂

[@Oroxom3]

Hell yeah, I watched it on guatemala and funny... It's was uncensored for some reason hahahha

[@bocodamondo]

it probably wasnt the intention of the mangaka to do this, but im sure ranma gave alot of people the genderbent fetish as a result of watching it lol

[@astrosmithsin3153]

true i got genderbend fetish just because of ranma half

[@AnimeIsLayfu]

It is the intent of the author.

[@dylanmatthisen8977]

🙋‍♂️

[@krimsonkatt]

That's me. Genderbend fetish takes up basically 25% of my mind lol.

[@Grapeegrapee]

i think it was my awakening

[@Bird-Birdy-Love]

The one thing that is regrettable is this is the one series that they adapted a Takahasi series that never got a full adaptation, they just suddenly drop making it one day, i really wish it was.

[@Jordie_42]

Yeah. The final story in the manga is the best of the series

[@baboner1046]

To be fair, didnt Inuyasha get its last arc until several years later.

[@Bird-Birdy-Love]

@@baboner1046 to also be more fair, it eventually did get its last arc aniamted, plus a sequal series that is animated and this has not

[@baboner1046]

@@Bird-Birdy-Love yup, I remember watching this as a kid hoping for an ending. Unfortunatley most anime that aired around that time didnt see an ending. Saint Seiya saw its ending nearly 15 years later

[@ernestorio3550]

Yup to this day this Rumiko's only work to not get fully adapted in Anime format..... Like even her lesser know works like Maison Ikkoku (my personal favorite) finished the adaptation even tho it's a bit different due to reasons

[@peterstrianus1790]

Thank you for this incredible video, I watched Ranma at the time (1994) and still remains my favorite anime. Is on another level of poetry, let's not forget that Takahashi invented the romcom overall; Urusei Yatsura had all the peculiarities we nowadays see in any anime. Tsundere, Yandere, Gender-Bender, Traps, Insane rich kids, bath scenes, beach scenes, and so on, she is the Queen of Manga for a reason.

[@yusukeelric]

Ranma anime: Sitcom. Ranma manga: Regular Show before Regular Show was even made. Everything starts up haha funny then it becomes an overly dramatic bizarre fight for life or death. I liked anime ranma, but just that. The manga is a masterpiece of storytelling, drama, social commentary and action. But it's not a sitcom. It's a slice of life hyper drama. When i read Midori no hibi i had this ranma vibe in it. This sense of a world with normal people normal stories. And then suddenly you got a girl for a hand. And a Mad doctor, and your sister pranks you in ways that endanger your life... There is also someone suplexing someone else every 2 episodes. But the entire thing is told in such a natural way that you don't know what's real anymore. That's Ranma. I do understand people being mad atpeople that make hamburgers a social dilemma... However Ranma entire manga. is social commentary,It's not subtext in Ranma case. It's context. Social commentary is the entire point of this manga. It's like trying to make Excel Saga anything but a jab a japan political landsc.... Oh... you should see how excel saga was butchered by the way when it was adapted... Yeah, people over the west got so used to comics PREACHING at their readers as if they were brainless toddlers that they can't see social commentary when it's made in a more respectful and mature manner. Its not coincidence the protagonist is the one that turns into a woman. I don't remember the anime so much, but the manga is more fresh in my mind. every episode deals with both young men women societal struggles. And ranma has to deal with both expectations at the same time in every arc. So no... im going to shit on people looking for politics in Dragon Ball. But when it comes to Ranma, social commentary is it's second name and it's absolutely understandable to talk about it because that was the intention of the manga and it wasn't subtle about it at all. However i think you are missing half of the ranma half story. As i said. Ranma is about gender roles. and how both are shit on by society expecting both to act in a way they really aren't. You can tell ranma isn't this stoic kenshiro he pretends to be, unknowingly to both akane and ranma, Ranma is akane ideal man, Not just the Ranma Ranma pretends to be, but the one he actually is when the mask falls off, but everyone else pushes ranma to be the kind of man akane hates. You also got ryoga personal struggles that becomes a hate tornado later in the manga (no, im not going to explain more. read the manga if you didn't) Manga isn't just about women struggles in the 80's. Its entirely about gender roles in the 80's. And the best example are the Kuno siblings. I think that pair is the most hateable brother and sister in manga history.

[@jacobtierney4419]

"If you choked a chicken to Lady Ranma, thats pretty gay dude" Me, a bisexual: "I don't have such weaknesses" 😂

[@varimkadas6068]

Just don't let "Pig Tailed Girl" know that you did ( He will NOT be amused 😉 ... )

[@KhalilEstell]

+1

[@daisycutter2978]

you can still turn that part of the brain off where you think the character is a dude. it’s abt compartmentalization heheh it being fiction helps too. but for this particular work, i was too young at the time to think abt it. i just thought ‘ah-hahahah so funny! hahah~ how’re you gonna pee? your breasts look like hoppang hhhh sooo funny! it’s winter so i can have some hoppang now. neat!’ that’s abt as sophisticated a thought i think i could muster up. even now just too lazy to think beyond that h. back in the days i was like that russel character from the the film up, but in pjs, rolling around in bed with manga in hand, picking my nose, then scratching my butt, and laughing some more on a sunday afternoon.

[@lainiwakura1776]

Half gay bruh.

[@mrmoviemanic1]

Me, a straight man: "I did it and I would do it again"

[@yarameshiinkhan2566]

I love Ranma so much it is an absolute staple of my childhood. I wished we heard more about shampoo and her "family". I believe shampoo is one of the most prolific gag-type female characters in anime. She is so complex and lovable in her own ways. I hated her at first but she is such an icon to me now.

[@falconeshield]

Shampoo is Lum but evil There I said it

[@adamjasien8791]

I'm so glad you featured this anime. It's one of my favorites and I feel like nobody knows about it. It's hilarious and badass all at the same time. Thank you for highlighting it. It deserves so much more love than it gets

[@AdiaShardae]

Rewatching this video again, about one of my all-time favorites, has me excited about the fast approaching remake! I'm optimistic, and excited to revisit this world again, and for new people to experience it as well!

[@forafewnightsout]

I really am happy to say my first best friend was this girl that's dad worked at Cingular wireless in its Hayday in the 90s. So she had top notch internet and her dad also liked manga and showed us anime very early. When i was like 9 in 1998. Ranma 1/2 was the first one and then fushigi yuugi. My best friend's favorite. That being the first manga i ever saw.

[@JulieTijerina]

OMG. Calling ranma a sitcom makes all the sense! Love this show it was my first anime series that I watched from start to finish.

[@Chalepastel]

I fucking adore this anime Thanks for reading this comment, you are such a fucking inspiration.

[@joshwright4799]

Martin f. Molina what's your favorite anime character & cartoon character?

[@MWhaleK]

Anime is good, Manga is much better.

[@DoxxDiamond]

Only ever heard it called "Ranma One-Half" never "Ranma Half" before this

[@Ramsey276one]

The American TV ads XD

[@Kaimax61]

but seriously, that's one thing that "it's in the title, can you not read" things that bugged me when it was airing on tv. It's "Ranma 1/2" not Ranma 1 1/2"

[@sonicsaiyan07]

@@Kaimax61 The word for 'One' is literally in the Japanese pronunciation, it IS 'One-Half'.

[@DanafoxyVixen]

@@sonicsaiyan07 so what your telling me is that the Japanese dont know how fractions are pronounced... got it

[@allanolley4874]

Yes this as in "I enjoyed this video one-half as much as I could have if he had pronounced the name of the anime correctly." Although it does not really matter, still petty as it is it bugged me. Good video otherwise, Ranma was fun and interesting. Since others think there is only one way to pronounce fractions in English, look you can say "I read a quarter of the book" or you can say "I read one-quarter of the book." Half of one is 1/2 or a half. One-half is a perfectly cromulent way of rendering 1/2. Arguably just "half" and not at least "a half" is wrong because half a dozen is six, half with no "a" or "one" is just "divide by 2(/2)" not "one divided by two (1/2)"

[@jomarhernal389]

Ranma 1/2 reportedly in the works of remake.

[@lrndspirit5567]

The remake 1st season has already leaked. You can watch right now online. Watched it already. It's pretty good.

[@jomarhernal389]

@@lrndspirit5567 Thank you. Where can I watch it?

[@lrndspirit5567]

@@jomarhernal389 Aniwave is where i watched it.

[@lrndspirit5567]

@@jomarhernal389 Aniwave was the website I watched it on.

[@MrNetWraith]

Okay, I gotta call BS on one little statement. Ranma never "chooses" to keep the curse. He is *forced* to keep the curse, because Jusenkyo floods as a completely unexpected and unpredicted side-effect of the final battle he fights. He probably would have chosen to put Akane's life over getting cured if it had been presented to him in those terms, but he had no idea at the time he was making such a choice. This does not mean he does not continue to desire a cure. He literally abandons Akane at the wedding altar in the very next chapter to get his hands on a cure. That is NOT the behavior of somebody who has chosen to stay cursed.

[@lolforme100]

I think he avoided saying all of what you said because he didn’t want to spoil the ending

[@shaoronmd]

there was no wedding... or at least it tried to be 😆

[@kylenickel871]

I get this is a 30 year old series so I guess I'm behind, but I like how he says in his video "This doesn't spoil anything." And one of the first comments I see is you correcting what he says by one word and proceeding to spoil what I'm guessing is the series big twist. I'm on episode 12. Thanks for that my guy.

[@jamesgasik3424]

You might be right. In the anime continuity, however, it depends on how you interpret the ending of Nihao My Concubine. You could say, well yes, of course he chose to lose his chance for a cure rather than destroy Akane's life (making her go through the hell he has gone through), especially since it's obvious it was an act of love. But a choice was made, and it may also have been him finally accepting his fate.

[@nestrior7733]

Yes, because continuing a running gag at the end of the series invalidates all character growth that happened. Make no mistake. He does save Akane over his manhood because he's a fundamentally good person. However. There's a whole speech about his actual feelings for her and how he genuinely would have preferred for his life to be on the line instead of hers. It's not about being "forced" to choose. There was no choice at that point anymore. Akane was more important to him. Simple as that. It wasn't "I only save you because it's the right thing to do" but "I save you because I love you and don't want a life without you." Early Ranma might've hesitated to save her, but wouldn't have had this breakdown after he thought he lost Akane. It would have been an ego thing for early Ranma. And he might've had a breakdown over that. We saw that on display when he and Ryuga pitched pride and despair against each other. There's a clear progression in the writing. While pride never becomes completely unimportant to Ranma, other people do become more important. To the point where he sometimes swallows his pride to help others. This penultimate chapter is only the highest peak of that. It isn't important to become a full man at that point. Saving Akane is. Which also means that after Akane is safe, he can pursue a way to become a full man again. But then again, he clearly got much more comfortable with his female side over the course of the series and it was just a convenient excuse to tie that loose end up forever. The pools where flooded and mixed "but what about after?" Turns out, it doesn't matter. Happosai took care of that.

[@SmartJapanHacks]

Ranma is one of my favorite manga of all time. The humor really holds up. I love how Ranma uses his femininity to trick other guys whenever it suits him. A true classic that's still worth reading. Can't speak for the anime, but I'm sure it's worth watching as well.

[@Emily-cl2jl]

For real, he really pulled the old bugs bunny trick on them all the time 😂 just one of many things I absolutely love about this series.

[@delphidelion]

I find it so odd that many people condemn the series for Happosai. He is like Skeletor, a personification of something you should not want to be.

[@aronestone100]

He has a weird Mary Sue vibe to him, he can do what he wants most of the time because he just the strongest.

[@charliebaker1427]

Hes pretty much master roshi or proto jiraiya so hes never really bothered me hell the cockblocking ryoga does irritates me far more then anything happosai has ever done

[@monabohamad2242]

@@charliebaker1427 I think Bonsai Pop's kind of already mentioned explained how the others you've mentioned are apparently meant to be portrayed depicted as CHARMING LIKABLE FUNNY but HAPPOSAI now on the other hand he's like a totally evil predatory obsessed addicted to underwear freak pervert

[@carbodude5414]

The difference is that you can always count on He-Man to kick Skeletor's ass at the end nor does Skeletor live with He-Man's family while sexually harassing Teela unchallenged Happosai is stronger than the main cast and gets to live with them despite being a sex offender

[@homra8970]

@@carbodude5414 The only one that is as scary as him might be Cologne.

[@helpconflict9851]

I just realized Happosai is both Master Roshi and King Piccolo. A martial arts master of incredible skill who in some ways mentors the protagonist and is a huge pervert, while also being so dangerous to others he had to be sealed away, only to escape.

[@SaraBendjafar]

Ranma was my introduction to anime, I feel like. I'd seen anime before, but I'd never been so into it as when I watched Ranma. It didn't even matter that it was already about a decade old at the time, I just loved it. I expected a little trip down memory lane clicking on this, and I did get that, but I was more impressed with your analysis.

[@RetroFurui]

Ranma was my introduction to manga, which then introduced me to anime. Glad to see a video on it!

[@yunogasai1338]

I'm glad ranma is more readily available now. I've finally been able to get the whole anime on DVD but the manga is always out of stock so I'm stuck reading my volumes 2 and 5 of the old print run for now. I did buy maison ikoku for the first time to hold me over until then. I'm sad to say I have more of rumiko Takahashi's anime series than her manga. I find her series to be great relaxing reads. anime

[@frozen-yogurt-yes4662]

First manga I’ve ever owned and since i was a really dumb kid (and had absolutely no knowledge of manga and comics) I bought volume three based on the pretty cover lol I remember going into waldensbooks and heading straight for their teeny tiny and always empty manga section. Good times.

[@dohalimilqarasdeldemenanci8483]

@@frozen-yogurt-yes4662 so a kid who was supposedly too dumb bought manga? Your parents didnt buy them but you? You got me really curious here lol.

[@gooseytantei7351]

YEEEEES AND FIRST THANK YOU FOR COVERING RANMA. More people need to watch and read this

[@joshwright4799]

Goosey tantei what's your favorite anime character, my little pony character, & cartoon character?

[@shermantankgaming7261]

Hell yeah

[@brianpbillingsley3687]

@@joshwright4799 Yes.

[@KevinArcade87]

Ranma isn't transgender. He changes litteraly into the girl that drowned in that pool. He becomes another person fully and physically the only thing retained is his personality. Those that advocate Ranma as a transgender anime are simple wrong.

[@InquiringRaven]

Gotta say: you really have a way with words. I’m back on a Ranma binge and you managed to address some topics that people just never bring up (did they even notice?) well done. Let’s go poke some of your other videos.

[@BallinRiceBowl]

Ranma 1/2 is such an underrated work of art! So glad you’re also very vocal about it’s social commentary aspect. Shampoo was always my favorite girl 😅 Her character design is so cute

[@marcelo.vargas]

And this conversation was in the 80's, i grew up with alot of anime, i'm from southamerica, Chile here, and yeah we saw this, we talk about this, Ranma 1/2 was hilarious, we saw it as a comedy and yeah we had to internalize being a guy or a girl is not a bad thing, this anime actually help me talk to women, cuz it tought me girls are the same as boys, I'm always baffled by anime in the US is like supposed to be fights and blood, anime it's a form of art with every topic in society being portrait, if you don't like your anime being political or with a social criticism, don't watch anime

[@Eth3realwarrior]

This Anime is pure insanity, it's so dam funny.

[@isaacthenoob1953]

BONSAI POP THEY'RE MAKING ANOTHER RANMA 1/2 ANIME

[@PhDMario]

Happosai wasn't born in the 1800s. He's stated to be around 400 years old.

[@rathalossoul1520]

Even as a manga, it was never easy to consistently have access to Ranma. You'd go into Borders or Barnes and Noble and they'd be like "Oh, yeah, we have volumes, uh... 3, 10, 16, 20, and 30...?" and there wasn't a way to ever really order anything so you would just kind of have to spin the wheel and hope they had one you didn't whenever you went in. That said, now that everything's available, Amazon's a thing, and I'm an adult with a not so disposable income I've been able to get the full set and... I've only one real complaint. It just... ends. Four hundred and seven chapters of a "Will they, won't they?" but then nothing is more of a sitcom trope than something like that being left completely open ended, and it's wonderful. It also hadn't really dawned on me just how big of a piece of shit Genma was. Pretty much all of his decisions are self-serving, exploitative or put Ranma in extreme danger. When he threw Ranma to a hoard of starving cats, it was to teach him the unstoppable Nekoken technique... which is only achievable by instilling such a powerful fear of cats that the only way to escape that fear is by becoming a cat. All Genma has to say about inflicting this trauma is basically just "I guess that's what happens when you find a two hundred year old scroll that's said to contain the secrets of an unbeatable technique and that's written in a language you can't read." That's nothing to say of when Genma actually successfully teaches Ranma one of the Saotome School techniques... which are all just various forms of petty thievery, deception or straight up running away. I'd absolutely be down for some more Ranma ½ analysis though or even just some off the cuff speculation. Perfect topic? Cologne. Woman's as old as, if not older than Happosai, and who is this terrifyingly powerful and knowledgeable martial artist to the point where she's basically undefeatable. Instead she just prefers to hang out owning and managing a café with Best Girl Shampoo, and fuck with Ranma's head. Or, you know... there's always the best character. Yes, that one. Awesome Taro.

[@Dialga9187]

If you’ve never read The Dark Lords of Nerima, go do it, it’s a wild fun ride

[@Chirishman6]

@@Dialga9187 I’ll second that. The world of Ranma fanfiction is deep and varied and worth the trip. It as sort of my introduction to fanfiction after I couldn’t fill the holes in my collection of the manga volumes and had no access to the anime.

[@Icipher353]

Back when I was reading Ranma in the 90's when it was still being published, you had to either wait literally years for the Viz English language versions to catch up, or hunt down the Japanese tankobons if you were lucky enough to have a Japanese book store in your city, and then try to find a fan translation .txt file on the internet (which was not as easy to do as it now). Don't even get me started on the anime fan subbing scene and the video tape swapping groups both online and IRL. Just getting your hands on manga and anime was an adventure in itself (or at least it was in Australia). Modern fans have no idea how easy they have now with Amazon, eBay, streaming services, and torrenting.

[@Wyllie38]

If you want none algorithmic dictated content. Bonsai pop is your channel.

[@hellotroggy]

I'm living for the Takahashi-sama appreciation. Thank you, Mike

[@dbransom]

It also has to be one of the best ever dubs ever made. Everyone goes on about Cowboy BeBop and rightly so... but Ranma 1/2 is an amazing dub for all the moves, TV and OVA's especially given the time it was dubbed in the West. Great video!

[@yunfanz]

When I was in middle school, a school mate introduced me to this series. She told me it’s about a guy who turns into a girl when he touched cold water and back into a guy when he touched hot water and immediately I was sold. And that became my gateway into the anime/manga culture. To this day, I’ve always been a fan of Rumiko Takahashi and her works. I’ve read or watched all of them except for I think it was her first published title Fire Tripper and her latest work Mao. My favorite of them and what I think is her magnum opus would be Maison Ikkoku. To me it’s the perfect romcom series and I don’t think anything can come close the feeling I get from it for a very long time. If you haven’t seen it please check it out. And if you did I’d love to hear what you think of it.

[@SunGawdRa]

I can’t understand how people prefer Love Hina over Maison Ikkoku. Not that I disliked LH, but it wasn’t close to how funny/touching MI was.

[@yunfanz]

I never heard anyone comparing the two but for me, I enjoyed Love Hina for nostalgia but I don’t really think it’s anything great overall. I enjoyed Ken Akamatsu previous work AI Love You a lot more actually.

[@rahulranjan9013]

Same taste. Any more anime recommendations ?

[@prisbug]

Thank you for this video, literally i grew with Ranma and it still surprices me that not everyone even know what this show is and its a legit master piece!

[@MoistSocks]

From my understanding back in the 90s/00s here in the US the local/small spanish channels didn't have their own original Saturday morning cartoons, so they license many anime and dub to spanish. This is where my love anime started. I had totally forgot what Ramna was about, thank you for this breakdown!

[@ZeroFksGvn]

This series was an absolute gem and so underrated in the US. I’ll never forget the day we rented this from blockbuster on VHS. Also got into Tenchi Muyo & El-Hazard at the same time.

[@BakingHimani]

I was enjoying the video, but when Bonds of Sea and Fire kicked in at 27:45 I knew I was subbing. I’m going to be binge watching your entire channel.

[@zapsta3000]

Yo!! Would you happen to know the song that starts playing at 13:43?? It’s driving me crazy

[@ecogirl2759]

Lol this was an awesome video! My dad was actually the one who ended up introducing me to this anime as a kid and I ended up liking it way more than he does hah. Being a girl who's confused with all the gender and sexuality stuff going on in the world right now though, I honestly thought Ranma was way ahead of its time. Exploring all the different facets of these characters in a society almost exactly the same as ours (only played up for comedic effect when needed) was always fun and interesting to me! Seeing this teenage boy dress up in bunny outfits to fight guys one episode and go back to doing whatever he could to find a cure the next while the supporting cast around him dealt with their own interpersonal struggles was something I loved to connect with, so it's a shame that no one nowadays seems to give this story a chance just based off how old it is. No wonder I've rewatched the whole anime 3 times over lol. (Also, just sayin', Ukyo was--and still is--my favorite character of the series, but deep dives on any of the characters would be super fun to see!)

[@bubbles710]

The 80’s…what a time

[@Memecs20]

12:31 It's one of my favorite things about Ranma 1/2, taking the anything goes to a whole new levels, love the anime also the manga. Looking forward to the remake to do the whole manga volumes.

[@tobi-dn9th]

IT'S GETTING A REMAKE NOWWW

[@Dimension2364]

What a great video! In every minute it was apparent how much thought and effort you poured into it - and you REALLY did Ranma ½ justice. I’m completely new to your channel but I subscribed right away.

[@_black_bird]

In my country Ranma 1/2 is really a classic, I rememeber watching after school on national TV, I've always liked it more than Inuyasha but it might be cause it's more nostalgic to me

[@LordYamcha]

ASEAN?

[@_black_bird]

@@LordYamcha Latinamerican actually

[@meaburro4207]

I liked Inuyasha, but with Ranma, I was obsessed. I never understood why Inuyasha got more recognition and I'll admit I'm still salty about it, lol. Both are great though, Inuyasha deserves it. I just wish people would give Ranma a chance too. Maybe the Netflix remake will help.

[@ELPMCFlashFrame]

This, was an absolutely delightful and intelligent breakdown of one of my all time favorite series. You did Ranma good Mike.

[@ckay11002]

If being political's a grave sin on youtube, then I wonder what you have to be in order to be a grave cosine and grave tangent

[@Bonsaipop]

Top comment

[@thebigdawgj]

Your joke fails because it's "sine" not "sin", "sin" is just the shorthand; you used the full names of the others and weren't consistent. In before you edit your comment to be consistent, ruining the joke even more after my comment.

[@delphidelion]

@@thebigdawgj The joke does not fail just because they used the abbreviated version. It is just you being pedantic.

[@thebigdawgj]

@@delphidelion It literally does fail when the same format isn't used throughout.

[@delphidelion]

@@thebigdawgj No it does not. That is the whole basis behind a lot of play on words. This is not the hill to die on, dude.

[@jairlopez927]

Who’s here after after the first two episodes after the ranma 1/2 remake

[@angelayang6191]

Thanks!

[@slickyami1877]

Aww such a classic series shame Ranma never got a reboot

[@joshwright4799]

Beniyasha102 what's your favorite anime character, my little pony character, & cartoon character?

[@slickyami1877]

@@joshwright4799 anime character : Inuyasha Mlp : Twilight or Rainbow Dash Cartoon: I'll get back to you on that

[@triggerfairy4070]

It doesn't need a reboot.

[@jcred6935]

...it'd be hard not to do if it wasn't hard core 80ish

[@ChloeMayReacts]

it literally needs it

[@gillyS0L3]

I don't know if it was written by another commenter, but Akane's growth also exemplifies the importance of accepting both sides of oneself: Akane is a badass martial artist and also feminine in her own way, she is strong "like a man" and emotional and those are not mutually exclusive, she had to learn that her worth is not relegated to her skill as a martial artist or her lack of skills typically attributed to women (cooking or being graceful for example), and she had to learn that she is an equal partner to Ranma, even if he is a better martial artist (considering she is used to measure herself in that scale being the heir of the Tendo school). I loved how unconventional she was for a female lead when I watched the anime for the first time when I was 12. I had the privilege to grow up with Alkane and Nabiki, Chiaki from Zenki and Kaoru of Rurouni Kenshin: all flawed female characters.

[@softpastelmochi]

i love ranma 1/2 i keep finding myself watching it even though i have seen the whole series dozens of times ❤️ it never gets old ✨

[@nediojon749]

21:43 the pit caused Ranma’s fear of cats. Gemma covered him in fish and threw Ranma’s in the pit with starving cats in an attempt to teach Ranma’s how to fight like a cat

[@gusgusfl]

Everyone should binge Ranma 1/2, Rumiko does such a great job with the character interactions. I also agree it was ahead of its time. Great video btw.

[@ralphthefanboy]

Man, I forgot how good the animation was!

[@Ramsey276one]

I always figured an interesting spin-off timeline would be their separation into two individuals Ryoga would just have a pet/combat partner Ranma would have a sister! AND TWICE THE PROBLEMS!

[@StarlasAiko]

When you listed the things that have been turned into martial arts in this show, I can't believe you didn't mention combat tea ceremony.

[@Tonitoni0273]

I appreciate you making this video so much. Ranma 1/2 means so much to me and you were able to describe it and break it down in a way that gave it justice. Thank you so much

[@lilybean7003]

I love ranma sm I hope it starts getting more recognition

[@msmelissxo33]

It will, the first episode of the reboot is out. Next will be out Monday

[@Grnvolpe]

I few years ago I needed something for comfort to just relax and enjoy and I picked to binge watch Ranma 1/2 because of nostalgia and it was one of the best choices I made for a long time

[@DavetheTurnip]

I loved your analysis of an old favourite of mine. Ranma 1/2 was the first anime I ever got into. I was lucky to have Japanese friends at my high school in the mid 90s 😁 It’s also one of those early localizations where I enjoy the casting for the dub. Keep up the great work 😃

[@JSmusiqalthinka]

As a cishet white dude from the South (le gasp) I loved and still love Ranma 1/2. Initially I went in for the martial arts and fanservice...but I stayed for the social/cultural commentary, and the fact that it helped affirm the nontraditional ways I related to my gender/sexuality. I also think in retrospect it helped lay the foundation for my understanding and acceptance of trans/NB/otherwise gender non-conforming people. I hope Ranma 1/2 keeps doing this for others.

[@LinaCT25]

KZbin doing things right and recommending a video about my favorite anime/manga of all time.

[@mjfamula]

I just want to say how grateful I am for this video, and how a guy is the one pointing this out. As a woman who, growing up, *absolutely adored* Ranma for exactly the messages you identify, I am so glad you are celebrating what Rumiko Takahashi was saying with this series. It is an incredible work of art in its exploration of rights, power, gender, and sex. Rumiko Takahashi *is* a genius, and a sociology mastermind.

[@Simp4Muzan.2]

I have a question? Does Ranma and Akane end up together in the end?

[@くらきき]

Whos here after remake trailer 👇

[@Lucis7tube]

I'm rewatching Ranma and I'm noticing how sensitive Ranma is since the very beginning. He gets hurt because Akane is only friendly and has fun with him when being a girl, and insults him in his boy form. I didn't remember Ranma being so soft but I guess I got older and I see things differently now. I'm enjoying it a lot, Ranma gets to experience to be on the other side and relate to Akane like really no man could 😅

[@virre_vicke_]

Great video! Loved the series when I was younger, and I think Takahashi is a genius for making this.

[@hollum1648]

I’m a married woman but you’ll have to fight me for Rumiko Takahashi’s hand 😤

[@princepjohnson]

A new series was just officially announced. Seems to be either a reboot or a special.

[@nunoamaral6464]

Ryoga is the absolute best! SPOILER...................................................................................................I love how Ranma and Ryoga's rivalry evolves throughout the series. Starting off as bitter rivals and ending up as friendly rivals. Even putting themselves on the line to help each other out. Love that pig boy.

[@meezymeezymeezy]

ranma 1/2 is the the greatest anime ever

[@thekid36]

This was such a great video. I got into Ranma when I was 13, I am 36 now and Ranma is a huge part of my life growing up. Not just artistically but also socially. It was one of those anime series that will stick with me forever. I hope one day I will get to meet Rumiko Takahashi and tell her thank you for making such an amazing series. Also I would like to add, I am totally gay for female Ranma lol

[@xCatchii]

as a big Ranma 1/2 and Rumiko Takahashi fan, this video really moved me

[@TheGuindo]

As a teen girl I found myself really drawn to Ranma and I was especially interested in the way everyone (who knew his identity) continued to treat him as a boy even in his girl form. I think that was my first introduction to a character's pronouns not changing along with their outward presentation. I was way into stories with girls who were disguising themselves as boys but there's always that moment where she gets found out and _immediately_ all pronouns switch to she/her for the rest of the story and nobody acknowledges her as a boy ever again. And for some reason, that was always really disappointing to me, even though I liked the trope?? But Ranma was just a boy, no matter how he looked; even when other people were mistaking him for a girl, he was still a boy as far as he was concerned, and that was fascinating to me. 6 years later I stumbled across an FtM website and realized you could just, like, _become_ a boy???? You can just _do_ that???? So yeah as an adult man I now understand why I was so into Ranma as a teen, lol.

[@notnathan2078]

in the manga, it wasn't at all kept a secret that ranma transformed into a girl. All his classmates would continue to call him a HE, no matter which form he was in. it was definitely a hot take when the series came out, but very influential to many and myself for making a message like it did

[@TheGuindo]

@@notnathan2078 yeah it wasn't a secret or anything, but there were some characters who just never found out both Ranmas were the same person because it was funnier that way. anyway Ranma's trans energy is so strong that I had a group of friends who ran a Ranma 1/2 inspired tabletop campaign and 90% of them came out of it a different gender than they went in. The only reason the other 10% didn't is because they already knew they were trans to begin with, lmfao.

[@lainiwakura1776]

@@TheGuindo What trans energy? Ranma is a boy who identifies as a boy who just happens to be cursed to turn into a girl when exposed to cold water. There's nothing trans there.

[@phantom-pr6op]

Thank you for sharing!! :) I've heard that others really came to understand their gender through Ranma... or at least its their first exposure to the topic, but this is my first time reading it first hand.

[@phantom-pr6op]

@@lainiwakura1776 I don't know much on the subject but isn't changing genders kind of a part of being trans? Ranma wasn't made with that in mind but that doesn't invalidate people that may have seen some of themselves in Ranma. Ranma was also uncomfortable in his female body and forced into following female gender norms.

[@anacastrodavila2689]

As a bisexual women who loves Ranma, I never understood why people critiques so much this show about being sexist and homophobic, for me is one of the most pregresive shows of its time. For me Ranma's journey is an interesting one as you said Ranma starts being a misogynist but ends up being a really respectful an progressive guy who really likes "masculine" girls. But as a bisexual for me Akane's journey is far more interesting, she begins hating all men except the handsome doctor who is unattainable not just for his age but because he is madly in love with one of Akane's sisters. I mean she hates all men but the one who she knows is in love with her sister since she was a child. Then she slowly but surely falls in love with Ranma, and she doesn't mind if he transforms into a girl. Shampoo and Ukyo wanted a cure for Ranma because they like Ranma being a man but akane does not mind, she several times said that she likes Ranma the way he is. I know that does not transforms akane in a bi girl but it surely resonated with me at the time. SPOILER. ......... Also I think a lot of people don't read Ranma as progressive because the lost a piece of the puzzle. Ranma's mom. Because at the end she discovers Ranma's secret but instead of killing him for not being a man she thinks she is an incredible guy even though he transforms into a girl. In contrast whit henma and Ranma who thought about masculinity in a very "traditional" manner you are a men as long you have this characteristics. For Ranma's mom he is a men even if he uses dresses make up and boobs

[@Nevertoleave]

One of the things that always struck me was how ranma changes over the series. In the beginning he doesn’t want to wear woman’s clothing even though his are all in the wash and he can’t just walk around topless. After a while though, he doesn’t exactly wander the neighbourhood in dresses, but he’ll casually wear more tomboyish girl clothing as the series goes on. He transforms on purpose at time too, like when he wants the fancy ice creams he’s too embarrassed to order when a boy

[@joshtowers6102]

YES

[@chio3000]

I'm sorry but Akane at least did mind it a lot at least in the beginning of the story. (Thou I won't blame her for that). . Ukyo never cares, in fact, she found his transformation funny and played with it. . Shampoo tried to using "being back to back to a boy" as a BAIT for getting Ranma cause HE is the one who WANTS it.

[@hypothalapotamus5293]

It always strikes me as odd when people view things through such a narrow lens with work that is from a different culture, decades ago, and halfway around the world.

[@oceanberserker]

​@@chio3000I can, she sucks. Much like Ranma himself, she never accepts the curse. She, again, much like Ranma, only learns get used to and tolerate it. Hell, I forget which manga volume it was, one of the later ones, I remember that much, she misunstands a situation, again. Never bothers to listen or let Ranma explain, AGAIN. And tops it off by and I quote "And I thought it was only your body that was sick and twisted." I repeat, Akane SUCKS. In fact, with very few exception, the same can be said for most of the cast.

[@SamTheGumMan117]

The anime was such a badass ride and watching this video was like an nostalgia trip I for sure want to collect the whole manga one day