Akane and her two older
sisters live in a martial arts Dojo with their father. One day he announces
that one of them will marry his friend's son Ranma Satome.
Akane is not pleased at the
thought of being forced to marry a guy she doesn’t know. She and her two
sisters wait the arrival of Ranma, but are instead greeted by a giant panda and
a cute teenage girl who claims that she is Ranma. Relived that they won't be
forced into the marriage, the sisters befriend Ranma and send her into have a
bath only to discover that she is actually a man.
During a training trip to China, Ranma
and his father unfortunately fell into a set of cursed springs. When splashed
with cold water Ranma's father transforms into a panda, and Ranma becomes a
cute teenage girl. Hot water reverses the effect. Akane's sisters quickly
volunteer her to become his fiancé and what follows is a series of martial
arts, romance and comedy.
The series is written by
Rumiko Takahashi, who also wrote the popular manga Inu-Yasha. This series was
highly popular in Japan,
and was also made into a cartoon series and various video games. Takahashi
seems to reuse many of her character types, and there are times when Ranma acts
similar to Inu-Yasha. Some of the side characters are also quite similar.
I read this manga a when I was
a teenager and loved it. After many years I don't relate with the characters as
much as I did in the past, but I still find the characters interesting and the
jokes hilarious.
I like many of the side
characters who often act as rivals or love adversaries. They is one character
who despises Ranma, but then tries to woo him in his female form. There is also
Ranma's over serious rival who has no sense of direction, and takes a week to
show up for a fight. Many of the antagonists and bad guys who show up
throughout the series also have a fun side.
One thing which might not go
down well with some readers is that many of the female characters are drawn
naked in some scenes (in a non-pornographic way) which is used for mostly comical
effect. This can be a bit surprising for western readers, but it's considered
not as strange in Japan.
I recommend this manga for
teenagers and anyone who has an interest in martial arts, kung fu or Japan.
You can buy it on Amazon
Or read it for yourself here
at the following websites
Manga Fox, Any Manga, Manga Park
Have you ever read Ranma 1/2?
If so feel free to comment below.
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