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Splash and surprise.
Hopelessly Addicted to
Ranma ½

[Ranma Nibunnoichi]

Last Updated - December 21, 2000

Obligatory Background Introduction

In the beginning, Soun Tendo calls in his three daughters Kasumi, Nabiki, Akane to tell them something very important. An old friend of his, Genma Saotome, is coming from a long training trip in China along with his son, Ranma. Soun tells his daughters the reason for their coming. "If one of you three girls were to marry Ranma and carry on this dojo, the Anything-Goes School of Martial Arts' future would be guaranteed." Kasumi and Nabiki are intrigued by the prospect of having an fiancee, but tomboyish Akane isn't. "We've never even met him!" she complains. "That's a problem easily solved" replies Soun.

P-chanIn seconds there are visitors at the Dojo, but not those that the Tendo are expecting! Instead of the father and son they thought would show up, a panda carrying a protesting red-haired girl come bursting through the doors.

While Soun is recovering from the initial shock of the fact that Ranma is a girl. Akane invites Ranma to have a "little match" in the training hall. In the match Akane attacks relentlessly, but is unable to hit the more skilled Ranma, who keeps dodging out of the way. The match continues until Ranma flips over Akane and lands her only attack, a tap on the shoulder - "beating" Akane. A defeated Akane realizes that Ranma is no ordinary girl.

This fact is made glaringly clear in a very short time. Kasumi insists that Ranma take a hot bath to get refreshed and then sends Akane to do so as well. Little did Akane know that a boy Kasumi, Nabiki and Akane are not pleased with the situation.would be waiting in the bathtub instead of a girl.

After much fuss made by Akane about a "pervert in the bathroom", the aforementioned boy appears before the entire family. "I'm Ranma Saotome," he says sheepishly. "Sorry 'bout this."

Genma tells the Tendo family the story of their curse.

It so happens that near the end of their decade-long training mission, Genma took Ranma to China to train at a place called Jusenkyo. Genma assumed this was a training ground, even though he doesn't speak a word of Chinese!

The place consists of numerous springs, and, unbeknowest to Genma and Ranma at the time, falling into a spring gives you a curse which turns you into whatever drowned there when you are hit with cold water. Hot water reverses the effect, but only until cold water hits you the next time... Genma and Ranma each knock the other into a spring while training. Genma happens to fall in the spring called the Spring of Drowned Panda. Ranma, shocked, is knocked into the Spring of Drowned Girl. Now, whenever Genma or Ranma is splashed with cold The cursed springs of Jusenkowater, they assume their cursed forms, only temporarily reversible with hot water. This explains how Ranma-kun(boy-type) and Ranma-chan (girl-type) are actually the same person.

Soun, a little surprised at this "problem" of Ranma's, but relieved that it "isn't so bad", now brings up the question of which of his three daughters should become Ranma-kun's fiancee - Kasumi, 19, Nabiki, 17, or Akane, 16. Immediately Kasumi and Nabiki nominate Akane for the honor. "You hate boys, right?" says Nabiki. "Well, you're in luck Akane," Kasumi says cheerfully "Ranma's half-girl." Of course Akane disagrees to the whole arrangement, and begins arguing with Ranma, calling him a pervert. Ranma complains that he doesn't need a fiancee and needs to find a cure. "They're already the perfect couple." laugh Genma and Soun. The argument ends with Ranma remarking that in his girl-form he's even "better built" than Akane, who promptly picks the table up and smashes it on Ranma.


Note: this introduction was swipped and edited from a page that I have forgetten from where I stole it.

Shampoo in a snitThis is a hilarious and sometimes hysterically funny series. By far one the funniest anime series around. It is one of the most popular anime and manga in Japan and is generating a massive cult following in the U.S. and around the world. Created by Rumiko Tashihaki, author of Maison Ikkoku, Inu Yasha, Rumik World, Rumik Theater and Urusei Yatsura - Lum and one of the most popular cartoonist in Japan and the world. This series has developed a cult status in North America. A search of the web reveals that there are literally thousands of web sites devoted to the series and dozens of web-rings (including an anti-Akane ring).

So why am I hopelessly addicted to this manga and anime series? The characters are inventive, entertaining and most importantly you never know where the story line is going to go next or what the characters will do. This is something very rare as most film and television are entirely predictable. Most of all, Takahashi is a storyteller. Many great writers of literature are nothing more than storytellers. Dickens and Twain to name but two.

I have become a Ranma addict and have pursued all the released volumes of the anime series. I have also collected all the published volumes of the manga and even managed to find the rest of the translated volumes of the manga online for free. The mangas are exponentially funnier and more intelligent than the anime series.

Cast of Characters

Shampoo in her magnificence The Soatomes:

The Tendos:

Chinese Amazon Village

The Kunos:

Other Characters