TV Show
Japan
Japanese
Action & Adventure, Animation, Comedy, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
1989
Kappei Yamaguchi, Megumi Hayashibara
25 min
7.6
The Staff
TLDR
It’s just so fun to see gender roles beaten the hell out of everyone, man.
What it's about
After falling in a Chinese hot spring, brash teenage martial artist Ranma Saotome is cursed to transform into a female version of himself and back every time he’s doused in water, which makes a major mess of the various engagements his selfish father promised, including the dojo owner’s daughter Akane Tendo.
The take
Genderbending isn’t a completely foreign trope for Western audiences, but it’s rare to see the shenanigans that happen in Ranma ½, which takes a genderbending water curse to form a complicated web of relationships, that starts out as a casual romance comedy (albeit with plenty of kicks) and eventually evolves into a ridiculous fighting fantasy adventure. It’s rather revolutionary for its time, in part due to Ranma’s queer gender, but also due to its precursor of the harem trope, as well as its then-new take on the tsundere in Ranma’s intended fiancée Akane Tendo. Ranma ½ is eccentric, but the chaotic comedy is also so entertaining to watch.
What stands out
It’s not great that every time Ranma transforms into a girl, everyone is compelled to feel Ranma up, but it’s so satisfying to see Ranma beat the hell out of them immediately after.
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