Ranma ½ Images

Ranma 1/2 (らんま½ ) was originally a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Rumiko Takahashi and was initially serialized in Weekly Shounen Sunday from September 1987 to March 1996 having a total of 38 volumes. The manga eventually got two anime adaptations created by Studio Deen entitled Ranma ½ and Ranma ½ Nettouhen (らんま1/2, 熱闘編). The former was initially released on April 15th 1989 and lasted until September 16, 1989 while the latter was released on the 20th of October 1989 up until the 25th of September 1992. The first series was directed by Tomomi Mochizuki and Tsutomu Shibayama while the second anime series was directed by Koji Sawaii and Junji Nishimura and had a total of 143 episodes. Ranma has a similar feel to Urusei Yatsura.

Plot:
Saotome Ranma and his father Genma Saotome decided to journey in the Bayankala Mountain Range in the Quinghai province of China to train in Jusenkyo. Unfortunately, the two fell to one of the cursed springs which turn any person who falls in it into whatever fell and drowned in it 300 years ago whenever the person gets drenched in cold water. While Ranma’s father fell into the accursed spring of the drowned panda, Ranma fell into the accursed spring of the drowned girl and the only way to reverse the effects of the curse is to pour hot water on the accursed people.

As soon a father and son returned to Japan, they went to an old friend of Saotome Genma, Soun Tendo and the latter had them stay at their Dojo located in Nerima Tokyo. Soun Tendo, like Genma, practices the Musabetsu Kakuuto Ryuu or “Anything Goes” martial arts which Genma also passed down to Ranma. In addition, the two had decided that it is about time to fulfill what they agreed upon years ago which was to marry Ranma with one of Soun’s three daughters: The mature and reserved Tendo Kasumi, the greedy and practical Tendo Nabiki and the youngest which would be Tendo Akane who is helpful but is the most hot-tempered of the three sisters.

Because Ranma and Akane are of similar age, the older sisters voted that the two be the ones to be paired. Despite Ranma and Akane’s frequent fights, they occasionally end up saving each other from out-of-this world situations that they encounter in their everyday lives.

Source: Zerochan; written by l_i_z