Ranma 1/2 (2024) Episode 2 - This looks familiar

 Here we go with Ranma 1/2 episode 2! How does this stand up to the original? How does it compare to the manga? How do I really feel about it? Well, there are spoilers ahead.

In this episode, Ranma starts school, and he joins Akane on the way to school. Ranma gets turned into a girl by accident, and they run into Dr. Tofu (Morikawa Toshiyuki), who is Akane's crush. Ranma definitely notices this. They arrive at school and Akane is mobbed by a large group of boys, Akane defeating them all. And then comes along Kuno Tatewaki (Sugita Tomokazu), the captain of the kendo club. He takes an immediate disliking to Ranma and they fight. During the fight, it starts raining, and Genma comes with some hot water to turn him back into a boy. In school, Nabiki, being the manipulative sister who loves to gossip, spills the beans and everyone finds out Ranma and Akane are engaged. Kuno challenges Ranma, and they jump out the window into the swimming pool. Girl Ranma needs to get away, and hides under Kuno, who then wakes up and grabs his chest. Ranma gets away, and Kuno is somewhat confused. Akane comes to the rescue with some hot water, challenges Kuno, and tries to give Ranma time to change back. However, before he can, Kuno interrupts him. Later on, a letter arrives for Ranma, or pig-tailed girl as Kuno calls him/her. It's a challenge? Ranma (girl) meets Kuno at the school, and instead of a challenge, Kuno gives girl Ranma some roses. Ranma is mortified.

Now, this seems exactly like episode 2 of the 1989 series. There are some differences, and from what I've heard, this version is more faithful to the manga than the original was. That's a positive. There's a lot of manga-style animation, which I'm not too fond of, though. The other thing I don't particularly like is the younger-looking girls' character designs. I don't know, they don't exactly look right. But that could be my bias. I'm continuing to enjoy the original cast, even though their voices have changed with age. The animation is a lot better, and is brightly coloured.

This episode was full of action, which we would definitely expect. Lots of fun to watch. And of course, Kuno. He's such a strange guy, and kind of absurd. He is incredibly dense, but this is part of what makes him a fun character. Overall, I am enjoying this series so far. It's just difficult to distance myself from the original. I need to do better with that. Next up is episode 3, and we'll see what happens!