Ranma 1/2, the 2024 remake is here! Released on Netflix, I got to watch episode 1, and there will be spoilers!
To start off, I want to say that the story of episode 1 is nearly identical to episode 1 of the original 1989 series. The dialogue, the action, the situations, all the same. What's different? The character designs have been updated, and the girls are cuter. Kasumi looks too young, to be honest. The animation is nice and clean, having the advantage of more modern technology. The colour is brighter. It's more colourful than before.
So, Saotome Ranma (voiced by Yamaguchi Kappei/Hayashibara Megumi) and his father Genma (voiced by Cho) have returned from China, and Ranma is going to be the fiance of one of the Tendou girls. Akane (voiced by Hidaka Noriko) is 16, Nabiki (Takayama Minami) is 17, and Kasumi (Inoue Kikuko) is 19. Their father, Soun (Ootsuka Akio) has arranged with Genma for one of the girls to marry Ranma. Of course, when they arrive, Ranma is a girl and Genma is a panda. Very odd situation! Akane tries to be friends with Ranma until it's discovered after a bath that Genma is not a panda and Ranma is in fact a boy. Of course, Akane discovers this by walking in on Ranma, and they see each other naked. This is a big issue for Akane, but not so much for Ranma, as he's seen himself naked. Akane does not like this one bit. As Akane doesn't like boys, her sisters agree that she should be Ranma's fiancee. And so the story begins.
What's interesting about this episode is what has been changed. While most of the cast are the same, Soun and Genma's voice actors are different. The others sound a bit different than before, as they have aged 35 years since the original. However, Inoue Kikuko sounds exactly the same and Hayashibara Megumi has managed to sound nearly the same. I feel that Takayama Minami and Hidaka Noriko are a bit different. Yamaguchi Kappei sounds just the same as before. Another change is the addition of manga style text throughout the episode.
The opening theme is fun. It has a nostalgic Ranma feel to it, and "Iinazukkyun" by ano recaptures the Chinese-style theme song of the original. The ending theme, "Anta Nante." by riria is a more modern song that doesn't really match with the anime, I think. The song itself is fine, though. I will cover the theme songs in separate posts. Enjoy the opening theme here, though.
Going forward, I will be focusing more on the episodes themselves, rather than a comparison with the original. I want this to stand on its own, and I will judge it for itself.
With all that said, what do I think of it? Ranma 1/2 is a classic. I was so happy to see it get a remake, and I did enjoy watching episode 1. We don't yet know how long season 1 will be, nor do we know how long the entire series will be. That remains to be seen. Overall, recommended and fun.
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