Is The Ranma 1/2's Reboot Worth Watching?

A classic anime is coming back, in more ways than one. Ranma 1/2 was an anime made by Studio Deen from 1989 to 1992, adapted from a manga written by the same author as Inuyasha. With just 161 episodes of a slice-of-life shonen fantasy coming out over those three years, the anime has been overshadowed over time due to longer-running contenders like Naruto, Dragon Ball, and One Piece, leaving Ranma 1/2 to create its status as an underrated gem for classic anime enthusiasts. But last anime season, however, a reboot of Ranma 1/2 has dropped and is continuing to air to this day.

Reboots always beg to ask; is it worth watching, or should I watch (or rewatch) the original again? Many reboots often fail to capture the magic of the original series after all. The original series has already been picking up popularity over the past few years as retro anime enthusiasts have discovered, and recommended, Ranma 1/2 online in countless “obscure” anime lists, and the original is currently available to stream on Hulu and Netflix, so why even check out the reboot?

What Has The Anime Changed (So Far?)

The Confusing History of Ranma 1/2’s Anime, And How The Reboot Handles The Source Material

Before we talk about the new anime, we need to clear the air on the confusing history of the first attempt at adapting Rumiko Takahashi’s manga. The original Ranma 1/2 aired for 1 season, 18 episodes, in a prime time 7:00PM television block on Japanese television. However, other anime airing at the time were more popular, leading to very few views for the anime and the eventual cancelation of the series. However, the show was immediately rebooted within the same year, under the name Ranma 1/2 Nattohen, during the 5:00 PM Friday timeslot, which had significantly less competition at the time. The reboot just continued where the original left off, with the same cast, and found much more success with these changes.

The new series, however, plans to keep the Ranma 1/2 name, even once adapting the contents of Ranma 1/2 Nattohen. This is because they intend to adapt the series as originally intended, while remaining faithful to the manga. So far the new reboot has changed very little from the original anime; they’ve even maintained the same 1980s anime art style as the original, albeit with a shiner look and a more cohesive color palette. They’ve also brought back the original star-studded voice-acting cast as the original anime adaptation. So far only changes seem to be cutting a few smaller filler scenes here and there to keep the pacing consistent.

If It’s The Same, Why Watch The New One?

Valid Point, But Here Is Why You Should Watch The Reboot

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Part of the history of Ranma 1/2 Nattohen is what it took to keep running in their new, less desirable time slot. The original anime had to cut its budget and wanted to keep the same cast. This meant the animation was sacrificed to keep the anime within budget. You can tell when Ranma 1/2 becomes Ranma 1/2 Nattohen based on the animation quality alone; it is less detailed and everything from the coloring, to the shading, to the backgrounds all tanked visually. While the budget for most things were cut back, the biggest impact to this is the animation, which is normally one of the driving forces of an anime’s quality.

This reboot isn’t going to suffer that same fate. Besides the fact this new reboot is helmed by Mappa, who are known for Attack on Titan, Jujutsu Kaisen, Yuri on Ice, Chainsaw Man, and Kakegurui, among dozens of other anime praised for their visuals. They are known for some of the most popular anime in current anime history, while maintaining the same level of quality. Getting to see the whole Ranma 1/2 saga in 2024 quality animation is worth the watch alone. We also get the improvements of modern sound design and recording quality, which make the anime that much more enjoyable to watch.

Another reason to watch? A lot of the anime-specific filler is cut down. A major problem with the original anime, while it leads to the anime’s more light-hearted appeal in comparison to the manga, is the plotless and time-consuming filler that takes up the anime’s runtime. This was incredibly common with anime of the time that Ranma 1/2 aired in, but it still holds the anime back ever so slightly. Most of this anime-specific filler seems to be cut in this 2024 reboot, which leads to two things; a more accurate adaptation of the manga, and fitting more plot into each episode. This means major events are much closer together, and solved in a more reasonable time than in the classic anime.

While only time will tell how the Ranma 1/2 reboot goes, at this point in time, it may be on its way to becoming the next Fruit’s Basket, if this reboot continues to play it’s cards as it has been over the past anime season.

You can watch the 2024 Ranma 1/2 Reboot on Netflix.

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Ranma 1/2

In this comedic series, martial artist Ranma Saotome navigates life with a unique predicament: he transforms into a girl when splashed with cold water. His engagement to Akane Tendo adds further complexity, as they encounter numerous challenges within familial and martial arts dynamics.

Cast

Kappei Yamaguchi , Megumi Hayashibara , Noriko Hidaka , Minami Takayama , Kikuko Inoue , Akio Otsuka , Chō , Shou Okumura , Soshiro Hori , Kouichi Souma , Koichi Yamadera

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Studio

MAPPA

Based On

Manga

Creator

Rumiko Takahashi

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MyAnimeList Score

8.07

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