‘Ranma ½’ is a refreshing take on an old classic

Ranma ½ follows the protagonist Ranma Saotome’s journey navigating adolescence, as he lives a typical teenage life: practicing his hobbies like martial arts, experiencing his first love, and exploring his identity. However, one thing that differentiates Ranma from his peers is a water-based curse that transforms him between male and female. Ranma seems determined to get rid of his curse, declaring in the first episode, “My life I can give up, but not my manhood!” At the same time, he happily reaps the benefits of both genders, often using his female body to do things he’s deemed “unmanly,” such as bartering for free food at the market and learning how to ice skate.

For old fans, perhaps the most exciting thing about the reboot is the return of the original voice actors from the 1990s version. The male and female Ranma are brought to life by their previous counterparts, Kappei Yamaguchi and Megumi Hayashibara.

Most of the cast feature returning voice actors as well, including Ranma’s fiancée Akane Tendo (voiced by Noriko Hidaka), his self-proclaimed rival Ryoga Hibiki (voiced by Koichi Yamadera), the Amazon warrior Shampoo (voiced by Rei Sakuma), and his irresponsible father who turns into a panda (voiced by Kenichi Ogata), among others.

This 12-episode reboot is faster paced compared to the original 143-episode show, cutting out much of the filler from the 1990s version and leaning into the show’s comedic value. Most notably, the titular character himself is more whimsical, with his mischievous innocence highlighted through small animations that make him move like a jumpy cat. He also often wears a confused or deer-in-headlights expression, which emphasizes his youth and makes him more likable.

The show’s animation style feels experimental, often combining traditional 2-D animation with traditional hand-drawn comic book techniques to emphasize the show’s goofy and nostalgic atmosphere. For example, the street fight between Ranma and his giant panda father in episode one is an excellent sequence that immediately caught my attention with its comedically timed action and upbeat instrumental.

In addition, Ranma ½'s martial arts and gender dysphoric narratives blend surprisingly well together, which makes a lot of sense—the internal violence of gender dysphoria is cathartically expressed through the external violence of dynamic fight scenes.

Many say that Ranma ½ was ahead of its time in the 1990s, and they’re right. The decade marked a large milestone for gender exploration for both the Japanese and American queer communities. The term X-gender appeared in publications in Japan in the late 1990s, as the equivalent of terms such as non-binary and genderqueer. At around the same time, the term non-binary became popular in the United States amongst queer activist groups. Now that audiences have the language to describe the gray areas of gender, more than ever, the themes of gender exploration in Ranma ½ feel relevant to the modern audience.

I won’t lie and say there weren’t moments of the reboot that were difficult to endure. Harassment is an issue that Ranma struggles with in both guy-mode and girl-mode. When the deranged gymnast Kodachi Kuno (voiced by Ayane Sakura) drugs and attempts to kiss an incapacitated Ranma, it’s played off as a gag. Similarly, the figure skater Mikado Sanzenin (voiced by Mamoru Miyano) sexually assaulting Ranma is downplayed by those around him. After introducing this series to a buddy with high praise, the secondhand embarrassment of how those scenes were handled had me covering my eyes in shame, while she sat through that scene with an expression resembling a Moai statue. Like fans have already said, I fear how we’ll survive the onslaught of the perverted mentor Happosai in the reboot when he’s introduced—after the #MeToo movement, no less.

Ranma ½ is a comedy at its core, so the reboot is unlikely to touch on in-depth discussions about gender—just as the 1990s version never did. Regardless, it’s pleasant to watch characters who are simply allowed to challenge gender norms without thinking too hard about it. Boy Ranma or girl Ranma, his closest circle sees, accepts, and loves him as Ranma, which is the kind of acknowledgement that many of us crave from our loved ones.

Watching Ranma ½ in 2024 truly is a new experience than when I watched it as a child. Rather than jarring, it feels unexpectedly refreshing to watch a cast of characters lack the vocabulary to articulate the changes imposed on them while nevertheless going about their lives. A part of me feels like maybe this is the way people should strive to live, carefree, even without the vocabulary that we have today to describe gender fluidity and queerness. For youths getting into Ranma ½ for the first time, this new adaptation is sure to inspire a wave of queer fans.