Ranma 1/2

Publisher
VIZ
Country of origin
Japan
Length
30 +
Year
1987

Ranma 1/2 Volumes 7 + 8

By Joseph (Joe) Wood
8th Aug 05

Kicking, punching, changing gender and fighting off enemies, perverted old masters and a large number of potential suitors of both genders is just another day in the life of Ranma Saotome.

Ranma ½ Volume 7

To be or not to be that is ye question when Ranma and Akane’s school put on a production of Romeo and Juliet. It’s fair to say the production takes a bit of an artistic licence with the work, with several “Romeos” (Ranma, Kuno, Gosunkugi and Happosai) fighting it out for the one Juliet (Akane), one of whom then becomes a Juliet and then a Romeo again. When only a kiss will wake Akane as Juliet (taking a change from Shakespeare to panto) will the real Romeo of our story be the one to wake her? When Ryoga tells Ranma he’s found a map that leads to a spring that used water for the accursed spring of drowned man at the Chinese training grounds in Japan. Both want to be the first one there and their age-old rivalry kicks off once again…that is until they find it’s underneath the girl’s locker room at Ranma’s school and wisely declare a truce, which doesn’t last that long before their at each others throats yet again. Ranma then inadvertently ends up at the Kuno household. No form is safe, male and Kuno is trying to kill him while Kodachi (the Black Rose) is trying to win his affections, and female it’s the other way round, what’s a guy (who keeps changing into a girl) to do?

Ranma ½ Volume 8

Things get tasty when Ranma’s old childhood friend Ukyo returns determined to take revenge on Ranma and his father. Genma seems to know something about Ukyo, but Ranma just can’t understand why the guy would be so annoyed. Of course everything is understandable when Ranma finds out this secret for himself. Ryoga then has a bone to pick with Ukyo, but when Ukyo agrees to help Ryoga get a date with Akane in exchange for Ryoga’s help, they join forces. However Ranma tires to sabotage this rendezvous and finds an unwitting accomplice in Ukyo who does not yet know Ranma’s secret. Things get bad when Happosai meets Shampoo’s grandmother Cologne, it turns out they once new each other, Happosai stole Colognes family air loom a bracelet with three pills. These pills cause the consumer to fall in love with the first member of the opposite sex they see after waking up, two of these pills last for only a short time but the thirds effects last a lifetime. Mousse then returns, determined to win back Shampoo, however now Mousse has another trick up his sleeve, he has also fallen into one of the accursed springs of the ancient Chinese training ground…but what foul creature will Mousse become?

Another two top class volumes in the Ranma ½ series just as things begin to settle down everything starts up again. There is no overall plot as you would find with most manga although the theme of the love-hate relationship between Ranma-Akane continues throughout most of the stories. If your looking for something with a deep story look somewhere else, however if you just a few good laughs and some decent action then look no further.

-- Joseph (Joe) Wood 8th Aug 05