Damned Sources, that is How a Bath Can Do Harm – a review of the comic book “Ranma 1/2”, vol. 1

One of the most comedic manga that I have ever known has returned to the Polish market. This is a real treat for fans of older titles, as JPF decided not only to refresh a story long unseen by readers, but also to add a beautiful edition, consistent with other publications, also by Rumiko Takahashi.

Kasumi, Nabiki, and Akane are three sisters who have been educated under the watchful eye of their father and dojo owner(martial arts schools) Soun Tendo. Their life is quite peaceful and has a steady rhythm. Kasumi is that polite, orderly woman who takes care of order and the kitchen at home. Nabiki is entrepreneurial, assertive, and cold calculating; considers what decision will be most beneficial for her. The youngest of the sisters is a typical teenager who devotes her free time to developing martial arts skills. Soun Tendo realizes that in order for the dojo to stay with the family, one of his daughters must marry his friend’s son. Akane’s decision to marry is made faster than anyone can say, “I don’t think it’s the best idea to match strangers.”

But where does this panda come from?

Manga Ranma 1/2 has already appeared on the Polish market (it was published by Egmont). Currently, however, the license for its publication (as well as Rumik World and Inuyashy ) is JPF. As an old fan of both Rumiko Takahashi and the adventures of the Tendo family, I am very happy about this situation, because the mentioned manga definitely deserves a nice release and a new group of fans.

The first volume is 338 pages of funny reading, which additionally has two colored start pages. The aesthetics of the Ranma 1/2 cover are designed to match the volumes of the other two Takahashi series, so definitely placing them next to each other on the shelf pleases the eyes of fans.

Daddy meant well

The main source of humor in this manga is the situation of Akane Tendo’s fiancé, Ranma Saotome. The teenager suffers from a rather funny curse. During training in China, to which his father persuaded him, the boy fell into a cursed spring, and years earlier a girl drowned in it. From that moment on, every time he gets wet with cold water, he turns into the aforementioned female victim (to make it more fun, his father turns into a giant panda because he fell into the pond where the teddy bear drowned). Add to that the fact that Akane hates guys and we have a beautiful comedy interspersed with fight scenes. Takahashi does not stop at the funny relationship between the two main characters and puts new, more or less absurd, heroes on their way. As for the location of the action,daily life , so we go mainly to the Tendo dojo , Akane school and to a close family of a chiropractor.

Lord, give me some boiling water. This peasant is a woman!

Returning to the world of Ranma and Akane that I know from when I was a teenager (and watched anime on RTL2) was the type of journey I needed to do this summer. Without leaving the house, I fully relaxed and simply rested. A beautifully published manga with funny threads, unconventional characters and a delicate hint of youth romance is a very good mix in Rumiko Takahashi’s release, which, despite the passage of time, does not age at all.