"Ranma ½" (1989) TV series 1989-

Creator:

Rumiko Takahashi
(more)

Seasons:

1

Release Date:

15 April 1989 (Japan)

Genre:

Animation | Action | Comedy | Fantasy

Tagline:

Just add water!

Plot:

A series of the relationship of a girl who is involuntarily engaged to a boy who turns female when hit with cold water and male with hot.

Plot Keywords:

Water | Panda | Curse | Cult TV | Sex Change

Cast

Kappei Yamaguchi	...	Ranma Saotome Male / ... (18 episodes, 1989)
Megumi Hayashibara	...	Ranma Saotome Female / ... (18 episodes, 1989)
Noriko Hidaka	...	Akane Tendo (18 episodes, 1989)
Sarah Strange	...	Ranma Saotome Male (18 episodes, 1989)
Myriam Sirois	...	Akane Tendo (18 episodes, 1989)
Andrea Kwan	...	Ranma Saotome (Female) (Animax Asia dub) (18 episodes, 1989)
Candice Moore	...	Kodachi Kuno (English version) (18 episodes, 1989)
Michael Donovan	...	Jusenkyo Guide / ... (9 episodes, 1989)
Venus Terzo	...	Ranma Saotome Female / ... (8 episodes, 1989)
Kôichi Yamadera	...	Ryoga Hibiki (8 episodes, 1989)

Series Directed by
Tsutomu Shibayama		(18 episodes, 1989)
Tomomi Mochizuki		(7 episodes, 1989)
Kazuhiro Furuhashi		(5 episodes, 1989)
Takeshi Mori		(5 episodes, 1989)
Shinji Takagi		(4 episodes, 1989)

Series Writing credits
Rumiko Takahashi		(18 episodes, 1989)
Toshiki Inoue		(11 episodes, 1989)
Yoshio Urasawa		(7 episodes, 1989)
Hiroshi Hashimoto		(3 episodes, 1989)
Katsuyuki Sumizawa		(3 episodes, 1989)
Hiroyuki Kawasaki		(2 episodes, 1989)

Series Produced by
Makoto Kubo	....	producer: Studio Deen (4 episodes, 1989)
Yôko Matsushita	....	producer: Kitty Film (4 episodes, 1989)
Yoshinobu Nakao	....	producer: Fuji TV (4 episodes, 1989)
Shigekazu Ochiai	....	planner (4 episodes, 1989)
Hidenori Taga	....	executive producer (4 episodes, 1989)

Series Original Music by
Kenji Kawai		(18 episodes, 1989)
Hideharu Mori		(18 episodes, 1989)

Series Cinematography by
Mitsunobu Yoshida		(18 episodes, 1989)

Series Art Direction by
Torao Arai		(18 episodes, 1989)
Masahiro Satô		(unknown episodes)

Series Art Department
Masahiro Satô	....	artboards (18 episodes, 1989)
Kazuhiro Furuhashi	....	storyboard artist (4 episodes, 1989)
Tomomi Mochizuki	....	storyboard artist (4 episodes, 1989)
Takeshi Mori	....	storyboard artist (4 episodes, 1989)
Shinji Takagi	....	storyboard artist (2 episodes, 1989)

Series Sound Department
Jason Frederickson	....	sound recordist (18 episodes, 1989)
Kunio Kuwahara	....	sound mixer (18 episodes, 1989)
Shigeharu Shiba	....	recording director (18 episodes, 1989)
Kazuhiro Wakabayashi	....	assistant recording director (18 episodes, 1989)
Fujio Yamada	....	studio recordist (18 episodes, 1989)
Yasufumi Yoda	....	sound effects editor (18 episodes, 1989)
Shigeki Ôashi	....	studio recordist (18 episodes, 1989)

Series Special Effects by
Takefumi Saitô	....	special effects (18 episodes, 1989)

Series Camera and Electrical Department
Naoto Fujikura	....	camera operator: T. Nishimura (18 episodes, 1989)
Tomoyoshi Ishizuka	....	camera operator: T. Nishimura (18 episodes, 1989)
Shoichi Komuro	....	camera operator: T. Nishimura (18 episodes, 1989)
Masaki Kubomura	....	camera operator: T. Nishimura (18 episodes, 1989)
Jun Nanbu	....	camera operator: T. Nishimura (18 episodes, 1989)
Kôji Yamakoshi	....	camera operator: T. Nishimura (18 episodes, 1989)
Ritsuko Sato	....	camera operator: T. Nishimura (15 episodes, 1989)
Inako Shimotochitana	....	camera operator: T. Nishimura (3 episodes, 1989)

Series Animation Department
Chiyoko Hisajima	....	color designer (18 episodes, 1989)
Tomoyuki Hô	....	inbetween checker (18 episodes, 1989)
Ken'ichi Ishii	....	cel checker (18 episodes, 1989)
Akira Kawashima	....	inbetween checker (18 episodes, 1989)
Atsuko Nakajima	....	character designer / animation director / ... (18 episodes, 1989)
Kôichi Tadaka	....	cel checker (18 episodes, 1989)
Asami Endô	....	animation director / animator (7 episodes, 1989)
Masako Gotô	....	animation director (6 episodes, 1989)
Sayuri Ichiishi	....	animator (5 episodes, 1989)
Tatsuo Ikeda	....	inbetween artist (5 episodes, 1989)
Hiroshi Komaba	....	inbetween artist (5 episodes, 1989)
Kôji Komurakata	....	animator (5 episodes, 1989)
Shinako Ozawa	....	inbetween artist (5 episodes, 1989)
Hideaki Endô	....	inbetween artist (4 episodes, 1989)
Takayuki Hamana	....	animator (4 episodes, 1989)
Yôichi Ishikawa	....	inbetween artist (4 episodes, 1989)
Tomoko Iwasaki	....	inbetween artist (4 episodes, 1989)
Yûji Kishino	....	inbetween artist (4 episodes, 1989)
Chizuko Kusunoki	....	inbetween artist (4 episodes, 1989)
Tokuyuki Matsutake	....	inbetween artist (4 episodes, 1989)
Kazuhiro Mitsuhashi	....	inbetween artist (4 episodes, 1989)
Hiroyuki Nishimura	....	animator (4 episodes, 1989)
Takashi Satô	....	inbetween artist (4 episodes, 1989)
Yoshio Seino	....	inbetween artist (4 episodes, 1989)
Jun Sekiguchi	....	inbetween artist (4 episodes, 1989)
Shuichi Shimamura	....	animator (4 episodes, 1989)
Kazuhiko Wanibuchi	....	inbetween artist (4 episodes, 1989)
Fumiaki Asano	....	inbetween artist (3 episodes, 1989)
Shigeru Fujita	....	animator (3 episodes, 1989)
Ikuko Hara	....	inbetween artist (3 episodes, 1989)
Kazunobu Hoshi	....	inbetween artist (3 episodes, 1989)
Ichiro Izuki	....	inbetween artist (3 episodes, 1989)
Yoko Kadokami	....	animator (3 episodes, 1989)
Hiroki Kanno	....	animator (3 episodes, 1989)
Yuka Kudô	....	animator (3 episodes, 1989)
Yutaka Minowa	....	animator (3 episodes, 1989)
Ken Miyajima	....	animator (3 episodes, 1989)
Daisuke Nagashima	....	inbetween artist (3 episodes, 1989)
Tomoki Ono	....	inbetween artist (3 episodes, 1989)
Shin'ichi Ozawa	....	inbetween artist (3 episodes, 1989)
Hiroto Saitô	....	animator (3 episodes, 1989)
Takuya Saitô	....	animator (3 episodes, 1989)
Tetsuto Saitô	....	animator (3 episodes, 1989)
Hideo Shimosaka	....	animator (3 episodes, 1989)
Keiichi Suwada	....	inbetween artist (3 episodes, 1989)
Hirofumi Suzuki	....	inbetween artist (3 episodes, 1989)
Satoshi Takashima	....	inbetween artist (3 episodes, 1989)
Hidekazu Terakawa	....	inbetween artist (3 episodes, 1989)
Kôji Yamamoto	....	animator (3 episodes, 1989)
Tsukasa Abe	....	animator (2 episodes, 1989)
Keiko Hagimori	....	inbetween artist (2 episodes, 1989)
Atsuko Ishida	....	animator (2 episodes, 1989)
Satoru Isono	....	animator (2 episodes, 1989)
Shin'ichirô Kajiura	....	animator (2 episodes, 1989)
Hiroko Kazui	....	animator (2 episodes, 1989)
Hiroya Kobayashi	....	animator (2 episodes, 1989)
Chiho Kôsaka	....	inbetween artist (2 episodes, 1989)
Kouji Ogawa	....	animator (2 episodes, 1989)
Yûji Satô	....	animator (2 episodes, 1989)
Midori Sawaki	....	animator (2 episodes, 1989)
Eiko Tajima	....	inbetween artist (2 episodes, 1989)
Akitoshi Yokoyama	....	animator (2 episodes, 1989)

Series Editorial Department
Rie Katayama	....	editor: Morita Editing Room (18 episodes, 1989)
Seiji Morita	....	editor: Morita Editing Room (18 episodes, 1989)
Masaki Sakamoto	....	editor: Morita Editing Room (18 episodes, 1989)
Leland Miller	....	video post-production (unknown episodes)
Bruce Woloshyn	....	on-line editor (unknown episodes)

Series Other crew
Yumiko Shigeoka	....	public relations: Fuji TV (18 episodes, 1989)
Naoto Kimura	....	production supervisor / production assistant (12 episodes, 1989)
Masayuki Hanzawa	....	production supervisor (7 episodes, 1989)
Daisuke Chiba	....	production assistant (5 episodes, 1989)
Kazuhiro Sasaki	....	production assistant (5 episodes, 1989)
Kôji Ôsedo	....	production assistant (5 episodes, 1989)
Hiroshi Nomoto	....	production assistant (2 episodes, 1989)
Shigekazu Ochiai	....	planner (unknown episodes)

Production Companies

• Kitty Animation
• Kitty Films

Distributors

• Viz Video

Also Known As:

"Ranma ½: The Digital Dojo" - USA (first season title)

Runtime:

Japan:30 min (18 episodes)

Country:

Japan

Language:

Catalan | English | French | German | Italian | Spanish | Japanese

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Argentina:Atp | New Zealand:PG | Australia:PG (some episodes) | Singapore:NC-16 | South Korea:12 (DVD rating) | Canada:G (Quebec) (Season 1) | Canada:PG (Manitoba) (video rating)

Company:

Kitty Animation

Trivia:

According to Megumi Hayashibara, the voices for the anime were recorded on every Thursday from 6:30pm to 11:00pm.

Quotes:

Ranma Saotome:[In the bath, after turning back into a boy] Might as well go out as I am now...
[Akane comes in, thinking he's in girl form]
Ranma Saotome:[looks at Akane, who has no clothing on] Whoa...
[Akane and Ranma stare at each other, in the nude, for a few moments, then she finally closes the curtain, dresses herself, and leaves]
Ranma Saotome:[Ranma looks at himself in embarrassment]
Akane Tendo:[Closes the door behind her, takes a deep breath, and finally screams] AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in "Robot Chicken: We Are a Humble Factory (#4.11)" (2009)

Soundtrack:

Platonic Tsuranuite

Ranma's life may be a living nightmare... but it's pure entertainment for us!

I simply picked up a copy of the Ranma 1/2 OAVs since I had some extra money when I was picking up my usual copy of a DBZ DVD(The Draw, to be precise). I had heard about Ranma and the comments were positive ones, and having read about the episodes in my Viz catalog I decided to try it out. When I popped the OAV video into my VCR, I never knew that when I was done I would be laughing my head off.

Now, I own half of the OAVS, one of the films, 4 Ranma DVD boxsets(seasons 2-5), and a ton of videos and DVDs, as well as about one third of the manga. Ranma's great. The weird, but awesome, fighting is just the icing on the cake. What we really have is Ranma trying to not get his rear handed to him by crazy rivals, Akane bashing Ranma's head in, Ryoga trying to find where in the world he is, Shampoo gloomping Ranma in a bear-hug that would probably strangle Arnold Schwarzenegger, and near-blind Mousse, who mistakes Ranma, Shampoo, Akane, and everyone else for just about everything. With this laugh-out loud silliness, it's obvious you know you're watching something great.

I think the best thing about the entire series is that I can really relate to Ranma(well, aside from the curses and stuff). He has a fear of a certain type of animal due to..... childhood circumstances, he feels like everyone uses him, blames him for things even if it's not his fault, he doesn't have many friends, and his father cares jack squat for him. This makes Ranma really empathetic for me, something most anime characters don't usually do.

Shockingly, one character I like in this is voo-doo fixated Hikaru Gosunkugi. I like the fact that he's not the typical Ranma rival who goes out and confronts Ranma directly. He's even able to actually have some effect with his plans. Of course, said plans usually backfire on him....

Finally, the show introduces just about the cutest anime character ever, Shampoo! Every time she purrs out "ailen," it makes me melt......

BOTTOM LINE: Watch Ranma 1/2! You don't know what you're missing if you don't!