Review of Ranma1/2: Movie 1 & 2 Twin Pack

Introduction

This double-pack contains the two Ranma movies both previously covered in reviews on this site (check out anime-junky Jitender`s reviews). They are the self-same editions, just tucked neatly into a card sleeve and offered up at `two-for-one` value.

`Ranma` is one of Japan`s most endeared mangas (Rumiko Takahashi) selling by the bucket load throughout Japan, and exported around the globe in both comic-book formats and numerous anime spin-offs.

It`s a near-surreal landscape, populated by crazed teens (and dirty old men) and unlikely narratives. Ranma himself frequently changes into a girl, and that`s just for starters, so it takes a certain amount of concentration just to keep up!

RANMA ½ MOVIE 1 - BIG TROUBLE ON NEKONRON, CHINA
This feature-length outing (well, 75 minutes at any rate) will delight fans but quite conceivably confound the uninitiated.

Though it offers up an eighties bubblegum pop soundtrack with menu to match, the movie proper kicks off with a strange dwarf-like creature, dressed in super-hero mask and tights, looking like an ancient and demented Rugrat, stealing panties and bras off clothes lines.

This turns out to be none other than Ranma`s Grandpa (hey - that rhymes) Happosai who goes too far when he tries to steal Ranma`s fiancé Akane`s panties.

Ranma decides to chase the masked marauder through the streets of Furinkan, meeting up with most of the key characters along the way. This frenetic chase scene is the perfect way to meet the crowd.

First up is Ranma himself - a teenage artist who has little respect for his parents and spends most the time trying to get one up on his fiancé Akane. Ranma is also pretty unique in that he turns into a female whenever he`s splashed with cold water. That`s well worth noting as this happens without fanfare and can be highly confusing if you were unaware of the fact.

Akane is a constant nag, despite the fact that she is engaged to Ranma. Theirs is the archetypal love-hate relationship, a whole lot of yin and yang!

Shampoo is a Chinese warrior who has a crush on Ranma - and changes into a white cat when splashed with water.

Ryoga is one of Ranma`s best buddies who always gets lost somewhere along the way. Oh - and he fancies Akane who doesn`t realise that he is, in fact, her black pet pig when (you guessed it) he`s splashed with cold water.

The crazy chase goes on for the better part of 15 minutes before we notice that a weird looking black cloud is following the pack. This turns out to be an elephant (no surprise there then) that has an intense hatred of the knicker-pinching Happosai. It turns out that the owner of this flying elephant is a young girl called Lychee who is now the possessor of a part of a magical scroll that Happosai tricked her Grandmother into accepting as payment for a meal in her restaurant.
Happosai had claimed that the scroll would bring a handsome prince to the owner - though it hadn`t worked.

She throws her half of the scroll away which is caught by Akane. Then Prince Kirin turns up in a giant airship with the other half of the scroll and sets about capturing Akane in his giant nets.

That means Ranma has to swing into action and go to her rescue, travelling to China to save his bride to be.


RANMA ½ MOVIE 2 - NIHAO MY CONCUBINE
The second movie is marginally easier to follow than the first with a much more straight-forward narrative in it`s slightly shorter 60 minutes.

The movie starts with the spoilt but wealthy Kuno inviting Akane to join him on his perosnl yacht for a short cruise. Little does he know that the whole group sees this as an open invite and before long they`re all aboard. Storms arise and it`s not long before we have the whole crwod stranded on a desert island. After a little teenage tomfoolery, all the females in the group (Akane, Kasumi, Nabaki, Shampoo and Ukyo) are kidnapped one by one from under the noses of the group, like a surreal Agatha Christie thriller. It turns out that they are being picked off by a magical (though obnoxious) prince who is searching for his perfect bride. Ranma shape-shifts into a girl in a bid to rescue Akane (whom he secretly loves) and heads out for some martial arts action wearing little more than a push-up bra. Business as usual really…

Video

I`ve been so spoilt of late with near perfect transfers of digitally mastered and originated material (Gungrave, Haibane Renmei etc) that this proved to be a slightly disappointing return to the anime transfer of old. The picture never quite sharpens and the colours remain un-saturated, and less satisfying than you might like. Pumping up the chroma on your set may compensate a little but brings up visual noise too. Having said this (unkindly perhaps) it`s worth remembering that this is no new kid on the block - and is probably just showing its age when compared to the wonderful digital mastering that we`re all getting to used to on anime releases.

This may be a `movie` but it`s in 4:3 - probably its original aspect ratio when the movie was pre-destined for broadcast rather than a theatrical release.

Audio

Though you can listen to the original Japanese (with subtitles), I took the lazy man approach and listened to the dub which was pretty effective with a nice range of character voices, all close-mike recorded, giving the DVD a strange detached feeling in common with most dubbed anime. Expect a lot of shouting and effects! Both in Dolby Digital 2.0.

Features

You`ll sigh with relief when you discover that this set comes with character profiles. Unless you`re already an informed fan, without them you`ll really struggle to make head or tail of the movie. I`d recommend using these as a quick `catch up` before you play the film.

You also get the original Japanese ending and a handful of sketches of key characters.

Finally, there are a few trailers on each disc - namely for Chobits, Trigun and Haibane Renmei on the first, and Yu Yu Hakusho, R.O.D. The TV Series and Love Hina on the second.

Conclusion

This crazy and confusing alternative reality really is a lot of fun if you`re prepared to suspend disbelief and reason and just go with the flow.

With all the key characters changing gender or even species when splashed with water (without explanation or ceremony), it may be worth checking out the character profiles before you start to give yourself a fighting chance of following the action.

Humour abounds here though tends to be of the slightly saucy slapstick variety so popular in the seventies, so may feel a little strange to younger viewers.

It certainly makes for diverting viewing and, though it may be a fluffy confection when put aside some of the genres better works, it`s a fairly representative piece of madcap manga transferred to the silver-screen.

Ranma fans will love it and if they haven`t already acquired these films individually, this release will be a great opportunity to make amends at a price that won`t break the bank.