90s kids and fans of retro anime have something huge to look forward to after famed manga artist Rumiko Takahashi revealed on X (formerly known as Twitter) that the classic hit Ranma ½ is getting a brand new anime.
The Story of Ranma ½
Ranma ½ is a martial arts and romantic comedy manga about a boy with the ability to turn into a girl. The plot follows teenager Ranma Saotome, who goes on a training journey with his father to China. Both of them fall into the springs of Jusenkyo and are cursed to take the form of whatever living being that died in those waters hundreds and thousands of years ago. Now whenever his father Genma and Ranma come into contact with cold water, they turn into a panda and a girl respectively. The ½ in the name Ranma ½ refers to him having half of each of the binary genders.
Takahashi’s Inspiration
It’s said that Takahashi’s intention with Ranma ½ was to produce a martial arts story that was still attached to the highs and lows of everyday life. Having mostly produced female-led series, she decided to try writing a male protagonist for Ranma ½. However, as Takahashi was still worried that she wouldn’t be able to write a male main character, she ended up making him half-female. The world of Ranma ½ is also modeled after real world locations in the city of Nerima, which is where Takahashi is from.
Pop culture significance
The Ranma ½ franchise has since spanned a variety of mediums. Aside from manga and anime there are also animation films, live action and even seventeen different video games. As of April 2021, there are currently 55 million copies of Ranma ½ manga in circulation.
With so much hype and excitement around this beloved franchise, we hope that this new anime can live up to the fanbase’s expectations. More news on the upcoming anime will be shared on July 17th, we’ll be sure to update this section when that happens.
