Ranma 1/2 - TV Series Set 1 Standard Edition (BD)

I adore Ranma 1/2. The show was brought to my attention by a school chum back in 1997, and I fell in love with it. By 1999 I was deeply embedded in the fandom: buying shockingly expensive VHS tapes, soundtrack CDs, and even writing fan fiction. Ah, those were good days that make me very nostalgic to think about. For those who might not be aware of Ranma 1/2, the story is fairly simple, and revolves around 16 year old martial artists Ranma Saotome and Akane Tendo. Forced into an arranged engagement by their fathers, Ranma and Akane share a tumultuous relationship from the very beginning, which is further exasperated by a marching line of wacky suitors and lunatic rivals. There's also the small issue of an ancient curse inflicted upon Ranma while visiting a Chinese training ground: when splashed with cold water, Ranma transforms into a girl. Hot water reverses the effect, but only until next time. And there you have it. That's the show's through-line. In the early 2000s, Viz Media began releasing season box sets on DVD. They took up an immense amount of shelf space and were wildly expensive. I remember seeing the complete first season at Hastings for nearly $280. Suffice to say, I did not collect the original DVD release. A few years later, Viz re-issued the sets in slim packs with all the same content at significantly reduced prices, but I only managed to snag season 4 and the OAV Series before those DVDs started going out of print. Over the last five or six years, it slowly became apparent that Ranma's popularity was all but depleted in the United States. The arrival of shows like Dragon Ball Z, Naruto and InuYasha (another Rumiko Takahashi franchise) pushed it out of the spotlight. The situation wasn't helped by Ranma 1/2's lack of direction in later seasons, or its lack of a satisfying conclusion (a result of the show overtaking the manga). The books, soundtracks and DVDs were all going out of print, and I for one was convinced that Ranma's time to shine had come and gone. I never thought I'd see it back on retailer shelves. Happily, I was wrong. In August of 2013, Viz announced that they would be bringing the newly remastered HD transfer of Ranma 1/2 stateside. Set 1 would consist of the first 23 episodes, arranged in the original broadcast order for the very first time. That meant that the weird "Akane flashes back to something that hasn't happened yet" moment from the VHS and DVD release would no longer be an issue. In December of 2013, Viz released a trailer for the box set that some fans found concerning, and rightly so. While the Japanese transfer is beautiful, Viz's trailer featured heavily saturated colors with red in particular being a major problem. Things like Girl Type Ranma's hair and kung-fu shirt looked extremely burned, wiping out much of the line work and shading that was clearly visible in the original DVD comparison scenes. I'm happy to report that the trailer was an aberration. A lot of care has gone into this release. The original title cards and episode cards have been restored and the image quality is simply stunning. The aspect ratio has been restored, the characters have actual flesh tones, the shading of backgrounds are rich and vibrant, and while the restoration team seems to have avoided using DNR to try and remove the original 16mm film grain, there's very little in the way of dirt or damage on the print. The whole thing feels alive and in motion even when the images are stationary. This is the best Ranma 1/2 has ever looked. This release features the original Japanese audio track and Viz's original dub from the 1990s. Quality wise, both tracks sound richer than the original DVD version -- perhaps due to the extra storage space allotted by Blu-ray -- but the dub still has a little more kick than the original Japanese audio, which continues to sound slightly flat in comparison. I have always been a fan of the show's dub, but if you prefer the Japanese original, then you might be interested to know that an all-new subtitle track has been created for the re-release. It's a new translation, although I'm not sure how different it is as I've never watched it subtitled before. As is usually the case with Anime, there is no subtitle track for the English dub. If you're slightly hard of hearing and like to use subtitle tracks to help clarify dialog, be aware that the track will not match the English audio. For those who prefer the dub but like having subtitles for signs and other on-screen Japanese text, there is a secondary option for just such a track. It's a nice feature, but it makes me sad that the opening and closing themes have been re-translated. I'm assuming that they've done this with the intention of bringing the translation closer to the original Japanese lyrics, but after 16 years of having one set of lyrics stuck in my head, it's a little disconcerting. There's also a small issue with the re-inserted Japanese title cards. When the show was localized, the names of the episodes were changed. This means that the first episode is now called "The Strange Stranger from China", but the spoken dialog continues to call it "Here's Ranma". It's a minor issue, but it's one to be aware of. The packaging for the Limited Edition blu-ray is gorgeous. The art on the blu-ray case itself is identical to the new DVD release, but the outer sleeve is red, gold and blue. The front panel is as you see in the Amazon photo, while the back panel is blue with gold trim and a drawing of Genma as a panda featured at the center. The material from which the sleeve is constructed is extremely sturdy as well. These will be very attractive sets to line up one-by-one once they're all out. Included within the box is an episode guide/manga preview. It's all glossy and colorful, but otherwise it's really basic. The episode descriptions are brief and to the point. Special features include pieces shot at New York Comic Con, as well as a "part 1" making-of that features Hope Donavan discussing the restoration process for the recently re-released manga series. There's nothing groundbreaking here, but it's more than we ever got on the VHS or DVD releases and the manga restoration feature is interesting for anyone who cares to look behind the curtain. If you're bored, definitely check them out. The set also includes the clean opening and closing title sequences, but the box art warns that the picture quality might not be very good. I haven't checked them out yet, but I've seen someone else mention that they're SD, which is a shame. So now we come to the question of whether or not these blu-rays are worth picking up if you already own the previously released DVD box sets. In my opinion, definitely. The show has never looked this good, and considering Viz only intends a one-print run of the blu-ray, I'd say paying $50 now is preferable to paying outrageous eBay prices later. If you simply can't afford to pick up the blu-ray now, then take heart: the re-issued DVD is not limited to a single pressing, so you can always pick that up later if you feel so inclined. Even at the lower resolution, I'm sure the remastered quality of the source material would greatly improve the viewing experience of the original DVDs. If you've never before experienced Ranma 1/2, give it a shot. It's a classic Anime that is near and dear to many hearts (including the fine folks at Viz). They've taken a financial risk with the decision to re-release an older, lesser known series. Show your support of classic anime and pick it up, stat!

I started watching this series for the first time in 2024. I love old animation, traditional animation just looks better to me than all the CG animation. The stories and just general presentation is better in my opinion as well. But one thing about older animation is it is great entertainment without things pushing an agenda. Oh to go back to the time when Bugs Bunny could kiss Elmer Fudd and it was a joke, or Baloo could cross dress and it was a joke, or a boy could body swap or transform into a girl(or vise versa) and it was a joke. These types of things back in that time was funny and there wasn't any underlying message or agenda it was just a joke, played for laughs. And in Ranma 1/2 it is done very well, the situational comedy here is great, sometimes over the top, but never off putting like some of the agenda pushing anime of modern time. I really do love the animation style, and while I will concede it is "dated" and when I see the characters design I immediately think 80s animation, that doesn't mean it isn't really good animation cause it is phenomenal. It's ridiculous all the times Ranma, his dad, etc have water splash on them and it really doesn't get overdone(I'm just one set into the series so that may change but so far its still pretty amusing). Seeing panda form Ranma's dad is great, and it seems he has just completely embraced that and is like "who cares I'm not going to go find hot water just to change back". All the characters are really well done. The Ranma/Akane relationship is a little on the hard to believe side and their behavior towards each other is sometimes a little too abrasive, but I guess they gotta keep the series going somehow. Overall this is certainly a great anime, and while I've heard people say "it doesn't hold up" or "it's dated", I certainly think it holds up and technically 80s would be "dated" but I don't consider that a bad thing, and from someone viewing this for the first time now, I can confirm with no nostalgia that it's really good.

I have been a fan of Ranma 1/2 since the days when I could only find the odd VHS tape in my local movie stores. Mostly it was the dub, but sometimes I was lucky enough to find a tape in the original Japanese. Those were very different times for anime fans in America. Now, 20 years in the future we have the sets that we never could have imagined, but that the series always deserved. The show has never looked better, and I doubt it is possible to improve on what we have been given. Not only does it look beautiful and pristine, however, but the masters have not been tampered with. Gone are the American title cards of the old DVD sets, and they are replaced with the original Japanese shots with soft subtitles. I may be mistaken, but this set doesn't seem to have a single hard subtitle in it.. and for a fan of animation and the purity of the original material, that is a dream come true. This is a set that will please both the hardcore anime fans, and the casual viewer who isn't necessarily interested in the minute details. The extras are nothing to sneeze at as well. They are very well represented with this set, and a welcome addition for the animation historian. Finally, the packaging is absolutely gorgeous. It goes for that strong Chinese theme that is prevalent throughout the series. It fits and looks great on my shelf. Highly, highly recommended.

Este conjunto de lanzamientos de parte de Viz Media es uno de los mejores en lo que respecta a series clasicas, con una remasterización de calidad que no altera o censura los contenidos originales,y con una traducción de alta calidad... lastima que sea un producto de importación de EUA, y por lo tanto no este en español, y las posibilidades de un lanzamiento así son remotas en extremo. Si sabes inglés o japones vale la pena, aunque esas voces no sean las que escuchaste cuando viste la serie en Canal 5.

Excellent remastered edition of Ranma 1/2 classic anime series. This is the american edition with English voices and subtitles plus the original japanese voices, opening and endings and commercial in and out cuts. Quality is as good as possible today: some noise from the film, but clean lines, vibrant and good colors, in their 4:1 TV original format unstretched and uncut. Plus without any censorship and the episodes on the right order as aired in Japan (in USA they aired swapping some episodes for unknown reasons). So if you are fan of this anime, don't hesitate and buy it while there is in stock cause it's a limited edition (and the DVD quality edition is by far worst)! Just note these BluRays are USA regin, so in order to play in EU you will need to use a player able to change the region, region free, or in a computer using specific software.

This review isn't a review about the anime itself (Which is one of the best ever made), but about the blu-ray set itself. First off, contrary to the very rushed amazon description box, both the english dub and original japanese versions are on this blu ray set (and since the original japanese kanji openings and endings are present, subtitles for the signs), and each episode is full length, no cuts. There are 23 episodes; all 18 episodes of season 1, and 5 episodes of season 2 (3 of which were originally supposed to be in season 1, and are in the correct order in this blu ray presentation as a result), all of which are remastered beautifully in full 1080p (4:3 resolution of course; which means black bars on the left and right sides of the screen, to avoid cropping the original resolution). The sound is also fairly well remastered, but still sounding like its from the late 80's/ eary 90's, which is to be expected. As for bonus features, it contains the usual textless opening/closing sequences (which look like they were ripped staright from the previous DVD release), as well as an interview with the person responsible for remastering the manga (which the first chapter is included with the episode summary booklet), as well as some highlights and other stuff from the ranma 1/2 panel at the 2012 new york comicon. quite a lot more stuff than your usual Viz DVD/Blu ray release. Overall, I'd strongly recommend this blu ray set if you want to upgrade your current DVD versions, or have never owned a previous release of Ranma 1/2 (Like I was).

Tutti conoscono oramai questa serie.. Ranma è stato uno dei maggiori successi negli anni 90, sia come manga che come anime.. successo che continua tutt'ora, ed è considerato un classico.. La trama oramai la conoscono tutti, e vista la lunghezza del prodotto (lunghissima serie tv con un paio di film in aggiunta) si è riempita di tanti personaggi, comprimari e comparse, ognuno ben caratterizzato con una propria storia.. Tutto gira attorno alle incomprensioni amorose dei protagonisti Ranma ed Akane, ed alle situazioni improbabili derivate dalla trasformabilità del protagonista (e di molti coprotagonisti) da ragazzo a ragazza e viceversa.. Con continui scontri di arti marziali improbabili, amori incompresi, la ripetitiva stupidità di certi personaggi, si cerca di tenere sempre alta l'attenzione.. Impossibile quindi raccontare tutte le sottotrame.. Ma anche se il prodotto è davvero ben fatto (Rumiko è sinonimo di garanzia, di fantasia e di divertimento!), rischia di sfociare spesso nella ripetitività e nell'improbabilità, e quindi di annoiare lo spettatore.. L'anime è davvero ben fatto.. ma come tutte le serie tv di tale lunghezza, con momenti altalenanti.. Ad episodi davvero ben fatti, ben animati, ottimi fondali e con una verve incredibile, si alternano episodi con animazioni spesso eseguite un pò al risparmio o in velocità, con fondali scarni e quindi non particolarmente riusciti.. A volte inoltre si raggiungono vette incredibili, soprattutto negli ultimi episodi, segno anche che gli studi d'animazione impegnati hanno raggiunto un buon equilibrio, ottenendo buona qualità media, senza esagerare nel risparmio, ma ottimizzando la velocità di realizzazione con la qualità dei disegni.. Come ad esempio negli episodi n.45 o 46.. Amazon offre ad un prezzo eccezzionale i primi otto dischi della serie.. che raccolgono in una sorta di prima stagione denominata Ranma 1/2 - the Animated Series, i primi 50 episodi di questa lunga storia.. Ottima l'edizione by Dynit, che all'epoca dell'uscita negli anni 90 tantissimo spese nel doppiaggio e nello sponsorizzare questa serie, che si merità anche un passaggio (censurato) su la7.. Ottimo quindi il doppiaggio.. Ottimo i comparti audio video dei dischetti.. Buoni gli extra, sparsi su tutti i dischi, come schede personaggi, sigle italiane ed originali.. Sigle con le scritte italiane, giapponesi e senza.. Più i soliti trailers.. Si conferma la mancanza dei sottotitoli italiani, unico errore di authoring riscontrato nell'edizione.. Consigliato quinti a tutti.. Sia agli amanti degli anime, che dei prodotti della grande sensei Rumiko Takahashi, sia chi vuole iniziare una buona serie (lunga) con un buon prodotto ed ad un ottimo prezzo! Da vedere almeno una volta..

ありがとうございました。