Intermission of Comedy, Stirrings of Love

Translated by: Harley Acres

The gag comedy Ranma 1/2, featuring a cast of colorful characters, delivers even more chaotic antics than expected in its second season! And it looks like there might be movement in Ranma & Akane's love story too...?

The second season of Ranma 1/2 has finally begun. The opening 13th episode depicted an incident brought about by Ranma's weakness.

Ranma Saotome is actually very afraid of cats. When Hikaru Gosunkugi finds out this, he tries to exploit his weakness, and the gymnasium erupts in chaos. Covered in cats, Ranma activates the "Cat Fist" technique that was engraved into him as a child, and goes on a rampage in a cat-like fashion. Then the incident takes an unexpected turn. In his Cat Fist state, Ranma rolls into the lap of his fiancee, Akane Tendo, and kisses her. The next moment, Akane's fist explodes. Ranma flies through the air. Even though it happened while he was in Cat Fist state...a kiss is still a kiss. It has yet to be revealed what feelings Akane had.

Ranma and Akane are interested in each other, but they are unable to be honest about it. How will this incident affect their relationship? Amidst the laughter and chaos, a breeze of love blows through the air in the second season of Ranma 1/2, and it's turbulent from the very start!

Producer Discussion
Koya Okamura (MAPPA) X Kozo Sato (Shogakukan Shueisha Productions)

To be accepted in today's world

The second season has begun airing, but first, how did you feel about the first season? Were there any concerns you had before the broadcast?

Okamura: At first, I was concerned about whether people would accept a masterpiece that had already been made into an anime, since it was being brought to the world again.

Sato: I had the same concerns. The series has a strong fan base for the original manga and the previous anime, and some parts of the content have been adjusted to suit the current situation. ^[1] I was always conscious of how people would receive it.

In what sense do you mean adapting to "suit the present"?

Okamura: It was a compliance-related consideration. Some viewers might be bothered if we used expressions from the original work, such as those related to gender, directly. ^[2] We were very conscious of how to rephrase words that might have been off-putting without changing the original's intent, but still convey the essence of the work without damaging its core.



Sato: I don't want to say that it was bad back then, but I think there are some differences in how things are perceived between the values ​​of the 1980s and the Reiwa era. We were particularly careful with expressions related to gender.

It's not easy to find alternative expressions, is it?

Okamura: That's right. I think the beginning of the first season was difficult. But we didn't want to resort to easy rephrasing or cut entire lines, so we just kept thinking.

Sato: Director Konosuke Uda, series composer Kimiko Ueno, and everyone else involved spent a lot of time searching for a compromise that would fit the current situation without compromising the quality of the original work. ^[3]

What about the visuals?

Okamura: We've gone from cel animation to digital, and using modern technology naturally changes the appearance of colors and resolution. However, even in the anime, there's a caption that reads "Somewhere in Tokyo in the 1980s," so rather than focusing on a "modern" feel, we were conscious of "ensuring a proper 1980s vibe."

Sato: At the same time, we wanted to avoid the idea of ​​"old = negative." We were careful to strike a balance that was both nostalgic and new.

So you want to present the '80s as they are.

Okamura: That's right. It will bring back memories for the generation that remembers the '80s, and will seem fresh to the generation watching it for the first time. That's how the director and I discussed it, so it wouldn't simply be perceived as "old."

The way comedy scenes are expressed also changes over time. How did you address this?

Sato: We had no intention of changing the jokes from the original work, but we often discussed in scriptwriting meetings how some people might find it annoying if they were told this now.

Okamura: That's right. What we were conscious of was never losing the tempo or humor of the original work. We didn't change the funny parts. We even made use of lines that aren't heard much these days, like "the wholesaler won't sell it like that." ^[4] There was no need to water it down in a weird way.

Director Uda was also particular about the tempo of the film. The overall rhythm had a snappy quality, like a comedy sketch by the Drifters. ^[5]

Okamura: Just like Ranma, there's a lot of slapstick, a punchline, and often ends with a "chan-chan♪," so we tried not to disrupt that rhythm and tempo.

What was the atmosphere like on set?

Okamura: Director Uda was the pillar of the team, carefully listening to and incorporating the staff's ideas of what they wanted to do. Not only young people but also people who worked on older anime projects were involved, so there was a range of generations, but the common thread was that everyone had been through "Rumic World." That's what led to great teamwork.

Were there any challenges in terms of production?

Okamura: Dealing with flashing (blinking), which had never been done before. Since the colors and backgrounds of Ranma are quite bright, there were many shots that exceeded the broadcast standard. ^[6] While we could have addressed this by darkening the screen or using afterimage processing, this would have ruined the intended look, so we made repeated fine adjustments to deliver the footage without changing the staff's intentions as much as possible.

Sato: We didn't compromise on the processing, but instead focused on "fixing the images." There were some shots that took a long time to correct. I could really feel MAPPA's dedication. Okamura: We hung in there here.

Don't miss the cute scenes between Ranma and Akane

Now, let's talk about season 2. In episode 13, a new character, Hikaru Gosunkugi, appears. This ties back to what we were talking about earlier about the balance of expression, but I thought that Gosunkugi's actions might be difficult to draw the line by current standards.

Sato: That's true. Gosunkugi secretly takes photos of Akane, which isn't really good from a compliance perspective. But changing him would also be wrong.

That's one of Gosunkugi's characteristics, isn't it? If that aspect were removed, it would make him seem less dangerous.

Okamura: In fact, Ranma blocks his every attempt. When Gosunkugi tries to take a photo of Akane, Ranma is always in the picture, so we were conscious of drawing the line.

In upcoming episodes, Shampoo, who left in tears at the end of Season 1 (episode 12), will be returning.

Okamura: After Shampoo left, Ranma even said, "It's a shame, I'll miss her a little," but... she came back right away (laughs).

Sato: The story wouldn't progress without her coming back (laughs).

(laughs) What do you value most when drawing Shampoo?

Okamura: For Shampoo, "cuteness" is important. Her distinctive features are the round highlights in her hair and hair buns. Her roundness is her charm point, so I asked the artist to express her cuteness through that drawing style. Personality-wise, she's incredibly straightforward with Ranma, so her actions are cute. I tried to stay consistent with that.

Next to the returning Shampoo is the new character Cologne. He's an intriguing character.

Okamura: One of the rules of the female warrior tribe is to "she must marry the man who defeats her in combat." Cologne tries to bring Shampoo and Ranma together in order to make that rule come true. There's a scene where Shampoo and Cologne exchange a shrewd glance, and I think you'll be able to get a feel for the atmosphere of the original manga in the anime.

Sato: Cologne is a very skilled character, and there will be more action scenes. This is one of MAPPA's specialties.

Before Shampoo reappeared, there was a big development between Ranma and Akane. In episode 13, Ranma kisses Akane. Ranma was unconscious from using the Cat Fist, but...

Okamura: Ranma had completely transformed into a cat, and then he smells catnip and goes unconscious. He ends up unconsciously kissing Akane, which is definitely a key point. When the footage of this scene first came out, Ranma's eyes looked quite "conscious." That would have been perceived as "Ranma intentionally kissed Akane."

That would have changed the story, wouldn't it?

Okamura: That's right. So I discussed with the staff whether we could modify his expression to make him look "sleepy" or "unconscious." It's a particularly memorable scene, especially for those who have read the original manga, so we were careful to portray it as without changing the intent as much as possible.

Akane's heart is likely to be shaken again by Shampoo's reappearance. What is the production team focusing on when portraying their relationship?

Okamura: This work is the story of Ranma and Akane, and also their love story. Because their relationship never seems to be fulfilled, there are plenty of cute, heart-fluttering scenes, and we made sure to include them all in the anime.

Sato: The director also carefully portrays Akane's emotions, which makes them even more memorable.

Among the scenes depicting their relationship, are there any that left a lasting impression?

Okamura: In Season 1, it was episode 3, where Ranma tells Akane, "You're cute when you smile." They don't have romantic feelings yet, but I think it was the beginning. I episode 5, where Akane suffers a broken heart, is when Ranma might have even begun to have romantic feelings. It's great to see how his feelings build up little by little with each episode.

Sato: Another memorable scene was used in the trailer for season 2, in the Happosai episode, where Akane brings a steamed bun to Ranma after he's been kicked out of the Tendo Dojo. Even among the production team, it was talked about during the script reading, with everyone saying, "It really is a great scene."

Okamura: But for a moment, that scene almost got deleted.

Sato: That's right. It was considered for cutting due to broadcast length constraints, but the entire staff agreed, "This is the one scene we absolutely cannot leave out," and reworked it. I'm really glad we included it.

Okamura: Ultimately we couldn't cut out such a precious, heart-pounding scene.

From episode 14 onwards, keep an eye out for the heart-pounding scenes between Ranma and Akane that are scattered throughout the series.

Okamura: That's right. The Ranma x Akane relationship axis remains the same, but the new characters add to the chaos.

Sato: All the main characters will finally be together, and the drama will have more depth. Please keep an eye out.

Ranma 1/2
Season 2
●Every Saturday at 12:55 AM
●Nippon TV and other networks
●Streaming exclusively on Netflix immediately after broadcast
Website: https://ranma-pr.com
© Rumiko Takahashi, Shogakukan/Ranma 1/2 Production Committee

---

Footnotes

• [1] When the original television series aired from 1989 to 1992 nudity was much more common in anime, but due to the increasing global popularity of anime and manga, this has largely been tempered. Due to the nature of the original manga, Ranma in particular is often shown topless, however the 2024 anime adaptation made certain edits (generally obscuring the nudity or not depicting the characters' nipples). The 2024 version director, Konosuke Uda, also spoke about this in an interview as did Rumiko Takahashi.
• [2] This may be referring to "okama" (お釜) which was used occasionally in the manga (Pantyhose Taro frequently referred to Ranma this way). In the English manga it was often translated as "transvestite" which is an accurate translation. It can also mean "effeminate gay man".
• [3] Konosuke Uda (宇田鋼之介) is the director of the 2024 adaptation of Ranma 1/2. He began his career as a video tracer on Transformers: The Movie while still a student. He made his directorial debut on Goldfish Warning! (きんぎょ注意報/Kingyo Chuiho!) followed by working on Sailor Moon (美少女戦士セーラームーン/Bishojo Senshi Seeraa Muun). In 1999 became the first series director of One Piece, which he worked on for six years. You can read an interview with him here. Kimiko Ueno (うえのきみこ) has written scripts for Crayon Shin-chan (クレヨンしんちゃん), Space Dandy (スペース☆ダンディ) and New Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt (パンティ&ストッキングwithガーターベルト).
• [4] The phrase "the wholesaler won't sell it like that" (そーは問屋がおろさねぇ/soo wa tonya ga orosanee) means roughly the same as the English phrase "things don't work that way in the real world."
• [5] The Drifters were an iconic musical and comedy act in Japan, a number of the members went on to great solo success, particularly Cha Kato (加藤茶) and Ken Shimura (志村けん) who became the comedy duo "Kato-chan and Ken-Chan". Chosuke Ikariya (いかりや長介), the leader of the group, won the Japanese Academy Award for his performance in Bayside Shakedown (踊る大捜査線/Odoru Daisosasen).
• [6] The concern over strobing or flashing images can be traced back to episode 38 of Pokémon which aired December 16, 1997. The blue and red flashing comes in a scene when Pikachu blows up missles with his electric shock. It is estimated that 685 viewers were taken to the hospital after seeing the episode.

---