The second episode of the completely new anime version of Takahashi Rumiko's smash hit manga Ranma 1/2, entitled "I Hate Men," will air on Nippon TV on October 12th. The series was originally broadcast as a TV anime from 1989 to 1992, and this will be the first time it has been adapted into a TV anime in 32 years. The new anime is also attracting attention as it will feature the same voice actors as Akane, including Yamaguchi Kappei as Saotome Ranma, Hayashibara Megumi as Ranma, and Hidaka Noriko as Tendo Akane.
Ranma will be attending the same Furinkan High School as Akane. When the two arrive at school, they find male students waiting in front of the school gates asking Akane out, and among them is the captain of the kendo club, Kuno Tatewaki. Kuno has feelings for Akane, but falls in love at first sight with Ranma when he turns into a woman.
Ranma 1/2 was serialized in the manga magazine Weekly Shonen Sunday (Shogakukan) from 1987 to 1996 by Takahashi, who is also known for Urusei Yatsura and Maison Ikkoku. It depicts the hectic daily life of high school martial artist Saotome Ranma, who turns into a woman when splashed with water, and his fiancee Tendo Akane. While training in the indiscriminate fighting style with his father Genma, Ranma develops a unique condition in which he turns into a woman when splashed with water and reverts to a man when splashed with hot water in China. When Ranma returns to Japan, he and his son end up staying with Genma's best friend Tendo Soun, and by chance he becomes engaged to Soun's daughter Akane.
In addition to the theatrical anime version, an original video animation (OVA) was also produced. A TV anime series was broadcast on Fuji TV and other networks from 1989 to 1992, and a live-action TV drama starring Aragaki Yui, Kaku Kento, and Natsuna was broadcast in December 2011, which also attracted attention. The new anime, the first in about 32 years, will be directed by Uda Konosuke, who has worked on "One Piece," and will be produced by MAPPA, which has worked on "Jujutsu Kaisen" and "Chainsaw Man." It is currently being broadcast on Nippon TV every Saturday at 12:55 a.m.
