The first half of the first episode of the completely new anime version of Takahashi Rumiko's smash hit manga Ranma 1/2, titled Ranma ga Kita, has been made available for free on YouTube. The TV anime version of the series aired from 1989 to 1992, and the fact that this is the first time it has been adapted for TV in 32 years has been a hot topic.
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 constitution in Jusenkyo, China, where he is training, where he turns into a woman when splashed with water and reverts to a man when splashed with hot water. When Ranma returns to Japan, he and his son stay with Genma's best friend, Tendo Soun, and by chance become engaged to Soun's daughter, Akane.
In addition to the theatrical version, an OVA (original video animation) was also produced. A TV anime series aired on Fuji TV and other stations from 1989 to 1992, and a live-action TV drama starring Aragaki Yui, Kaku Kento, and Natsuna aired in December 2011, which also attracted attention.
The new anime will feature the same voice actors as Yamaguchi Kappei as Saotome Ranma, Hayashibara Megumi as Ranma, and Hidaka as Tendo Akane. It will be directed by Uda Konosuke, who has worked on "One Piece" and other works, and the anime will be produced by MAPPA, which has worked on "Jujutsu Kaisen" and "Chainsaw Man". It is currently airing on Nippon TV every Saturday at 12:55 a.m.
