Ranma 1/2 Season 7: Ranma Forever

Internet Bookwatch, Oct, 2008

Ranma 1/2 Season 7: Ranma Forever

Viz Communications Inc.

295 Bay Street, San Francisco, CA 94133

DVD, $119.98 www.viz.com 1-800-394-3042

The thinpack boxed set of the seventh and final season of the wildly popular Ranma 1/2 anime television series, based on the equally beloved Japanese manga by Rumiko Takahashi (whose other works include Inu-Yasha and Maison Ikkoku), is an absolute must-have for every self-professed anime fan. A lighthearted, episodic martial arts comedy with extra emphasis on the comedy, Ranma 1/2 follows the (mis)adventurous daily life of Ranma, gifted with the extraordinary ability to assimilate new martial arts techniques but afflicted with a curse that makes him transform into a girl whenever he is splashed with cold water, until he can find hot water and change back into a guy! Ranma's friends, enemies, and rivals range from his short-tempered fiancee Akane (who genuinely cares for him underneath the bluster, but whose cooking is potentially toxic to human life), to his diminutive yet lecherous master Happosai, to the fiercely antagonistic Ryoga (whose curse periodically transforms him into a small black pig) and many more. Like the series as a whole, Ranma 1/2 Season 7 includes episodes that directly adapt Takahashi's work, episodes that add extra nuance and depth to the original manga, and even some episodes created just for television. Though suggested for "older teen" audiences, Ranma 1/2 merely has comedy violence mixed with a hint of mature innuendo (and perhaps some nudity), and is certainly far more family-friendly than any number of modern PG-13 movies. Highly recommended for anyone who enjoys animated comedy; since the series does not have an arc-style plot or excessive emphasis on continuity, Season 7 is just as good a jumping-on point to the wonderful world of Ranma 1/2 as Season 1. Japanese & English with English subtitles, 625 minutes, color.