Sure, the only one who recognizes the engagement between Ukyo and Ranma may be Ukyo herself, but that still counts for something, doesn't it? Ten years ago, Ukyo made a special okonomiyaki sauce - which Ranma secretly ruined. Unaware of what Ranma had done, Ukyo to this day can't quite understand why Ranma's being extra nice to her despite the phenomenal failure of her special sauce. Akane's onto Ranma, though, and one way or another, he's going to pay. Which will it be, Ranma? The okonomiyaki frying pan, or the fire that comes from slurping down that nasty sauce itself...?
Rumiko Takahashi (高橋留美子) was born in Niigata, Japan. She is not only one of the richest women in Japan but also one of the top paid manga artists. She is also the most successful female comic artist in history. She has been writing manga non-stop for 31 years.
Rumiko Takahashi is one of the wealthiest women in Japan. The manga she creates (and its anime adaptations) are very popular in the United States and Europe where they have been released as both manga and anime in English translation. Her works are relatively famous worldwide, and many of her series were some of the forerunners of early English language manga to be released in the nineties. Takahashi is also the best selling female comics artist in history; well over 100 million copies of her various works have been sold.
Though she was said to occasionally doodle in the margins of her papers while attending Niigata Chūō High School, Takahashi's interest in manga did not come until later. During her college years, she enrolled in Gekiga Sonjuku, a manga school founded by Kazuo Koike, mangaka of Crying Freeman and Lone Wolf and Cub. Under his guidance Rumiko Takahashi began to publish her first doujinshi creations in 1975, such as Bye-Bye Road and Star of Futile Dust. Kozue Koike often urged his students to create well-thought out, interesting characters, and this influence would greatly impact Rumiko Takahashi's works throughout her career.
Career and major works:
Takahashi's professional career began in 1978. Her first published story was Those Selfish Aliens, a comedic science fiction story. During the same year, she published Time Warp Trouble, Shake Your Buddha, and the Golden Gods of Poverty in Shōnen Sunday, which would remain the home to most of her major works for the next twenty years. Later that year, Rumiko attempted her first full-length series, Urusei Yatsura. Though it had a rocky start due to publishing difficulties, Urusei Yatsura would become one of the most beloved anime and manga comedies in Japan.
In 1980, Rumiko Takahashi found her niche and began to publish with regularity. At this time she started her second major series, Maison Ikkoku, in Big Comic Spirits. Written for an older audience, Maison Ikkoku is often considered to be one of the all-time best romance manga. Takahashi managed to work on Maison Ikkoku on and off simultaneously with Urusei Yatsura. She concluded both series in 1987, with Urusei Yatsura ending at 34 volumes, and Maison Ikkoku being 15.
During the 1980s, Takahashi became a prolific writer of short story manga, which is surprising considering the massive lengths of most of her works. Her stories The Laughing Target, Maris the Chojo, and Fire Tripper all were adapted into original video animations (OVAs). In 1984, after the end of Urusei Yatsura and Maison Ikkoku, Takahashi took a different approach to storytelling and began the dark, macabre Mermaid Saga. This series of short segments was published sporadically until 1994, with the final story being Mermaid's Mask. Many fans contend that this work remains unfinished by Takahashi, since the final story does not end on a conclusive note.
Another short work left untouched is One-Pound Gospel, which, like Mermaid Saga, was published erratically. The last story to be drawn was published in 2001, however just recently she wrote one final chapter concluding the series
Later in 1987, Takahashi began her third major series, Ranma ½. Following the late 80s and early 90s trend of shōnen martial arts manga, Ranma ½ features a gender-bending twist. The series continued for nearly a decade until 1996, when it ended at 38 volumes. Ranma ½ is one of Rumiko Takahashi's most popular series with the Western world.
During the later half of the 1990s, Rumiko Takahashi continued with short stories and her installments of Mermaid Saga and One-Pound Gospel until beginning her fourth major work, InuYasha. While Ran
Let me just start out by saying I absolutely love this cover. Gorgeous!
Volume 17 contains some of my personal favorite stories from the anime - Kuno with amnesia, Ukyo's 10 year sauce than Ranma ruined, Akane and Ranma pretending to be married, the octopus pot, and Gosunkugi and his shikigami.
Nabiki: You mean you don't remember lil' Nabiki at all? Kuno: I'm sorry. Nabiki: Or the 5,000 yen I let you borrow? Kuno: You did? *gives her 5,000 yen* Kasumi: Nabiki! Trying to trick 5,000 yen out of an amnesia victim! Nabiki: You're right. I shoulda went for 10,000.
Volume 17 sends us back to shorter, overall, stories. This has one longer plot and a few short ones.
We start with Kuno on the beach; he's sent a challenge letter to Ranma, but when he arrives he has a watermelon on his head an no recollection of who he is or who Ranma is.After a few fights and lots of attempts to bring his memories back, he chases (female) Ranma to an island known as Watermelon Island, which is a legendary training ground. This explains why he's gotten so fast, whirling his bokken around hitting watermelons so quickly that Ranma can't even get a hit in. But Ranma realizes that he's so conditioned to strike watermelons that he'll knock himself out if one is placed over his head - and it works! Kuno regains his memories.
The next arc comprises the bulk of the volume, and it's a good one. Ukyo pulls out a special okinomiyaki sauce she made ten years ago based on her father's secret recipe, and discovers that it's *awful*. Devastated with herself, she turns to Ranma for comfort, and he remembers that when he was six, he snuck back to taste it and spilled it, and tried to recreate the sauce from memory. Now, he's super nice to Ukyo out of guilt, and invites her to stay at the Tendos until she's feeling more like herself. Ukyo is determined to a. take care of him lovingly and b. cook with the sauce to prove it's not bad. She and Akane talk about how weirdly Ranma is behaving, and Ukyo tells Akane that when they were six, Ranma told her he'd take care of her forever if the sauce was good. Now he's eating whatever she makes with the bad sauce and won't admit it's terrible, and she thinks that means he really loves her and wants to take care of her. Akane encourages Ranma to tell the truth about the sauce (once he confides in her) and Ukyo thinks he's just saying it because Akane said to, and that Akane should back off because she's his fiance, too. Nabiki says it's impossible no matter what, because Ranma and Akane are already married.
The whole family plays along with this - even Ranma - in an effort to get Ukyo to leave. Ukyo sees through it and keeps pressing. She even overhears a conversation where Ranma is trying to figure out how to chase her off and Akane says "treat her like you treat me". Ranma, serious for a moment, asks if he's hurt Akane. She says no, and he laughs and says she's too stupid to be hurt by it. Eventually his way of handling the situation is to drink up all the sauce. At this point, Ukyo has vowed to never be a chef again - but instinct takes over and she tries to cook him. He tells her that chef-Ukyo is where she really shines, so she vows to become a better woman and better chef.
In the next story, a monster is at a resort town in an octopus trap, terrorizing women. Turns out it's Happosai, who they all thought Pantyhose Taro had dropped in the middle of the ocean. But he's back, and the Anything Goes crew trap him and bring him home.
And the last story is one where Happosai decides to give Ranma a pill; it's part of a pair for master and student, and will make the student do whatever for the sake of the master. Instead, it has a magnetic aspect and Ranma and Happosai are stuck together until Ranma can defeat Happosai (thus changing the master/student relationship). He manages to do so by conning Happosai into peeping in the boy's locker room.
Overall, not a great volume, but the Ukyo story is great. I'm a little baffled by why she wants to marry someone who's trying so hard to be rid of her, but... that's Ranma for you. Maybe it's all part of her belief that Akane is making Ranma do/say things, and that he's only kind to her because he's living at her place? IDK. This is also a series where Akane doesn't know who P-Chan is, even with Ranma taunting him non-stop. LOL.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Part 1: Melonhead: Ranma and Akane are at the beach and encounter Kuno. Kuno doesn't remember who he is, although he remembers he doesn't like watermelons as he slices up a whole bunch of them that were about to hit him.
Part 2: The Horror of Party Beach: Kuno keeps chasing Ranma-chan and they head towards a place called Watermelon Island.
Part 3: Catcher in the Rind: Ranma tries to help Kuno get his memory back by recreating what happened originally. Kuno had a watermelon on his head and hit it with a sword, knocking himself out. The approach works.
Part 4: The Sauce of Ten Years: Ukyo is upset when a sauce she had been preparing for ten years turns out bad, but actually it's Ranma's fault. Ukyo moves in at the Tendo's for a little while.
Part 5: For the Love of Sauce: Akane is really upset about how nice Ranma has been to Ukyo.
Part 6: The Truth about the Truth: Ukyo is still at the Tendo's. Ranma tells Ukyo he was the one to ruin the sauce but she doesn't believe him. Nabiki then tells Ukyo that Ranma and Akane are already married.
Part 7: The Honeymoon Period: Ranma and Akane sleep in the same room (but apart). Ukyo has given up okonomiyaki and is still trying to win Ranma for herself.
Part 8: Please Hate Me: Ranma keeps trying to get Ukyo to hate him but everything he does fails. Finally, she realizes that she really likes cooking and leaves.
Part 9: Nightmare on Hot Springs Street: There's a manic octopus trap on the loose. It turns out it's Happosai.
Part 10: Paper Dolls of Love: Gosunkugi is back with his fixation on Akane. He gets some dolls that will make people do what he wants them to. Nothing really works the way he planned.
Part 11: The Pill of Obedience: Happosai gives Ranma a pill that is supposed to make him obey, but it acts like a magnet and the two of them get stuck together. Ranma finally gets separated from Happosai by tricking him.
The French guy and the entire eating competition creeps me out with their huge mouths! Good thing Ranma is able to eat again.
I enjoyed the date between Akane and Ranma. I was giggling when Ranma said those words which was supposed to be for Nabiki as a joke, but said it to Akane.
Funny they are both agreeing to become fiance /fiancee?? Lol. Maybe there is a tiny hint they like it each other, yet they immediately take it away like it was nothing. How about they just admit it to one another their true feelings!!!!! Until then, it will be a lot of chasing, humor, fighting, break-ups, etc.
Ranma and Akane look cute together. Shampoo is cute as well. Argh! A lot of women want to be Ranma's bride!
Ryoga should've expressed his feelings to Akane yet Ranma butts in like being protective of Akane from guys who want to be with her.
I completely fell for it! I thought Nabiki is cruel using Ranma for money. But somehow she sound a little serious like she does like Ranma.
The last story was about a panda ghost. It was okay. She likes Ranma too!
This book is so sexist. Its unbelievable how sexist it is. Like literally the main character of the book, if he gets wet he becomes a quote "Ranma becomes a beautiful, busty young woman." And if that wasn't bad enough the whole storyline is two women fighting over him trying to prove themselves worthy of being his wife. And another character in this book Happosai who is like 60, every chance he gets he perves on teenage girls. In one scene a character tries to rape the main character when hes in the form of a woman. The whole time I was reading this I felt very uncomfortable.
This volume contains 2 longer arcs and three short, one chapter ones. As the last volume had a long arc with the return of all the shape shifters, these arcs focus on the characters that don't turn into thing. In the first arc, Kuno sent Ranma a letter to fight but when he shows up, he knows a dangerous new technique but has no memory. In the second arc, Ukyo opens a container of special sauce which causes all kinds of problems because of Ranma's guilt around the sauce. Then we have two short stories about the old pervert and one about Gosunkugi (the creepy, young pervert).
So... quite a funny end to the eating martial art story.
And a quite interesting story about Nabiki taking over the arranged marriage with Ranma. I find this story very good, since we see clearly both Ranma and Akane accept that they like each other, they're just very bad with words.
An okay volume, but I've given it 3 stars because I think I liked it more as a kid. I vaguely remember enjoying it more than I did reading it today. Sure the end of the martial eating thing is kind of funny, but also kind of gross, because the concept is gross. But then all the shenanigans with Nabiki is just not that interesting.
So far I‘ve always thought Akane was a bit hard on Ranma but the last two stories, I‘ve fully sided with her. When Ranma didn’t go with her to the Hot Spring Contest and then when he kept making fun of her with Nabiki in this volume 😪 but at least their starting to deal a little with their emotions for each other.
Akane and Ranma have definitely develope feelings for each other but are nowhere near admitting as much. Nabiki is as obsessed with money as ever and it made for a few great laughs. She did manage to set Akane and Ranma up on a date, though, so that's something.
Sigo sin entender por qué la hermana de Akane, Kasumi, dice que no es nada bonita. Digo, por algo todos los chicos de la escuela querían derrotarla; para tener una cita con ella. Obvio el único que no se da cuenta es Ranma.
It took me a whole week to read this volume because I've been so busy and haven't been able to get much reading in... so I hardly remembered any of it. Haha! After flipping through the volume to refresh my memory, the storylines were alright. Nothing too interesting or too boring. I felt bad for Ukyo :-( I really don't care much for Akane. I'm not sure why... typically girls like Akane who are tough and don't take a lot of crap are my favorite kinds... but she's just really obnoxious for some reason. Maybe it's because I like all the other girls who like Ranma and think they make more sense a as a couple than Ranma and Akane so by that logical, there is a subconscious dislike for Akane in general. Lol, who knows.
And as in past volumes, the short and very random storylines (like the ones involving Gosunkugi and Happosai at the end of this volume) are just not for me. I really don't like them and they're just too distracting for me. I prefer the much longer storylines. Those seem to be more engaging for me.
Oh boy...so many more volumes to go. It's unfortunate but at this point because I am enjoying the series, but I just want to know how this series is going to end. I wish the end wasn't so far away.
Another wacky volume in the adventures of Ranma and Akane's love . . . whatever shape they are in now. This time sees melon battles, a fake romance due to sauce that has been tampered with and the return of an old foe. Hilarious, zany and just a fun ride.
They say you shouldn't judge a book by it's cover. But I did - And I was right ;) This series is amazing! You get genderbender, fantasy, action, romance and slapstick-humor along with intense serious moments, what more can you want?