It has been announced that Rumiko Takahashi’s legendary Ranma ½ series is getting an official anime remake more than thirty years after the original adaptation ended, and to be brutally honest, I couldn’t be more skeptical.
This announcement follows the recent completion of another adaptation of Rumiko Takahashi’s work, Urusei Yatsura, otherwise known as “Lum the Invader Girl” which recently finished broadcasting the second part of its 2022 reboot.
The new Ranma ½ anime was announced today with a short trailer that didn’t reveal many details, such as whether the original voice actors will return. More information about the new anime project will be revealed on July 17th.
I, for one, wasn’t even born when the original anime adaptation of Ranma ½ began airing in 1989. Despite my initial hesitation towards shounen shows with large episode counts, I recently picked up the series, which spans over 160 episodes, and found it thoroughly entertaining. The iconic ecchi series features many hilarious gags and instances of frontal nudity.
However, this is precisely why I am skeptical about the announcement of a modern remake of such a classic show. The series follows Ranma Saotome, a young martial artist, and his father during a training expedition in China.
They accidentally fall into the cursed springs of Jusenkyo. As a result, whenever Ranma is splashed with cold water, he transforms into a girl, and hot water turns him back into a boy. Similarly, his father transforms into a giant panda under the same conditions.
The series itself follows the chaotic lives of Ranma and his love interest Akane, along with other characters fighting for his attention that are introduced in subsequent episodes, with my personal favorite being Shampoo.
Ranma ½ is a hilarious ecchi comedy centered around martial arts fighting, misunderstandings and Ranma’s gender transformations, leading to many funny moments, challenges, and glimpses of nudity.
This poses a significant issue in today’s societal landscape. When Rumiko Takahashi wrote her manga, the concept of boys transforming into girls was purely fantastical, and in the real world, the idea of transgenderism was often viewed as a mental illness.
The announcement of a Ranma ½ remake should excite me since I enjoyed the original anime adaptation. However, I can’t help but imagine that the series will face scrutiny from modern audiences now that Japanese anime has become mainstream.
We’ve recently seen instances where so-called “anime fans” have issued death threats over “problematic” anime adaptations like “If My Wife Became an Elementary School Student” and especially Chainsaw Man. In the latter, supposed fans were outraged on Twitter following a heterosexual handjob scene involving the main protagonist.
A similar reaction occurred with Tokyo Ghoul’s 125th chapter, which faced immense backlash from Western “fans” due to a passionate lovemaking scene between the main characters, dismissing their homosexual fantasies.
Modern anime tourists absolutely loathe the concept of fanservice. The original Urusei Yatsura featured instances of nudity that were unsurprisingly absent from its 2022 remake.
I highly doubt that a remake of Ranma ½ would have the audacity to feature real nudity, such as fully exposed nipples. It’s more likely that fans will get the usual fanservice and implied nudity. However, a downgrade is a downgrade, no matter how you look at it. I don’t like being tricked by misty-eyed nostalgia; I want the real deal.
Considering today’s society, where trans ideology has become prominent, it is almost certain that a remake of Ranma ½ would attract attention from the Western transgender community, who might attempt to co-opt the franchise as they tried to do with Zombieland Saga.
Given that Ranma ½ revolves around “gender identity” with a teenage boy transforming into a girl when splashed with water, the remake would likely be engulfed by trans activists.
In order for Japanese anime to reach global audiences, it often has to be censored to avoid offending anyone. I don’t see the studio leaving the nudity in or adding additional fanservice, as too many would freak out on social media.
The only positive aspect of a remake of such an iconic series is that it may finally provide a proper ending, unlike the original adaptation. Aside from that, expect a censored rendition that will likely gloss over numerous arcs and be co-opted by modern-era “fans” to push their gender identity and political agendas.
