Ranma ½

I love this anime! I was laughing my head off with all of the jokes and the violence (mostly from Akane Ranma's reluctant but short tempered "fiancee")is so slapstick however Ranma does deserve it but he does try his best to make amends...clumsily. The main character Ranma goes to China to train only to fall into the cursed Jusenkkyo Spring and turns into a girl when splashed by cold water. From then on it's pure chaos one after another. Among the stand outs are the deranged brother and sister duo of Kuno and Kodachi, the sexy Shampoo, the pervert Happosai all causing trouble for our hero/heroine. However it is Ranma's selfish father Genma who winds up being the culprit for the mess most of the time. If anyone want an anime that's funny, this is the one. It's cuter and better with the Japanese dub.

If there is one good way to describe Ranma 1/2 (Nibun No Ichi), it would be absolutely HILARIOUS. The interaction between characters, and many of the characters' backgrounds are unbelievable-- There are so many odd characters in the series which you grow a liking for. It also mixes martial arts elements into, akin to Dragonball Z, except much more smoothly-animated. The combination of interesting fights with equally interesting characters makes this show one of the best, in my opinion.

What more can I say? This show is the best anime show I've seen and is perhaps the first one to get me into that genre among others. I first laughed at the title, because it sounded ridiculous, and I was new to this, and I was just a kid. And as I watched, I laughed even more, to learn this is worthwhile and a great show, a great love comedy or martial arts show. With references to ancient China and traditions, except turned upside down to bring hilarious and chaotic results! And the character are unforgettable, Kuno Tatewake, Ryoga who is stupid but my favorite character of the show! Mousse, Cologne, Happosai, Akane and Genma, and not to mention Ranma's other suitors, Shampoo, Kodachi, Ukyo, this came before Tenchi Muyo! to those who say harem anime was copied from Tenchi! Without a doubt, this is a very funny and memorable show brought to you by Rumiko Takahashi who also made Inu Yasha, Maison Ikkoku, Urusei Yatsura and Fire Tripper. Great show, recommended to all fans of the shows mentioned earlier. >>>>> 10/10

I pretty much got into manga and anime because of the first season of Ranma 1/2 (my first manga was the first appearance of Ukyo, and then a friend of mine loaned me his copies of the first season back in 1996). It's funny, clever, emotional, and well-animated. The dubbing was terrific--and after all these years, it's still the best dub I've ever seen, except for the Tenchi series (which, for some reason, I liked better than the Japanese voices)--but I just bought the DVD box set and watched the entire series in Japanese, and it's even better! I've been a big fan of Megumi Hayashibara (Girl-type Ranma, Tenchi's mother, Lina Inverse, Rei Ayanami, Momiji from Blue Seed, etc.) and I was not disappointed with her voice acting (I can't wait to hear her do the "Ranma's Declaration of Womanhood" episode). A bigger surprise for me was that the voice-actress of Nabiki also was Kiki from Majo no Takkyubin. Wonderful voices all around, but the Japanese Ryoga's voice is so strong and deep that I found it hard to believe he was as stupid as he is (interesting to note that he also plays the Jusenkyo Guide--I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen the credits!). Also, the subtitles gave some information that was important that was left out of the dub, and sometimes (such as repeatedly in the "Pelvic Fortune Telling" episode and that scene in Akane's lost love when they fight after eating hamburgers), I didn't understand what was really going on until I watched the subtitle. Still, I did find myself missing some of the Americanized jokes, especially in the episode where Akane loses her memories of Ranma and lists off a bunch of things that he must be ("That 1986 remake of King Lear directed by Akira Kurosawa" "That's Ran!" "That song by the Beach Boys!" "That's 'Help Me Ronda'"). Anyway, this is a wonderful series that doesn't have too much nudity and isn't too "kawaii" like Pokemon or Mon Colle Knights.

Hilarious combination of slapstick and romantic comedy features two young martial artists, betrothed against their will by their fathers. Ranma, the boy, is cursed to change into a girl when splashed with cold water (he changes back with hot water.) Akane, the girl, is a tomboy with a violent temper. Their messed-up lives are further complicated with rival fiancees and would-be fiancees, etc. Lots of martial arts action, jealous rages, mistaken identities, and knockabout comedy with the occasional tender moment. The strong characterizations make this series a standout and a cult favorite. For more info, there are about a million sites on this series on the Web.