Earlier today, Netflix Japan announced that Attack on Titan studio Mappa is working on a remake of the beloved 90s romcom anime Ranma ½. The series will premiere exclusively on the streamer on October 5, 2024.
Ranma ½, originally created by Inuyasha author Rumiko Takahashi, is a fantasy action rom-com that follows a young martial artist named Ranma Saotome. After training in the mountains, he’s suddenly befelled by a curse that transforms him into a girl whenever he’s splashed with cold water. Naturally, the only way to treat his condition is to get sprayed with warm water. Ranma’s comedy of errors is further underpinned by his arranged marriage to a martial arts prodigy named Akane Tendō, who doesn’t fancy men, and his ever-growing pool of potential love interests.
新作アニメ『らんま1/2』🍥
10月6日の放送直後よりNetflixにて独占配信決定🎉
乱馬(CV #山口勝平)は修行の末、水をかぶると女性、お湯をかぶると男性に戻る不思議な体質に。
ドタバタ格闘ラブコメディーをお楽しみに！@aNo2mass @ano_staff#らんまアニメ pic.twitter.com/GqqpuXDUoj
— Netflix Japan | ネットフリックス (@NetflixJP) July 17, 2024
Nestled with Ranma ½’s announcement was the revelation that it will see the reprisal of its original leads. Here’s Ranma ½’s Japanese voice cast:
Kappei Yamaguchi as male RanmaMegumi Hayashibara as female RanmaNoriko Hidaka as Akane TendōMinami Takayama as Nabiki TendōKikuko Inoue as Kasumi TendōKōichi Yamadera as Ryōga HibikiRei Sakuma as ShampooAkio Ōtsuka as Sōun TendōChō as Genma Saotome and Narrator
According to Ranma ½’s official website, the series will be directed by early One Piece director Kōnosuke Uda, scripted by Kimiko Ueno (Delicious in Dungeon), and character designed by Hiromi Taniguchi (FLCL: Alternative). Its opening theme will be performed by pop singer Ano alongside music by Kaoru Wada (Inuyasha).
Old-head anime fans regard both Ranma ½’s manga and anime as formative slap-stick harem comedy anime as well as a surprisingly impactful trans allegory. Now the show is being brought into the new age by Attack on Titan and Jujutsu Kaisen’s own Mappa—one of the biggest anime studios in the industry.
Ranma ½’s remake announcement comes following a trend of retro anime getting new life for a modern audience. Back in 2022, David Production, the studio behind JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, released an anime remake of Takahashi’s magnum opus, Urusei Yatsura on Hidive. Ranma ½’s announcement not only comes as Urusei Yatsura circles its final season, it also comes dduring a time where studios like Mappa and CLAMP are working on new anime projects for formative series like The Rose of Versailles and Magic Knight Rayearth respectively.
Isaiah Colbert is a freelance writer for IGN. You can follow them on Twitter @ShinEyeZehUhh
