WEEK 10: RANMA 1/2

RANMA 1/2 Nostalgia

Growing up, I would see brief scenes of Ranma 1/2 when my dad was watching it. I knew a bit of the story, how Ranma could change genders if he touches cold water but I never knew the rest of the plot. Since I was too young I didn't understand some of the jokes but now after reading some of the books I get how funny they were. I love the characters and how ridiculous they can be sometimes even though they are strong fighters they are still teenagers.  For instance, with "The Black Rose" she tries to defeat Akane but when saved by Ranma immediately falls in love. The dialogue emphasizes the comedic bit. "Oh, the gray, dreary life of a girl's school!"

It also helps there are romantic parts that can attract shoujo readers like me. I think the reason why I'm attracted to this book in comparison to the typical shoujo is because of the strong women's personalities. Akane is strong physically and mentally. Another reason why I love this manga is the fashion. The fashion mix of Chinese and Japanese style from the time.

Visually, there are so many dynamic panels showing off the fights attacks that it's captivating. It makes sense why they would want it to be animated. I loved that they would continuously be challenged. It kind of reminds me of the shoujo S.A or Special A by Maki Minami. Though it's been a while since I've seen a bit of the anime, after reading the manga, I definitely want to finish reading the series and then see how they translated the fights in the anime. 

Angel's Hill

Redraw

When reading Angel's Hill, I really liked the 1960s style and fashion. I was intrigued by the story, taking the Little Mermaid story but different. I wanted to learn more about these characters, Luna who lost her memory, her sister the queen of Angel's Hill and the two humans that are stuck there. Even though it had simple dialogue and questionable character decisions like the random profession of love by Eiji which they didn't show any romantic development, I still wanted to read more to learn of the mystery to the mermaid island and the characters.