I was mildly disappointed by Maison Ikkoku as despite being hailed as a Rumiko Takahashi masterpiece it was riddled with some really irritating use of typical romcom cliches which I just found to be handled in a way that just made me dislike a lot of the characters. Nonetheless I still enjoyed Rumiko Takahashis style of manga story writing a lot so I decided to still give Ranma a try since I could always appreciate another episodic romcom. Boy or girl in this case did this really surprise me. It felt like every issue I had with her previous works was addressed here with the sheer variety and creativity of the characters and scenarios presented here. Even Takahashis art I feel like I can better appreciate with the heavier emphasis on martial arts really lets a reader see how effective her paneling can be in displaying some really cool and inventive action scenes and battles which are themselves engaging on their with how she combines a myriad of other elements into the martial arts aspect of the story. So from the very beginning Ranma makes it very apparent on what kind of comedy and tone itll set with how absurd the whole premise is with the whole Jusenkyo springs giving a curse to Ranma and his dad. Making it so just being hit with water changing their appearance is so flexible of a premise since theres a lot of humorous scenarios imaginable just from that but theres layers to this. With this being a martial arts manga as well it creates even more opportunities with the action centric plot allowing for the premise to mesh well into battle situations that always compliments well with the established comedy of the manga. Add to all this an ever expanding cast of characters that always seem to work well in chemistry with the other characters and the manga rarely ever gets stale in its comedy. These characters are indeed a great highlight of Ranma. Ranma and Akane already have some great chemistry in a reluctant engagement where you get to see two tsunderes bicker and gradually develop feelings for each other. Every new introduced character from that point on expands on this from Ranmas other fiances in which he was roped into a contract against his will to guys just falling head over heels for Akane. Poetic that a story about the main character being both half man half woman would have a very balanced gender dynamic with how both leading characters have their own harem which makes the love polygon of a romcom all the more entertaining. But even outside the romance itself the character dynamics work as some butt heads as rivals as an action manga but also undermine each other as it is also a comedy. Easily one of the best cast of characters Ive read in a manga for a good while. This is also really fun to read for a comic with how easily everything flows through from page to page. Rumiko Takahashi really knows how well to create the illusion of impact with how certain pages turn over to a punchline or a powerful attack which always keeps me engaged. It might not be accurate to any specific martial arts but theres a consistent moveset I see within how the characters pose that make the whole fight believable within its internal logic which I really appreciate. The jokes also always land visually as the characters make some great expressions for the context suited. Sure it probably has that sameface syndrome issue but the designs of the overall character be it the clothes and hair are distinct enough that I dont think I was ever particularly confused. I think I might become a Rumiko Takahashi stan. Ranma has truly opened my eyes on what she really is capable of as a mangaka in how she weaves various genres and tropes into creating something thats unique and refreshing despite inspiring many and being from decades ago. I love the endearing characters and the antics they pull off the narrative is always fun to read be it serious or humorous besides a few parts and the artwork completely delivers all this to create an experience I want to revisit again. Very confident the next Rumiko Takahashi work I choose to read will also be this much of a joy to read.