Ranma is the father of tsundere and the grandfather of wacky romantic comedy hijinks. Not exactly the best track record is it? Alas as a critic Im too honest to say that Ranma is a good show. But odd as it may seem it is a very enjoyable one nonetheless. Sound confusing? I dont completely understand it either but Ill do my damnedest. Story: Most of us are probably familiar with the general premise of the show. Boy gets cursed such that every time he gets splashed with cold water he turns into a girl and then proceeds to move into the home of his arranged fiance. Hilarity ensues. Beyond that theres not a whole lot to say about the story of this show as its very episodic. For the most part you can expect everything to be the same at the end of an episode as it was at the start... or if not its a twoepisode story arc and you can expect things to go back to normal after the next episode. More characters ie comedy fodder are introduced throughout the series but it sticks to its episodic formula up until the very end and theres no real development to be observed. Spoiler: Ranma and Akane will be just as awkward and tsundere towards each other by the end of the very last episode as they were at the start of the first. Such is the fundamental flaw of much of Takahashis longrunning bodies of work. But familiar characters and easytofollow storylines are king in the world of comedy cartoons so Ranma is just another victim of the genre Im afraid. Art: Its an old show so its got pretty old art and animation. Thats not necessarily a bad thing as both remain consistent throughout the shows run and dont detract from ones enjoyment of the show. At least I dont think they should. Fans of oldschool animation the likes of Dragon Ball and Sailor Moon rejoice because here youll find it in spades along with... Sound: ...that classic 80s/90s cheapbutnostalgic soundtrack sound. The music from this series is really nothing specialno soaring melodies or epic chords. But prepare for the earworm of those wacky Chinese hijinks riffs to be in your head for a long long time because theres no one whos seen this series who wouldnt recognize the music immediately. The Japanese dub is par for the course and even features Kappei Yamaguchi Lelouch Usopp and many others singing a duet in about the sweetest damn closing sequence of all time in a set of OVAs. The English dub... varies a bit. The many seasons of Ranma span the transition between the dark ages Ocean DBZ Sailor Moon and the period where dubbing started to be taken seriously thanks FUNimation. Thus the first season or two is a little bit on the shoddy sidealbeit still listenableand improves pretty dramatically as the series progresses actors become more comfortable with their roles and some are replaced outright for the better. Despite the inconsistencies its still a perfectly enjoyable dub and my preferred viewing experience. So what exactly is Ranmas saving grace then? Ive described incredibly cheesy plotlines dated artwork and a laughably corny music score. But when you put it all together what you get is this almostgrindhousegoofy piece of animation that just makes you chuckle at how delightfully cheesy it is. And as a comedy that means its done its job right? Ranma may not be the thoughtprovoking pinnacle of writing that Satoshi Kon may have spawned... in fact its just the opposite. Its the kind of show that lets you just kind of turn your brain off for 20 minutes and enjoy the ride. Shows that make you think are important but this can be fun at times too. If youre the classic anime viewer who likes to reminisce about the good old days of 80s/90s anime and you havent seen Ranma I recommend giving it a watch. Its a fun goofy ride from start to finish.