11.18
Cult Film, TV, Geek Art
Well it looks pretty ridiculous, but I was thoroughly obsessed with the original Ranma 1/2 manga and anime back in the day, so I will most definitely be seeking this out. If anything it will make for a good laugh. Haha, just look at Genma!
As a revival of the manga, the special tells an original story centering around Akane Tend? (played by Yui Aragaki). Kenta Kaku and Natsuna play the dual male/female roles of the title character. The Live-action Ranma ½ production’s staff revealed the supporting cast in September and more of the leading cast on October 7. 9nine, the musical act composed of actress Umika Kawashima and four other girls, are performing the song “Chikutaku?2NITE” as the adaptation’s them song.
In the story of the special, Akane (Aragaki) is determined to protect the family’s legacy, its d?j?. However, her father Soun (Katsuhisa Namase) suddenly and arbitrarily announced one day that “only men can be heirs.” Unfortunately, this puts Ranma (Kenta Kaku, Natsuna in dual male/female roles) in a bind, since he turns female when splashed with cold water after falling into a cursed hot spring in China. To return himself to a “full man,” Ranma searches for the “secret hot spring” and gets caught up in a battle with a mysterious enemy (Ry?sei Tayama). Now Akane holds the key to the story.
The special will air during NTV’s 7:00 p.m. Friday Super Prime timeslot on December 9. The original manga ran in Shogakukan’s Weekly Shonen Sunday magazine from 1987 to 1996, and Shogakukan printed 53 million copies of the compiled book volumes.