Ranma ½
Anything-Goes Martial Arts Boxset
Reviewed by:
Keith Trudeau (July 17, 2002)
The second season of Ranma 1/2, also known as "Anything-Goes Martial
Arts," has been released in DVD form and retails on Amazon.com for
about $102.00. The set contains twenty-two episodes, spread out over
five discs:
Disc 1:
- "The Abduction of P-Chan"
- "Close Call! The Dance of Death... on Ice!"
- "P-Chan Explodes! The Icy Fountain of Love"
- "Clash of the Delivery Girls! The Martial-Arts Takeout Race"
- "You Really Do Hate Cats!"
Disc 2:
- "This Ol' gal's the Leader of the Amazon Tribe!"
- "Behold! The 'Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire' Technique"
- "Enter Mousse! The Fist of the White Swan"
- Cool Runnings! The race of the Snowmen"
- "Danger at the Dojo!"
Disc 3:
- "Ranma Trains on Mt. Terror"
- "The Breaking Point!? Ryoga's Great Revenge"
- "The Abduction of Akane"
- "Ranma vs. Mousse! To Lose is to Win"
Disc 4:
- "Enter Happosai, the Lustful Letcher!"
- "Assault on the Girls' Locker Room"
- "Kuno's ouse of Gadgets! Guests Check In, But They Don't Check Out"
-"Goodbye Girl-Type"
Disc 5:
- "It's a Fine Line Between Pleasure and Pain"
- "S.O.S.! The Wrath of Happosai"
- "Kissing is Such Sweet Sorrow! The Taking of Akane's Lips"
- "Bathhouse Battle! We're in Some Hot Water Now"
This season was aptly named. More than any other season, the "Anything-Goes
Martial Arts" series portrays the fighting aspect of Ranma 1/2, from
the "Charlotte Cup" to "Bathhouse-Fu."
Things you will like about this set:
First of all, just about anything you can think of is turned into
a martial arts competition. Figure skating, ramen delivery, bathing,
even acting is made into a fight to the finish. Aside from that, you
have the introduction of more characters, such as Cologne, Happosai
and Mousse. And because of Cologne's arrival, Ranma and Ryoga nearly
double their skills with cool new techniques. And for the Ranma/Akane
fan, episodes like the "Charlotte Cup" and "Ranma and Juliet" will
certainly appeal to you. This season contains more character development
than any other season so far.
Things you won't like:
Well, if you dislike fighting, you should probably hold out for season
three, or get season one. Also, Ukyo does not appear until season
three, so don't hold your breath. The extras once again were nothing
to write home about, but at least they contain voice actor profiles
and an art gallery, along with the standard textless opening/ending
videos. Still, for a DVD set, you figure they COULD do a bit
more...
This season is my favorite so far out of the current six. There's
more action and drama than in the average season. And unlike the other
seasons, I don't really see one "throwaway" episode that bored me.
All twenty-two episodes are entertaining, and I think that really
says something about this set. I recommend it to any Ranma fan looking
to further his/her collection.
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