Season
overview: Ranma 1/2 was cancelled due to poor ratings, and was taken off the air to be retooled which also saw the exodus of director Tsutomu Shibayama who left to work on Chibi Maruko-chan (where he stayed from 1990 until 2012). Additionally the budget was cut and much of the animation work was sent overseas causing a noticable decline in quality compared to the prior 18 episode series.
The show was relanched as Ranma 1/2 Nettohen (this "season" was dubbed Anything Goes Martial Arts in English) with a few changes in the staff. A new director was brought on, and Kenji Kawai was brought in as well. Kawai's other music work includes many of Mamoru Oshii's films including Patlabor and Ghost in the Shell. The core art team was retained even though their were subtle differences in their work that became more obvious. The biggest name amongst them is Atsuko Nakajima, who got her start in character designs on Ranma 1/2 and had directed a single episode of Urusei Yatsura late in the series run. She then moved on to do Molediver, Haunted Junction, and You're Under Arrest. These episodes were shifted around a somewhat when they were brought to America to hue closer to the original order of the stories in the manga and also to avoid having a multi-part storyline broken up over more than one VHS tape (which only had two episodes on each release). Below they are listed in the order they were released in Japan, with the episode numeration beginning again due to this technically being a seperate show (in name only).
Episode 1: 激突! 出前格闘レース
Gekitotsu! Demae kakutou race (Clash of the Delivery Girls! The Martial Arts Takeout Race)
Years ago a starving Genma traded baby Ranma to a man for some fish. After his meal Genma stole Ranma back and ran away. Cut to the present day, as the man arrives to claim his "son," Ranma. Now if Akane cannot win the martial arts take-out race Ranma will have to marry Kaori, the man's daughter.
Episode Staff:
Director: Kazuhiro Furuhashi (古橋一浩)
Animation Director: Atsuko Nakajima (中嶋敦子)
Script: Toshiki Inoue (井上敏樹)
Storyboards: Koji Sawai (澤井幸次)
Originally Aired:
October 20, 1989
5:30 pm - 6:00 pm on Fuji TV
Themes:
Opening Theme: Ranma You Pervert Opening Narration
Episode 2: やっぱり猫が嫌い?
Yappari neko ga kirai? (You Really Do Hate Cats?)
Kuno sends out his ninja manservant Sasuke to find out what Ranma's weakness is. But once it is discovered, it is too unbelievable to be true. As Sasuke puts cat after cat in Ranma's path, Ranma loses control and uses the deadly "Cat-fu".
Episode Staff:
Director: Noriyuki Nakamura (中村憲由)
Animation Director: Asami Endo (遠藤麻未)
Script: Hiroshi Toda (戸田博史)
Storyboards: Tamiko Kojima (小島多美子)
Originally Aired:
November 3, 1989
5:30 pm - 6:00 pm on Fuji TV
Themes:
Opening Theme: Ranma You Pervert Opening Narration
Episode 3: 私が女傑族のおばば!
Watashi ga Joketsuzoku no obaba (This Old Gal's the Leader of of the Amazon Tribe!)
A package arrives from China, and Ranma is incredibly upset when he realizes it contains a cat. Ranma's problems go from bad to worse when the cat turns out to be a Jusenkyo-cursed Shampoo who has returned with her great-grandmother, Cologne.
Episode Staff:
Director: Shinji Takagi (高木真司)
Animation Director: Atsuko Nakajima (中嶋敦子)
Script: Hiroshi Toda (戸田博史)
Storyboards: Shinji Takagi (高木真司)
Originally Aired:
November 10, 1989
5:30 pm - 6:00 pm on Fuji TV
Themes:
Opening Theme: Ranma You Pervert Opening Narration
This episode features the first appearance of Cologne.
Episode 4: 出た! 必殺天津甘栗拳!!
Deta! Hissatsu tenshin amaguriken (Behold! The "Chestnuts Roasting in an Open Fire" Technique)
Ranma realizes that Cologne has cursed him with the "Full Body Cats Tongue," a curse that makes Ranma intolerable to even the warmest of water. Without warm water Ranma will never be able to change back into a boy. Ranma's only solution is to try and master the "Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire" technique to gain enough speed to snatch the Phoenix Pill (the cure) from Cologne.
Episode Staff:
Director: Kazuhiro Furuhashi (古橋一浩)
Animation Director: Masaki Kudo (工藤柾輝)
Script: Yoshiyuki Suga (菅良幸)
Storyboards: Kazuhiro Furuhashi (古橋一浩)
Originally Aired:
November 17, 1989
5:30 pm - 6:00 pm on Fuji TV
Themes:
Opening Theme: Ranma You Pervert Opening Narration
In Japanese people that cannot handle eating hot food are said to have a "cat's tongue" (猫舌/nekojita). This is why the curse that makes Ranma particularly sensitive to hot water is called the "full body cat's tongue".
Episode 5: 白鳥拳の男ムース登場!
Hakushou no otoko, Mousse toujou (Enter Mousse! The Fist of the White Swan)
Mousse arrives in Tokyo to try and set things right between himself and Shampoo, and that means taking out the object of Shampoo's affection, Ranma Saotome. Dr. Tofu is able to temporarily cure Ranma of the "Full Body Cats Tongue" just long enough for him to defeat Mousse.
Episode Staff:
Director: Takashi Kobayashi (小林孝志)
Animation Director: Asami Endo (遠藤麻未)
Script: Hisashi Tokumura (時村尚)
Storyboards: Tamiko Kojima (小島多美子)
Originally Aired:
November 24, 1989
5:30 pm - 6:00 pm on Fuji TV
Themes:
Opening Theme: Ranma You Pervert Opening Narration
Swirling glasses - The reason glasses are shown to have spirals in them in Japan is because of the term "bottle bottom glasses" (瓶底眼鏡). The glasses are said to look like the "bottom of a cow milk bottle" (牛乳瓶の底).
Episode 6: 爆走! 雪だるま運びレース
Bakusou! Yuki daruma hakobi race (Cool Runnings! The Race of the Snowman)
The Saotomes and Tendos travel to the mountains to take in some skiing. While they are there Ranma participates in a "martial arts snowman-carry race" to win the Phoenix Pill and cure himself once and for all.
Episode Staff:
Director: Noriyuki Nakamura (中村憲由)
Animation Director: Atsuko Nakajima (中嶋敦子)
Script: Kazuhito Hisajima (久島一仁)
Storyboards: Koji Sawai (澤井幸次)
Originally Aired:
December 1, 1989
5:30 pm - 6:00 pm on Fuji TV
Themes:
Opening Theme: Ranma You Pervert Opening Narration
Episode 7: さらわれたPちゃん!
Sarawareta P-chan (The Abduction of P-chan)
When Akane loses P-chan at the skating rink Azusa finds him, names him Charlotte, and refuses to give him back. When her skating partner, Mikado, arrives and starts to put the moves on Akane, Ranma loses his cool. Later, Mikado kisses female-Ranma. In order to win back P-chan and get revenge for the kiss the two pairs decide to settle things in the Charlotte Cup.
The theme song Little Date begins with this episode. The opening features images with text in the background. The text includes the lyrics for the 1989 song "Objects of Desire" by Hideaki Matsuoka (松岡英明). The song appears on his 1989 album "Kiss Kiss".
Kolhotz High School - Kolhotz (コルホーズ) is a Russian loan word meaning "collective farm".
Ranma throwing the naruto/fish cake and hitting Mikado's face with it is likely a reference to an identical scene at a ramen shop in the 1985 film Tampopo (タンポポ) directed by Juzo Itami.
The banners hanging from the municipal rink after Ranma and Ryoga fall down on the ice say "Now's your chance" (今がチャンス/Ima ga chansu) and "Skate Fair" (スケートフェア/Sukeeto fea). Later when Ranma goes into the bathroom to change into a girl, the sign over Ryoga's shoulder says "Summer Vacation Skate" (夏休みスケート/Natsu yasumi sukeeto). After Azuka hits Mikado the other banners similarly read "Summer Chance 7/1 - 8/20" (サマーチャンス/Samaa chansu) and "Summer Vacation Skate Fair" (夏休みスケートフェア/Natsu yasumi sukeeto fea).
The other voices that are listed for this episode with no named role attached are Koji Tsujitani, Takehito Koyasu, Matsumi Oshiro, Akiko Hiramatsu, Fumihiko Tachiki and Mitsuru Ogata. The opening narration is performed by Tadashi Nakamura.
In episode 15 Akane has a flashback to Ranma at the skating rink telling Mikado that Akane is his fiancée. This has long confused fans due to the fact that this episode has not yet taken place in the sequence of the series. How can Akane remember something that has not happened yet? In the manga the Golden Pair chapters take place before Shampoo arrives (as indicated by the presence of this flashback). When the anime was made it originally followed this order as well, having Shampoo debut after the Golden Pair. However the Golden Pair episodes were delayed due to cultural sensitivities at the time. Serial killer Tsutomu Miyazaki (宮﨑勤) was on a rampage between August of 1988 until he was caught in July of 1989 (just a month before this episode aired). The Japanese media portrayed Miyazaki as an anime obsessive and a witch-hunt against anime and manga was in full effect at the time, the implication being that the content Miyazaki consumed shaped him into a serial killer. Because Miyazaki had kidnapped and raped children any anime that hinted at abductions might be on thin ice. Consequently, Nettohenepisode 7 "The Abduction of P-Chan" (which was planned to air before this episode) was a title that was too provocative at the time. As a result the episodes were removed and shuffled later in the sequel series after things had calmed down in the media.
Episode 8: 危機一髪! 死霊の盆踊り
Kikiippatsu! Shiryou no bonodori (Close Call! The Dance of Death... On Ice)
Ranma becomes enraged about Mikado kissing him and decides they will settle their problems before the Charlotte Cup. When Mikado preforms the amazing "Dance of Death on Ice" Ranma proves just how good he really is and quickly dispatches Mikado.
Episode 9: Pちゃん爆発! 愛の水柱
P-chan bakuhatsu! Ai no mizubashira (P-chan Explodes! The Icy Fountain of Love)
With the Charlotte Cup getting underway Ranma and Akane have their hands full dealing with the Golden Pair. Ryoga's jealousy of Ranma reaches its peak, so he tries to sneak into the match, get rid of Ranma, and team with Akane himself. Ryoga's plan backfires so he has to team with Ranma (now female) and dispatch the Golden Pair.
No new episode of Ranma 1/2 Nettohen will air for the next two weeks.
Azusa takes panda Genma home, renames him "Oscar". This is a reference to Riyoko Ikeda's Rose of Versaille (ルサイユのばら). Genma is dressed as the main character, Oscar François de Jarjayes, a girl who was raised as a boy and joins the palace guard in Marie Antoinette's court in the years leading up to the French Revolution.
Episode 10: 乱馬恐怖の山ごもり
Ranma kyoufu no yama gomori (Ranma Trains on Mt. Terror)
After Ryoga is quickly dispatched by Ranma, Ryoga realizes that it is time for some serious training. Cologne decides to teach Ryoga the "Breaking Point" which spells trouble for Ranma. Also Ranma and Genma make a shocking discovery about Akane's cooking skills.
Episode 11: 爆砕点穴とは? 良牙大逆襲
Bakusaitenketsu to wa? Ryouga daigyakushuu (The Breaking Point!? Ryoga's Great Revenge)
Ryoga and Ranma's showdown begins. When Ranma uses his training to try and deal with Ryoga's Bakusai Tenketsu (Breaking Point) technique, he is quite surprised at how much Ryoga has improved in just a few days time. Ranma has to work quickly to come up with a strategy to defeat Ryoga.
Episode 12: 危うし! 天道道場
Ayoushi! Tendou doujou (Danger at the Tendo Dojo)
Shampoo promises to give Ranma her "Instant Nannichuan" to permanently cure himself of his Jusenkyo curse if he will go out on a date with her. Of course Shampoo's date happens to fall on the same day Ranma was supposed to help Akane defend the Tendo Dojo agains the Dojo Destroyer. Ranma will have to hurry through his date in order to get back and help Akane. Of course Shampoo never tells Ranma that her "Instant Nannichuan" is only good for one use.
Episode 13: さらわれたあかね!
Sarawareta Akane! (The Abduction of Akane)
A masked circus preformer kidnaps a pig doll he believes is Akane. Of course this is the near sighted Mousse making his return. When Ranma goes to the circus to investigate he gets knives thrown at him by a duck wearing glasses.
Episode 14: 対決ムース! 負けるが勝ち
Taiketsu Mousse! Makeru ga kachi (Ranma vs. Mousse! To Lose is to Win)
Mousse tricks Ranma into believing he used the "Spring of Drowned Duck" water on Akane. Ranma realizes that now Mousse is cursed as well. Once Ranma realizes that Akane is not cursed it is time for another showdown with Mousse.
Episode Staff:
Director: Noriyuki Nakamura (中村憲由)
Animation Director: Asami Endo (遠藤麻未)
Script: Hiroshi Toda (戸田博史)
Storyboards: Masahisa Ishida (石田昌久)
Originally Aired:
February 9, 1990
5:30 pm - 6:00 pm on Fuji TV
Themes:
Opening Theme: Ranma You Pervert Opening Narration
Episode 15: 究極のエロ妖怪八宝斉
Kyuukyoku no ero youkai Happosai (The Evil Wakes)
When Soun and Genma start to notice bad omens they fear the worst. Unfortunately for them their assumptions were correct. Soun and Genma's evil, perverted, master Happosai returns to make their lives a living hell.
Episode Staff:
Director: Shinji Takagi (高木真司)
Animation Director: Atsuko Nakajima (中嶋敦子)
Script: Yoshiyuki Suga (菅良幸)
Storyboards: Tamiko Kojima (小島多美子)
Originally Aired:
February 16, 1990
5:30 pm - 6:00 pm on Fuji TV
Themes:
Opening Theme: Ranma You Pervert Opening Narration
Episode 16: 女子更衣室を襲え?
Joshi kouishitsu wo osoe (Assault on the Girls Locker Room)
Ryoga comes to town with a map to a "Spring of Drowned Man" located somewhere in Tokyo. When Ranma helps him find the spring they both realize it is buried under Furinkan High's girls' locker room. Of course, Ryoga decides that it is his duty to protect the girls and stop Ranma at all costs.
Episode Staff:
Director: Kazuhiro Furuhashi (古橋一浩)
Animation Director: Masaki Kudo (工藤柾輝)
Script: Hiroshi Toda (戸田博史)
Storyboards: Kazuhiro Furuhashi (古橋一浩)
Originally Aired:
February 23, 1990
5:30 pm - 6:00 pm on Fuji TV
Themes:
Opening Theme: Ranma You Pervert Opening Narration
Episode 17: 鬼も逃げだすカラクリ屋敷
Oni mo nigedasu karakuri yashiki (Kuno's House of Gadgets! Guests Check in But They Don't Check Out)
After finding an urn at Furinkan High's girls' locker room, Cologne confirms that if all three urns are brought together the Japanese Spring of Drowned Man will appear. Unfortunately for Ranma the second urn is located in Kuno's house.
Episode Staff:
Director: Chisato Shigeki (茂木智里)
Animation Director: Asami Endo (遠藤麻未)
Script: Kazuhito Hisajima (久島一仁)
Storyboards: Koji Sawai (澤井幸次)
Originally Aired:
March 2, 1990
5:30 pm - 6:00 pm on Fuji TV
Themes:
Opening Theme: Ranma You Pervert Opening Narration
Episode 18: これで女とおさらば?
Kore de onna to osaraba (Goodbye Girl-type)
Happosai decided one of the urns is just what he needs to store his panty collection in. Ranma and the others have to get the urn back from him, find the third and final urn and then bring them together at the proper place to summon the Japanese nannichuan. Sadly the Japanese spring went out of business years ago.
Episode Staff:
Director: Takashi Kobayashi (小林孝志)
Animation Director: Atsuko Nakajima (中嶋敦子)
Script: Hiroshi Toda (戸田博史)
Storyboards: Tamiko Kojima (小島多美子)
Originally Aired:
March 9, 1990
5:30 pm - 6:00 pm on Fuji TV
Themes:
Opening Theme: Ranma You Pervert Opening Narration
Episode 19: 愛と憎しみの贈物
Ai to nikushimi no okurimono (It's a Fine Line Between Pleasure and Pain)
Akane gets mad when Ranma refuses to try her cookies, but appears to be interested in Kodachi's. Ranma is actually trying to get a film negative back from Kodachi that has a picture that puts Ranma in a compromising position with The Black Rose.
Episode Staff:
Director: Noriyuki Nakamura (中村憲由)
Animation Director: Masaki Kudo (工藤柾輝)
Script: Hiroko Naka (中弘子)
Storyboards: Kazuhiro Furuhashi (古橋一浩)
Originally Aired:
March 16, 1990
5:30 pm - 6:00 pm on Fuji TV
Themes:
Opening Theme: Ranma You Pervert Opening Narration
Episode 20: SOSエロ妖怪八宝斉
SOS ero youkai Happosai (S.O.S The Wrath of Happosai)
Ranma angers Happosai and is kicked out of the Tendo home until Happosai calms down. Ranma uses "Girl Repellant" on Happosai which weakens him to the point Ranma can beat him, too bad Ranma's conscience gets in the way of fighting weak opponents.
Episode Staff:
Director: Shinji Takagi (高木真司)
Animation Director: Asami Endo (遠藤麻未)
Script: Yoshiyuki Suga (菅良幸)
Storyboards: Koji Sawai (澤井幸次)
Originally Aired:
March 23, 1990
5:30 pm - 6:00 pm on Fuji TV
Themes:
Opening Theme: Ranma You Pervert Opening Narration
Episode 21: あかねの口びるを奪え
Akane no kuchibiru wo ubae (Kissing is Such Sweet Sorrow! The Taking of Akane's Lips)
Akane gets the part of Juliet in a school play, but Happosai, Kuno, and Ranma all vie for the part of Romeo so they can win a trip to China which actually is not all that it seems.
Episode Staff:
Director: Takashi Kobayashi (小林孝志)
Animation Director: Atsuko Nakajima (中嶋敦子)
Script: Hiroshi Toda (戸田博史)
Storyboards: Masahisa Ishida (石田昌久)
Originally Aired:
April 6, 1990
5:30 pm - 6:00 pm on Fuji TV
Themes:
Opening Theme: Ranma You Pervert Opening Narration
Episode 22: いい湯だな? 銭湯で戦闘
Ii yu da na? Sentou de sentou (Bathouse Battle! We're in Hot Water Now)
The bathtub at the Tendo's house is broken so Akane, Ranma, and Nabiki head down to the local bath house. Unfortunately Happosai decides this would be a good chance to peek at a naked Akane and Nabiki.
Episode Staff:
Director: Kazuhiro Furuhashi (古橋一浩)
Animation Director: Hiroko Kazui (数井浩子)
Script: Hiroko Naka (中弘子)
Storyboards: Kazuhiro Furuhashi (古橋一浩)
Originally Aired:
April 13, 1990
5:30 pm - 6:00 pm on Fuji TV
Themes:
Opening Theme: Ranma You Pervert Opening Narration
