Rumiko Takahashi and Yui Aragaki reunite for the first time in 14 years to discuss their love for "Ranma 1/2"!
The secret behind cutting her hair 25cm for the live-action drama, and her past fan fiction

Translated by: Harley Acres

The second season of the TV anime Ranma 1/2 will begin airing on Nippon TV from October 4th (every Saturday from 24:55). ORICON NEWS conducted an exclusive interview with original author Rumiko Takahashi and Yui Aragaki, who played the lead role of Akane Tendo in the live-action drama that aired in 2011. ^[1] Surprisingly, this was their first meeting in 14 years, and while they were excited about behind-the-scenes stories of the drama's filming and the creation of the manga, Aragaki, who is a full-blown "Ranma fan," also asked Takahashi questions as a reporter, eliciting some valuable anecdotes.



Ranma 1/2 is a martial arts romantic-comedy that depicts the daily lives of high school student Ranma Saotome, who turns into a girl when splashed with water, and his fiancée Akane Tendo, along with a cast of characters around them. The original manga was serialized in Weekly Shonen Sunday from 1987 to 1996, and the TV anime aired from 1989 to 1992. It was later made into an anime, movie and an OVA series, and the first season of the completely new anime aired from October to December 2024.

■ Memories of your first meeting: "She was so cute" and "I was so nervous."

You two first met on the set of the live-action drama Ranma 1/2, which aired on Nippon TV in 2011. Has this been your first time meeting since then?

Aragaki: It's been 14 years since we last met. I was 23 then, but I've turned 37 in the blink of an eye. ^[2]

Takahashi: You haven't changed at all.

Aragaki: No, no, no... You haven't changed at all, sensei!

Do you remember your impressions from when you first met?

Aragaki: I was so nervous I was practically stiff as a board. Sensei gave off a cheerful vibe, watching the filming with a smile and taking photos with us, which made me really happy. At the time, I never thought that she'd come to the set, and I never imagined that I would meet her again in the future.

Takahashi-sensei, do you have any memories of your first meeting with Aragaki-san?

Takahashi: She had cut her hair for the role, and I was surprised, saying, "Are you sure?" I saw her on set and she was really cute. I remember she was eating a hamburger bento when I went there.

That was quite memorable (laughs)

Takahashi: I felt sorry for her while she was eating. After that, she pushed her lunch aside and talked to me the whole time, but I still feel sorry for her. I could sense her great personality.

At the time, had you seen any of Aragaki-san's works before meeting her in person?

Takahashi: I had seen her gravure photos in magazines, and she even signed my photo book. She was already quite well-known by the time she appeared in Ranma 1/2. I especially enjoyed watching My Boss My Hero and thought she was a really cute girl. ^[3]

Aragaki: I'm glad you recognized me!

Did you exchange contact information?

Takahashi: No, we didn't...

Aragaki: I thought I'd never see you again...

■ Cutting 25cm of Hair for the Live-Action Drama: Love and Respect for the Series: "I Wanted to Get Close to Her Look"

This was a long-awaited reunion, and at the time, Aragaki-san's decision to cut off 25cm of her hair for the role was a hot topic. Perhaps her strong attachment to Ranma 1/2 was what allowed her to pursue that level of passion.

Aragaki:: The hair-cutting scene is very important for Akane, and I believe that Akane's post-haircut appearance is her fully realized self, so I felt it was absolutely necessary for me to portray her. It's very difficult to adapt a live-action version, but I wanted to get as close as possible to her look.

Looking back on your role as Akane.

Aragaki:: Playing Akane was incredibly difficult. Before appearing in the drama version of Ranma 1/2, I had appeared in several live-action adaptations, but I never dreamed I'd be able to star in a live-action adaptation of a manga I'd loved since childhood. There are many passionate fans of the original work, and although I was worried that I might not be good enough, I was very happy because it's a work that I love. That's why I set the bar high for myself, and I felt like I could never accept it during filming. I think I did everything I could at the time, but honestly, when I think back on it, I still feel regretful.

By the way, if there was talk of another live-action version, would you like to be involved?

Aragaki: I would be so happy if I was offered the role. But I love it so much that I think it would be painful again... But I'd probably feel sad if someone else were to play the role... It's hard to answer that question. ^[4]

I could really feel your love and respect for the work in your words.

Takahashi: I'm so happy.

Aragaki: Have you seen the drama?

Takahashi: Of course. Of course.

I'm curious to hear your thoughts, Sensei.

Takahashi: Hahaha. I enjoyed watching it. It was a fantastic cast with Kento Kaku-san as Ranma (male), Natsuna-san as Ranma (female), and Arata Furuta-san as their father (Genma).

The TV series also developed an original story, so I imagine Takahashi-sensei was able to see a slightly different version of Ranma 1/2.

Takahashi: That's right. I wanted the drama to be fun, so I'm glad that it was enjoyable to watch.

■ Yui Aragaki Created Fanfiction for Ranma 1/2! "Creating Original Stories" Through Drawing in Elementary School

Did you first discover Ranma 1/2 through the original manga or the anime?

Aragaki:: The manga. A friend I became close with in the lower grades of elementary school let me read a volume she had at her house and I became obsessed. Around the same time, a satellite channel my friend subscribed to was broadcasting reruns of the anime, so I'd watch them when I visited, and from then on, I fell in love. My parents had quite a few manga at home, so I'd always loved reading manga, but I was especially hooked on Ranma 1/2 and devoted myself to it.

What are your favorite storylines and characters?

Aragaki:: I love them all, but... I feel like the elements I like change depending on when I read them. When I was in the lower grades of elementary school, I just loved the art, the gags, the energy... and visually, Shampoo was my favorite. I also loved imitating characters, so I drew Shampoo a lot. At the time, I also dreamed of becoming a manga artist.

Can you still draw?

Aragaki: I don't know... I'll try it when I get home (laughs). My friend and I would draw pictures together and exchange them to create original stories. I'm embarrassed to say this in front of sensei, but we did what we would now call fan fiction. ^[5] I'd copy my favorite panels, or imitate sensei's drawings, drawing however I wanted and connecting the stories. It was more of an exchange manga than an exchange diary.

Takahashi: That sounds fun.

It's interesting that your favorite stories change depending on when you read them. How did that change as you grew through middle school, high school, and adulthood?

Aragaki: When I reread the entire series again as a high school student, after going through puberty, I was really moved by Akane and Ranma's love, and it made my heart flutter. It's a slapstick comedy, and they're both at odds with each other, so it's not exactly sweet, but the occasional heart-fluttering moments were devastating and made me swoon. As an adult, I've found that parent-child relationships really move me. I think one of the charms of this work is how the perspective changes as you move through the years. It's still fresh and fun no matter how many years pass.

Takahashi: I'm really happy to hear that.

■ What is the appeal of Ranma 1/2? "The parts that resonate with you change depending on your age."

That's incredible passion! Aragaki-san, you said you watched the anime back in the day. What did you think of it, including any differences from the original manga?

Aragaki: The voice actors were amazing. It almost felt like I was listening to their voices while reading the original manga. I watched it thinking, "Ranma has this kind of voice, Akane has this kind of voice." When I was a kid, I just enjoyed it without thinking about those things, but looking back, I think that's what I felt. Watching it again as an adult, I feel like I remember it very well.

It's so etched in your memory.

Aragaki: Yes, it remains there. The lines and tone of voice are so memorable that I can remember them instantly, and I love the anime.

So what is the appeal of Ranma 1/2?

Aragaki: What I like is that all the characters are so out there. It's fun that they're all so unique, and they all have their own flaws, which adds to their charm. That makes their cool parts really stand out, and it's just so much fun to see the world in which these characters run wild.

The characters certainly stand out.

Aragaki: Also, as I mentioned earlier, the parts that resonate with people change depending on their age, so it's amazing how you can enjoy it for years to come. And I just love Takahashi-sensei's art, so I want to look at it forever. I love the characters, their expressions, their clothes, and their poses. It's fun to see how she draws each and every one of them in detail, even beyond the main characters, like the customers soaking in the bathhouse or the spectators. The backgrounds are amazing, too!

Your love for Ranma is endless.

Aragaki: I love everything about it.

What does Ranma 1/2 mean to you, Aragaki-san?

Aragaki: It's something that will always be with me, a part of my life. I had been reading manga and drawing before I discovered it, but Ranma 1/2 might have been the trigger that made me enjoy drawing and reading even more, and made me feel like I really loved something.

■ Yui Aragaki Makes Her Press Debut! A Barrage of Questions for Rumiko Takahashi: Behind the Scenes of the Creation of Ranma 1/2

Ranma 1/2 is a very important series to Aragaki-san. Please tell us again about how it came about. How did the concept for it come about?

Takahashi: It started out with me wanting to do a gender-swap story or a school-based story. I also wanted to do a fighting story. The things I wanted to do at the time, things I hadn't been able to fully achieve in Urusei Yatsura, and the story's world was different, so I thought, "Here's where I can do it," and I just packed everything I like into it.

When did the idea come to you?

Takahashi: After finishing the serialization of Urusei Yatsura, I took a break and was doing a bit of work here and there, when the editorial department approached me and asked, "How about starting a serialization soon?" ^[6] From there, we had numerous meetings over the course of several months.

Aragaki-san, what do you think about when hearing the behind-the-scenes story of how this work was created?

Aragaki: I have an image of you that you're always drawing, so I was wondering when the idea for your next work would come to mind. I'm lucky to be able to hear about it.

By the way, it seems like Aragaki-san has thought up questions for you, so she'd like to ask you some questions as a reporter.

Aragaki: There are so many fascinating characters, and more and more new characters are added as the story progresses. How are they created?

Takahashi: For example, in Ranma 1/2, I came up with the setting that the characters transform when they get splashed with water, and I wanted to give them fashions and hairstyles that would be versatile so that they wouldn't have to change clothes whether Ranma was a boy or a girl. That's how I came up with the idea of ​​Ranma wearing Chinese clothing with a pigtail.

Aragaki: So that's why he has a pigtail!

Takahashi: Shampoo has her hair in a bun, just like the typical Chinese girl that most people might imagine. Akane, on the other hand, was a character I really struggled to decide on. She starts out with long hair, but after thinking long and hard about what kind of girl she was, I ended up with a chapter where her hair is cut. In Akane's case, she's a character I thought about and thought about and explored after the series began. ^[7]

■ Curious! The secret story behind Akane's haircut: "I wrote the story without deciding on a reason for her hatred of men."

Aragaki: When did you decide to cut her hair?

Takahashi: I wrote the story without deciding on a reason for her hatred of men, so even I find myself wondering, "Why?" (laughs). I thought it would be strange if there wasn't a reason, so I dug deeper and realized that she has a first love, and that person loves her older sister (Kasumi Tendo). That's why she was growing her hair out. So I decided to just cut it off. As Aragaki-san said, it felt like Akane was finally born after I cut her hair.

That was an amazing story.

Aragaki: That's true...! Do you not decide on anything too quickly when you start a work?

Takahashi: If I had understood Akane from the beginning, I think I wouldn't have had to do it that way. I was just trying to understand her somehow, and that's how it turned out.

Aragaki: So that memorable scene was born as a result of you thinking about it as you drew. That's amazing...

Takahashi: That's not a very common technique (laughs). The correct way is to decide on a design before serialization begins and not change it, just continue with it, but when I was serializing Ranma 1/2, I was still young, so I felt like I could do anything, or that I couldn't move forward unless I did that.

Aragaki: I've heard people say things like, "The characters move on their own," but is this different from that?

Takahashi: That's right. It would be easy if that were the case, but characters don't move right away after they're born. Characters develop as you explore how they'll react to certain events.

Aragaki: It's interesting because it feels objective to explore how a character will move even though it's born in your head, sensei.

Takahashi: No matter which manga artist you ask, I don't think there's anyone who's characters start moving right away. I think everyone looks at the character and thinks, "What will they say?" and "What will they do?" Only once that has solidified to a certain extent can they start moving on their own.

■ Ranma 1/2 Martial Arts Excitement: "I can't believe they named the moves like that! Her sensibilities are amazing!"

What's your favorite chapter of Ranma 1/2?

Aragaki: I'd love to hear!

Takahashi: I wanted to do a fighting story, so I'm not picking a specific chapter since it lasted for several chapters, but it would be the storyline where Ranma gets a bit of a beating and becomes weaker, leading up to him inventing his special move, Hiryu Shoten Ha. I also like the "Herb Arc." I really enjoyed drawing the techniques, and coming up with the names and mechanisms for them.

Aragaki: I like them too. All of the technique names are amazing, aren't they? (laughs) They're all super cool, but your naming sense is amazing, as I was amazed at how you named those techniques. I also like the scenes where they explain the mechanisms of how the techniques work.

Takahashi: Thank you. It's boring if you do it seriously, so things like figuring out how to make the character move in a certain way, or showing them a scene of something they don't like and having them follow along and draw a spiral, are surprisingly key parts of a manga.

Aragaki: Shishi Hokodan. I love the depressing feeling that triggers it.

Takahashi: It's really silly, isn't it? (laughs)

By the way, a lot of Chinese elements are incorporated into the work. Is there a reason for that?

Takahashi: I've never been to mainland China on a trip, but when I went to a place with a Chinese feel around it, I was moved by the strangeness of a place called Tiger Balm Gardens. ^[8] Plus, the Chinese decorations are cute, and the clothes are cute and fun to dress up in.

■ Thank you to the voice actors for the new anime! Rumiko Takahashi: "A sense of relief"; Yui Aragaki: "I cried a little."

Last year, Ranma 1/2 was remade into an anime for the first time in over 30 years, and most of the voice actors are reprising their roles. How do you feel about this, sensei?

Takahashi: I'm so happy. I'm so grateful when I hear about the voice actors' feelings for the series. Kappei Yamaguchi-san, who voices Ranma, also appeared in Kiki's Delivery Service the same year the first series aired, but I think Ranma 1/2 was announced earlier. So, I'm happy that his voice has been made known to the world (laughs).

Speaking of which, Yamaguchi-san also appeared in Inuyasha.

Takahashi: That's right. I asked him to do it because I was really impressed with his work.

I think the fact that he's been a voice actor for so long is partly what made the re-animation of Ranma 1/2 possible.

Takahashi: That's true. The re-animation of Ranma 1/2 feels the same, and despite the passage of time, it doesn't feel outdated at all, which was reassuring and nice.

What did you think of the latest work, Aragaki-san?

Aragaki: I cried a little when I heard someone say, "Sorry to keep you waiting," in the first promotional video. It was like time stood still. Once it actually started airing, there were so many moments where I thought, "That's that scene from the original," and I felt even more respect for it. The battle scenes were also very well-made and I really enjoyed them, and it made me want to read the original manga again.

Season two is about to start airing. What are you looking forward to?

Aragaki: There are still many episodes I love that are coming up, so I'm really looking forward to seeing how they'll be portrayed in the Reiwa era and what kind of world we'll see. As a fan, I'm happy that so many voice actors are reprising their roles, and I'm also happy that I'll be able to enjoy a modern-day interpretation that combines the same quality with a new freshness. There's been talk about whether the series will continue until the end of the original, but the longer I can watch it, the happier I'll be.

Takahashi: Before the first season aired last year, I was worried it would violate compliance regulations (laughs). ^[9] There were some parts of Urusei Yatsura that didn't quite fit the current era, and I wondered if Ranma 1/2 would be okay, with all the stripping, punching, and abusive language, but they cleverly changed or carefully removed any scenes that seemed outdated, while still including the punching and kicking, so much so that I almost didn't even notice while watching. Because it's MAPPA, the animation is fantastic, and I'm looking forward to the second season.

■ Mutual Love: After 14 Years, The Long-Awaited Exchange of Contact Information

Finally, how did it feel to chat again after so long?

Takahashi: I'm so touched by how deeply you've read into my story. I'm glad you remembered things I'd forgotten. I've seen you on TV and such, so meeting you feels special, and having you come in person feels like a "divine descent from the heavens" (laughs). I couldn't be happier to be able to talk to you face-to-face.

How about you, Aragaki-san?

Aragaki: I never thought I'd see you again, and telling someone I like them makes me nervous, but I feel like I just blabbed on and on (laughs). Even so, I think I managed to get it all out- it was so much fun that I'm starting to feel a little greedy for more.

If there's anything I missed...

Aragaki: Um... I love it!

I think I got that across (laughs)

Aragaki: Reading it always brings me joy, and I've felt saved by Takahashi-sensei's work so many times. I love not only Ranma 1/2, but also Inuyasha. I've read Kyokai no RINNE and MAO, and I'd like to read all of your previous works in the future. Thank you for giving me so many fun times and so much to love.

Thank you very much. That's all for the interview.

Aragaki: It's over~... Thank you so much.

This is just a suggestion, but would you mind exchanging contact info...?

Aragaki: Eh...!? That's too much of an honor...!

Takahashi: It's too much honor for me too, but... could we exchange (contact info)? I won't contact you recklessly or anything (laugh).

Aragaki: I'm so happy! Please! Yay! Thank you so much for the suggestion!

■ Behind-the-scenes stories after the interview

The interview took place at Takahashi-sensei's workplace, and while it had been a while since they'd last met, both seemed a little nervous. However, Aragaki-san's love for Ranma 1/2 was unstoppable, and the atmosphere on set was filled with laughter. After the interview, we had time for a tour of Takahashi-sensei's workplace, which also served as a photo opportunity. It was impressive to see Aragaki-san's excitement at the rare merchandise and production materials. While the interview for this article lasted about 40 minutes, the tour of the workplace lasted 50 minutes, longer than the interview itself. This was because Aragaki-san had questions for Takahashi-sensei that she hadn't yet asked, truly acting like a journalist. I also watched them exchange contact information, and it was amusing to see Takahashi-sensei send stamps. ^[10] Aragaki-san was surprised, asking, "Do you use these stamps, sensei?!"

(Photography: Ruka Ueno / Text: Masaki Endo / Interview & Editing: Takeaki Sakurai)

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Footnotes

• [1] On the same day that this article ran on Oricon News, it also appeared in Shonen Sunday 2025 Vol. 44.
• [2] Yui Aragaki appeared on the cover of Shonen Sunday 2012 Vol. 1 where she was interviewed about the live-action Ranma 1/2 drama and her role as Akane.
• [3] My Boss My Hero (マイ★ボス マイ★ヒーロー) is the story of an unintelligent yakuza who is sent back high school by his father in order to prove he deserves to take over the family crime syndicate.
• [4] Kappei Yamaguchi, the voice of male Ranma, expressed a similar sentiment when discussing the 2024 adaptation of Ranma 1/2 stating, "To put it bluntly, if I couldn't play the role of Ranma again, I didn't even want them to remake it while I was still alive."
• [5] A note on the translation, the term translated here as "fanfiction" is "オリジナルのストーリー" (orijinaru no sutoorii/original story) in Japanese. She is not referring to fan-made manga (同人誌/dojinshi).
• [6] After ending Urusei Yatsura and Maison Ikkoku and prior to beginning Ranma 1/2 Takahashi published Mermaid Forest, The Merchant of Romance and the first chapter of One Pound Gospel.
• [7] Takahashi has spoken about this many times in interviews, stating that she did not get a feel for who Akane really was until after deciding to cut her hair.
• [8] Tiger Balm Gardens, also known as Haw Par Villa, are public gardens used to promote Tiger Balm pain relief ointments. The three public gardens were built in the 1930s and 1940s and are still opened in Hong Kong, Singapore and Fujian. Twenty years earlier, in the 2005 book The Tragedy of O, The Comedy of O, Takahashi spoke about how visiting it also influenced her short story House of Garbage.
• [9] When the original television series aired from 1989 to 1992 nudity was much more common in anime, but due to the increasing global popularity of anime and manga, this has largely been tempered. Due to the nature of the original manga, Ranma in particular is often shown topless, however the 2024 anime adaptation made certain edits (generally obscuring the nudity or not depicting the characters' nipples). The 2024 version director, Konosuke Uda, also spoke about this in an interview.
• [10] This is referring to the popular Japanese messaging app LINE in which you can purchase images of various characters called stamps to share. LINE is popular in Japan as an "everything app" which allows for messaging, reservations, tap payments and more. The added benefit is that chatting with others can be done without sharing your phone number.

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