Ranma ½: Set 2 Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		4.0

Ranma ½: Set 2 Blu-ray Movie Review

Another top-notch remaster and must-own release...

Reviewed by Kenneth Brown June 25, 2014

Not only have the masters at VIZ Media gone to great lengths to lovingly restore and faithfully present Ranma ½ within an inch of high definition perfection, they've given fans everything they could want and more, righted old wrongs from previous home video releases (the series' original Japanese episode order has been restored for one), and have even made FUNimation -- whose questionable handling of the "Uncut" Dragon Ball Z remastered sets has alienated DBZ diehards -- look positively out of touch with classic anime fandom. And kudos to every VIZ team member involved. If any classic anime series deserved such meticulous care and exemplary treatment, it's Ranma ½.

Summarily cancelled in 1989 after just 18 episodes, the iconic 161-episode anime almost didn't live long enough to see the 1990s. Ratings were abysmal. The series wasn't; a small glimmer of hope that led to a stay of execution. Reworked and re-planted in a different time slot, the next incarnation of Ranma, Ranma ½ Nettôhen, proved far more successful, delivering 143 episodes over the next three years. Even at the end of its run, Ranma ½ wasn't done. In addition to 11 OVAs, the series was one of the earliest to arrive stateside, where it served as the first spark of many that ignited North America's mid-90s anime firestorm. And it's still going strong today. VIZ has tackled an ambitious franchise-wide resurrection, remastering and releasing the original right-to-left Rumiko Takahashi manga (with a new, more accurate translation, among other improvements) and revitalizing the series -- both the original 18-episode first season and the subsequent 143-episode series proper -- via 7 restored and remastered Blu-ray sets, each one presenting the series in its original 4:3 cropped aspect ratio with lossless Japanese and English audio. The result? Set 2 is another winner as Ranma ½ continues to earn one of the most definitive home video releases of any classic anime series to date. FUNimation could learn a thing or two...

Ranma Saotome, the boy who turns into a girl with a splash of water, always has his hands full fending off crazed admirers. One of the most fanatical is Shampoo, a girl from a tribe of Chinese Amazons who tried to kill girl Ranma, was defeated by boy Ranma, and then proposes marriage to him due to her clan's rule. Things get a little crazier when Shampoo falls into a cursed spring and turns into a cat! And even crazier when Mousse, who is in love with Shampoo, challenges Ranma to a battle over Ranma's fiancee, Akane. Back at the Tendo dojo, Ranma's dad, Genma, and Akane's dad, Soun, receive a visit from their former master, Happosai. Around the same time, some of the neighborhood ladies find their undies are disappearing. Is Happosai responsible? Or is it just a coincidence?

There's a great deal of fun to be had in Ranma ½: Set 2, which features series episodes 24-46. The anything-goes zaniness gains further traction, bringing with it surprise after surprise, belly laugh after belly laugh, and there doesn't seem to be an end to the gender-bending hilarity, or the wildly endless possibilities. With an ever-expanding roster of outcasts, eccentrics, excitable heroes and shameless antagonists, there's no shortage of clever conflict either, and it's in the butting of heads and stirring of tempers that Ranma finds its energy and endurance. It's also rare that a joke falls flat. The series doesn't date itself, nor does it feel stale or stagnant all these years later. It's a testament to Ranma's staying power, yes, but also a legitimate achievement, particularly when considering just how many episodes the showrunners (eventually) managed to fill. Of course, filler is a small problem, and there are times where the series could benefit from a kick in the pants. Thankfully, these brief layovers are short-lived; mere rest stops while Ranma prepares to take fans on a whole new trip. Does Set 2 serve up the best of the best? Not quite, but only because so many classic episodes are yet to come. 24-46 encompasses a great batch of arcs and gathers serious momentum that will only leave viewers hungry for more. The wait for Set 3 has already set in and I'm itching to get my hands on the next release.

Ranma ½: Set 2 Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Much like Set 1, the 3-disc Blu-ray edition of Ranma ½: Set 2 and its 4:3 1080p/AVC-encoded video presentation is another revelation, with episodes 24-46 of the newly restored and remastered series looking infinitely better than their DVD counterparts. If there's any difference between Set 1 and Set 2 it's that the latter has more print specks than the former. (Key word: if.) Fortunately, it doesn't amount to much of a distraction, much less an issue, and what few eyesores there are appear to be inherent to the source elements (which occasionally prove problematic). Otherwise, it's nothing but smooth, beautiful sailing. Colors are once again more vivid than ever before without appearing over-cranked or over-saturated. Contrast is spot on; consistent and vibrant, with crisp whites, strong primaries and satisfying black levels. And detail is terrific. Grain is intact, the animators' line art is clean and nicely defined, and the hand-painted backgrounds showcase every brush-stroked texture purists will demand to see. Add to that a lack of any significant artifacting, banding, ringing and aliasing.

The restoration team's clean-up efforts haven't taken any perceivable toll. Troubling noise reduction, egregious sharpening or other shortsighted, on-the-cheap shortcuts are nowhere to be found, and there aren't any indications that each episode's presentation is anything but first-rate. A number of remastering techniques have obviously been employed, many of them used to normalize the grain field or remove scratches and fix print damage. But none of it is costly to the original animation and none of it alters or hinders the animators' intentions in any way. No, the newly revitalized image isn't going to leap off the screen, raise the dead, or convert the unconverted. The animation... ahem, is what is, for better or worse. Optical softness, poorly animated scenes and other brief blips on the videophile radar aren't exactly uncommon to the series' 16mm source. Still, this is Ranma ½ as it was meant to be seen, as it was meant to be preserved, and as it was meant to be introduced to anime fans for generations to come. I remain thoroughly impressed and wholeheartedly overjoyed.

Ranma ½: Set 2 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Also impressive? VIZ Media's Japanese and English DTS-HD Master Audio stereo tracks. Voices are once again well-prioritized and intelligible and sound effects are bright and punchy, as every sonic element has been granted new, crystal clear life. The series' music doesn't overwhelm the two-channel soundscape either, nor does it ever seem cramped or crowd. The original audio elements naturally present certain limitations, and tininess, hollow lines of dialogue, slight hiss and other unavoidable mishaps do creep into the mix from time to time. If you need your 1989 anime to sound as if it were produced in 2014, though, you're doomed to be disappointed no matter how much a lossless track accomplishes. Those with appropriate expectations will be very pleased.

Ranma ½: Set 2 Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• We Love Ranma, Part 2: Favorite Scenes (HD, 10 minutes): Gushing cosplayers, Ranma SuperFans (VIZ's spelling, not mine), English voice actors and anime industry professionals reveal their favorite scenes from the series. Amusing but wholly inconsequential, this mini-featurette offers zero insight into the show or its remastered Blu-ray release.
• Next Episode Previews (HD, 7 minutes): Original previews for the various episodes, presented with English audio or Japanese audio with English subtitles.
• Clean Opening & Endings (HD, 6 minutes): With optional English and Romaji subtitles.
• VIZ Media Trailers (HD, 2 minutes)

Ranma ½: Set 2 Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

More please! I'll take Sets 3-7... hm, how much does it cost to have a package sent via FedEx Future's new time portal technology? And the best is yet to come, not that Set 2 -- which features episodes 24-46 -- is a slouch. Fun, funny and full of wacky energy, Ranma ½ is an anime addict's addiction come true, with another remarkably remastered video presentation and complement of solid lossless tracks. VIZ skimps on the supplements, sure, but it hardly matters when devoting this much TLC to one of the greats. If you haven't already started picking up Ranma ½ on Blu-ray, there's no time like the present. Add Set 1 and Set 2 to your cart post-haste.