Ranma ½: Set 3 Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		1.5
Overall		4.0

Ranma ½: Set 3 Blu-ray Movie Review

"Don't you lie to me! Like I should believe some pervert who turns into a pig!"

Reviewed by Kenneth Brown September 21, 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.

Initially 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 3 is yet another must-have Ranma release perfect for any anime junkie, whether they've been weaned on the classics or are just now discovering the wealth of fantastic '80s and '90s anime available to them. For their part, the wizards of VIZ continue to deliver one of the most definitive home video releases of any classic anime series to date. I can't wait to get my mitts on the next collection.

Things just can't stay quiet at the Tendo Dojo. After a morning ruckus, Ranma hits his head, falls into water, and turns completely into a girl. Now, even when Ranma transforms back into a boy, he still thinks he's a girl! Things become even more complicated when Shampoo, still in love with Ranma, gets a surprise visit from Chinese Amazon twin sisters Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung, two of her proteges who have it in for Ranma. Then, after Soun and Genma's master, Happosai, uses moxibustion to weaken Ranma, Ranma must master a new legendary technique and defeat Happosai to become strong again. Everything culminates in a final battle against Happosai as Ranma fights to regain his strength.

The Blu-ray release of Ranma ½: Set 3 features episodes 47-69, wrapping up the third season ("Hard Battle," 1990, episodes 41-64) and diving into the first five episodes of the fourth season ("Outta Control," 1990-91, episodes 65-88). The series settles into a comfortably weird groove in Season Three, embracing a more carefree spirit and near-reckless abandon that boasts far, far more laughs than groans. Light on plot but heavy on hilarious romance, cringe-inducing hijinks and the downright bizarre, things take a turn for the aimless... and yet somehow it all works. Some fans will no doubt be a bit disappointed at the sudden infusion of random tangents and dead end episodes, but it's all in good fun, and if you notice what the showrunners are doing -- having a blast with their characters and leftfield set-ups -- it doesn't even amount to a distraction. It may perhaps be last great string of episodes of Ranma as some insist (not that future sets will suddenly be less desirable), but it also confidently pursues a bold idea: let's just see where this adventure takes us. Simple, yes. Boring, not in the least. It's often the series' whip-neck pace and razor sharp dialogue that helps it soar above other long-running television anime, and what continues to make it so funny, so infectious and so addicting all these years later.

If there's a downside to episodes 47-69 it's that the quality of Ranma's animation begins to slide downhill. (To be clear: the animation itself; not VIZ's remastered video presentation.) While not necessarily apparent at first, it isn't long before the animators' grueling schedule begins to take a toll and several episodes fail to live up to the standards set by the first season. The episodes themselves never drift too far off course, thankfully -- the series' writing, tone and humor remains on point for the most part -- but sloppiness and little shortcuts start to invade the animation, leading to a number of sequences that fail to impress as much as they could. Still, considering the sheer volume of work the animators were tackling each week, as well as the mounting elements, new characters, and fresh locales each new season presents, is it really that much of a surprise that a 161-episode series completed in three short years suffered a decline in quality? The bigger surprise is that a few irritable fans continue to complain, more than two decades later. Televised anime has always struggled to balance striking visuals (which take tremendous time) with tight deadlines and even tighter budgets. The fact that Ranma remains as wonderfully watchable in its valleys as in its peaks is a testament to the show's classic status and timeless appeal.

Ranma ½: Set 3 Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Ranma's animation may suffer a bit in Set 3, but VIZ Media's meticulously remastered 1080p/AVC-encoded video presentation does not. As impressive and revelatory here as in its first two Blu-ray releases, the series continues to dazzle and delight, with lovely, disarmingly quaint, sometimes vibrant colors, inky blacks, consistent contrast leveling and terrific detail. The animators' original line art is crisp and pristine, free of any ringing, halos or other artifacts. Backgrounds look fantastic, with every last brushstroke and watercolor smudge preserved. The show's grain structure is refined as well, without anything in the way of eyesores or significant print damage. In fact, the only specks and scratches that appear are inherent to the original animation cels. If it could be cleaned up without hindering the art, it was cleaned. If it required the use of more intrusive techniques, the remastering team left it alone. Troubling noise reduction and egregious sharpening are nowhere to be found, and there aren't any indications that any episode's presentation is anything less than ideal. There are a handful of soft shots per episode, but none prove problematic, particularly since each one traces back to the source, not the encode. Moreover, macroblocking, banding and other issues are completely MIA, meaning Set 3 hovers as close to perfection as a purist could hope for. Bring on Set 4!

Ranma ½: Set 3 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

VIZ Media's Japanese and English DTS-HD Master Audio stereo tracks don't reinvent the magic mirror, staying as true to the original sound design as possible while rejuvenating and renewing every episode's sonics. As was the case with the lossless mixes accompanying Set 1 and 2, voices are once again well-prioritized and intelligible, sound effects are bright and punchy, and every element has been granted crystal clear life. The series' music doesn't overwhelm the two-channel soundscape either, nor did it strike me as cramped or crowded. The original audio elements naturally present certain limitations (with episodes 47-69 exhibiting an increasing number of original production shortcomings), and tininess, hollow lines of dialogue, slight hiss and other unavoidable mishaps do find their way into the experience from time to time. If you require classic anime to sound as if it were produced in 2014, though, you're doomed to grumble no matter how much VIZ Media's lossless tracks accomplish. Unless you're looking for a time-bending miracle, Set 3 is more than up to the task at hand.

Ranma ½: Set 3 Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• We Love Ranma, Part 3: The Appeal of Ranma ½ (HD, 8 minutes): Chapters in the "We Love Ranma series are getting shorter and shorter, with less and less to offer in terms of insight into the rejuvenation of the classic series, the remastering process, or any substantial examination of the show's continued significance. With the lasting appeal of the show being the topic of conversation, it would have been nice to see the elements that resonate dissected from a more academic, cultural or historical perspective. Instead, we get voice actors and fans covering explaining what drew them to Ranma.
• Next Episode Previews (HD, 6 minutes): Twenty-three original episode previews (which actually deliver some rapidfire fun), presented in English or in Japanese with English subtitles.
• Clean Opening (HD, 3 minutes): Two clean openings, with optional English and Romaji subtitles.
• Clean Endings (HD, 3 minutes): Two clean closings, with optional English and Romaji subtitles.
• VIZ Media Trailers (HD, 2 minutes)

Ranma ½: Set 3 Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Can't... get... enough... Ranma! I'm already chomping at the bit for Set 4, even though I know many of the best episodes the series has to offer are behind me. No matter. My love for the show knows no bounds. My Ranma vows include for better and for worse. Fortunately, VIZ doesn't seem to understand the meaning of the words "for worse." Set 3 features another excellent remastered video presentation and another pair of strong lossless audio tracks. I do wish there was more supplemental goodness on tap, but if VIZ is more interested in spending its entire budget on the series itself rather than divert funds to new special features, I'm fine with it. If I can't have the best of both worlds, AV wonderment and extras, I'd much rather have a definitive presentation than more featurettes or retrospectives. Bottom line? If you aren't already scooping up each new set as VIZ releases them, what are you waiting for!?