Ranma ½: Set 4 Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		1.5
Overall		3.5

Ranma ½: Set 4 Blu-ray Movie Review

Still on a roll...

Reviewed by Kenneth Brown December 15, 2014

The Blu-ray edition of Ranma ½: Set 4 is a bit different than those that have come before it. Content? Quality? Nope. It's different because it arrives on the heels of VIZ Media's Sailor Moon: Set 1, a subpar release which inadvertently cast a new light on the Ranma ½ remasters. After weeping over the ungodly use of noise reduction and the general laziness surrounding Sailor Moon's Blu-ray debut -- not to mention the dismissive, at-times disingenuous and dishonest responses from VIZ concerning the fiasco -- Ranma ½ looks even better. I thought I appreciated the faithfulness of its presentation before... now I'm beyond grateful that it didn't suffer that same fate as Sailor Moon. But there's a flipside to that coin. I may be more impressed with VIZ's Ranma treatment now that I've been slapped by the alternative, but I'm also less convinced -- much less convinced actually -- that VIZ has a particularly strong grasp on how to handle classic anime restorations and releases. It's more than possible Ranma ½ is a fluke. A happy fluke, but a fluke all the same. Hopefully the powers that be have learned a tough lesson from Sailor Moon's reception and are at this moment realizing just how special Ranma's Blu-ray remasters are; special enough to emulate with all future releases, no matter the series, source elements or remastering challenges. Ranma's Blu-ray releases needn't be the exception. They should be the rule, at VIZ, FUNimation... with any studio or distributor willing to invest in a series' rejuvenation.

But enough about Sailor Moon. Let's put that one out of our collective minds for a moment. Ranma ½: Set 4 isn't a disappointment. It's cause for further celebration. Like Sets 1-3, Set 4 (episodes 70-92) is lovingly restored and faithfully presented. 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? While the series' episodes and storylines are a bit more hit or miss this time around, Set 4 is 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. VIZ, whether by good fortune or raw determination, continues to deliver one of the most definitive home video releases of any classic anime series to date.

Episodes 70-92 Synopsis: Shampoo visits Ranma, bringing a souvenir bell from China and along with it a Phantom Cat, who's in search of a bride! Ranma will have to endure his fear of cats in order to defeat the Phantom Cat. Then, after a series of certain events, Ryoga becomes the strongest martial artist in the world. After that, Kuno gets his hands on a secret sword called the "Manganmaru," which grants the user three wishes, and one of them is to have a date with the Pigtailed Girl! Finally, a mysterious foursome has come from China in search of the legendary Dragon's Whisker and will stop at nothing to get it. But what is the Dragon's Whisker and what does it have to do with Ranma?!

The Blu-ray release of Ranma ½: Set 4 features episodes 70-92, the bulk of which is comprised of the remaining fourth season ("Outta Control," 1990-91, episodes 65-88) and the first four episodes of the fifth season ("Martial Mayhem," 1991, episodes 89-112). The episode/season breaks VIZ has chosen for its new BD sets are a bit odd, but in the big scheme of things, not all that bothersome. As to "Outta Control," the series' fourth outing isn't bad by any means, or even average. It just isn't quite as remarkable or consistently engaging as previous seasons. It's possible the pseudo-binge-watch I've indulged of late has created a sense of Ranma fatigue, but that doesn't account for the at-times underwhelming animation (a problem that increases over the course of the show), the go-nowhere subplots, or the fact that nothing of consequence really happens... well, at least nothing of any significance. There's also the small but irritating matter of storylines that deserve a multi-episode arc being crammed into a single episode, while stretches that could be shortened seem to drag on for too long.

Does it spoil all the Ranma goodness? Nah. Disappointing episodes come and go, but the series retains the humor, heart and wit of its earlier seasons. There remains a wild and wonderful unpredictability to it all that earns plenty of laughs, and an even wilder lineup of new characters that, alongside familiar favorites, will either elicit cheers, gasps or groans. For every nitpick and gripe, I held fast to everything about the show that I love. And while it is a tad disheartening to see -- and feel -- the episodes drift in and out of sync, there isn't a moment where a low point doesn't give way to an upswing. The best way to take in Ranma ½ is to sit back and enjoy the ride, for better or worse, in sickness and in health, till Set 7 do us part.

Ranma ½: Set 4 Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Like the three releases before it, Ranma ½: Set 4 shrugs off shortcomings in the animation to deliver a beautifully remastered, perfectly proficient 1080p/AVC-encoded video presentation. Noise reduction hasn't been used to any damaging degree (refer to VIZ's first release of Sailor Moon for an entirely different experience), preserving the integrity of the elements, retaining the grain structure, and showcasing every last detail and ounce of personality in the original animation. Colors are light, playful and spirited, primaries are often vivid (particularly reds), black levels are satisfying, and the animators' line art is crisp and clean. Softness occasionally invades, but only insofar as it invades the source. Specks and tiny scratches haven't been completely eliminated either, although very little of it amounts to a distraction. I'm sure it could be removed, frame by frame if VIZ's remastering budget allowed, but if the only budget-friendly answer to that little problem is a quick pass of noise reduction, I'll live with a few white specks, please and thank you. And the encode itself? Zero macroblocking, banding, aliasing or ringing to report. Onward to Set 5!

Ranma ½: Set 4 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Set 4's Japanese and English DTS-HD Master Audio stereo tracks are comparable to the lossless mixes that accompany Sets 1-3. Voices are nicely prioritized and intelligible, sound effects are bright and punchy, and each effect has been granted as much crystal clear life as is possible given the series age. Music doesn't overwhelm the two-channel soundscape either, nor does it sound cramped or crowded. The original audio elements naturally present certain limitations, and tininess, 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 disappointment no matter how much VIZ Media's lossless tracks accomplish. I don't have any major complaints.

Ranma ½: Set 4 Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• We Love Ranma, Part 4: We Love Cosplay (HD, 6 minutes): The "We Love Ranma" featurettes continue to get shorter with each chapter, with this brief look at fan cosplay clocking in at just under six minutes. The cosplay enthusiasts are, well, enthusiastic, but offer little insight into the joy of recreating a favorite character in the real world for all to see.
• Next Episode Previews (HD, 6 minutes): Twenty-three original, surprisingly entertaining "Next Episode" previews, 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, 1 minute)

Ranma ½: Set 4 Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Set 4 may feature episodes in which Ranma ½ begins to teeter and totter, but it's still a ton of fun, with crazy zaniness and wild misadventures continuing to set it apart from other '90s anime series. The only real disappointment to be had with the previous and latest Blu-ray releases are the supplemental packages, which keep getting shorter and less interesting with each set. Ah well. The series remaster and the fourth set's video presentation are faithful and terrific all around, and the lossless audio tracks deliver too. The Ranma ½ Blu-ray collections once again bolster their position as some of the best classic anime releases to date.