Anime’s rapid worldwide growth in popularity is bringing new fans to the medium in droves, and in an effort to introduce viewers to some of the industry’s most popular titles ever, remakes of classic series are becoming more and more frequent. One of those remakes is Netflix’s Ranma 1/2, which is quickly becoming one of anime’s biggest hits in years.
Based on the 1987 series by manga legend Rumiko Takahashi, Ranma 1/2 initially gained popularity outside of Japan with its long-running ’90s adaptation, and is once again introducing viewers to the world of anime decades later. Though other remakes of classic titles have proved divisive among fans, Ranma 1/2 is showing how it’s done.
Netflix’s Ranma 1/2 Is Showing Other Anime Remakes How It’s Done
Following its season two premiere in October, Ranma 1/2 found itself in the Netflix top 10 non-English language shows, a list the series frequented throughout its first season in 2024. With the sort of built-in popularity the show boasts, its success isn’t all that big of a surprise, but other anime remakes have struggled to garner similar fanfare.
Netflix’s Ranma 1/2 is a far more faithful adaptation of Rumiko Takahashi’s original manga, but it doesn’t sacrifice any of the gender-bending comedic nature of the ’90s anime. Where other shows often lose sight of what made them popular in the first place, Ranma 1/2 is proving the formula for success is simple: faithful adaptations with high-quality visuals are what works.
With studio MAPPA on production duties, great visuals are to be expected, and the series features an appealing and colorful art style with smooth, high-energy action sequences.
There’s very little not to like about Netflix’s Ranma 1/2, and though some of that has to do with the quality of the source material, MAPPA’s work giving the series a fresh coat of paint while following modern practices and trends is undeniably impressive. The series has refused to depart from the original work in any way, and is being rewarded for it.
Ranma 1/2 Already Had What It Needed to Succeed in Anime’s Modern Era
The Classic Anime Series Holds Up Decades Later
Unlike quite a few classic anime series, Ranma 1/2 has held up incredibly well over the years in all its iterations, and that’s helped somewhat in the success of its latest remake. While there are some moving pieces, the series essentially boils down to a romantic comedy involving a tomboy girl and a boy who turns into a girl at the touch of cold water.
It’s funny, action-packed, and its characters are endearing, and very few aspects of the series have aged in any major way. Rumiko Takahashi is considered a manga legend for a reason, and new anime fans are learning what that reason is thanks to Netflix’s Ranma 1/2 remake.
- Release Date
-
October 6, 2024
- Network
-
Nippon TV, RNB, YBS, RAB, TVI, YBC
- Directors
-
Yoji Sato, Nobuyoshi Arai, Yasuhiro Geshi, Taro Kubo, Tomoko Hiramuki
- Writers
-
Erika Ando
-
Kappei Yamaguchi
Ranma Saotome (voice)
-
Megumi Hayashibara
Ranma (voice)
