Ranma ½ Returns with New Anime: Everything You Need to Know

he archive video of the “Ranma ½ Grand Announcement” live-streamed on Wednesday, July 17, 2024, has been released on YouTube’s “MAPPA CHANNEL.” Fans can now leisurely watch the information about the new anime adaptation of “Ranma ½.”

On Wednesday, July 17, 2024, it was announced that a completely new anime adaptation of “Ranma ½,” a manga by Rumiko Takahashi, known for her works such as “Urusei Yatsura,” “Maison Ikkoku,” “Inuyasha,” “Rin-ne,” and “MAO,” would be made. Rumiko Takahashi is a globally renowned manga artist who surpassed 200 million copies of her comics worldwide in 2017, was inducted into the Will Eisner Comic Awards Hall of Fame in 2018, received the Grand Prix at the Angoulême International Comics Festival in France in 2019, and was awarded the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French government in 2023.

“Ranma ½” was serialized in “Weekly Shonen Sunday” (Shogakukan) from issue 36 in 1987 to issue 12 in 1996 and remains an immensely popular classic to this day. The story begins with Genma Saotome and his son Ranma arriving at the Tendo household after training in China. However, what appears is a giant panda and a cute girl!? Due to their training in China, Ranma has acquired a mysterious condition where he turns into a girl when splashed with cold water and reverts to a boy when splashed with hot water. The series is an evergreen, unbeatable martial arts romantic comedy where Ranma and others, along with a cast of colorful characters, get entangled in various hilarious, tearful, and sometimes romantic situations.

The “Grand Announcement” was live-streamed on Wednesday, July 17, 2024, at 18:00, and was viewed by approximately 300,000 people. During the stream, information about the staff, cast, theme song artist, key visuals, and the first promotional video was revealed. Additionally, Kappei Yamaguchi, Megumi Hayashibara, Noriko Hidaka, ano, director Kōnosuke Uda, and Genma Saotome (in panda form, standing about 2 meters tall) made appearances, sharing plenty of stories related to the series. On the day of the event, the official hashtag “#RanmaAnime” trended at number one in Japan on X (formerly Twitter) for a long time. Other keywords related to the series also trended, showcasing significant excitement.

The newly released archive contains an uncut 40-minute recording of the “Grand Announcement,” further raising expectations for the broadcast and streaming start of the TV anime “Ranma ½.”

For those who could not watch the live broadcast of the Grand Announcement or those who want to revisit it multiple times, the archive video is available to enjoy to your heart’s content.

“Ranma ½ Grand Announcement” Archive Video

TV Anime “Ranma ½”

• Starting October 5, 2024, on Nippon TV, airing every Saturday at 24:55!
• Nationwide broadcast on Nippon TV affiliates.
• Exclusive streaming on Netflix immediately after broadcast!

Staff

• Original Story: Rumiko Takahashi’s “Ranma ½” (published by Shogakukan in “Shonen Sunday Comics”)
• Director: Kōnosuke Uda
• Series Composition: Kimiko Ueno
• Character Design: Hiromi Taniguchi
• Chief Animation Directors: Hiromi Taniguchi, Takeshi Yoshioka, Yoshiko Saito, Tadashi Otsu
• Main Animators: Nao Naito, Rie Aoki
• POP Artwork: Minami Kitamura
• Art Director: Chihiro Ōkawa
• Color Design: Yukiko Kakita
• Director of Photography: Atsushi Kanou
• Editing: Keisuke Yanagi
• Sound Director: Kōnosuke Uda
• Sound Effects: Takuya Hasegawa
• Music Selection: Makiko Chihara
• Sound Production: dugout
• Music: Kaoru Wada
• Opening Theme Artist: ano
• Planning and Production: Shogakukan Shueisha Productions
• Animation Production: MAPPA
• Production: “Ranma ½” Production Committee

Cast

• Ranma Saotome (male): Kappei Yamaguchi
• Ranma (female): Megumi Hayashibara
• Akane Tendo: Noriko Hidaka
• Nabiki Tendo: Minami Takayama
• Kasumi Tendo: Kikuko Inoue
• Soun Tendo: Akio Otsuka
• Genma Saotome: Chō
• Ryoga Hibiki: Koichi Yamadera
• Shampoo: Rei Sakuma
• Narrator: Kenichi Ogata

☆ [Official Website]：https://ranma-pr.com/

☆ [Official X (formerly Twitter)]：https://x.com/ranma_pr?mx=2 Recommended Hashtag: #RanmaAnime

Original Manga Information

• Shonen Sunday Comics Special “Ranma ½”
• Volumes 1-20, now on sale!
• Author: Rumiko Takahashi
• Price: 1,045 yen each (tax included)
• Published by: Shogakukan ☆ [Official Comics Website]（https://www.shogakukan.co.jp/books/volume/44915?sort=old）

(Note: The correct character for “高” in Noriko Hidaka’s name is the “ladder” form.) (C) Rumiko Takahashi & Shogakukan / “Ranma ½” Production Committee