Ranma 1/2: Big Trouble in Nekonron, China (1991)

I did it again- I jumped head-first into a movie based on a long running television series without seeing the series!  This time, it's Ranma 1/2 and boy, do they cram a lot of characters into a short 74 minute film.  Ranma 1/2 is billed as a "martial arts sex comedy", but it's not what you think- like many other anime series, it's about an ordinary central character suddenly thrown into an extraordinary situation, surrounded by an obligatory cast of friends and followers and complicated love triangles.  This time, instead of winning the devoted love of a bikini clad alien girl (Urusei Yatsura) or finding out he's the descendent of an alien royal family (Tenchi Muyo), poor Ranma (and his father) fall into a cursed pool while training in China.   Upon contacting cold water, Ranma turns into a girl while his father turns into a giant panda!  Hot water will return them to their former selves, but only until their next contact with cold water...

In Big Trouble in Nekonron, China, a young girl from China and her elephant companion rampage across Ranma's neighborhood.  The girl is Lychee, and she possesses one half of an ancient scroll that contains "the ultimate technique" for the Seven Lucky Gods martial artists.   However, when Kirin, the leader of the Seven Lucky Gods, drops in to retrieve the scroll, it is in the hands of Akane, to whom Ranma is betrothed.  Kirin kidnaps Akane and intends to marry her when they return to their home in Nekonron, China.

This is a short, fast moving film, and the new viewer will definitely be overwhelmed at first by all the characters.  However, it doesn't take too long before you get a rough idea where they all stand, and soon it becomes a really amusing, action packed ride.  As one might expect, the transformations come at inopportune times for the poor acursed souls in the film (and there are a lot of them!), setting the stage for a lot of physical humor and clever wordplay.  Too bad the film isn't a little longer, because soon the plot turns towards setting up one outrageous fight scene after another as Ranma confronts the Seven Lucky Gods martial artists.

The movie piqued my interest enough that I'll probably start renting the television series.  If you're looking to be introduced to Ranma 1/2 but don't want to commit to the whole slew of tapes, you might want to give this movie a try.

Posted: 8-23-'98

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