Ranma 1/2

A zany comedy about a teenage martial artist who transforms from male into female from water after falling into a cursed spring in China.

My brother and I read this series while growing up. When I think of Rumiko Takahashi I think of this fun mix of shonen battles and slap stick comedy. I loved the story and it became the first manga where was actively shipping different characters together.

Looking at it now, I see the representation of Chinese people that are problematic stereotypes along with some outdated gender narratives. It still doesn’t quite ruin my nostalgia for the manga but I now feel like I should give Rumiko Takahashi‘s newer series more of a chance instead of dismissing them as inferior to Ranma 1/2.

~dakazu