Manga Monday: Looks like Happosai was a nuisance when he was younger, too.

Yet ANOTHER fiancee of Ranma comes out of the woodwork - and Mousse turns up again - in Ranma 1/2 Volume 8.

Note:  Ranma 1/2 Volume 8 is, of course, the sequel to Ranma 1/2 Volume 7. The review for Ranma 1/2 Volume 1 is here, and the review for Ranma 1/2 Volume 7 is here. Otherwise, read on!

Manga Monday: It's nice to see guys chasing after Akane again

A school production of Romeo and Juliet spirals completely out of control, and Akane tries cooking once again in Ranma 1/2 Volume 7.

Note:  Ranma 1/2 Volume 7 is, of course, the sequel to Ranma 1/2 Volume 6.  The review for Ranma 1/2 Volume 1 is here, and the review for Ranma 1/2 Volume 6 is here.  Otherwise, read on!

Manga Monday: We finally meet the man who trained Genma and Soun...

Welcome to the Anything Goes Martial Arts dojo, and meet Ranma's grandmaster Happosai in Ranma 1/2 Volume 6.

Note: Ranma 1/2 Volume 6 is, of course, the sequel to Ranma 1/2 Volume 5. The review for Ranma 1/2 Volume 1 is here, and the review for Ranman1/2 Volume 5 is here. Otherwise, read on!

Manga Monday: At what point do people stop betrothing their children to random people, anyways?

From fighting sharks to martial arts tea ceremony, battles run the gamut in Ranma 1/2 Volume 5.

Note: Ranma 1/2 Volume 5 is, of course, the sequel to Ranma 1/2 Volume 4.  The review for Ranma 1/2 Volume 1 is here, and the review for Ranman1/2 Volume 4 is here.  Otherwise, read on!

Manga Monday: More rivals for Ranma!

It's mayhem as usual, with a particularly feline twist, at the 'Anything Goes School of Martial Arts' in Ranma 1/2 Volume 4.


Note:  Ranma 1/2 Volume 4 is, of course, the sequel to Ranma 1/2 Volume 3.  The review of Ranma 1/2 Volume 1 is here, while the review of Ranman 1/2 Volme 3 is here  Otherwise, read on!

Manga Monday: I'll shampoo that guy right out of my hair...

Note:  Ranma 1/2 Volume 3 is, of course, the sequel to Ranma 1/2 Volume 1.  The review of Ranma 1/2 Volume 1 is here.  Otherwise, read on!

Manga Monday: The victim of another cursed black spring arrives!

It’s a good thing that Ranma and Akane is a student of the Anything Goes Martial arts school. Otherwise, they might have a problem with all the different martial arts types he’s been challenged with. Most martial artists would probably have problems when confronted with rhythmic gymnastics martial arts or ice skating wrestling, but Ranma and Akane, and even Ryoga seem to adopt very well.  And this is the very place we rejoin Ranma Satome in Ranma 1/2 Volume 2.

We also get to learn a bit more about Ryoga’s backstory. It makes some sort of perverted sense that one of the few times Ryoga manages to arrive at the same location a Ranma was at the cursed spring training grounds while Ranma and his father were training. Ranma ran into Ryoga, knocking him into the cursed Spring of Drowned Black Piglet! Of course Ranma, the rather oblivious guy he is, doesn't remember this happening.

Unfortunately, Akane herself doesn't realize that the adorable P-chan she’s found is the same as Ryoga. Perhaps she’d be less cuddily and kissy on him if she know. But guys look after guys, and Ranma’s not going to tell Akane that the creature she’s sleeping with is actually a teenage boy.

Beyond the martial arts action, though, it still is a High School comedy. They may not actually be at school terribly much, but they do occasionally hang out at the mall and do other, mundane teenage things.

More action than the first volume as well as developing characters makes Ranma ½ Volume 2 a fun read and a great continuation to the series.

Highs: Watching Ryoga realize who that girl and panda were who knocked him into the Spring of Drowned Black Pig

Lows: How can such an accomplished martial artist as Akane be so clumsy as a gymnast?

Verdict: A solid second volume to the series

Further Reading: Urusei Yatsura, Dragon Ball Vizbig

Manga Monday: A martial arts dojo where literally ANYTHING goes

It must be hard to be a dojo leader and only have had daughters.  Eventually, he’ll need to find an appropriate boy to take over the leadership of the dojo, and then he has the unenviable job of convincing one of his daughters to marry him.

Of course, it doesn’t help when the boy and his father show up as a girl and her panda.

And when the youngest girl Akane goes to bathe with her, and finds that she’s turned into a he?  Still not helping.

Welcome to the Musabetsu Kakutō Ryū Tendo Dojo (Anything Goes Martial Arts Tendo Dojo of Indiscriminant Grappling) and Ranma 1/2 Volume 1.  Soun Tendo may not have been blessed with any boys, but he does have three beautiful daughters. He even believes that he has found the perfect husband for one of them, when he hears of Ranma Satome. He and his father have been training in China for the last while, though. And while they were there, they fell into cursed springs, and now whenever they are splashed with cold water, they take on the form of the being that drowned there.

So Ranma mainly wants to not become a girl anymore, but there is not much that he can do in town about that, so he might as well start up at the local high school with Akane.

Akane herself is the most eligible bachelorette in school.  Every morning, she has to fight her way through the throngs of guys trying to ask her out.  Of course, now that guys see her with Ranma, they aren’t too fond of him either.

We also get to meet Ryoga Hibiki for the first time.  Accidently slighted by Ranma several times in their last high school, he is now questing to defeat Ranma in battle.  Unfortunately, his sense of direction is so bad that he gets lost for days just getting across town to where they are supposed to fight.

As always, with the first volume in a series, quite a bit of this book is introduction to the characters and other back story elements.  Because contrary to the premise, the story mainly takes place in common times with little magical elements, most of the world works as one would expect it to.

Besides the pesky body-switching problem the Satome men have, this is the epitome of the the common day dojo and high school manga.  If written today it might not be given so much credit since it’s such a common genre now.  But the reason it’s as common is because authors like Rumiko Takahashi created stories such as these.  An iconic manga, this helped form several genres while providing a hilarious story and memorable characters.

Highs: Dr. Tofu Ono and his unfortunate nearsightedness

Lows: The boys battling for Akane is a little unnecessary

Verdict: A classic manga that sets up the series well

Further Reading:  Dragon Ball VizBig 1, Rurouni Kenshin