The Ranma 1/2 remake hasn’t even premiered yet and the Japanese are debating the anime’s new look a lot and the topic of the moment is the look of Ranma’s female form, its design in comparison to the 90s anime as well as the potential for censorship of Rumiko Takahashi’s work.
A comparison image is circulating on Japanese forums, showing the look of female Ranma in the remake and the old anime, with some saying that the new design sacrificed Ranma’s curves and breasts:
In case you’re lost in the anime, Ranma is a young boy who ends up falling into a cursed well, every time he gets wet with cold water he turns into a girl and every time he gets wet with hot water he turns back into a man, so that’s why we have a male and a female version of Ranma.
Fans Express Concerns About Ranma Censorship
There are many fans who are showing concern about censorship in the remake, which is practically 100% likely to happen. In the original anime, it was quite common to have scenes with breasts on display. Several female characters, in addition to Ranma’s female form, had their breasts completely exposed, something that many people believe MAPPA will censor.
Let’s go some comments from Japanese:
“The old one was prettier.”
“The face has changed.”
“It would be better to rebroadcast the old anime as it is.”
“The nipples…”
“Looking at it like this, the chest in the old anime also looks normal.”
“The long-haired Akane looks cuter in the new version.”
“Please don’t make the same mistake as Rurouni Kenshin and make the new anime inaccessible to the old one.”
“The framing is exactly the same as the old anime. Even in Rurouni Kenshin the framing has changed significantly.”
“Hmmm… it seems kind of boring. Well, if it shows your nipples, it’s okay.”
“The settings and ethics are old, who besides fans of the era will watch this?”
“What a man’s chest looks like, it should be okay to show it, idiot.”
“It’s great that they’re remaking it, but I’d be happy with a rebroadcast too.”
“It has lost its depth. Everything has deteriorated, the coloring, the lines, everything seems ‘faded’.”
“Although it’s different from the original, it’s very cute.”
“Regarding the lines, in most of the works they are thinner. Those who like works from the 90s are used to strong contrasts and may find this weak, but considering the uniformity of the art style and the processing effects, perhaps this is better.”
“The PV (trailer) looks very promising. The character designs and framing are quite faithful to the original. It’s a shame that it’s a Netflix exclusive, but on the other hand, if it’s on Netflix, it’s likely to be animated until the end regardless of sales, and that’s a good thing.”
“Why are animes like this nowadays? The colors seem to be faded, everything seems whiter. I think colors were used better back in the day.”
“I watched Ranma because of the boobs.”
“There will be no breasts in the remake…”
“If you’re going to remake a Rumiko Takahashi work, I’d like you to remake Maison Ikkoku. It would probably be the most suitable work for the Reiwa era.”
“The design style is boring, it has no personality. And it’s not even a new design, it’s from a while ago.”
“If it’s sexy, anything goes.”
“When old voice actors play young characters nowadays, their voices sound very old. It’s better to use young voice actors.”
I’ve also seen some Japanese people attribute Ranma’s new “nerfed” look to political correctness.
