Not lazy about reading. I finished Ranma 1/2 a few months ago. I'm just extremely lazy about posting.
Ranma 1/2 is 36 volumes. One of the reasons I chose it was because our library had the entire series and I really wanted to read and review a complete series, not just a few volumes. Originally, I was hesitant about Ranma 1/2, because I've never been a fan of the art style of the author, Rumiko Takashi. However, as I read more and more, I really began to love it. She has an incredibly unique style. You can tell immediately when you see Ranma 1/2, Inuyasha, or Maison Ikkou, that Takahashi is the creator.
The storyline is simple, but fun: Ranma, a teenage boy, went with his father to some hot springs in China for martial arts training. However, the hot springs were cursed. When a person falls into one of the pools, he is cursed to transform whenever doused with cold water into whatever person/thing drowned in that pool.
Unfortunately for Ranma and his father, Genma, they both fall into two separate pools. This turns Genma into a panda, and Ranma into a girl.
The big problem lies in the fact that Genma has promised Ranma's hand in marriage to his friend Soun Tendo, who can marry Ranma off to whichever of his three daughters he should choose. Ranma gets paired off with the martial arts-loving tomboy Akane, and the two are immediately at each others' throats constantly.
Ranma's and Akane's relationship would seem to be one-note...they quarrel mostly, and sometimes they quarrel to hide the fact that they actually do care for one another. There are sweet notes to their relationship, little moments where you can see their feelings blossoming. The relationship between Ranma and Akane is one of the best I've read in a manga in a while, one of the sweetest I've seen since the manga Mars...though it's a subtle sweetness.
Sometimes Ranma 1/2 gets bogged down with a plethora of 'guest stars'....Ranma himself has a handful of suitors who just won't stop trying to break his engagement with Akane....but usually, this settles well into the storyline, and doesn't become overbearing.
The final story arc, with the inhabitants of Ho'o Peak, was a little hokey for my taste. I felt that winged people went a bit too far into the fantasy genre. Then I remembered that I was reading a book about a boy who magically transforms into a girl, and told myself to chill out and go with the flow.
I did feel that the last volume felt a bit rushed, but over all, this was a wonderful manga. The storyline is terrific, the characters (even when there are too many) are varied and interesting. Ranma him/herself immediately got added to my future cosplay list, and I began watching the anime. I definitely recommend it! (Be prepared for nudity!)
