Ranma 1/2 (1987)

[らんま1/2]

Volume 2

Author/Artist: Rumiko Takahashi
Publisher: Shounen Sunday Comics

Synopsis:
While Akane works out her feelings for Toufuu-sensei, Ranma is confronted by a rival from his past.

Story/Characters:
This volume sees the introduction of Ryouga and Kodachi. Now, Ryouga's one of my favorite characters and, in my opinion, a much better fit for Akane (if she actually ever gave him the time of day), but I partially say that because I'm more of a Ranma-Ukyou shipper (more on that later). I can also relate to Ryouga as a fellow houkou onchi. (I don't confuse Okinawa for Hokkaido, but if I discovered some distant relation to the Hibiki family, I wouldn't be surprised.) Here's he's just established as a basic rival, but his character develops quite a bit over the course of the series. We just get one chapter of Kodachi leading into the Martial Arts Gymnastics arc, but I do tend to find her comedic sociopathy somewhat amusing.

Given how long Takahashi takes to go anywhere with actual romantic couples in her work, you may or may not be disappointed with how quickly Akane's situation with Toufuu-sensei gets resolved. I mean, I suppose outside the main story, it's something that's been going on for years, but the plot thread gets tied up rather quickly. If only Happousai could've been wrapped up that quickly... (Another thing you'll hear about in abundance later.)

Art:
Even though it hasn't been that long, you can already start to see Takahashi's linework sharpening up. By and large, the quality of the art is about the same, but with the introduction of Ryouga, we start to get more impressive fight scenes. Also, Takahashi has a knack for using large-panel scenes for particular impact. The comedic shots get kicked up a notch too. Nothing to complain about here.

Conclusion:
We add two major characters to the cast and the introduction of Ryouga is particularly strong. There'll be plenty more with him later. Whereas the first volume mostly just got the ball rolling, here we're really starting to get to the main event (insofar as we have a main event in a series with limited overarching plot). If you were already hooked by the first volume, you'll want to keep going and if you were on the fence before, this could change your mind. Give it a read.

Rating:
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