Ranma 1/2 (1988)

[らんま1/2]

Volume 4

Author/Artist: Rumiko Takahashi
Publisher: Shounen Sunday Comics

Synopsis:
Turned into a girl, Ranma switches partners to finish the match with the Golden Pair. Afterward, a vengeful warrior from China comes hunting for Ranma.

Story/Characters:
Halfway into the Golden Pair fight, Ryouga tries to take Ranma's place but instead ends up stuck with female Ranma for a partner. It's funny watching them cooperate as they're fighting each other even more than they're fighting Mikado and Azusa. More importantly, this volume features the introduction of Shampoo and her first story arc. Shampoo was designed as an attempt to do Lum from Urusei Yatsura better. I don't believe Takahashi succeeded in making a better Lum, but Shampoo has a lot going for her. She's cute and unlike Akane, very willing to show affection, but also a dirty, underhanded, murderous psychopath. There's more depth to her character than Lum's, I'll grant you, but that doesn't make her more likeable when you think about some of the things she does in the course of the series. Anyway, this arc does a good job of establishing her character.

Art:
The second half of the Golden Pair fight gets delightfully over the top. And since we have the introduction of Shampoo, we get plenty of the Middle Kingdom's cutest daughter. That may be enough to warrant the price of admission.

Conclusion:
The second half of the Golden Pair fight is good, but Shampoo's introductory arc is the real feature here. It's so good that the anime displaced the Golden Pair fight to end the first season. Give it a read.

Rating:
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