Ranma 1/2 (1989)

[らんま1/2]

Volume 8

Author/Artist: Rumiko Takahashi
Publisher: Shounen Sunday Comics

Synopsis:
The Tendou Dojo faces a challenger while Ranma goes on a date with Shampoo in exchange for some instant Nannichuan powder. Akane fulfills her longtime dream of playing Juliet in a school play. Ranma and Ryouga team up to search for the Japanese Nannichuan.

Story/Characters:
The dojoyaburi chapters are interesting in that Ranma plays dirty with the mistress of underhanded ploys and it goes about as well as you'd think. The Romeo and Juliet section might have been more interesting if they even remotely tried to play it straight, but I suppose the chaos we get is amusing enough. I happen to like stories where Ranma and Ryouga team up, so that definitely helped the wafuu Nannichuan story. Happousai shows up in the latter two of these stories, but he's nowhere close to being the focus like he was in the previous volume, so I can suffer his presence a little more.

Art:
One thing I want to make particular note of this volume is the costumes for the Romeo and Juliet story. Both Akane and Ranma's Juliet costumes look amazing. A small thing, but something worth bringing up.

Conclusion:
The three stories here aren't bad, but they're far from the best the series has to offer. If you're a fan, you'll want to keep on reading, but this volume won't change your mind about anything if you're not so enthusiastic about it. The Romeo and Juliet story in particular is a bit of a mess, nice costumes aside.

Rating:
50/50