Ranma 1/2 (1993)

[らんま1/2]

Volume 25

Author/Artist: Rumiko Takahashi
Publisher: Shounen Sunday Comics

Synopsis:
Ranma and Herb grapple over the Kaishuihu. Furinkan High School gets a new teacher to put its delinquent students in line. Akane goes off alone to fight monsters.

Story/Characters:
The conclusion of the Musk Dynasty story is pretty good, but the best moments of the arc have already passed. The introduction of Hinako-sensei is pretty good. She only shows up for one OAV in the anime (based on this story), but becomes a recurring character here in the manga. How much you like the character will be based entirely on how her schtick clicks with you, being immature in her child form and a sexpot in her adult form (voiced, of course, by Yumi Touma in the anime). It is interesting that Ukyou, Shampoo and Kodachi all team up to take on Hinako-sensei, not a trio that usually cooperates. We close the volume on the first part of the Ryuugenzawa story. This was made into a two-part OAV and it's a story I like quite a bit. The first two chapters is mostly setup, but there's some pretty good payoff that follows.

Art:
At least in her shounen series, Takahashi doesn't typically portray females with mature sexiness, so Hinako-sensei's adult version is a different sort of character than what you normally see but is rendered quite effectively. *ahem*

Conclusion:
The main feature this volume is the Hinako-sensei story and it's pretty good. Add in the fairly effective conclusion of the Musk Dynasty story and the promising start of the Ryuugenzawa story and you have a satisfying read.

Rating:
Read It