Review of Ranma ½

I've heard from enough folks over Ranma 1/2 being one of Rumiko Takahashi's most famous works and finally worked up the nerve to see what all the fuss was about getting all 161 episodes to the series (or 18 + 143 if you know they are two separate TV anime). Suffice to say, I don't really get what all the hype to the series is about since it has a good deal of issues I took notice of throughout its rather long run. As the entirety of Ranma 1/2 is actually two TV titles, both carry with them different storytelling approaches and levels of quality tothem. The first series appeared to have a more ongoing storyline as there was building developments with the characters Ranma interacted with and the introduction of new characters he confronted took place over the span of several episode arcs. While Ranma's cross-gender gimmick was milked for comedy at a number of points, the first series still created a balance of comical and serious moments with Ranma seeking a means to cure his curse, handling his relationship with Akane and dealing with the various rivals that get in his way. Due to low ratings however, the first series was abruptly cancelled and the second one took over for the rest of its TV run. The second series is more gag comedy driven and episodic in developments to a great extent. While having some developments with more characters introduced, it does not offer much in terms of advancement for the established character relationships in the series and advancement drags to a halt as many episodes felt more like filler. Also, much of the comedy in the series did not really grab my interest as it relied heavily on slapstick, perversion and the obnoxious or self-absorbed traits of many of its characters as such where I found myself struggling at a number of points just to press on with the series and it gets repetitious in a hurry since the same gags kept getting hammered for Ranma 1/2's 161-episode run.

In terms of visuals, Ranma 1/2 is on par with other early 90s anime titles with having low-budget animation with its washed-out backgrounds, minimalist details and plain-looking character designs. Animation shortcuts are liberally used throughout the series thanks to its long episode length, though the ridiculous fighting styles employed by some characters (tea ceremonies, skating, gymnastics, etc...) lend to some fun choreography at points despite the show's penchant for reusing many of its gags.

Overall, I just don't get why Ranma 1/2 is considered a classic by many anime fans. The show runs into quite a bit of filler that hampers its plot development (which I would assume is due to the anime surpassing its manga source material in plot as Inuyasha suffered), relies too heavily on the same annoying comedic gags and not offering enough fleshing out of its characters to know them beyond whatever character archetypes they are milking. Suppose your mileage may vary on how you warm to Ranma's comedy, especially if you've seen enough anime for a decade-plus as I have to see all the typical comedic gags that it milks.