The past is present and everyone is better for it these days as Neon Alley has added the final episode of Ranma 1/2 to their Neon Alley service powered by Hulu. This means all 161 episodes are available for streaming for fans in its original Japanese language with English subtitles. In addition to that, the first 23 episode season is available dubbed and currently the seventh season with its 23 episode run is available as well as part of a rotating run of episodes tied to home video releases.
Check out the first episode below if you’ve never seen the show before!
“A groundbreaking story with eccentric characters, martial arts mayhem, and quirky romantic subplots, RANMA ½ is a zany adventure that has thrilled generations of fans with its colorful mix of action, romance and screwball comedy,” said Leyla Aker, Vice President, Publishing back in 2013 when the series first hit Neon Alley. “We’re delighted to deliver this classic manga series to a new legion of North American fans this spring in 2-in-1 editions presented in right-to-left format for the first time.”
“RANMA ½ also introduced many influential artists to manga and anime fandom, and it remains a celebrated piece of the genre’s history,” said Brian Ige, VIZ Media Vice President of Animation also back in 2013. “The addition of the anime series to our extensive digital catalog will present these acclaimed episodes in an entirely new way and allow fans to take advantage of the convenience and flexibility that VIZAnime and Neon Alley offer. Fans can also look forward to the hi-definition Blu-ray and DVD release this spring!”
Plot concept: It’s not easy being teenage martial-artist Ranma Saotome, but it’s even worse when your martial-artist father Genma takes you from home at an early age to go on a decade-long training mission. He doesn’t speak a word of Chinese, and yet he insists upon bringing you to the cursed training ground known as Jusenkyo, where falling into one of the many springs there instantly turns you into whoever – or whatever – drowned there last. And then, the two of you have a little accident… From now on, a splash of cold water will turn your father into a giant panda, while you…well, you turn into a red-haired (and problematically well-built) female version of yourself. Hot water will reverse the effect, but only until the next time. What’s a half-guy, half-girl to do?
