MOVIE COMPANY: KITTY FILM / SHOGAKUKAN
DIRECTED BY: Shuji Iuchi
PRODUCED BY: VIZ VIDEO
RATING: Not Rated
COMPANY WEBSITE: Â http://www.viz.com
TYPE OF MOVIE:
DURATION: 60 minutes
When poetry-spouting swordsman Tatewaki Kuno invites Ranma & Co. for a jaunt on his new luxury yacht, the last thing the group expects is a sudden storm to shipwreck them all on a deserted island. However, fixing the boat to get home soon becomes the least of their worries, as all the young girls in the group begin to disappear. As it turns out, they’ve been bride-napped by Prince Toma, the youthful ruler of the floating island, Togenkyo. Because of a magical spring which turns anything it touches instantly male, would-be bridegrooms have to kidnap girls…and in this case, Ranma’s reluctant fiancee Akane is one of them! Now, in order to rescue the girls (and get his hands on that magical water, which could cure his own shape-changing “problem”). Ranma must enter an anything-goes martial arts bride-off which includes events such as “survival flower-arranging” and “obstacle-course cooking.” Can Ranma (now “in disguise” as a girl) beat scores of other kidnapped concubines, win the contest, rescue Akane, and get the magical Togenkyo water…all while wearing a push-up bra and three-inch heels?
DVD EXTRAS:
• Region 1 encoding (US and Canada only)
• Color, Animated
• Music Video
• Photo Gallery
• Story Boards
KNOWN DVD SECRET(S):
On the Viz Video Information menu: on the left side of the options area is a peach graphic. When highlighted it goes to the video footage where Ukyo disappears to be replaced by a peach followed by Genma and Ryoga’s overreaction.
DVD REVIEW:
When I first saw this movie in 1993, I remember how much I loved the anime, the movie and I had to buy it immediately. Now, it’s nearly a decade later, it’s arrived in US shores and is on DVD and I couldn’t wait to get my favorite Ranma 1/2 movie on DVD.
Needless to say that I was very disappointed to see the transfer of this awesome movie on DVD look so dated. What the heck happened to the beautiful transfer? My gosh, we have seen old movies on DVD look so beautiful, why does this movie look so dated?
Don’t get me wrong, if you haven’t seen this movie before and love Ranma 1/2, you will love this movie but if you saw it or owned the original version, to see this beautiful movie look so dated on DVD format is disappointing.
As for the DVD, I’m grateful they added the English dubbed and most important, the Japanese language for us purists. There’s not much in terms of special features but character profiles and concept drawings.
Otherwise since I love this movie, I give the movie a great rating but the dated transfer reduces my rating immediately. You know how on older movies, you see the original trailer and you can tell it’s dated. But when you watch the movie on DVD, you see a beautiful, colorful transfer of the movie. Not on this Viz version of the “Ranma 1/2” movie.
A must get for fans who haven’t seen the film or who aren’t as picky as I am in terms of video quality. Again, it’s an awesome movie…I highly recommend this movie to all Ranma 1/2 fans. My problem is with the transfer….
THE ANIME:Â A-
THE DVD EXTRAS:Â C-
THE DVD OVERALL:Â B-