Episode 5 of the second season of the remake of the manga anime adaptation Ranma 1/2 He has set fire to Japanese forums this week. A massive wave of fans is praising the most recent chapter of this weekend, highlighting a Drastic improvement in production quality and an artistic style that is a lot “More faithful to the original manga” written by Rumiko Takahashi.
Some of the highlights made by Japanese fans of the work of Rumiko They are “This week’s episode had manga-style art, it was great” and the comment “This week’s art is my favorite”.
However, this acclaim and positive comments for the change seen in this new episode of the remake of the anime adaptation. Just as there are those who praise what was seen in episode 5 of the second season, the Civil war between the most veteran fans of the franchise. From what we analyze such a praised episode has become the center of the remake controversy.
1. The Praise: Fluid Animation and Is Faithful to the Original
being able to appreciate mainly positive comments with what was seen in episode 5 of the second season of the remake of Ranma 1/2, a fairly marked point is that this specific episode represents a peak of quality. Fans in Japanese forums noted that “The animation is superfluous and the facial expressions were great”.
Our expert analysis It indicates that this positive reaction is due to the fact that the episode found the perfect balance that the “manga purists” demanded, highlighting as a great point to have a modern high-quality animation (ぬるぬる動く – Nuru Nuru Ugoku, “fluid movement”) applied to a character design that respects the proportions and face of the original manga, something that younger audiences criticize in relation to the adaptation of the 90’s anime.
2. The review: “Fiel the manga is… old-fashioned?”
Ironically, the same reason for the praise is the basis of criticism. A sector of the audience felt that although the animation was good, the style was a setback. “He’s too faithful to the manga and feels a little old-fashioned”, commented one viewer.
This is the core of the conflict, The nostalgia side (90s anime fans) Not looking for a 1:1 copy of the manga; They seek the “energy” and the unique artistic direction of classic anime. For them, extreme fidelity is a lack of creativity, leading to complaints such as “If you’re glad you’re faithful to the manga, you’d better just read the manga”.
It is important to note that each episode includes dozens of internal and external animators, so it is quite common to appreciate how certain episodes of modern animes could present improvements in their quality of animation and at the same time there are series that could have episodes where quality falls exponentially.
Therefore, this praise related to the fact that the people who worked on it stand out for their great ability to produce quality animation and even the possibility of having a longer period of working on the production of the episode. since another quite usual problem in the industry is working against the clock.
3. The underlying problem: the episode ignores key arcs
Despite the praise, some of the criticisms about what was seen in the episode and what was shown throughout the second season indicate that events seen in the original manga of Ranma 1/2. Therefore, it highlights those who signal that it serves to have good animation when you lose valuable content that has high impact among the most faithful followers.
Our analysis of the narrative structure Confirm the most serious complaint: “The Bakusai Tenketsu (breakpoint) and the Combat Tea bow were skipped.. This jump, which eliminates crucial moments for the development of Ryoga, shows that although the art of an episode may be perfect, the address Remake’s general remains controversial, sacrificing moments of history for a more fluid rhythm.
My verdict as an analyst Is that it is impossible to satisfy the entire audience, but it is possible to solve the more criticisms you will comment on the fans of Ranma 1/2. So we are facing a conflict that is impossible to resolve, especially when taking into account that it is an anime adaptation inspired by a manga that contains its own errors, external, to adaptation. There will always be those who are the adaptation as faithful as possible, although that means you drag narrative errors, and others who prefer a more current and modern rhythm.
