Intro
With the stirring introduction of Kodachi in episodes 6 & 7 of the Ranma 1/2 remake comes the introduction of many other aspects of the show. Not only Tatewaki Kuno’s deranged younger sister, she is also the Captain of the Martial Arts Rhythmic Gymnastics Team as well as the first of many suitors after male Ranma’s heart. With all that, in order to defeat her, Ranma has to practice a different form of martial arts in his female form while Akane deals with her first direct rival – all with the humorous help of Ryoga of course. In the end, Kodachi’s antics made these two episodes an absolutely crazy watch, so let’s explore!
Kodachi, The Black Rose
The situational overview for this episode is presented to us in the style of a shadow theater which, while artistically interesting, strayed a bit far from the franchise’s atmosphere and felt a little out of place. One little detail that made up for it, though, was the intro updating Akane’s look to give her short hair! Such a small change draws attention to how important that is for the story which is sure to please fans when they see it.
When watching the episode’s first scene, I did not expect to love Kodachi’s new dubbed voice as much as I did! While I always thought her original dubbed voice sounded annoyingly posh, the maturity in this new version works so well to make her sound more alluring. I actually freaked out about this the whole time watching this scene because Kodachi was always my least favorite character mostly because of her voice if not for her personality and behavior. I was truly shocked to hear that her voice in this remake was not only less off-putting, but made everything else about her simply more fun to watch. This is definitely on the list as one of the remake’s most significant improvements.
What follows is a scene of the girls Kodachi was ambushing now begging Akane to defeat Kodachi in gymnastics combat. While them just sitting there in her room talking about the situation seemed like nothing more than just setting up the episode’s plot, I thought it was funny how the visuals added a certain drama to it. On the other hand, though, I really liked seeing the serious determination in Akane’s voice over using her martial arts skills to defend her female classmates. It adds another subtle layer to her character by showcasing what she’s willing to do to fight for those in need.
Ryoga steals the show once again in the next scene where we see Ranma watch Akane train for the event in the dojo. After Ryoga comes in as a pig, Akane holds him close and reveals his name “P-Chan” for the first time. One of my favorite moments to come out of this scene was Ranma telling Akane that she’s gotten pretty close to that pig and then seeing him freak out when she replies with “that’s what happens when you sleep together every night”. Playing on Ranma’s jealousy in such a ridiculous way made that moment so hilarious. Another moment I loved just as much was seeing Ryoga leave the dojo then enter Soun’s hot bath to leave as a man. It was so funny to see how his transformation elicited absolutely zero reaction from either of them in the process. It shows just how absurdly mission-focused Ryoga can be when he wants to do something and how much Soun is used to the ridiculousness in his life since Ranma’s entered it.
Outside of Ryoga, however, this training scene had many other qualities such as making Ranma and Akane’s banter cuter. It also reached new heights when it came to properly executing Akane’s anger as her tone was a little more aggressive and her facial expressions more intense. I also wanted to mention the crisp sound design in this scene. With mostly everything silent, the sounds of objects falling or breaking are more pronounced and realistic. It also heightens the humor of the awkward silences that come with Akane messing up certain moves.
First time watchers will have a blast with the next scene where Kodachi just appears on the ceiling of Akane’s room to try defeating her before their main match. Everything about it is pure insanity and it starts off so strong and hilarious. While getting the most excellent display of Akane’s fighting skills so far in the remake, what overall makes this scene stand out is its fast pacing. We get the craziest, most destructive moves out of nowhere so quickly all throughout the fight. Then, about halfway through, Ranma and P-Chan burst into her room fighting each other which causes them to slam the door in Kodachi’s face – the suddenness absolutely matching the random quality of this scene. What’s better is that, when Kodachi leaves Akane’s room a mess, we get yet another great showcase of Akane’s anger when she exclaims how she’ll get her back for that in the match. Everything here kind of happens all at once in the best way possible and I’m sure fans will be exhilarated on some level after such a wild ride.
Hectic moments continue in a much different way, though, when Ranma ends up saving Kodachi from falling off the roof of the Tendo house. Regaining consciousness in his arms, this is inevitably where she develops her obsessive crush on him and becomes the first girl to pine after him throughout the series. Combined with the dramatic still of her fantasies and the way she expresses her love for him right off the bat by immediately pinning him to the ground makes this moment the most insane in the entire remake to watch so far. The stills were very well drawn and beautiful from an artistic standpoint. Everything else, though, was almost too hard to watch due to the secondhand embarrassment and overwhelming amount of feeling she put into the moment. It was here that I realized just how much the changes in this remake have amped up the chaos from the original.
As if Kodachi didn’t intimidate us enough, we then see her jumping on Akane the next day at school. The first thing I noticed about this scene was just how much Akane can fight like Ranma. It surprised me to see how she was able to sense Kodachi’s malice before blocking her attack in the same way Ranma was able to sense Ryoga’s bloodlust a few episodes back. This skill is such a new element to the remake, but it’s fun to watch and I enjoy how it places Akane on more equal footing with Ranma. Most of all, though, I’m left curious to see if the rest of the martial artists in the show will have this ability as well. In addition, Akane’s reflexes are also just as impressive as Ranma’s here given how quickly she stopped Kodachi’s attack. What takes up most of this scene, however, is Kodachi’s increasingly unstable behavior. After witnessing her forward confession from the night before, watching her immediately harass Ranma and Akane then scream when Ranma expresses no interest in her pushes her chaotic presence to an almost terrifying level – rendering her scenes absolutely shocking and entertaining.
The episode ends quite nicely with Akane back in the dojo practicing for her match with Kodachi in a lovely gymnastics uniform. Similar to the last time we saw them fight here, Ranma dodges all of Akane’s attacks with ease once again – yet there’s an added rhythm that’s fun to watch. Even after Ranma tries landing some hits to help her practice properly, seeing them place more focus on their fighting this time around made their first real martial arts practice scene together quite satisfying to observe. Then, in the middle of all this, P-Chan comes in to add something so lighthearted to the scene. After Akane mentions that Ryoga hasn’t been present to help her practice for days, it was so funny to see that he got lost again by coming in as a pig with items from different parts of the country. It only gets better when Ranma uses this to tease Ryoga about his true identity in front of Akane. While Ryoga gets angry at this, we also get to see how adorable he is as a pig afterwards when embracing his vulnerability around Akane.
Still, he is just as fun to watch as a man in the final moment of this episode where we see Akane resting on her bed after spraining her ankle during practice. Once all the Tendo sisters settle on Ranma taking Akane’s place in the match as a girl, Ryoga shows up out of nowhere to splash him in cold water and tell him that they will train all night. The randomness of this moment not only captured his character so well, it also tied the episode up in a way that matched its unique tone and left us smiling.
Hot Competition
To my surprise, the next episode actually opens up with another situational overview that’s much more focused on Ranma. For the most part, we see him and Ryoga in their transformed states happily walking and riding a giant swing together. The only exception being when they’re splashed with warm water mid-swing where they’re seen freaking out over sharing the swing together as two men. This only lasts for a moment, though, before they transform back with cold water and the camera zooms in on Ranma’s fun loving face. Leaving out his betrothal to Akane in favor of explaining Ranma’s curse only, this overview was super short and sweet. Not only did it capture the hectic nature of Ranma and Ryoga’s friendship, I also found myself enjoying the sight of Ranma having so much fun in his female form.
We could also take the focus on Ranma and Ryoga in the overview as foreshadowing for the opening scene where we see the two of them train together in the dojo. While it starts off serious, it quickly takes on a boyish foolishness. All of a sudden, the two of them start screaming in preparation for their respective attacks like they’re getting ready to do a kamehameha on each other. Then, we get stills of them attacking with their ribbons spelling out insults in Japanese. Only when Akane leaves, however, do we see things completely unravel as their fighting loses all coordination in the process of them giving into just beating each other up immaturely – destroying the dojo until morning comes. In a way that’s so lovable and fun to watch, this is one of those scenes that makes you roll your eyes and shake your head as you witness what their relationship is going to be like in future episodes.
What comes next is Ranma and Akane greeting Kodachi at her school to let her know they have a replacement to fight her in the match. All the scenes of them at this school stand out when it comes to showing off Akane’s hatred of Kodachi and how awesomely well she is able to put a stop to her sneaky attacks. We see everything from Akane grasping Kodachi’s wrist to reveal tacks between her fingers when she comes to shake hands with Ranma to kicking Ranma out of the doorway to let a metal pan fall on her head to even placing one of the black roses from the bouquet Kodachi gave them in a fish tank to confirm that it’s laced with sleeping pills. With all this, the remake gives us an excellent introduction to how well Akane can defend against a rival – which made me excited to see how it will approach the way she handles herself against Ranma’s future suitors.
We are proud to see Ryoga make an appearance here as well seeing that he actually managed to arrive at the school without getting lost! What comes with him exclaiming about this accomplishment, though, is his first official declaration of love for Akane. The first of many that is sure to come throughout the remake, this was a visually stunning surprise that left me eager to see how displays of his affection will progress in its modern style.
With all that said and done, we finally arrive at the main event – the rhythmic gymnastics martial arts match between Ranma and Kodachi! From just the opening introductions alone, everything is filled to the brim with so much more liveliness and excitement than the original anime. The visuals have to be my favorite part here as we get such beautiful dramatic lighting and just the right amount of color in this darkened arena. What takes up most of the attention, however, is how the two fighters are introduced in an energetic boxing match fashion as they enter the ring. We get everything from creative camera angles, retro TV filters, fight music, and even quality coverage from the ridiculously ever present radio club once again. The remake really took advantage of everything this scene had to offer in the original and amped it up so finely. Although, I do think it was a missed opportunity to get rid of the way Kodachi enters the ring in an over dramatic wedding dress like she does in the original. At the same time, however, I do think it was a visually pleasing improvement to have Ranma flip into the ring with more precise acrobatic skill in this remake. Even now, the way he carries himself when engaging in a type of martial arts we’ve never seen before helps him place emphasis on the anything goes school of martial arts he belongs to.
Of course, it wouldn’t be Ranma if he didn’t interrupt such an impressive display with something ridiculous – and he does just that by telling the announcer to introduce him to the crowd as Ranma Saotome. We quickly know why Ranma tells Akane not to worry about this information revealing his curse as the announcement only seems to elicit a complete display of ridiculous thinking from everyone in the building. Kuno is so happy to know the name of his crush that he has to write it down so he doesn’t forget – as if he doesn’t care that she has the same name as his enemy. Kodachi is just annoyed thinking that her opponent intentionally took the name of her crush to make her angry. Everyone else just theorizes that they could be related or that she just genuinely has the same first and last name as the male Ranma they know. Just the same as the original, absolutely no one comes to the conclusion that they could be the same person which is sure to leave the audience laughing at the absurdity. What makes it better, though, is Ranma breaking the fourth wall a bit by essentially telling Akane “I told you so” which makes it hilariously clear that he knows just how dense everyone is at this point.
Soon begins the match that’s riveting in a variety of ways, showing us everything that rhythmic gymnastic martial arts has to offer. While Kodachi stands as a strong and unpredictable opponent, it’s female Ranma that absolutely steals the show all throughout. Even as we see her falter a bit sometimes, we see her execute such an impressive amount of skill so beautifully with every dodge and even more so with every attack. Yet, contrasting Kodachi’s smug attitude, she remains utterly determined which keeps the suspense consistent. The slow motion shots, rapid movements from the characters, and beautiful stills of Kodachi’s fantasies only contributed to this fight’s mix of elegance and intensity. From the sidelines, we also get to see Akane react to various aspects of the fight with such strong facial expressions which is always so satisfying to see. In a similar way, I also thought it was so fun to see Ranma and Ryoga interact in their transformed states again. Becoming bashful after using Ryoga as a shield against one of Kodachi’s attacks, this is the second time we see Ranma react this way towards a mistake he’s made at Ryoga’s expense and it makes for such a cute dynamic.
The scene then introduces a way to take the fight to new heights by having panda Genma appear beside Akane with a hot kettle and tea cups. The instant we recognize this presence of hot water, we’re only left waiting for the inevitable moment where Kodachi uses it on Ranma. Of course, I was left absolutely raving after she did while the audience reacted with confusion at the sight of two male silhouettes in the water. Suffice it to say, the suspense was so strong here and contributed to such a well executed build up that makes sure the audience understands the stakes every step of the way. Then, there is relief found in the sight of Akane and Ranma’s dad coming to his rescue by hosing him down with a large stream of cold water while he’s in mid-air. I thought this moment not only defined the positive role they can play in his life during an emergency for knowing about his curse but also, with the close up shots of her worried face, spelled out just how much Akane cares for Ranma’s success. We eventually see him pull one off by swimming against the current to land right back inside the ring. Everything from the water itself, to Ranma’s tenaciously focused movements, to the way Kodachi’s hoop slices through the liquid is so beautifully animated here which definitely contributes to the way we cheer Ranma on.
When Ranma almost throws Kodachi out of bounds, the shock factor is then delivered with an appealing overhead shot of the infamously unbelievable moment where the ring moves to make sure Kodachi lands within it. After Ranma destroys the ring to reveal a group of girls moving the platform from underneath, the two are left to fight using only the corner posts to stay in bounds. Breaking the midst of silence over how the fight will continue, Ranma quickly revs up our excitement by pointing out that aerial combat is a strength of the anything goes school of martial arts he represents. In the same way we’ve seen parts of Akane’s world before she met Ranma, I absolutely loved hearing this bit regarding what Ranma knows about his own world before he met Akane. While rather minor details, I think this gives us a unique chance to know more about our main characters outside of what’s happening to them in the present story. We seldom ever hear Ranma bring up his brand of martial arts either, so knowing this made me eager to see how he would act on this advantage. The suspense ends up climbing to its highest point while watching it unfold as the rules of rhythmic gymnastics, Ryoga’s efforts to make him lose, and Kodachi’s unwavering skillset combine to keep him from fighting at his best – let alone stay within bounds. However, even with so many close calls, it’s amazing to see how his relentless determination guides such ruthless and smart fighting moves that end up leading him to victory.
While it is quite humorous to see Ranma barely able to stand as the announcer declares him the winner, it is also quite endearing as it proves that he is being challenged further and further as a martial artist with every character he meets. Although, for the first girl after his heart, we get a moment of sincerity watching how heartbroken Kodachi is after losing as everyone knows that means she has to give up her pursuit of Ranma. While I personally didn’t want anything to happen, the sympathy is there seeing how she’s admitted that going to an all girls school has made her doubtful that she would ever find a man. However, we only briefly share Ranma and Akane’s softened expressions when she decides to take this loss as an opportunity to simply pursue him in a much different way that’s almost more intense. Just like that, the fight seems to have done almost nothing to rid Ranma of his situation. As such, seeing him lose color and disappear in a cartoonish way comes as a natural reaction seemingly reserved for the Kunos as it feels reminiscent of the moment her brother first confessed his love to his female form. Our final image is of Kodachi gracing the blackened screen while letting out one of her dramatic laughs. While a pleasantly random way to end the episode, it ties things together by defining her as an unsettlingly chaotic addition to the plot.
Conclusion
Kodachi’s entrance into the Ranma 1/2 remake shows us that it plans to embody the frantic tone of the original with each new character it introduces. Despite its strengths and weaknesses, this pattern is working to steadily improve many aspects of the show by inching closer to embracing a few trademarks belonging to the original anime. With all the characters we’ve gotten so far, I’m noticing how it manages to balance everyone out so nicely while embracing their best attributes to amp up the entertainment factor. Having seen how much they’ve improved upon Kodachi’s character and voice, I can’t wait to see what they do with upcoming characters. It’s sure to bring even more exciting developments for Ranma and Akane’s relationship as well as for the show in general.
