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Reviews
Ranma ½ (1989)
Takahashi's crowning achievement!
Every artist and author has a work that defines their lifetime of effort and creativity. For Rumiko Takahashi, Ranma 1/2 represents the pinnacle of her career thus far. Ranma 1/2 is a singularly unique type of story in a world where most Anime are carbon copies of one another. Though the usual Japanese cultural subplots are present throughout the lengthy series, the heart of the plot where a boy with a curse transforms into a girl with but a splash of cold water (and several other characters transform into various other things) is a device not usually used in Anime. Of course that is Takahashi's true gift; creation of stories that are relatively unique when placed next to their peers. Arguably the funniest Anime of all time, Ranma 1/2 thrives from its wide range of wacky and fascinating characters, well-placed slapstick, physical comedy and hilarious love triangles. While there have been many outstanding Anime comedies since then, consider that Ranma 1/2's first season came first. Ranma 1/2 precedes Tenchi Muyo, Love Hina, Parallel Dual, Azumanga Daioh and other such giants of humor. Before Ranma, the only notable humorous Animes that existed were written by Takahashi herself. It is clear Ranma 1/2 set the standard for the way Anime in the 90's and the New Millennium are executed.
Rabu Hina (2000)
One of the funniest Anime's of all time
Takes second place on the all time funny list of Anime shows behind Ranma 1/2, but doesn't lag far behind. The slapstick and physical humor is almost non-stop, leaving you almost no time to pause and take a breath before laughing again. It's very easy to get hooked on this show just by watching the first two or three episodes as I did. The main character is very easy to sympathize with. And it's also very possible for one to get so into the storyline that you end up shouting at the screen for some of the characters to make up their minds. Every character is lovable in their own way. Take your favorite feminine personality, it's all here: Shy and painfully cute, Tomboyish and violent, Sexy and flirtatious, Devious and beautiful. While humor is definitely the main weapon of choice in this Anime, sentimentality and sometimes tragedy help to add depth to all these characters. While each character is more caricature than realism, it's still easy to identify with them. Love Hina... You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll laugh some more... And did I mention laugh?