Ranma anime remake rumours confirmed

After weeks of fevered speculation, it fell to mangaka Rumiko Takahashi to confirm on X that yes, Ranma 1/2 is getting an anime remake, with more details to follow on July 17th via a news stream.

Originally animated by Studio Deen in 1989, the series was a global hit (though sadly not in the UK) and followed on from the author's previous smash hit, Urusei Yatsura. With the David Production Studio's remake of Lum and Ataru's adventures now concluded after 2 seasons, the timing seems perfect for moving on to Takahashi's next opus.

The gender-bending comedy first arrived in 1987, with the titular Ranma cursed to turn into a girl when he's splashed with cold water, returning to his male form when exposed to hot water. With a string of fiances chasing after "their" man, the series mixes romance, comedy and martial arts to terrific effect. 

It will be interesting to see how a modern series handles the amount of nudity (all for comedic purposes) that was rife in the original work, or if the series will be as compacted as Urusei Yatsura was, with only 48 episodes in the remake compared to the original runs 194. It would be nice to have a more decisive ending to Ranma, something David Production handled superbly with their very much in-character sentiments between Lum and Ataru.

Now we wait until July 17th for more information. Let's hope a new series brings new figures (something sorely lacking for Ranma fans) and perhaps a deluxe manga release too.