REVIEW: ‘Ranma 1/2’ Episode 5 — “Who Says You’re Cute”

Ranma 1/2 Episode 5 injects itself with its now-expected zany atmosphere and hyper-energized style. Following Episode 4, we open with Akane (Noriko Hidaka) silently processing the shock of her hair being lobbed off due to Ranma (Megumi Hayashibara and Kappei Yamaguchi) and Ryoga’s battle. Her wide-eyed shock, Ranma’s tentative steps toward her, and both Ranma and Ryoga telling her to hit them as revenge is hilarious. It’s all so heightened and keyed up — befitting the tone of the series as a whole. The series continued ability to marry non-stop comedy with beautiful artistry without one ever distracting from the other is why it’s such a must-watch this season.

There are two main plot points in Ranma 1/2 Episode 5. The first, of course, is Akane’s now cropped hair. The series treats this less like a triviality and more with the realistic reaction of a teenage girl who doesn’t want to care but does. And, in the end, it’s less that Akane is mourning her long locks and more that she’s saying goodbye to a version of her who tried to look stereotypically girly, like her sister, Kasumi, to seek the affection of Dr. Tofu. She cries in front of him over it, letting her guard down in pure release as she sobs about the hair, what it meant for her, and an unrequited crush.

It’s an excellent way to give the narrative some gravitas while keeping it bound to the light-on-its-feet atmosphere of the series. By embracing the new cut, Akane also embraces her most authentic self, who doesn’t seek the approval of any man based on her looks. It’s also, however, what makes Ranma turn his focus on her, finding her cute and immediately panicking about it.

This sequence also allows Ranma to be open and deliberate with her rather than constantly posturing. He’s genuine in his apology, something even Akane can recognize. The sequence of the two walking home again, the vibrant pinks and blues of the sunset, is stunning in its rendering. The show’s beauty heightens when the series slows down to let the characters breathe. We see this in the score, emphasizing the traditional Chinese instrument, the erhu, and in that meditative walk home. There’s nothing overtly flashy about the moment, content in stillness, and yet it’s breathtaking due to the unusual color pallets and the vibrancy of the sun peeking through the clouds.

The abrupt tone shift with overtly saturated frames helps pivot us into the second major storyline of Ranma 1/2 Episode 5. The back half deals with Ryoga and his past ties to Ranma. In an extended fight sequence where Ryoga takes pains to stay covered under an umbrella as rain pelts down on them, we learn he followed Ranma to Jueynko. Unsurprisingly, Ryoga, too, fell into one of the pools of drowned spirits. And while Ranma’s curse involves him transforming into a girl, Ryoga’s is to transform into a pig.

How this is found out maintains a lot of physical comedy and sight gags, as Ranma realizes while he brings the pig version of Ryoga to the bath while still in his female form. It’s one of the funnier character beats when Ranma tries to utilize this to his benefit when he realizes Ryoga believes it’s Ranma’s fault he’s cursed since Ranma unknowingly knocked Ryoga into the pool. As the series progresses, Ranma seems increasingly unbothered by his female state, happy to utilize it in his favor if it means interrupting a potential brawl.

However, the episode ends with Akane none the wiser, leading to another violent exchange in which she believes Ranma had snuck into her room when he was trying to take pig Ryoga away from her. It’s all very silly and lighthearted while continuing to build out the wider ensemble surrounding the core characters.

Ranma 1/2 Episode 5 doesn’t reach the extreme highs of its best moments narratively but excels, again, with startlingly beautiful visuals. There’s an ever-present warmth in the animation that helps give this series an engaging glow. The growth these characters experience might be slowly earned, but it never settles into tedium due to witty writing and tremendous artistry.

Ranma 1/2 Episode 5 is out now on Netflix.