REVIEW: ‘Ranma 1/2’ Season 3 Episode 1 – “Training Meals”

Anchored by some wickedly delightful animation from the animators at MAPPA, Ranma 1/2 Season 3 Episode 1 bursts with gleeful energy. That is par for the course for the new adaptation of the series, based on the manga written and illustrated by Rumiko Takahashi. And while this modern interpretation may lack the deep reds and grainy texture of the original anime, which aired in the late ’80s, it more than makes up for it with the nostalgic animation and kinetic action. 

One of the most charming parts of the series has been how fast and loose it plays with the rules of the world. Ranma (Kappei Yamaguchi/Megumi Hayashibara), after falling into the cursed Jusenkyo spring, turns into a girl whenever he’s hit by cold water. He returns to his male self when doused in hot water. His father, meanwhile, turns into a panda, while his rival, Ryoga (Koichi Yamadera), turns into a piglet. And while some people afflicted with this curse still hide the truth, Ranma has seemingly all but given up. One of the funniest gags in Season 2 was how little people seemed to care about who Ranma was, regardless of which form he took. 

Ranma 1/2 Season 3 Episode 1 continues this trend. From a suitor asking Akane to ask the “pig-tailed girl” (Ranma) on a date, only for Akane (Noriko Hidaka) to push the note to male Ranma, or Ranma casually walking around in his girl form, the casual way the series treats the once core challenge for the character is hilarious. And, frankly, it’s more interesting to see a character be unperturbed by what gender they are at any given moment, and each side of Ranma is distinctive enough without feeling like wholly different characters. 

Both sides of Ranma remain distinctive while always being the same person.

The Netflix anime doesn’t do much to reestablish the main characters, and the plot has always been more an assembly line of episodic obstacles rather than an overarching narrative. Instead, we’re thrust into the latest fight that Ranma will have to deal with.

Or, rather, the one that Ryoga thinks he’s inspiring by challenging him. Instead, Ryoga is hilariously out of his depth. More so than usual, even. In a fantastic bout of action where Ranma effortlessly dodges each of Ryoga’s attacks, Ranma realizes something important. It’s not what he first assumed: that Ryoga has gotten slower. Ranma has actually grown stronger. 

There’s a moment in this mini, one-sided duel that wraps up both sides of Ranma’s personality too. When he stops mid-fight to speed-walk and get into Ryogo’s face before accusing him of getting slower, it brings in the more feral, balletic energy of girl Ranma—just another reminder of them being the same. 

Akane faces her own struggles in Ranma 1/2 Season 3 Episode 1.

Most of Ranma 1/2 Season 3 Episode 1 deals with two different types of training. Ranma and his father, Genma (Chō), go into the woods with Akane for training. She wants to train herself and wants to offer support to Ranma, who recently confessed that he wished for better meals while training. She’s devised a plan to help with this, despite having no cooking skills or experience to speak of. 

It makes for one of the funnier, more electrifying sequences of animation in the entirety of “Training Meals.” It’s jaw-dropping how much animation goes into the scene as Akane continually pours increasingly ludicrous ingredients into the boiling pot.

As someone who loved the cake baking sequence in Sleeping Beauty, it feels reminiscent of that in terms of the fluidity – the idea that you could reach your hand out and feel the ingredients (not that you’d want to in this case), but that, plus the panicked reactions that unspool across her face, amount to a wonderful and personality-driven moment that lasts all of a minute. 

Ryoga wants to get stronger and enlists an unlikely trainer.

It’s not the only animated highlight, but it’s the one that showcases just how absurdly skilled the animators are because it’s a scene that didn’t need that level of attention. They simply knew that the heightened touch would elevate a scene to make it important and stand against the physical training Ranma and Ryoga undergo. This is Akane’s moment to shine, even if it’s a failure rather than a success. 

Ryoga is also struggling, however, and not just because he forces himself to eat the toxic waste Akane manages to produce as her meal. To get stronger and prove himself a threat to Ranma, he’s teamed up with Cologne (Ako Mayama). Cologne still wants Ranma to marry her granddaughter, Shampoo, and is helping Ryoga with that end goal in mind. But it’s still fun to see all of the different pairings in the series considering the eclectic ensemble it’s built over the course of three seasons. 

Ryoga’s dramatics let the show play with tone while keeping it all absolutely absurd. From the darker lighting to Koichi Yamadera’s gruff performance that is at odds with the innate silliness of the premise, Ranma 1/2 Season 3 Episode 1 has a ton of fun with the shift in aesthetic when Ryoga gets to run the perspective. 

Ranma 1/2 Season 3 Episode 1 is a charming premiere from MAPPA.

Which makes Ranma’s obliviousness even funnier and more endearing. Ryoga isn’t an enemy to him. He’d hardly even call him a real rival. Instead, Ranma actively looks out for Ryoga at times, going as far as to not let him slip up and transform into his piglet self in front of Akane. These little beats, plus the whirlwind action, make for a sturdy premiere that promises even greater moments to come.

Ranma 1/2 Season 3 Episode 1 is full of vibrant animation and disarmingly beautiful backdrops and establishing shots. That, plus the non-stop comedy, is a welcome reminder of the immense charm of the series and why it has such longevity. We care about the characters, and the silliness that surrounds them has just enough heart to balance the levity, making it easy to watch them engage in the constant hijinks. Add the superb animation to the mix, and it all amounts to yet another must-watch from MAPPA. 

Ranma 1/2 Season 3 Episode 1 is streaming now on Netflix.