Broadcasting will begin in October 2024! Report on the big presentation of the completely new anime "Ranma 1/2! Kappei Yamaguchi speaks of his determination, saying, "It's fine with the Ranma we make now.

A major presentation of the completely new anime "Ranma 1/2" was held on July 14, 2024. Many new information was announced, including the cast, which has been the focus of much attention.

Ranma 1/2" was serialized in "Weekly Shōnen Sunday" (Shogakukan) from 1987 #36 to 1996 #12, and remains a hugely popular manga masterpiece by Rumiko Takahashi.

Therefore, when the decision to produce a completely new anime was announced, fans were not only excited, but also asked what the cast would be like, what kind of anime would it be, and how would it be made. What kind of anime will it be? What kind of anime will it be? The fact that the hashtag "#Ranma Anime" was trending No. 1 in Japan on social networking sites even before the presentation started showed the high level of attention.

At the beginning of the presentation, a PV was suddenly shown and the cast, production company, broadcast date and time, etc. were announced. The cast was announced to include Kappei Yamaguchi as Ranma Saotome, Megumi Hayashibara as Ranma (female Ranma), and Noriko Hidaka as Akane Tendou, with many of the main cast members continuing on from the previous episode.

The series is produced by MAPPA, directed by Kounosuke Uda, series composition by Kimiko Ueno, and character design by Hiromi Taniguchi, and will begin airing on NTV every Saturday at 24:55 on October 5, 2024, followed by sequential nationwide broadcasts on other NTV networks, as well as exclusive distribution on Netflix immediately after the broadcast. Netflix will distribute the program exclusively.

Yamaguchi, Hayashibara, Hidaka, and director Uda took the stage from the cast members who had just been announced. Both the cast members in character-inspired costumes and Director Uda were still excited about finally being able to make the announcement, and said, "I think it's a miracle in the industry.

According to Mr. Yamaguchi, it was late December of last year when he took the voice test, and it was only at the end of January of last year that it was decided that he would work with this group. When Mr. Hayashibara received the offer, he revealed with a laugh that at first he was a little stubborn, saying that if Mr. Yamaguchi would do it, he would do it, but if not, he would go to ....... He then immediately called Mr. Yamaguchi to see if he would do it.

For Mr. Hidaka, "Ranma 1/2" was so much fun that it was his youth. That is why he was so determined not to miss this opportunity and recalls that he was quite nervous. She also shared a wonderful episode in which Ms. Yamaguchi, who received a slightly weak message because of this, came to the site on the day of Ms. Hidaka's voice test. Yamaguchi-san's words, "This time it's not an individual competition, it's a team competition," also conveyed the idea that everyone was going to do it together! This is not an individual competition this time, it's a team competition.

Director Uda, who is in charge of this film with such passion, said that he was surprised and deeply moved when he received the offer because he was passionate about this work when he was a student. He also recalled that he began to wonder what he should do.

The speakers then talked about the recording of the first episode. All of them were nervous that day, especially Yamaguchi, who said that "Ranma 1/2" was the first time he played a role with a name, a work that represents his roots as a voice actor. For Hayashibara, "Ranma 1/2" was only his second work in which he played a main character. Although he had more experience than the two of them, Mr. Hidaka says he was still just a rookie, so he read the original story again to make sure that he had packed all the charm into his performance. He said that he went into the recording sessions thinking that he wanted to pack in all of the charms of the original story.

He also said that it had been 35 years since the first broadcast of the old anime series and 32 years since the end of the broadcast, and that it was wonderful to see the members, who had blossomed in their own places, come back here again. See you next week!" and they also chew on the happiness of leaving every week.

The conversation also turned to specific direction at the time, and Mr. Hayashibara said that since Ranma was Ranma's alter ego, the director repeatedly told him to "steal Katsuhira-kun's (acting). Now, on the contrary, Mr. Yamaguchi sometimes steals Mr. Hayashibara's acting, creating a synergy that has only been possible because 35 years have passed.

When asked if he was close to the person he played more than 30 years ago, Mr. Yamaguchi says, "I was conscious of it at first. But when it came time for the actual performance, I "drew closer" to the character on screen, as only an actor who has been active for many years can say. He said that it was similar to the feeling he gets at a class reunion when 10 or 20 years have flown by, and when he saw everyone's face and heard everyone's voice, he was able to relax and perform the role reflexively.

Director Uda, who also serves as the sound director, said emphatically, "Not everyone is the lead actor, but everyone is the main character. He said it was surprisingly easy because the members knew the roles better than he did, but he did not hesitate to give them bad advice. He also said that the scene was like a family, and he felt a great sense of teamwork.

In the latter half of the presentation, the artist who would sing the opening theme song was also announced, and while I thought he was going to take the stage at ......, I saw a panda on stage with Ranma's father, Genma Saotome, covered in water. Holding a sign that read, "Hello! I'm my father." The members fiddled with the panda holding a sign saying "Hello! After such a fun exchange, ano-san, who sings the opening theme song, took the stage once again.

When asked about her impression of the original work, she said, "I enjoyed the richness of the characters and the novelty of the setting.

When Ms. Yamaguchi asked which animal she would like to be if she were to fall into Jusenkyo, which appears in the work. When Ms. Yamaguchi asked which animal she would like to be if she were to fall into Jusenkyo, Ms. ano answered, "I would like to be a mouse. She likes cats, so she wants to be chased by a cat. The cast members laughed when they heard this, saying that there is a "slot" for them since there is no character in the film who would turn into a mouse.

In addition, a precious color paper from the original author, Rumiko Takahashi, was also presented, and the presentation ended with a final word from each of the performers.

Ms. Ano

I am truly honored to be asked to open the show. I hope that people who have never read the original work will find it even more interesting through the anime. I love it too, so I look forward to the anime reaching you all."

Director Uda

The staff members are also enjoying making this work, even though they are suffering from the pain. I hope that the viewers will also enjoy it while suffering.

Mr. Hidaka

Uda said, "It's a friendly studio, but Director Uda never gives up. He never gives up until the film comes out from Hidaka. I am sure that you will be able to hear the finished Akane-chan when it reaches you. This time, Aya has brought the wind of 2038 to us. We will do our best in the recording, so please look forward to it.

Mr. Hayashibara

After going through the Showa era, Heisei era, and 2025, the word "AI" has been heard here and there in the world. But (this work) is full of human power, or the bottom power of human beings, which is indescribable. I think it is meaningful that something so interesting, which can be shared with anyone, has come around, and I hope that you will enjoy it with an easygoing feeling.

Yamaguchi

The new "Ranma 1/2" will begin broadcasting and distribution on October 5, 2024. I hope you will all be waiting for it with great anticipation. Thank you very much for waiting for us! Thank you very much for waiting for us! Now, let's go for the extension!

(Reporting, writing, and photography by Kenichi Chiba)

Film Information
Ranma 1/2

＜STAFF＞ ＜Director: Kounosuke Uda
Director: Kounosuke Uda
Series composition: Kimiko Ueno
Character Design： Hiromi Taniguchi
Chief Animation Director： Hiromi Taniguchi, Takeshi Yoshioka, Yoshiko Saito, Nao Otsu
Main Animator：Nao Naito, Rie Aoki
POP artwork：Minami Kitamura
Art Director：Chihiro Okawa
Color Designer：Yukiko Kakita
Director of Photography: Atsushi Kano
Editing: Keisuke Yanagi
Sound Director: Kounosuke Uda
Sound Effects : Takuya Hasegawa
Music Selection: Makiko Chihara
Sound Production: dugout
Music: Kaoru Wada
Planning and Production: Shogakukan-Shueisha Productions
Production: MAPPA
Production: "Ranma 1/2" Production Committee

＜Cast
Ranma Saotome: Yamaguchi Kappei
Ranma: Megumi Hayashibara
TENDO Akane：Hidaka Noriko
Nabiki Tendou: Minami Takayama
Tendou Kasumi: Kikuko Inoue
Tendou Soun: Akio Otsuka
Saotome Genma: Cho
Hibiki Ryoga: Koichi Yamadera
Shampoo: Rei Sakuma
Narration: Kenichi Ogata

© Rumiko Takahashi, Shogakukan / "Ranma 1/2" Production Committee