Since its debut in themangaweekly "Shônen Sunday Comics" in 1988 and as an anime series a year later, Rumiko Takahashi's gender-bending comedyRanma 1/2has been a popular favorite in both Japan and the United States. The first OAV episodes make it easy to understand why: the stories blend outrageous physical comedy, absurd situations, and likable, obtuse characters with just enough sentiment to keep the humor from becoming mean-spirited. Ryota Yamaguchi's screenplays push the nutty situations to the maximum, and director Junji Nishimura keeps the action moving. School blowhard Kuno hatches a phoenix that looks more like an outsized marshmallow Easter chick than the noble bird of legend: it imprints on Ranma, causing no end of trouble. An enchanted brooch produces 180-degree revolutions in the emotions of Shampoo, the Chinese girl. When she wears the pin right-side up, she chases Ranma harder than ever; when she wears it upside-down, she detests him with equal fervor. A demon escapes after 300 years of imprisonment and possesses members of the cast: Ranma and Ryoga use their martial arts skills to bombard the monster with charms that would recapture it--if they had spelled the magic formula correctly. The filmmakers balance these absurdities with gentle moments that anchor the character relationships. When Akane knits a scarf for Ranma in "Tendo Family Christmas," it looks like it's been attacked by a flock of voracious moths. He happily dons it and hands her a gift he ...
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