Ranma ep 1.5: "Love Me To the Bone! The Compound Fracture of Akane's Heart!"

Summary | Dub & Animation | Notes & Comments

Characters in this ep:
Ranma
Akane
Genma
Soun
Nabiki
Kasumi
Kuno
Dr. Tofu
Hiroshi (first appearance)
Daisuke (first appearance)


Summary:

So, here is the first episode I'm attempting to put a review together for by watching it on my computer! Hooray for built-in DVD players; hooray for computers made later than 1997!

Picking up apparently just shortly after the last episode, Ranma gets home and viciously attacks an innocent bag of potato chips, devouring the unfortunate victims inside. Turns out he's pissed over being beaten up yet again by Akane; he mutters to himself about how she's always overreacting, such a tomboy, the usual. Genma sneaks in to eavesdrop, and gets caught; hijinks ensue.

Meanwhile, in the Dojo, Akane is doing something we've never even seen done in the manga: Sparring with Soun as practice. A few moments into it we discover the reason why this activity is so rare, as she pictures her father as Ranma and takes him out with one punch. After Soun has been tended to, Kasumi asks Akane to promise never to hit another person in anger again.

Later that evening, Akane goes out on an errand for Kasumi and encounters Ranma. They get in an argument immediately, but remembering her promise, Akane swallows her rage and reacts reasonably for once... only to have Ranma throw it back at her and leave with a few parting shots. Reasoning that no one would blame her after that, Akane gives Ranma a few good solid kicks and then takes him to Dr. Tofu's for treatment.

Tofu is surprised to see anyone in such condition, and wonders who could have been so brutal. Upon being told that it was Akane, however, he bursts out laughing and resets all of Ranma's bones while chitchatting about how the injuries had Akane's style all over them, it's good to meet Ranma, they're awfully young to be engaged, and so forth. As the two leave later that evening, Tofu stops Ranma and asks him why he fights so much with Akane. Ranma replies that he doesn't WANT to, but Akane gets mad at him for every little thing no matter what he does. Tofu tells him that Akane's a very sweet girl, and he'll understand soon, then smacks him on the butt and sends him on his way. No, seriously.

Predictably, on the way home Ranma and Akane get into an argument - although Ranma has to work pretty hard to get her up to this one - but just as he's got her primed to beat him up some more, Ranma's legs go numb and he realizes that's why Tofu gave him the butt-pat. (No, seriously.) Akane offers him a piggyback, and when he refuses because of male pride, she simply changes him into a girl and brooks no more protest.

The next morning brings more of the same: bickering at the breakfast table. Kasumi waits for the round to die down a little before asking Akane to return a book she'd borrowed from Dr. Tofu, but to Ranma's surprise, Akane refuses. Ranma starts to ask her why she wouldn't want to go, and Akane jumps up and drags him to school at top speed, not even noticing when a little old lady who is watering the street gives the same treatment to Ranma. In fact, Akane makes it all the way to the school AND starts yelling at Ranma before realizing that he's changed into a girl. She opens his/her shirt to be sure, and only then realizes that they have an audience of all her usual admirers.

Given the sight before them you probably can't blame them for bursting into tears, but they all claim that it's because they've accepted Ranma Saotome as the better man for Akane since he beat Kuno yesterday, and not because Akane is standing up against a wall staring at another girl's breasts. Kuno shows up wrapped forehead-to-toe in bandages and denies having been beaten, because he will not admit defeat! or something. Ranma, forgetting what he looks like at the moment, calls Kuno a liar and tries to get him to admit that he was thoroughly trounced yesterday, but this backfires when Kuno recognizes only the Pig-Tailed Girl and proclaims his love for her. Akane is no help either, electing not to stand in the way of Ranma and Kuno's love. Kuno is so overwhelmed by her nobility that he decides - surprise! - that he can't possibly choose between them. Hm, novelty!

A short while later Ranma and Akane's class is in gym, with the girls playing softball while the boys do acrobatics. Ranma gets cornered by Hiroshi and Daisuke, two "average" boys at the school, and they pump him for info on how far he's gotten with Akane. His protests that he's not interested fall on deaf ears, and they simply say that Akane is wasted on a guy like him. Ranma ends up watching Akane in her utterly-adorable-gym-shorts along with the other guys, and although he can't seem to help staring (and blushing) he continues to protest that she's not the least bit cute, and besides, there's someone else she's into -

The conversation is cut short, however, when Akane manages to knock her softball right into the side of Ranma's face.

After school leads to another visit to Dr. Tofu's, where Ranma and Akane learn that Genma has gotten a job as a part-time assistant. In panda form no less. Only Dr. Tofu would hire a panda. In any case, Tofu treats Ranma's bruise from the softball but Akane decides to leave early after a phone call from someone she recognizes. Ranma is a bit concerned (not that he'd admit it) and asks who the caller was; Akane won't say the name, but admits that there's another girl that Dr. Tofu loves, and that was her, and she's coming over.

Cut to Kasumi as she makes her way across town, to Dr. Tofu's office...