Ranma ep 1.8: "School is a Battlefield! Ranma vs. Ryouga"

Summary | Dub & Animation | Notes & Comments

Characters in this ep:
Ranma
Akane
Ryouga
Nabiki
Kasumi
Genma
Soun
Akane's friends
Nabiki's friends
Assorted students and townspeople

Okay, just for the record? This is totally the slashiest episode of any Ranma I've seen so far. Fabulous. XD

Summary:

Some time has passed since the previous episode. Ryouga is wandering (yeah... again) through a forest, holding some walnuts. When and how he got these walnuts may be revealed at a future date, but I doubt it. In any case he showcases how amazingly strong he is by crushing said walnuts in his fist, promising to do the same to Ranma's windpipe when they meet again.

Meanwhile, Ranma receives a challenge letter from Ryouga, who has promised his revenge (as we well remember). The date given for the challenge has already passed, although Ranma knows his ol' buddy well enough to know that Ryouga won't even show up in town for another few days at least. This of course is true: Ryouga doesn't show up until it's least expected, in the middle of a school day at Furinkan High School.

In the middle of the soccer field.

During a game.

After totally failing to notice the ball and thus getting pummeled, Ryouga recovers and he and Ranma prepare to fight. To ensure that Ranma doesn't "escape" again (as in, get out of Ryouga's line of sight so that Ryouga gets lost for another month - no, seriously, it's been a month since he last showed up), Ryouga produces a rope with a handcuff at either end, and uses it to tether himself to Ranma. The entire school gathers to watch them, and Nabiki entertains herself by acting as bookie and taking bets. Everyone bets on Ranma, unsurprisingly, so Nabiki decides to help a poor undermatched fella out and step in with some aid for Ryouga. The school's Chemistry Club also stack the odds towards Ryouga a little, as they want to get rid of Ranma so that Akane is on the market again, so they produce a homemade landmine. Meanwhile, Akane herself discovers that the umbrella Ryouga likes to swing around like a leetle toothpick actually weighs a ton, and she calls to Ranma to be careful just as Ranma has taken his first blow at Ryouga's hands.

Ranma and Ryouga's fight goes into high gear. It seems Ryouga will win, but Ranma flips him over and pins him down, humiliating him in the process. Ryouga musters all his strength and pushes them both into the air, flipping again as he does, and he is able to grab his umbrella when they land; then he takes the fight outside the school grounds, with Ranma still handcuffed to Ryouga. The Chem club hides where they've planted their landmines, but Ranma and Ryouga fight right over them and don't set them off. In the first real sign of Looney Tunes inspiration, the Chem club members jump out and attack, hit their own mines, and blow themselves up a la Wile E. Coyote. Ranma and Ryouga take no notice, and just jump off to fight elsewhere.

Nabiki and her friends catch up with the fighting boys, and Nabiki offers Ryouga some vitamins that she tells him with increase his strength tenfold. Ryouga is empty-headed enough that the power of suggestion works miracles on him, and he lifts a telephone pole and starts swinging it at Ranma as Nabiki looks on in satisfaction. The duelists fight their way into the local zoo, and end up creating a geyser of water which Ranma, naturally, is drenched by.

Ranma emerges as a girl, and since his shirt was ripped earlier, he's a girl with boobs hangin' out - which is to his/her advantage for a moment or two since Ryouga stops looking at Ranma's fighting moves, if ya know what I mean. However, once it's established that yes, this is Ranma, and yes he likes to whine about his curse, Ryouga gets annoyed and attacks again, this time removing numerous bandanas from his head (wtf?! Hahaha!) and spinning them so that they become like razors, then tossing them all over. Akane runs off to get him hot water and puts herself right in the middle of the Bandanas O' Death, so Ranma must ignore the fight to rescue her. He grabs Ryouga's umbrella, deflects the bandanas, and jumps away with Akane. They hold each other in relief for a moment or two before realizing that they are, in fact, holding one another, and they have to make up for it with an argument.

Ryouga, irritated that Ranma is paying attention to someone other than him, now uses his belt to cut down the tree the two lovebirds are quarreling in. (Does this boy have any articles of clothing that aren't weapons? LOL!) Falling only causes Ranma and Akane to argue even MORE, and when they land Akane slaps Ranma and stalks away, only to spin around to yell at him once more, her hair flowing out magnificently behind her, and a moment later it's sheared right in half by Ryouga's runaway belt. (Yeah. I know. It looks cool though, even if it reads really silly.)

Dun-dun-DUNNNN!