July 19, 2024, 3:34 pm | Read time: 7 minutes
With “Ranma 1/2,” another anime is getting a remake, possibly on Netflix, or maybe not. What is certain is that it’s coming, which pleases many fans–but not all.
Currently, the news that “Ranma 1/2,” a true cult anime, is getting a remake is causing a stir. An initial trailer is already making many fans’ hearts beat faster–but not that of TECHBOOK editor Marlene Polywka. She not only thinks that it’s enough with the remakes, spin-offs, and live-action adaptations of well-known material, but also that constantly rehashing already told stories can have significant negative impacts.
“Ranma 1/2” Gets a Remake
My first reaction to the news of a “Ranma 1/2” remake a few weeks ago was joy. My 12-year-old self immediately chimed in loudly, reminiscing about afternoons on the couch with RTL 2 (and later with–of course, exclusively legal–internet streams). The colorful, loud mix of the romcom-action-coming-of-age series remains a fond memory for me to this day.
Now the whole thing is supposed to be relaunched. So far, so familiar. A first trailer has now been released, giving a good impression of what the remake will ultimately look like; it’s set to start in the fall. I’ve watched the trailer over and over again, and it really doesn’t look bad. But that’s about it.
And with each additional viewing, the question of why grows louder than my enthusiastic 12-year-old self. Why do we need a remake of “Ranma 1/2”? The series is now 35 years old and enjoys absolute cult status in many countries. It addressed many topics back then that are still relevant today, and it did so in a very respectful and tongue-in-cheek manner. So why not just leave a good thing as it is?
Not the Only Recent Remake
Apparently, that’s hardly possible these days. One could justifiably say: Then I just won’t watch it. But it’s not that simple, I find, because the “Ranma 1/2” remake is by far not the only one in recent years.
To stay in the anime realm for now: The most obvious example is probably “Urusei Yatsura,” whose remake appeared in 2022. It’s obvious because the manga source, like “Ranma 1/2,” is by Rumiko Takahashi. The Japanese mangaka is now an icon, rightly awarded many times and recognized as a pioneer, being one of the first successful mangaka in the shonen manga field–manga for boys.
And yet–or perhaps precisely because of this?–the question “Why a remake?” quickly turns into “Can’t you think of anything new?” The story of Ranma and his fiancée Akane has already been told, and very well at that. Even from a critical modern perspective, there’s little to criticize about the series, perhaps aside from the obligatory big eyes of the female characters–which, according to the trailer, are also retained in the remake, which I find perfectly fine. They were and are part of the style of Takahashi and many other manga creators.
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Spin-offs, Remakes, Live Action–It Doesn’t Stop
And for me, the problem honestly starts with anime remakes. Perhaps my frustration is also being vented on the “Ranma 1/2” remake because streaming services are being flooded with reboots, spin-offs, live-action adaptations of well-known material, or simply the reprocessing of unknown foreign sources. I understand that these forms shouldn’t necessarily be compared. What they all have in common, however, is that they pick up on an already successful idea.
For example, Netflix celebrated a big success with the live-action adaptations of “One Piece” and “Avatar: The Last Airbender” (especially the former). Speaking of live-action adaptations: Disney is currently on a marathon to bring its own material back to the big screen–now even bigger and better and more realistic and wonderful than ever before. Sometimes it succeeds, as with “Beauty and the Beast.” More often, it fails, like with “Pinocchio” or “Lady and the Tramp.”
Some material might be so good because it is exactly what it is–no more, no less. Disney is a fitting example: “Lady and the Tramp,” for instance, thrived on its drawn (and sometimes exaggerated) characters. The style, the pace, the atmosphere, and many other details make up the charm of the film from the ’50s. The same goes for me with “Ranma 1/2.” You can’t just reproduce that anytime.
Synergies Can Also Arise
Another manifestation of this is video game adaptations, which are currently experiencing a big hype. After gaming fans got at best something like “Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time” for years, they are now confronted with creative adaptations of popular games on all platforms. “The Last of Us,” “Fallout,” or “Arcane” caused true storms of enthusiasm and, conversely, also gave the games, in a way the original, a boost. Conversely, this synergy also exists, as “Hogwarts Legacy” recently impressively demonstrated.
But these examples are also about one thing: synergies. Something was already successful and is known. Now, with a new approach, they try to at least repeat the success by engaging the old fans and ideally gaining many new ones.
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Successful Ideas Are Exploited
Which brings me to the next example: spin-offs, the king category in terms of imitation. Because while remakes, live-action adaptations, and the like at least pretend to aim to make the original work successful, spin-offs try to absorb the success of the original and create a whole new wave of success from it.
And here, too, there are, of course, positive current examples. “House of the Dragon,” for instance, wonderfully captures the dark brutality of the mother series “Game of Thrones.” “Gen V” explains many aspects of “The Boys” anew, and the 2022 concluded “Breaking Bad” spin-off “Better Call Saul” is almost on par with its predecessor.
Please don’t get me wrong, all these offshoots are good, if not fantastic. Fans are sometimes thrilled because they get to meet beloved characters again or uncover more secrets of an already known world. But the pace at which these offshoots are currently appearing in all their forms is simply too tight.
I’ve noticed an enormous wear-out factor in myself regarding the enthusiasm for such offshoots. Of course, I was initially excited about the announcement of a “Ranma 1/2” remake. Similarly, I was happy in many other cases to dive back into familiar stories, hoping to relive old excitement or discover something entirely new. But the more I think about it, the more it feels like this joy is being used to cover up the fact that there just aren’t any good new ideas right now.
So Why a “Ranma 1/2” Remake?
So, I’ve come full circle. Poor “Ranma 1/2” remake, which has the misfortune of hitting the same nerve. It will surely be good, and hopefully, it will do justice to the original. But for me, the impression of self-serving motives remains, and that a beautiful childhood memory of mine is being dragged into the daylight inappropriately and without context. In the worst case, such a remake or other offshoot even dilutes the original experience of the past, no matter how much is changed.
In this case, it’s probably “just” a graphical overhaul. But even that seems unnecessary because so much else would have to be changed to really adapt it to the taste of today’s audience, which is used to a completely different pace.
Suggestion: No matter where the “Ranma 1/2” remake eventually appears here, the original should also be released on the same platform. Because the old format, the sometimes slow pace, and the original sound are simply part of it. And I hope that at least in the near future, a “Inu Yasha” remake will be spared–otherwise, there will be an even longer rant.