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If the fifth broadcast season of Ranma 1/2 doesn't quite match the consistent inspiration of the third (Hard Battle), it's much better than the fourth (Outta Control), with more imaginative writing and fewer weak episodes. A spoof of American Westerns, with Ryoga as the wandering hero who confronts the villain in a saloon-cum-ramen parlor, is simply hilarious, as is a spoof of Japanese historical dramas with Ranma in formal hakama. An aphrodisiac-impregnated band-aid turns Ranma into a suave ladies' man; the cord binding his trademark pigtail turns out to be a charm that grows hair, something Happosai, Genma, and four characters with heads like bao rolls desperately want. The entire cast brings the Anything Goes School of Martial Arts style to such improbable activities as men's rhythmic gymnastics, Japanese chess, Okonomiyaki cooking, Bath House-Fu, and the "Gourmet de Foie Gras" technique of fine dining. Ryoga sets new records for geographical confusion, getting lost in a three-legged race and inside a log cabin. Even more improbable is Sasuke's suggestion that Furinken High's pidgin-speaking Principal may be the long-lost father of Kuno and Kodachi. A few gentle moments provide the needed balance to the insanity: Ranma apologizes--sincerely--to Akane in "Hot Springs Battle Royal" and admits he thinks she's cute in "Ranma the Lady-Killer." Richard Cox, the voice of boy-type Ranma (and Inu-Yasha), has grown more comfortable in the part, effectively conveying the sullen and likeable sides of Ranma's personality. (Rated 13 and older: slapstick violence, nudity, mildly risqué humor) --Charles Solomon
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