Rating: Summary: Not as good as Hard Battle Review: but better than what I've seen of the 1st season. Hard Battle had some great eps(particularly the ep where Ranma becomes a girl mentally as well as physically) so it's a hard act to follow, but most long-running series hit a rut or two. I actually prefer the new English male Ranma voice actor, but then I love him as Inu-Yasha also(So Viz is following Japan using the same voice actor for both roles). I understand where those who don't like the change are coming from--I always check both vocal tracks & often prefer the Japanese actors. Heaven knows DBZ's changed enough actors & I know we'll be hearing a new Excel on the 4th Volume of Excel Saga(When my daughter complains about the prospect, I point out there've been 3 English Sailor Moon actresses & 3 Son Goku in DBZ, not counting DB) I don't care for Principal Kuno, although my daughter loved his bits(she also loves Happosai...).The new teacher ep was interesting & the Ranma-gets-weak set is good. I've read 13 of the graphic novels so I know much of it's from the manga, but a few details were changed such as in the manga Principal Kuno offering the get-out-of-haircut-card to whoever located his long-lost son who is quickly revealed as Tatewaki Kuno. The game show ep was much better in the manga--the anime maybe is more like tv game shows, but the manga had a running sub-plot that the people running the contest didn't want anyone to win because they couldn't really afford the prize & the contests were less annoying. Had they followed the manga closer this probably would have been a better season.
Rating: Summary: The Complete Fourth Season Boxed Set Review: how many DVD are in this movie {The Complete Fourth Season Boxed Set}
Rating: Summary: What on earth was Viz thinking?! Review: I *LOVE* the Ranma 1/2 series, it is the series that officially launched me into the rabid ranks of the otaku (otaku = "fan-boys" for all you non-animé-watching heathen out there).The reason I am rating this set with 4 stars instead of my standard 5 for anything Ranma, isn't because of the quality of the animé. The reason is that Viz CHANGED the male Ranma voice actor for the English dub! I could *NOT* believe they did this. I have yet to be able to find out how and why this happened. If the original voice actor walked out for whatever reason, then I guess Viz can be excused. But if this was a case of egos or salaries interfering with a great product, then everyone at Viz should hang their heads in shame. Over-all though, you can just switch to the subtitled mode anyway (which I have now discovered I prefer over dubbed anyway) and there is no change. The stories are great, and the animation, music and most especially the jokes are all great.
Rating: Summary: Going downhill, but not sunk yet Review: I was initially disappointed when I finally got my hands on this a few days ago, but the set does redeem itself. Still, there's almost as much to complain about as there is to like with this fourth season release of the well-known Ranma 1/2 series, and some stuff Viz should really know better than to pull. Nevertheless, this set still comes out on the positive side... The usual Ranma warnings about occasional cartoon nudity apply, although there's really very little this time and this particular set is pretty much all-ages. DVD quality is acceptable and the transfer is pretty much the same solid if unspectacular quality of the previous three. As before, 'virgin' versions of the lead and ending credits are on the final disc, along with cast bios and a line-art gallery. Here's the bottom line. If you're Japanese-capable (or don't mind subtitles), start on disc 3 in the original Japanese and have a ball. These aren't all the series' best, but they're still lots of fun. However, if you're English-only, the new boy-Ranma may be tough to stomach, and newbies to the show might look elsewhere. It's still a lot of gender-bendin' fun at a reasonable price, but just be aware of what you're buying.
Rating: Summary: This is my least favorite of the four seasons (1-4) I own. Review: I'm going to list the good and bad things in this season.
The good things are!
-Ranma has a new voice actor, so he doesn't have a dumb sounding laugh anymore.
-A new character appears, but...
Now on to the bad.
-but... He has a deep and annoying voice...
-Shampoo is barly in this season, and every time she does appears, she seems to be the "bad guy".
-There are some really boring episodes...
-Some of the only good episodes are the ones with Shampoo in them, there are a few other good ones without her, but still...
-Ranma has a new english voice actor, so it might be hard to get use to.
-Ranma is really mean and rude to his Fiances in this season.
Well that is my good/bad review. For some reason I don't really like Akane in this season either, maybe it's because I don't want Ranma to marry her... Anyway, buy this season only if you are collecting the entire series of Ranma 1/2 (Like me) Otherwise just skip this one, you won't be missing much.
Rating: Summary: The Complete Fourth Season Boxed Set Review: Its not as bad as people have made it out too be. The only episode that I didn't care for was the first one. I don't see what the problem was with Richard Cox doing the voice. He's the closest that they can get without Sara Strange.
Rating: Summary: Not as Good as The Others but Review: Its not as bad as people have made it out too be. The only episode that I didn't care for was the first one. I don't see what the problem was with Richard Cox doing the voice. He's the closest that they can get without Sara Strange.
Rating: Summary: A bit less memorable than before Review: Ranma 1/2 is easily one of my favorite series. It's got great varying characters, a great Japanese voice cast, wonderful songs, good FITTING BGM, tons of comedy, and pure over-the-top fun. But for whatever reason, the quality seems to go down bit by bit as the series goes along, with much more mediocrity than before though still plenty of moments of greatness (much like The Simpsons became in later years). That's not to say it's bad though.
I think the reasons for this shift in quality is simple -- for whatever reason they decided to compress many of the manga-based stories into one episode, when they really should probably have been two. But not only that, they decided to take some elements of manga stories and use it in FUTURE episodes -- for instance, the 1st episode where the principal returns (the only haracter ntroduced in this season that appearas in more than two episodes), in the Manga there's a section about who he actually is (I won't spoil if you don't know), but they turn that section into a whole new episode in a later season.
Another things is a matter of sameness -- Happosai still glomps everyone all the time, Ryoga still blames Ranma all the time, etc etc. While yes characters have certain personalities, things tend to be a bit Ranma-centric (the manga is guilty of this too) than it really needed to be.
Still, there's plenty of good stuff to be found. For instance, there's the three part Moxibustion arc, where Happosai makes Ranma weak, which is Takahashi's favorite part, and there's the hilarious epsidoe where Azusa the cleptomaniac ice skater claims Kuno as her "Marrianne". And my favorite episode is the final one, with the return of Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung.
Now, as far as the DVDs themselves go, there's not much difference from seasons 2-4. Same type of so-called extras, 4 DVDs in 5-5-5-5-4, and nice box with Shampoo's picture (interesting becasue she's in so few episodes this season, another minus in my book). Really, to sum it up, it's good if you really love Ranma, but make sure to get the first two seasons, and season 3 is a BIT better than this one.
Rating: Summary: I LOVE Ranma! Review: Ranma does it again! The 4th season of the show is great! It's funny, crazy, and likeable! ^__^ There are some very good breakout eps for Ranma in this one. And some very funny and GREAT eps for Ranma and Ryoga fans! *I am one* But I often read at places this is the season where the show lost some of it's edge. I don't think so,Ranma 1/2 to me gets funnier as the seasons go on. I also know Ranma got a different voice-over. Well the first Ranma voice-over did a WONDERFUL job! But the guy taking over Ranma also to me does a WONDERFUL job as well. True it might sound different but it is still Ranma and to me the new voice-over is doing just fine ^__^ *And I don't say that for most people taking over a role* Anyway GREAT season for Ranma I'm truly glad I got this season. Now on too Season Five!
Rating: Summary: Pay atention to the other reviewers Review: The ones who say that this season isn't all that. They happen to be right. There are a few good episodes (written by takahashi) and a lot of bad episodes (written by amateurs) and a few should-have-been-good episodes written by takahashi that were butchered to fit in one episode.And the art/animation quality? Don't get me started. The few episodes where they flashback to the beginning of the series painfully demonstrate how far the series has degraded. In fact, if you really want to see how far this series falls short, watch 2-3 of the OVA's THEN watch this. They were producing this season on the cheap, that's for sure.I got it, because I intend to collect the whole series. Non-collectors should think twice. And if you're looking for a Ranma gift for someone, pick season one or two. They're better.
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