While I did read the original Rumiko Takahashi manga... don't think I could ever have the stamina to
watch the complete animes of this series. For an attempt to cram that much of a plot into 1h36mins I think
they did a pretty decent job -- pretty much the highlight plot points were hit... boy/girl Ranma intro, Ranma
and Kuno's introduction, Akane getting shorter hair, and the finale where Ranma and Akane admit their
feelings to one another... too bad some of the minor characters like Happosai, Shampoo, Ukyo, et al
weren't included. The part about being up against a bunch of Hard Gay-wannabes looking to make
the world into "manly men..." the less said, the better.
Casting-wise, male Ranma to me came off as a near-complete amateur delivering his lines. It seemed
like he was mixing alittle of himself and the director's directions into his acting. Female-Ranma was
alittle more believable as a character IMO. Kasumi's actress was rather unbelievable in her role as
the eldest sister... she seemed more like a newly-wed 30-something "acting" as an elder sister. Nabiki
is well... Nabiki
All in all, a rather amusing romp, and the best part is I don't miss the 1.5hours spent watching this.
Your mileage may vary...
Regards