Ranma 1/2 Movie 1: Big Trouble in Nekonron China Anime Review
Ranma 1/2 Movie 1: Big Trouble in Nekonron China
/ Theatrical Movie / Comedy / 7-up
Bottom Line
A great addition to the Ranma 1/2 legend!
It’s Like...
...An unusually crowded, triple-length episode of Ranma 1/2.
Vital Stats
Original Title
らんま1/2 中国寝崑崙大決戦! 掟やぶりの激闘篇!!
Romanized Title
Ranma Nibunnoichi - Chuugoku Nekonron Daikessen! Okite Yaburi no Gekitou Hen!!
Literal Translation
Ranma 1/2 - Great Battle of Nekonron, China! A Fierce Battle to Break the Law!!
Animation Studio
Kitty Films
US Release By
Genre
Martial-Arts Action Love Comedy
Series Type
Theatrical Movie
Length
74 minutes
Production Date
1991-11-02
What's In It
Categories
Look For
- Crazy Martial Arts
- Cute Kids
- Wacky Free-for-all Chases
- Parody
Objectionable Content
- Violence: 2 (moderate)
- Nudity: 0 (none)
- Sex: 0 (none)
- Language: 1 (mild)
Plot Synopsis
After a rollicking chase involving Happosai, Ranma, Akane, and very nearly every other reoccurring character in Ranma 1/2 gets broken up by a mysterious and very powerful force, we are introduced to a young Chinese girl, Lychee, who has come bearing half of a scroll rumored to betroth her to a prince. Before we get the full story on why, a Chinese martial artist and his "seven gods" (more martial artists, of course) show up in a flying boat and kidnap Akane, thinking that she is the bearer of the scroll half and fated to marry this chopstick-wielding prince, the head of the Seven Gods Martial Arts School. Well, of course, everyone is off to save Akane, show up the poser prince, or regain their rightful place as his bride. But first they'll have to get to China. And then there are those Seven Gods...
Quick Review
I haven't seen much Ranma 1/2, but I've seen enough, and this is great! It takes the hilarious laughs of the Ranma series and puts them into a story which is, while daffy on the outside, serious at heart. Prince Kirin is a very cool character, and those Seven Lucky Gods martial artists are something else! There's the usual laughs- Happosai's underwear snatching, Mousse's blindness without his glasses, Panda Genma's "sign language," and the usual slapstick with Akane and Ranma. However, this takes the humour, and adds the cool. The final showdown between Ranma and Kirin was truly excellent, and the movie as a whole was very touching at times.
It's nothing new for the series (other than yet another guy in love with Akane), and not the place to start for the Ranma unaware, but all in all, a great addition to the Ranma 1/2 legend!
Notes and Trivia
This is the first of three Ranma 1/2 theatrical movies. In Japan, it was shown as a double feature with the Urusei Yatsura movie Always My Darling.
The English title, "Big Trouble in Nekonron, China" is, like those of the other two films, a play on the title of another movie, in this case the hilarious cult film "Big Trouble in Little China."
The whole film is, apparently, a parody of the Asgard Saga in Saint Seiya.
Staff & Cast
Original Japanese Cast
Note: All Japanese names listed family name first
Saotome Ranma (Boy): Yamaguchi Kappei
Saotome Ranma (Girl): Hayashibara Megumi
Tendo Akane: Hidaka Noriko
Hibiki Ryoga: Yamadera Koichi
Kuno Tatewaki: Suzuoki Hirotaka
Happosai: Nagai Ichiro
Shampoo: Sakuma Rei
Mousse: Seki Toshihiko
Cologne: Aso Miyoko
Saotome Genma: Ogata Kenichi
Tendo Soun: Obayashi Ryunosuke
Tendo Kasumi: Inoue Kikuko
Tendo Nabiki: Takayama Minami
Kuonji Ukyo: Tsuru Hiromi
Kurenai Tsubasa: Yamada Eiko
Kuno Kodachi: Shimazu Saeko
Sanzenin Mikado: Inoue Kazuhiko
Shiratori Azusa: Matsui Naoko
Lychee: Tamagawa Sakiko
Kirin: Shiozawa Kaneto
Ebiten: Yoshimura Yo
Monlon: Yamada Eiko
Bishamonten: Inoue Kazuhiko
Daihakusei: Madono Mitsuaki
Daikokusei: Koyasu Taketo
Wu: Yoshimura Yo
English Dub Cast
Ranma Saotome (Boy): Sarah Strange
Ranma Saotome (Girl): Venus Terzo
Akane Tendo: Myriam Sirois
Ryoga Hibiki: Michael Donovan
Tatewaki Kuno : Ted Cole
Happosai: Paul Dobson
Shampoo: Cathy Weseluck
Mousse: Brad Swaile
Cologne: Kathleen Barr
Genma Saotome: Robert O. Smith
Soun Tendo: David Kaye
Kasumi Tendo: Willow Johnson
Nabiki Tendo: Angela Costain
Ukyo Kuonji: Kelly Sheridan
Tsubasa Kurenai: Kathleen Barr
Kodachi Kuno: Teryl Rothery
Mikado Sanzenin: Ian Corlett
Azusa Shiratori: Cathy Weseluck
Lychee: Diana Wong
Kirin: John Payne
Ebiten: Nick Misura
Monlon: Linda Boyd
Bishamonten: Robert O. Smith
Daihakusei: Michael Dobson
Daikokusei: Paul Dobson
Wu: Terry Klassen
Crew
Director: Inai Shuji
Producers: Matsushita Yoko, Hasegawa Hiroshi
Screenplay: Yanagawa Shigeru (Concept), Iuchi Shuji, Yamaguchi Ryota
Character Design: Nakajima Atsuko
Art Director: Arai Torao
Animation Director: Nakajima Atsuko
Music: Kawai Kenji
Original Concept: Takahashi Rumiko
Main Theme: "It's Love"
Song By: Rabbit
Lyrics by: Iwasa Tomoharu
Composed by: Noge Toshinari
Arranged by: Rabbit
Availability
Available in North America from VIZ on bilingual DVD (a joint VIZ Pioneer disc). Was previously also available on subtitled or dubbed VHS and bilingual LD.
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