This is perhaps the first plot that really approaches the complexities of some of the Ranma 1/2 plots. I don’t mean complex as in deep, I mean in the terms of comically unnecessary twists and turns. Which is why it takes two episodes to handle.

In this episode we are introduced to  Tobimaro’s sister, Asuka Mizunokoji.

Here’s the complexities:

1) Mendou’s dad wants him to get engaged to Asuka
2) Ryoko wants to get engaged to Tobimaro instead.
3) Ataru is perfectly willing to take Mendou’s place.
4) Tobimaro was completely unaware he had a sister.
5) This is because Asuka has been raised away from men since birth, with the intent of getting her engaged when she turned 16.
6) She is also super strong.

Unfortunately for Asuka, the first man she lays eyes on is Ataru Moroboshi, which gives her a dismal view of men and mortally afraid of them. This leads her to want to wear her armour all the time to protect herself from men. Despite Ataru, Lum and Shinobu’s attempts to prevent the engagement, Mendou is dragged by his father to meet Asuka. And then Ataru shows up in drag, leading to Asuka going on the rampage and a manic chase through the Mizunokoji’s estate (makes a change from the Mendou estate). At the end of the episode Asuka’s armour flies off when Lum inadvertantly electrocutes her…

TO BE CONTINUED!

Lots and lots of running and destruction, two things that Tsukasa Dokite does excellently.

Asuka is voiced by Sumi Shimamoto, whose more famous roles include Nausicaa in Nausicaa, Kyoko Otonashi in Maison Ikkoku, Ginrei in Giant Robo. She was also the Japanese dub voice for Carrie Fisher in the Star Wars films.

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Screenplay: Shigeru Yanagawa
Storyboard: Iku Suzuki
Director: Iku Suzuki
Animation Director: Tsukasa Dokite

This is an interesting precursor to the Dirty Pair anime. Norio Kashima & Tsukasa Dokite would go on to pretty much establish the anime look of Haruka Takachiho’s creations in the Eighties and their work here has lots of resonance with that later series. There is little more here than just destruction, but Kashima and Dokite make it look great.

The gang of three, Sugar, Ginger and Pepper, are once again aiming on beating Lum, Benten and Oyuki (no Ran this time). In flashback we see them fail in attacking Benten and Oyuki, before they head to Earth to beat Lum. Meanwhile on Earth, Ataru has agreed to go on a date with Lum if she will control her temper for three days.

What we end up with is Sugar, Ginger and Pepper essentially trying to kill Lum, while Lum keeps getting mad at Ataru for flirting, then running somewhere and venting her anger by launching electrical attacks at the environment around her. And of course her three would be assailants along with them. Lum in fact remains ignorant of their attempts for most of the episode, with the three getting electrocuted/bonked on the head/crushed, behind her back each time.

It kind of fizzles out at the end as the script doesn’t seem to know what to do when Lum wins the bet, beyond the three confronting Lum face to face and getting electrocuted again.

However that’s fine as there’s a couple really good aspects to the episode. Firstly the destruction Lum wreaks on Tomobiki is at a scale never seen before in the show, and I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s what got Kashima & Dokite the Dirty Pair gig. Secondly the three girls really come across as actually being younger than the rest of the cast. This is in the script, the voice acting and the animation. Here they really are the equivalent of the St Trinian’s Fourth Form, bloodthirsty, murderous terrors of girls, whereas in their first appearance the animation didn’t get that across. Here though they’ve definitely got a distinct body language that sets them apart from the other female characters.

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Notable for having both Kashima and Dokite on it as they’d both be mainstays on the Dirty Pair series.

Screenplay: Tokio Tsuchiya
Storyboard: Norio Kashima
Director: Norio Kashima
Animation Director: Tsukasa Dokite

It’s that time tested comedy plot – the computer dating parody!

Fed up with her crows not finding her a handsome man to mate with Princess Kurama lays down the law. So the crows enter the details of every man in the universe into a computer to find her best match. Given her very shallow taste in men, it returns Rei, the gluttonous Oni, former boyfriend of Lum and the heart’s desire of Ran. She kidnaps him from a “date” he’s on with Ran (though their dates feel more like someone taming a wild animal), mistakenly bringing Ran along too.

Ran goes to Lum for help, while Ataru hitches a ride on a cart of food one of the crows is bringing. The rest of episode involves the crows trying to hide Rei’s true nature as a shape-changing tiger-cow from Kurama, while Ran tries to lure him back, and Ataru hits on Kurama and Ran. Lots of good gags as always from the crows, they are so pathetically lazy and underhanded. It all ends with Rei finally showing some sign of affection for Ran, saving her from a fall rather than the food she’s carrying and Kurama finally seeing Rei’s cow form. They then all wonder what goes on inside his head, which as this is a cartoon we get to see – a bizarre world of food, Ran and Lum.

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Lot’s of new creative people on this episode!

Shigeru Yanagawa shows up as a screenwriter here, he’d go onto to act as Series Co-ordinator on Ranma ½ as well as writing a glut of Sailor Moon episodes.

Mamoru Hamatsu makes his only storyboard/director credit here. Other credits include an awful lot of Giant Gorg, Glass Mask (2005), Heroic Legend of Arslan, Miyuki-chan in Wonderland and Ronin Warriors.

Tsukasa Dokite is probably best known as the character designer and animation director on Dirty Pair. Most recently worked on Kurokami. And he’s pretty great here and on Dirty Pair. Definitely looking forward to seeing the rest of his episodes on UY.

Screenplay: Shigeru Yanagawa
Storyboard: Mamoru Hamatsu
Director: Mamoru Hamatsu
Animation Director: Tsukasa Dokite