Ranma 1/2 - Ranma Forever, Vol. 2: From the Depths of Despair (2002)
Review by Dindrane
Film:
DVD:

Based upon the comics by Rumiko Takahashi
Directed by Junji Nishimura
Written by Trish Ledoux and Terry Klassen

Features:

• English and Japanese audio
  
• English subtitles
  

Dindrane's Anime Warnings:

• more Ryoga angst than you can shake a stick at
• Six little Happosais. SIX.

Rating: 13+

Anamorphic: N/A

My Advice: Still gold. Buy it.

The final season of the Ranma 1/2 saga continues as we get three more episodes of yin/yang goodness. In “Pick-a-Peck o’ Happosai,” it’s everyone’s nightmare comes true, as Happi gets his grubby little hands on a deck of magical cards that can multiply the personality of the user—now we have six of him to worry about, each with their own special power and form. Next, in “From the Depths of Despair,” we have a two-part episode; Ryoga learns a new technique, the Lion’s Roar Blast, that makes use of his natural melancholy and turns his depression into sheer power. Can Ranma figure out how to break this cycle in time to beat Ryoga?

The plots are truly rather inventive here. In the Happosai episode, seeing the six different demonic versions of the old, er, demon are amusing and clever; there is a vampire version, a fallen angel, a witch, a black knight, a devil, and even a cute little satyr! While we all know that Happosai is plenty evil all by himself, seeing the various aspects of his perversion is fun and creative. There’s less new in the two-parter Ryoga section, but Ryoga fans won’t mind; it’s just good to see him win for a change, and any episode focusing on a secondary character often brings out more interesting things about Akane and Ranma, as well.

The audio and video on this disc are on par with the other discs in this series. Both the Japanese and English audio are free of distortions or noticeable problems. It would have been nice if the music, especially, had made more use of the stereo capabilities, but at least it’s all crisp and nicely level. The video could have been a bit brighter with more saturated colors, but the art itself is as wonderful as Takahashi is known for, and there are no obvious aliasing or other problems.

As I have already mentioned the need for some substantive extras in other reviews, I won’t belabor the point here. Just suffice it to say that Ranma fans will continue to hope for some kind of special edition bonus disc to be available in the future.

In short, Ranma fans will appreciate the humor of the Happosai episode, while also appreciating the chance to see Ryoga win a couple, even under such despairing circumstances. Watching Ranma get revenge by trying to sell off Genma is worth the cover price alone. Ryoga fans won’t care that it’s the same old fight he and Ranma have, because this time, Ryoga can work with his melancholy, unlucky personality instead of against it. These may not be the best discs in the series to date, but they are still fully well the price and will please any Ranma-loving otaku. Let’s just hope some kind of special edition anniversary disc comes out someday.