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Ranma ½ #19

Ranma 1/2, Vol. 19

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When Furinkan High School faces stiff competition in sporting events, Ranma has no choice but to challenge Mariko to a cheerleading battle royale. A Graphic Novel. Original.

192 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1992

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About the author

Rumiko Takahashi

1,584 books2,142 followers
Rumiko Takahashi (高橋留美子) was born in Niigata, Japan. She is not only one of the richest women in Japan but also one of the top paid manga artists. She is also the most successful female comic artist in history. She has been writing manga non-stop for 31 years.

Rumiko Takahashi is one of the wealthiest women in Japan. The manga she creates (and its anime adaptations) are very popular in the United States and Europe where they have been released as both manga and anime in English translation. Her works are relatively famous worldwide, and many of her series were some of the forerunners of early English language manga to be released in the nineties. Takahashi is also the best selling female comics artist in history; well over 100 million copies of her various works have been sold.

Though she was said to occasionally doodle in the margins of her papers while attending Niigata Chūō High School, Takahashi's interest in manga did not come until later. During her college years, she enrolled in Gekiga Sonjuku, a manga school founded by Kazuo Koike, mangaka of Crying Freeman and Lone Wolf and Cub. Under his guidance Rumiko Takahashi began to publish her first doujinshi creations in 1975, such as Bye-Bye Road and Star of Futile Dust. Kozue Koike often urged his students to create well-thought out, interesting characters, and this influence would greatly impact Rumiko Takahashi's works throughout her career.

Career and major works:

Takahashi's professional career began in 1978. Her first published story was Those Selfish Aliens, a comedic science fiction story. During the same year, she published Time Warp Trouble, Shake Your Buddha, and the Golden Gods of Poverty in Shōnen Sunday, which would remain the home to most of her major works for the next twenty years. Later that year, Rumiko attempted her first full-length series, Urusei Yatsura. Though it had a rocky start due to publishing difficulties, Urusei Yatsura would become one of the most beloved anime and manga comedies in Japan.

In 1980, Rumiko Takahashi found her niche and began to publish with regularity. At this time she started her second major series, Maison Ikkoku, in Big Comic Spirits. Written for an older audience, Maison Ikkoku is often considered to be one of the all-time best romance manga. Takahashi managed to work on Maison Ikkoku on and off simultaneously with Urusei Yatsura. She concluded both series in 1987, with Urusei Yatsura ending at 34 volumes, and Maison Ikkoku being 15.

During the 1980s, Takahashi became a prolific writer of short story manga, which is surprising considering the massive lengths of most of her works. Her stories The Laughing Target, Maris the Chojo, and Fire Tripper all were adapted into original video animations (OVAs). In 1984, after the end of Urusei Yatsura and Maison Ikkoku, Takahashi took a different approach to storytelling and began the dark, macabre Mermaid Saga. This series of short segments was published sporadically until 1994, with the final story being Mermaid's Mask. Many fans contend that this work remains unfinished by Takahashi, since the final story does not end on a conclusive note.

Another short work left untouched is One-Pound Gospel, which, like Mermaid Saga, was published erratically. The last story to be drawn was published in 2001, however just recently she wrote one final chapter concluding the series

Later in 1987, Takahashi began her third major series, Ranma ½. Following the late 80s and early 90s trend of shōnen martial arts manga, Ranma ½ features a gender-bending twist. The series continued for nearly a decade until 1996, when it ended at 38 volumes. Ranma ½ is one of Rumiko Takahashi's most popular series with the Western world.

During the later half of the 1990s, Rumiko Takahashi continued with short stories and her installments of Mermaid Saga and One-Pound Gospel until beginning her fourth major work, InuYasha. While Ran

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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
Profile Image for Lisa.
173 reviews26 followers
January 28, 2021
This volume was a surprisingly pleasant one, despite the ridiculous martial arts cheerleading arc...

Our first story is one where Genma Saotome is upset because Ranma manages to win the last of the ramen when they’re camping/training together. He feels that Ranma has finally surpassed him as a martial artist, and challenges him to a duel. They both go off training for a week (and Genma tries to sabotage Ranma) and then fight. Genma’s pretty outclassed, but then he does “cradle from hell” technique that is... basically a smothering hug? So at the end of things, I guess they’re still even? Idea with these two.

The next arc starts with Akane meeting a man who sells her ingredients to magical cherry mochi. He says that if the man who is destined to love her eats the mochi she makes, cherry blossoms will appear on their face. Akane’s curiosity gets the better of her, so she makes them and offers them to Ranma. He refuses, knowing how bad her cooking is. Happosai takes one, reacts to the taste my smacking himself, and a giant X appears on his face. The same thing happens with Kuno. Akane asks Ranma to eat one, and he admits that he’s scared - not of a snack that will determine his face, he says, but of eating her cooking. She chases him down throwing mochi at him, and he blocks with P-Chan, who eats one. He smacks himself and runs away, and when he transforms into Ryoga, he has the blossoms on his face. Seeing this, Ranma tells Akane there’s no reason he should eat the mochi now that he has her answer. But he sneaks away that night and tries to eat one, but is unable to summon the fortitude to do it. The next day Akane dares him and he finally does it, but she pushes him away ( into low earth orbit) before she can see his face. And he lands face-first in the ink Ryoga was using to confess his love to Akane. Ranma then flips out, looking for a mirror and then being disappointed after he washes off the ink that there was either nothing there, or he washed off the petals. (Honestly, he looks so freaking dejected it makes my heart happy, lol.) Ranma turns Ryoga into P-Chan and flees before Akane can see him. She talks to P-Chan about the petals, so Ryoga (after turning back) finds out from Ranma what it all means. He gloats and starts planning his future with Akane, so Ranma turns him into a pig and they fight, with P-Chan kicking his face. Akane finds them, and sees Ranma’s face covered in petals. He realizes that P-Chan’s feet made the marks, and Ryoga’s petals were due to him smacking himself after eating Akane’s cooking. He decides not to tell her, when she comments that clearly with so many petals on his face, that he *must* be her destiny. Of course, this means he has to continue eating her cooking....

The last arc is the aforementioned cheerleading. Akane is helping the volleyball team, but all the players have been knocked out by the time Ranma gets to the match. There’s a cheerleader from the other school who is attacking the players, and she knocks Akane out of the game, too. Akane confronts her, saying that these tricks won’t work, but the other school is declared the winner. Mariko, they learn, is a martial arts cheerleader. She says the one thing missing in her life is love, and after the match she runs into Kuno, who lands on her (after being punched by Ranma) and is kind. She decides she loves him, and because he’s into the pigtailed girl, challenges her to a match. They are both supposed to cheer for Kuno at the upcoming kendo match. Akane tells Ranma he shouldn’t do it, and he all but admits that he’s doing it because Mariko attacked Akane.

During the kendo match, it becomes clear that Ranma isn’t good at boosting Kuno because he doesn’t love him. Mariko is very good at building him up (as well as attacking Ranma), so Ranma changes tack and starts rooting for the opponent, who’s been amused the whole time. Ranma shouts “get up, get up, I love you!” when the opponent falls, and it’s revealed that it’s actually Akane.

and the rest is continued in the next volume...

(Omg, Ranma,s secretly wanting to know if he’ll have petals GIVES. ME. LIFE.)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
6,226 reviews40 followers
January 20, 2016
Part 1: When Daddy Was Strong: Genma is upset because he feels he's weaker than Ranma. Genma plans to fight Ranma in a week.

Part 2: Time to Leave the Nest: Ranma and Genma start their match.

Part 3: The Cradle From Hell: They continue to fight.v

Part 4: Mark of the Cherry Blossom: Akane gets a mochi that will make a mark on the person who is destined for her. Happosai is the first to eat one and he gets a big X on his face to eliminate him. Kuno eats one and gets an X on his face. P-chan eats one and gets a different kind of mark on his face.

Part 5: Akane's Feelings: Akane eats one of the mochi and gets an X on her face. Ranma finally eats one.

Part 6: Storm of Petals: Ranma falls into some ink that Ryoga has prepared and when he washes it off there's no mark at all on his face. P-chan attacks Ranma and leaves marks all over his face and Akane think's their petals.

Part 7: L! O! V! E!: The school loses a volleyball match since a cheerleader on the other side cheats and hits the team members with batons. Ranma-chan will engage in a martial arts cheerleading battle with the girl.

Part 8: Cheerleading for Love: The girl is in love with Kuno. It's obvious Ranma-chan is going to have a difficult time.

Part 9: Win One for the Lover: The girl is winning the match.

Part 10: Equals in Love: Someone shows up to fight Kuno in the kendo match, and Ranma-chan says she's in love with that guy, whoever he is.

Part 11: Love vs. Love: It turns out, of course, that the 'guy' is Akane.
Profile Image for Cecillie.
1,134 reviews15 followers
December 16, 2023
I'd usually read this within 24 hours, but I'm now at 2 weeks of being ill, and xmas is incredibly overstimulating with all the lights, shitty music and people everywhere. Anyway, this is volume is okay. The sauce stuff with Ukyo is funny at the start but it gets drawn out a bit too much. Again fuck anything to do with Happosai.
I had to quickly flip through the volume because I knew I'd forgotten something. It was the plot thing where Kuno gets amnesia because of watermelons. I think the fact that I forgot about it says everything about how I feel.
Profile Image for Child960801.
2,844 reviews
December 10, 2021
This volume had three story arcs: the first was a three chapter arc about Ranma and his dad fighting to figure out who was strongest. Next was a three chapter arc about cherry blossom mochi that was supposed to tell the future. The final arc was five chapters in this volume and one chapter in the next. It introduces a new character and a martial arts cheerleading competition.
Profile Image for Frahorus.
356 reviews82 followers
May 28, 2017
- Kuno perde la memoria per colpa dell'allenamento nell'isola dei cocomeri.
- Ukyo è ospite dai Tendo per la storia della salsa invecchiata, dove Ranma e Akane fingono di essere sposati (per mandarla via).
- Ritorna il vecchio!
- Bambole di carta ipnotizzanti.
- Il vecchio si incolla a Ranma.
Profile Image for Ashlight Grayson.
759 reviews9 followers
September 30, 2020
3.5/5

Not as funny as last volume, but still very entertaining. Ranma has to deal with Ukyo and his pervy mentor. As usual, he pays the consequences of both the things he is and isn't responsible for.
Profile Image for Mariana Moreno.
612 reviews1 follower
October 16, 2020
El capítulo de los hombres de papel que le escribes lo que quieres que una persona haga y se lo pegas en la espalda me encantó pero no recuerdo haberlo visto en en el anime.
Profile Image for BooksLoveBrains.
348 reviews2 followers
December 30, 2023
I love when we get to see a peak into Ranma’s feelings for Akane! Definitely a “who made you cry!?” kinda vibe in this one (more or less) once we start the cheerleading vignette.
Profile Image for Chloe.
246 reviews
January 20, 2024
Not my favorite volume.
Happosai being a creep.
Kuno? Just no.

That other weird guy who likes Akane but chooses to use paper dolls to control? Lol. That was funny. I liked it a bit.
Profile Image for Marlene Willinger.
288 reviews1 follower
January 13, 2025
I like that Akane and Ranma are starting to communicate a little better and that it‘s finally been addressed that Ranma can be kind of mean to Akane! I like it!
Profile Image for Miss Ryoko.
2,701 reviews173 followers
December 22, 2012
I really liked this volume! The three storylines were really fun! I really liked the first one with Ranma and his dad! I love Genma so much!!! And the fan girl in me squeed for a decade in the second storyline when it But then my hopes and dreams were crushed, as always :-( But that still didn't make sense to me... why didn't Ranma and Ryoga Hmm, the intrigue...or else just not a well thought out storyline.

The last storyline that continues into the 20th volume is of course silly and anything that deals with Kuno and "the pigtailed girl" always makes me laugh. So I'm excited to dive into the next one!
Profile Image for Ubalstecha.
1,612 reviews19 followers
May 8, 2011
Silliness continues in this volume of Ranma 1/2. This time out, Ranma's father Genma wants to put the boy in his place, so he challenges him to an all out fight to the finish. Ranma thinks it's going to be a piece of cake, until Genma shows him a technique he has not seen before. Then Akane finds a mochi recipe that, when eaten, will cause marks to appear on the face of the maker's soul mate. You can imagine what happens when first Ryoga, then Ranma bite get the marks. The final story sees Ranma, in female form, engaging in a martial arts cheeleading battle with the head of a rival high schools squad over the affections of Tatewaki Kuno. Who would have thought?

Silly, check-your-brain at the door manga full of slapstick. Like the rest of the series.
Profile Image for scarlettraces.
3,099 reviews20 followers
October 30, 2010
i've learnt my lesson - leave a decent gap in between volumes of gag manga, and they come across much more fresh and funny. Ranma 1/2 was one of the first manga i ever read, and i loved it, but i read too much in quick succession and got bored (feckin Shampoo and Mousse didn't help, either). however, after a long break, this volume made me giggle quite a lot, mostly at Kuno's inspired density and Genma's signs.
Profile Image for Emi えみ Takami 鷹見.
1,074 reviews29 followers
September 3, 2011
Ah, I remember this from the anime! It was toward the end, like, five or so from the end. Good ol' martial arts cheerleading. Honestly, the fortune-telling mochi and cheerleading battles are two of my favorite episodes. It's really funny how in the manga, everyone knows about Ranma's curse, but in the anime Ranma tries to keep it hush-hush from everyone outside of the Tendo Dojo.
Profile Image for Jucchan.
61 reviews
April 22, 2011
They say you shouldn't judge a book by it's cover. But I did - And I was right ;) This series is amazing! You get genderbender, fantasy, action, romance and slapstick-humor along with intense serious moments, what more can you want?
Profile Image for Diana.
290 reviews20 followers
April 9, 2016
Como me encanta este tomo,tiene muchos momentos geniales entre Ranma y Akane ❤

Él siempre preocupándose y cuidando de Akane e igualmente ella siempre cuidando de él,son tan lindos =3

Por qué no eres real mi querido Ranma??!!! T____T
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews

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