Ranma 1/2 Season 6: Random Rhapsody Media DVD Region 1 Genre Romantic Comedy Publisher Viz Media MSRP $49.98 Running Time 600 Min. Aspect Ratio 1.33:1 Release Date 03/25/08 Age Rating 16+ Website VIZ Media Discuss this title in the Forums Submit your own Review © Rumiko Takahashi / Shogakukan / Kitty Films © Rumiko Takahashi / Shogakukan / Kitty Films © Rumiko Takahashi / Shogakukan / Kitty Films View all Media October 20, 2008 by: Eric Anderson Will the sex-changing, panda-morphing insanity never stop? Let’s hope not! Video: In a word: decent. While not on par with the quality of season five, it came no where near to being as bad as season four was. There are some noticeable artifacts in some of the episodes, and a few places where it looks like there was foreign material on the stock itself, but it never detracts from the show all the much, and for an older series that kind of thing is almost to be expected. As with previous seasons of this series, the subtitles are yellow with a black border, and as I’ve stated, that isn’t my choice for the best combination, but they’re always legible at least. As you’ll find with older shows, there is not a 16:9 aspect ratio available. Audio: What’s there to say? It’s a lot more of the same on this front. Yet again you get the English track in simple Stereo, which is alright I guess, but the Japanese track is in Mono, which I still say is unacceptable, especially since this show was made in the late eighties and early nineties. Honestly though, you could argue that I’m being a bit nit-picky as the sound is still crisp and clear with a well-mixed track for both languages. Menus: You’ll find that these are the same as all the other menus for the other sets in this series. You’re presented with the same static screen and three choices: Play, Scene Selection, and Set-Up. You’ll notice attractive, bright colors that differ with each disc’s menus, along with the standard scene-selections. As with the other sets, you aren’t forced to watch trailers or ads before getting to the menus. They do what they need to do in a clean, easy-to-navigate way, as always, and that’s about all you really can ask for. Dialogue: If you’ve read any of my previous reviews for the other Ranma sets, you know exactly what you should expect from Viz. The subtitle translation is as good as it’s always been. There were very few, if any, grammar errors, and no spelling errors that I saw. Another thing I like about the sub is how they translate Ranma’s way of talking where he drops letters and talks more like a real teenager saying things like “gonna” and “interestin’”. The dub, yet again, didn’t do anything for me. There are so many places where the emotion just doesn’t show through and where the lines were changed for some odd reason. However, if you’re used to watching your anime dubbed, this one does the job for the most part and is right on par with the other seasons of this series. Extras: In the forth season set we finally got some extras. We saw those same extras in the fifth, the exact same extras. Now, in the sixth season, we get those same extras yet again. There’s the Line Art gallery, which is the only thing that changes from season to season, and is always fun to take a glance at, “clean” opening and closing credit sequences, a cast list for both the Japanese and English, as well as a cast profile for the English folks, and a preview for Maison Ikkoku. These are all nice to have, especially for an older show like this, but it would be great to have an interview or two, maybe some old “behind the scenes” footage if it’s out there. The Bottom Line: All told, this is a relatively strong entry into the Ranma library. It isn’t as good as season five, which I still say is the best one so far, but it’s as good or better than seasons four and three. The new characters are interesting, but they have a tendency to overstay their welcome. I can’t complain about that too much though, because, in the same respect, they don’t spend a whole lot of time focusing on old bit-players making return appearances in stale roles, which is something that bugged me in the older sets. There’s a healthy mix of both drama and comedy in this season, and even though you know things will turn out in the end, they do a good job of interjecting suspense as well. Yes, it may not be the best of the Ranma ½ sets, but there’s something to be said for maintaining quality over the long run, and at that season six succeeds admirably. With just one more set to go, I can’t wait to see what the final episodes hold in store. Who knows, maybe Ranma and Akane will finally admit they love each other… and maybe pigs will fly out of my pants. © Rumiko Takahashi / Shogakukan / Kitty Films This image will forever haunt my nightmares < previous | page 2 of 2 | next >

Content Funny as ever, but some of the new characters get old after a while. Good mix of humor, drama and suspense. Lots of episodes with seldom-seen characters in the lead role. 9.0 Video Decent. Not as good as season 5, but still much better than 4. There’s the occasional artifact, yet it doesn’t detract from the show. Clear subs, even if they are yellow. No 16:9 aspect. 7.5 Audio A Stereo English track and a Mono Japanese track seem like a waste on such a good show, but the sound is always crisp and clear, and the mix is well done for both languages. 7.0 Menus While nothing new by any means, the menus do what they need to do easily and efficiently. There’s nice use of color and scene access. No forced ads or trailers. 7.0 Extras The exact same extras included in the previous two seasons. The Line Art gallery has a lot of nice sketches of the characters, but it would be nice to see more extras. 6.5 Dialog Viz puts out yet another good translation. The subtitles reflect well the meaning of the person speaking. The dub is as lame as ever, but still manages to convey what it needs to. 8.0 Verdict Granted, this isn’t the best of all the Ranma sets, however it can still stand beside most of them. It’s funny and sweet, and it will leave you feeling happy to have seen it. There’s not a whole lot that’s all that different, but if you’ve liked it so far, what’s so bad about that? As a huge fan of the series, I can honestly say that it’s well worth your time and money to pick this one up if you’ve enjoyed the show up to now. 9.0 [not an average] + Original stories + Still brings laughs + Keeps you engaged - Poor audio choices - Sub-par dub - Few new extras

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