You will never see Ranma and Akane like this outside of the title sequence.
The abridged series of Ranma ½ made by Mythros Media (Mythros, Sithis Bear and Aymehx), an affectionate parody of the original series in the vein of Little Kuriboh's "anything goes" perspective on abridging rather than the more recent closely-canon abridging style popularised by Team Four Star. It is one of the more recent attempts at abridging Ranma ½, and has produced only a few episodes so far. Each episode condenses the original series into ten- to twelve-minute videos, with each episode title being a pun on Eighties visual media.
The episodes may be found at Mythros Media's Channel
.
As of The Great Laptop Self-Immolation of 2016 the series is on temporary hiatus, the Mythros Media team having lost all progress on Episode 3 and a functional computer for recording/editing. Mythros has said in an update he is working on getting a new one.
This work provides examples of:
- The Abridged Series: Well, I mean...
- A-Cup Angst: On the part of Akane, who uses the excuse that she's not wearing a bra because it's washing day.
- Affectionate Parody: Of not only the original series but also some other abridged series. The jokes aimed at competitor abridgements of Ranma ½ are less affectionate.
- All Just a Dream: It's not certain yet whether Ranma only dreamed that Kuno confessed to him or he was waking up screaming after he remembered what really happened later.
- All Men Are Perverts: Thus far, almost every male has proven this to be true in-series.
- Ambiguously Gay: Ryōga. Maybe. His current paucity of scenes makes it uncertain whether he is this or Camp Straight. He has yet to explain why he had yaoi fanfiction in his pocket when trying to pull out the map to Furinkan High School.Ryōga: Where can I find this? And I like women.
- Belligerent Sexual Tension: surprisingly averted, since it was so prevalent between Akane and Ranma in the original series.
- Berserk Button: Akane, about people not getting the terms for Yaoi and Boys' Love right.
- Bilingual Bonus: The second episode disclaimer uses an excerpt from (Japanese politician) Nonomura Ryūtarō's viral press-conference apology. The two bentō guys also speak only Japanese in a cutaway gag, although the meaning isn't hard to guess.
- Breaking the Fourth Wall: Considering the nature of abridging, this and lots of it. Assuming there even is a fourth wall. The characters appear to be aware of everything from the animators to Mythros Media themselves.Sōun Tendō: The following is an apology for releasing this episode so late.
- Butt-Monkey: Order of ADD, one of the other creators of a Ranma ½ abridgement. Since they had their videos removed from YouTube, this has become
Harsher in Hindsight. - Call-Back:
- The ludicrous bentō plot from episode 1 is persistently called back to.
- Kuno's catchphrase about his sword as a sexual metaphor gets undercut by Akane in episode 2.
- Catchphrase: Mostly Kuno, who has a habit of repeating previous lines in alternate ways. From "X, my only weakness!" to "This sword is the same size as my other sword... and by other sword I mean my erect p-"
- Character Exaggeration: If a character isn't the opposite to how they were in the original series, they will be this.
- Comically Missing the Point: Happens to Ranma more than any other character, due to his (inconsistent) stupidity. It may be genetic since Genma does this too.Ranma: What does it [the letter] say?Nabiki: It says...Kuno (letter voice-over): Dear pretty boy slash pretty girl. Meet me at the field at five thirty-six; I'll be waiting. P.S, Konatsu says you're a bitch.Ranma: You can read Egyptian?!
- Curse Cut Short: Oh, so very much.
- Depraved Bisexual: Kuno Tatewaki has his natural personality from the anime driven up to its logical conclusion. Upon learning Ranma and Akane are engaged, his only concern is whether they wouldn't be opposed to a ménage à trois.Kunō: That's French for three-way.
- Didn't We Use This Joke Already?: Kuno is sick of the references to bentō.Kuno: That joke wasn't even funny in episode 1!
- Dirty Old Man: Sōun Tendō, who feels "so shoutacon right now" when embracing Girl!Ranma for the first time.
- The Ditz: Mostly Ranma, who misses the point fairly often, but others sometimes pick up the slack.
- Don't Explain the Joke: Kuno, frequently. "Symbolism... [Beat] It means I want to deflower you".
- Early-Bird Cameo:
- Konatsu, who not only shows up (having dictated Kuno's letter) too early for the canon storyline but wasn't even in the anime at all, only the manga.
- Ryōga, who is known to exist very early on by virtually everyone except Ranma, and then has his scenes intercut with episodes two through four of the original series.
- Euphemism Buster: Akane, who has undercut Kuno's catchphrases and self-explained euphemisms.Akane: If you make one more joke about your p***s,I mean sword—Kuno: And by sword do you mean my erect— wait, what?
- Fan Fic: Akane writes slash fic of RyōgaxRanma. Somehow even Ryōga himself owns a copy, which he mistakenly produces instead of a map when trying to convince the country hicks he's completely straight.
- Fangirl: Akane.
- Fanservice: Much of it around Girl!Ranma.Kuno: ...my only weakness
- Flat "What": Kuno, of all people, gets one of these.
- Gag Dub: Part and parcel of an abridged series.
- Gratuitous Japanese: The bentō guys, and Nonomura Ryūtarō in the disclaimer.Bentō Guy #1: 「あ、弁当？」Bentō Guy #2: 「そうか、そうか。」
- Have I Mentioned I Am Heterosexual Today?: Alas, poor Ryōga. His pre-emptive reactions to the country hicks indicate he's been through this many times before.
- Homage: Happens often. An interesting almost-aversion is episode 2 which is called "The Bentō Club" but contains no overt homages to The Breakfast Club until the last few seconds, where it is promptly lampshaded by Ranma.
- Incredibly Lame Pun: A random side-character makes one about Jusenkyo and Springtime. He is suspended from the school.
- Inner Monologue: Anyone and everyone can have one, but Ranma is a frequent offender.
- Insistent Terminology: It's called Boys' Love, not "that homo-erotica stuff"
- Item Get!: Girl!Ranma, when picking up the defeated Kuno's wooden kendo sword. It comes complete with Final Fantasy VII victory fanfare and an item pop-up screen.
- Jerkass: Genma and Nabiki. Surprisingly, Ranma is less of one than in the original series.
- Lame Pun Reaction: Several Furinkan students confirm they know about the cursed springs of Jusenkyō, unlike in the anime where Ranma's secret is a secret. One student chips in, 'me and my family went there last... spring'. The reception is somewhat cold.
- Lampshade Hanging: Source of much of the humour.
- Larynx Dissonance: Mythros plays both boy-type and girl-type Ranma, in order to make them seem believably like the same person, albeit with different character types and therefore voice qualities. Whether it works well is a matter of opinion.
- Last-Name Basis: Everyone says "Kuno" instead of Tatewaki (even himself), possibly to distinguish him from Kuno Kodachi, who is his sister. Or, possibly because it's shorter and easier to say.
- Leitmotif:
- Kuno's battle theme is an Enka song by Itsuki Hiroshi.
- Akane appears in several scenes with "Heaven is a Place on Earth" in the background, even on the radio. Ryōga borrows it at one point.
- One of the love themes from the OST appears persistently, even when there's no romance.
- Mad Libs Catch Phrase: Kuno's version of this trope usually goes something like, "X, my only weakness", with X frequently being a thing which would be nonsensical to have as an Achilles heel, but which Kuno is certain led to his downfall. It is usually something that had nothing to do with his failure.Kuno: Walls... my only weakness
- Manipulative Bastard and The Chessmaster: Nabiki, who never misses a chance to play the characters off against each other and stir crowds up against people.
- No Fourth Wall: When characters complain about the animators ruining their previously beautiful visages, you know you'll have to search long and hard for the fourth wall.
- Ooh, Me Accent's Slipping: Happens from time to time, as the majority of the characters have some form of North American accent and the cast are all New Zealanders.
- Jusenkyo Man in particular drifts between British RP and New Zealand RP, which are similar but not identical.
- Record Needle Scratch: Used on many occasions, usually to punctuate a joke.
- Rule of Funny: The defining and overriding principle of the series. Many a non-sequitur or nonsense statement is thrown in purely on the basis of its humour value. However, some of these come back later to mean something after all...
- Screaming at Squick: After Kuno tells Girl!Ranma he plans on deflowering her, Boy!Ranma screams internally, culminating in metaphorically drowning in his own mind and being completely out for the count as a result (signalled by a boxing K.O bell).
- Self-Deprecation: Sometimes done in order to take an ironic dig at another abridged series.Ryōga: (trekking through the desert) Day nine: This place is emptier than our abridged fanbase.
- Shipper on Deck: Akane really, really ships Ryōga and Ranma together.
- Something Else Also Rises: Considering how clear Kuno makes the meaning of his sword as a metaphor, virtually whenever he raises it and delivers a risque line it becomes this.
- Sound-Effect Bleep: Used inconsistently. Essentially, it is used or not used depending on whichever is funnier in the situation.
- Soundtrack Dissonance: The theme from Literary Girl and its romantic overtones are somewhat undercut by Kuno coming right out and saying he intends to deflower Ranma complete with visual metaphor.
- The Stinger: From episode 2; episode 1 has no stinger.
- Surrounded by Idiots: Nabiki, though she briefly holds onto hope that others may not be so.
- Take That!:
- To the anime Ben-To. Ranma proclaims it has the dumbest premise for an anime he's ever heard of.
- Other abridgers of Ranma ½, most notably Order of ADD.
- Take That Me: Whenever a series of crowd voices erupts, expect one of them to insult a cast member.Crowd voice: Yeah, that Sithis Bear guy sounds the same in every voice!
- Who Writes This Crap?!:Akane: There was supposed to be less random s*** than episode one!
