This is a review for the second printing of Ranma 1/2 Volume 24. The volume is “flipped,” which means that it reads like an American book instead of traditional Japanese manga.

Ranma 1/2 Volume 24
Written by: Rumiko Takahashi
Publisher: Shogakukan
English Publisher: VIZ Media
Release Date: October 1, 2003

There is only one storyline included in Volume 24, and that is the continuation of the third story that appeared in Volume 23. Akane has headed out to the Higo Forest after the dojo gets a call looking for someone to deal with a strange beast. Akane had a run-in with the monster when she was young while her family had been vacationing in that area, and she was saved by a boy about her age.

When Akane arrives at the Higo Forest, she encounters the creature again and is rescued by a young man named Shinnosuke. It turns out that he was the boy who had rescued Akane years earlier, but he doesn’t remember since he has problems with his memory. After Shinnosuke’s grandfather explains something about what happened to him after he had rescued Akane years ago, this causes her to decide to stay with them.

When Ranma finds out that Akane has left, he follows her to the forest and sees her together with Shinnosuke. How does Ranma react, and what will he do?

This storyline was adapted for the OAV episodes of the Ranma 1/2 anime series, so I knew exactly what to expect since the anime adaptation was rather faithful. It’s a decent story, and it fits into the tone that Takahashi has set for the Ranma 1/2 universe.

Volume 24 focuses more on action than on dialogue, so it’s actually a pretty quick read. One thing that I really liked seeing in this story is the fact that Ranma isn’t the only one having to “gender bend” in the story. While he has the curse, the other characters have to dress up and change genders due to something that happens near the end of the volume. However, I’m not going to say why, because I don’t want to give any spoilers. I also liked how this storyline really put the relationship between Akane and Ranma through its hardest test to date in the manga.

If you’re a fan of the Ranma 1/2 manga series, then you’ll more than likely enjoy Volume 24 as much as you did the previous 23 volumes in the series.

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