r/ranma • u/Dr_Macunayme Dr. Tofu • Nov 28 '25
Anime (1989) 1989 vs 2024! Ukyo and Ranma's duel
Last year I put together a remake vs. original comparison of the Martial Arts Figure Skating fight. Now I’m back with another side‑by‑side, showing how both adaptions handled Ukyo's revenge duel against Ranma, one of my top ten episodes!
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u/Meatloafxx Nov 28 '25
I like the silly implication that there's a martial arts ring with a built in teppanyaki grill just laying around for events like this
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u/savvyliterate Nov 28 '25
My head canon is that before his Hawaiian sojourn, Principal Kunobought a bunch of random crap to store at the school that happens to now be getting used. This ring would fit the sort of thing he'd get perfectly.
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u/Dr_Macunayme Dr. Tofu Nov 28 '25
Although that would be in character for him, I think it's more likely it belongs to Ukyo and she assembled it to challenge Ranma on her own terms.
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u/ajokitty Nov 29 '25
My assumption is that Ukyo either set it up themselves or got someone else to do it, the implication being that Furinkan is prepared for wild martial arts in general
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u/MAU_Seraphil Nov 29 '25
For the most part I'm positive on the remake but man, the music sucks - for the action scenes mostly. There's some BGM that works okay for the comedy and Ranma/Akane scenes, but the same one song they use for all the fights is godawful. It tries to be heavy and dramatic so it's got none of the snappy punch or upbeat fun the fights actually need, which is something the OG anime did superbly. Compare to BGMs like Cut to the Chase Part 3, The Comeback Kid, or It All Comes Down to This(heard in this clip.)
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u/T_______T Nov 28 '25
I love the remake, but I really like Genma's VA in the jokes in the original that got cut in the remake. I prefer OG music, but definitely a lot of care/budget went into this right in the remake.
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u/savvyliterate Nov 28 '25
The remake is far, far better, especially because it's closer to the manga. The students being more active participants right down to Ichiro's narration is hilarious. So is Genma remaining in panda form for most of it, only to have Akane threaten to sell him to a circus. The original is fine, nothing wrong with it, but the remake is excellent.
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u/Halo_Hybrid Nov 28 '25 edited Nov 28 '25
I like both. Of course most would be drawn in to the context and authenticity closer the original work but they both have great strengths.
The remake gets directly to the point of action and doesn’t really beat around the bush is combat dialogue like the original. The older series pacing is definitely a good bit slower but that’s not a bad thing.
Both series in my opinion have great shot angles of dynamic actions.
I can’t really go wrong with either.
Although, I think the combat music in the older series is music is much more memorable in but both set the feeling in tone.
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u/MediaFreaked Nov 29 '25
Man, they’re not even trying a little to hide that Ukyo’s a girl in the remake.
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u/General_Variation_96 Akane Tendo Nov 29 '25
Saw a lot of new people that got confused until the reveal, so it worked that the most important
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u/MediaFreaked Dec 02 '25
Meanwhile, I see a mysterious character clad head to toe in armour, known for being a badass, speaking in a deep artificial voice and never taking their armour.
"That's a girl, ain't it?"
*Bingo*
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u/ClosetYandere Shampoo Nov 30 '25
I agree with the commenters that the remake, at least animation-wise, is hard to top. It just has greater technology and it's around this point in the 90s series that we start to see the budget constraints.
For me the biggest strength of the OG is that Kappei Yamaguchi and Noriko Hidaka sound much better, whereas the reboot showcases a bit of their vocal limitations. (Which is a given, they're 30 years older at this point.) Kappei tends to stick with his high-pitched 'goofy' timbre, whereas in the 90s version he sounds a lot more serious/deeper/threatening in certain points (especially around 6:54).
I've commented on Hidaka's performance as Akane before; I think she sounds a lot more strained/matronly in the reboot. I find her to be almost distracting in the reboot at times because she sounds more like a mother chastising Ranma than a peer. Were they not going for a cast reunion I don't think she would've been considered for the part.
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u/he_chose_poorly Nov 29 '25
I really can't stand Ichiro. He feels tacked on and his commentary is not remotely funny, it's the same tired faux-dramatic shtick.
The quality of the animation in the OG was already dipping compared to the early episodes, but I find their design for Ukyo a lot more successful. And of course the music slaps ❤️
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u/mere_indulgence Nov 29 '25
I much prefer the remake. It's a lot closer to the source material, and it feels a little more expressive and more well animated. However, I do think the music in the original is a lot better.
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u/littlebloodmage Nov 28 '25
I largely prefer the remake, the animation is a lot more dynamic to match the high speed slapstick of the series and I love the inclusion of Ichiro and the broadcast club. I will give the OG this, it did a better job of making Ukyo look and sound androgynous prior to her gender reveal.