Search - Ranma 1/2 - Outta Control - The Complete Fourth Season Boxed Set on DVD

Pay atention to the other reviewers

robert bezold | moscow, idaho United States | 04/29/2003

(3 out of 5 stars)

"The ones who say that this season isn't all that. They happen to be right. There are a few good episodes (written by takahashi) and a lot of bad episodes (written by amateurs) and a few should-have-been-good episodes written by takahashi that were butchered to fit in one episode.And the art/animation quality? Don't get me started. The few episodes where they flashback to the beginning of the series painfully demonstrate how far the series has degraded. In fact, if you really want to see how far this series falls short, watch 2-3 of the OVA's THEN watch this. They were producing this season on the cheap, that's for sure.I got it, because I intend to collect the whole series. Non-collectors should think twice. And if you're looking for a Ranma gift for someone, pick season one or two. They're better."

Not a Masterwork -- More of the Same Really

Bridget | Starkville, MS | 02/27/2003

(3 out of 5 stars)

"There weren't a lot of surprises on this DVD. Voice Acting: I'd really like to know where the voice actor for Ranma that I fell in love with the first season went. If I knew I'd beg him to reprise the role, because the current American voice actor rubbs me the wrong way.General Content: I had high expectations. I thought maybe we'd meet Ranma's mother. They teased us but didn't deliver. There was very little Shampoo, always a mistake. She's one of the more interesting sympathetic characters and she was wasted this season.Overall: This is one season that I don't think I would have missed if I'd skipped it entirely. More of the same, little development beyond where the characters already were. Buy it if you love Ranma, but try not to be disappointed."

A bit less memorable than before

Joshua Kaufman | Cincinnati, OH | 01/12/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Ranma 1/2 is easily one of my favorite series. It's got great varying characters, a great Japanese voice cast, wonderful songs, good FITTING BGM, tons of comedy, and pure over-the-top fun. But for whatever reason, the quality seems to go down bit by bit as the series goes along, with much more mediocrity than before though still plenty of moments of greatness (much like The Simpsons became in later years). That's not to say it's bad though.
I think the reasons for this shift in quality is simple -- for whatever reason they decided to compress many of the manga-based stories into one episode, when they really should probably have been two. But not only that, they decided to take some elements of manga stories and use it in FUTURE episodes -- for instance, the 1st episode where the principal returns (the only haracter ntroduced in this season that appearas in more than two episodes), in the Manga there's a section about who he actually is (I won't spoil if you don't know), but they turn that section into a whole new episode in a later season.
Another things is a matter of sameness -- Happosai still glomps everyone all the time, Ryoga still blames Ranma all the time, etc etc. While yes characters have certain personalities, things tend to be a bit Ranma-centric (the manga is guilty of this too) than it really needed to be.
Still, there's plenty of good stuff to be found. For instance, there's the three part Moxibustion arc, where Happosai makes Ranma weak, which is Takahashi's favorite part, and there's the hilarious epsidoe where Azusa the cleptomaniac ice skater claims Kuno as her "Marrianne". And my favorite episode is the final one, with the return of Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung.
Now, as far as the DVDs themselves go, there's not much difference from seasons 2-4. Same type of so-called extras, 4 DVDs in 5-5-5-5-4, and nice box with Shampoo's picture (interesting becasue she's in so few episodes this season, another minus in my book). Really, to sum it up, it's good if you really love Ranma, but make sure to get the first two seasons, and season 3 is a BIT better than this one."

Not as good as Hard Battle

M. Hammond | San Diego, CA United States | 12/31/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"but better than what I've seen of the 1st season. Hard Battle had some great eps(particularly the ep where Ranma becomes a girl mentally as well as physically) so it's a hard act to follow, but most long-running series hit a rut or two. I actually prefer the new English male Ranma voice actor, but then I love him as Inu-Yasha also(So Viz is following Japan using the same voice actor for both roles). I understand where those who don't like the change are coming from--I always check both vocal tracks & often prefer the Japanese actors. Heaven knows DBZ's changed enough actors & I know we'll be hearing a new Excel on the 4th Volume of Excel Saga(When my daughter complains about the prospect, I point out there've been 3 English Sailor Moon actresses & 3 Son Goku in DBZ, not counting DB)
I don't care for Principal Kuno, although my daughter loved his bits(she also loves Happosai...).The new teacher ep was interesting & the Ranma-gets-weak set is good. I've read 13 of the graphic novels so I know much of it's from the manga, but a few details were changed such as in the manga Principal Kuno offering the get-out-of-haircut-card to whoever located his long-lost son who is quickly revealed as Tatewaki Kuno. The game show ep was much better in the manga--the anime maybe is more like tv game shows, but the manga had a running sub-plot that the people running the contest didn't want anyone to win because they couldn't really afford the prize & the contests were less annoying. Had they followed the manga closer this probably would have been a better season."