I've been watching the original Ranma 1/2 for the first time on Tubi and the experience evokes all kinds of thoughts and emotions in me. As you might know I spent a lot of time on archived Tokyo Geocities pages over the last year and the amount of Ranma fanpages was really surprising. Maybe it suprised me because Ranma never got aired in The Netherlands, unlike Dragonball, Gundam Wing and Sailor Moon. Based on the amount of fanpages Ranma is only outnumbered (by a street length) by Sailor Moon. When I watch Ranma, to be honest, half the time I'm wondering if there is even a point to this show. The episodes are very, very slice of life. The characters seemingly don't have much of an arc and its sitcom style approach ensures that whatever lessons are learned at the end of an episode will be all but forgotten on the next one. The stories and gags are often repetitive as well.
Ranma's strength is its colourful cast of characters. There is also plenty of typical Japanese humour which I have grown to appreciate over the years. There is just something inherently funny about Ranma's dad turning into a giant panda at the most inconvenient times. There is also a painful irony in Akane not noticing Ryoga unless he turns into a cute little pig. Ranma also does a lot in terms of nostalgia for me. From the animation style, to the casual nudity, to the 'rainy summer evening' soundtrack. When I watch Ranma I can't help but feel a bit sad for a bygone era. But also, the longer you watch Ranma, the more you will find that there is character development going on. People gradually learn to accept one another, even love another and most of all, people learn to love themselves.
People like to discuss whether or not Ranma is a queer show. Author Rumiko Takahashi has always denied this, even going so far as to say that her stories are about relationships between men and women. Critics are very mixed in how they label this show. Some calling it conservative and confirming of traditional gender roles, while others point out that the show was probably as queer as mainstream media outlets would allow in late 80s Japan. The impact that Ranma 1/2 had on 90s Western queer teenagers, however, is undeniable. Ranma was the first character appearing on television that they identified with. Perhaps even the first character that allowed them to think of themselves in non-binary gender ways. I too lean toward the opinion of Ranma's queerness being unintentional, but at the same time I believe it does not matter one bit. Isn't the beauty of art that people can find meaning in it beyond the artists own intentions?
I would even go as far as to say that the unintentional queerness of Ranma is its main strength. Especially when you compare it to today's media landscape. Where studio executives try to shoe-horn gay or trans characters into shows because it would do well on test audiences. Truthfully, an openly queer anime would have bombed on mainstream TV in the 90s. Ranma's subtle, beating around the bush approach, was as good as it got. Takahashi wasn't trying to make you feel anything in particular and that is why you feel something sincere when watching this show.