Yapping about Ranma 1/2

Ranma doesn’t seem to have an aversion to his transformed body. The “curse” of being a woman isn’t tied to his physical form but rather to how humiliating he finds the situation. This is because even though he is a good person, he grew up in a very sexist ambient. For him, as an excellent martial artist, being turned into a woman is offensive, as if it “downgrades” him cos he was taught that "Women are weak." But Ranma doesn’t realize that his female form doesn’t affect his abilities at all. He continues to defeat his opponents with ease and doesn’t experience any kind of weakening. Thus, the curse only becomes a burden because he allows it to affect him. 

In many scenes, whenever one of Ranma’s opponents questions his masculinity with remarks like “Are you even a real man?” or “Fight like a man,” Ranma becomes visibly angrier and starts fighting more seriously. This demonstrates how deeply his sense of masculinity is tied to his pride and how much he feels the need to prove himself as a man, even in moments where his skill is not in question.

(A clear example of this internalized misogyny is in episode 9. In it, Ranma intentionally splashes himself with cold water to turn into a woman, believing it would be less humiliating to learn how to skate as a girl than as a man.)

As for Akane, she’s a very interesting character and personally, my favorite. Ranma is one of the first boys her age who she feels comfortable with. Akane, on the other hand, has many reasons to “hate men.” She is constantly chased and harassed by boys who try to fight her just for the chance to date her. These boys see her more as a prize to be won than as an actual human being. But with Ranma, despite their arguments and fights, she finds something different: a sort of friendship. 

As a "tomboy," Akane faces societal judgment for liking things like fighting, which were considered “weird” for a girl at the time. Because of these traits, Akane is chosen as Ranma’s future bride, with her family reasoning that “she’s half a boy, and he’s half a girl, so they’ll get along, right?” This arrangement reflects their family’s hope that Ranma can “fix” Akane’s tomboyishness, while Akane can “fix” Ranma’s curse. However, it’s precisely because of these shared struggles that Ranma and Akane connect so deeply. 

Akane also struggles with a complex of her own. She tries hard to be more like her older sister, Kasumi, who represents the trope of the “perfect wife.” This desire stems from Akane’s crush on Dr. Tofu and her attempts to change herself so he would see her the same way he saw her sister. This arc reaches a turning point in Episode 5 when Ryoga accidentally cuts Akane’s hair. Her hair is symbolic of how much she changed herself in her pursuit of love and acceptance. When her long hair is cut, it serves as a moment of liberation. She begins to shed the insecurities tied to trying to be someone she’s not. In a touching moment, Dr. Tofu remarks, “She always looked better with her hair short,” affirming Akane for who she truly is. 

Both of them find it extremely difficult to admit their feelings for each other, even though they are evident.