He's got four fiancees and doesn't want any of them! Ranma 1/2 has gained an astonishing cult following in the United States over the past several years, largely due to the amount of romance and sexual tension centering around its title character, Ranma Saotome. However, Ranma's transexuality and his failure to admit to any attraction towards any of the other characters complicates the plot and opens up a can of worms which, upon reflection, may seem a bit... queer.
The can of worms: Ranma is half male, half female. If he were a heterosexual male, then as a female he would be a lesbian. That may be generally assumed. But as a female, he is often seen hitting on other guys, especially Ryouga. Is he attracted to men in general? Is he bisexual? Or does he just want (as it seems so many of us do) some of that hot pork injection?
WHAT!!?? You may be thinking, how can that be, when Ranma is *meant* for Akane? Well, sure, he gets a small love scene with her every so often, but then, how many times do you see him running off to flirt with Ryouga? The Church of Ranko and Ryouga follows the idea that maybe Ryouga should end up with female Ranma, but we say that there's more to it than that. Ranma, even when he's a guy, may be more attracted to the male sex than to the female. Maybe Ranma needs to go on a panty-raid with Happosai. Sure, maybe it's just a phase, Soun....he'll be able to marry Akane and carry on the school of Anything-Goes Martial Arts....just keep telling yourself that.
So, as further evidence of Ranma's ambiguous sexuality, we offer up the possibility of his curse may have brought out some issues which otherwise might have remained in the closet (with his blow-up P-chan doll).
Here's a list of the top ten reasons why we think Ranma may be a bit...confused:
10. Ranma flirts with other
guys in his girl form.
9. Ranma flirts with other guys in his male
form. Example: In the second episode in the fourth series, "Headmaster
From Hell", Ranma says to Kunou: "What's the matter? Your underwear
too tight?"
8. Ranma does not, however, flirt with girls;
this includes his "date" with Tsubasa, who turns out to be a guy anyway.
7. Ranma avoids physical encounters with his
fiancees as much as possible.
6. One of the leading theories for the cause
of homosexuality is the lack of an opposite-sex parent during childhood.
Ranma grew up without knowing his mother.
5. The orange shirt with the red bow tie...it's
never sat right with us.
4. Ranma's male voice in the English-dubbed
episodes sounded more masculine when played by a female actress, Sarah
Strange, than he does with his current voice actor, Richard Cox.
3. In the second episode of "Headmaster From
Hell", the first volume with the new voice, Richard Cox gives Ranma a slight
lisp, one of the stereotypes of heterosexual males.
2. Just try to count how many times Ranma and
Ryouga are naked together, or just one naked in front of the other.
1. The Freudian Squid. This is definitely
the king of phallic food items: its repeated presence in manga and
anime might also indicate a) an explanation for the existence of tentacle
porn and b) that maybe the Japanese eat a bit too much squid in their diet.
In "Ranma 1/2" the Freudian squid reappears again and again; one who knows
what to look for will keep finding it. It usually appears hanging
out of Ranma's mouth in a rather suggestive postion. In volume 11
of the manga and the anime episode "Soap Gets in Your Eyes", however, it
enters as a mechanized toy squid which leaps high into the air and squirts
Ryouga in the face with its ink.
SO, WHO SHOULD RANMA END UP WITH: THE GAY POLL!
Visit
BIG GAY RANMA'S BIG GAY IMAGE GALLERY
For those of you who still argue that Ranma can't be gay, here's another way of thinking about it: if Ranma really does love Akane, then he needs to "come out" and admit his true feelings for her.
If you feel the need to flame the humble writers of this page, go ahead and email either Kat or Anne. Be sure to cite any examples to further your delusion of Ranma's heterosexuality, because we both need a good laugh. And if this site really pisses you off.. stop to reflect and remember that hey, this is a fictional character and if you're that attached to him, you need to get a life.
