#Konatsu

[basedkikuenjoyer]

Because I can do what I want we're gonna do a top ten for best Rumiverse characters. And because I can double do what I want we're starting with a pair:

#10 - Konatsu & Ukyo (Ranma 1/2)

Really you could say this one is Ukyo Kuonji, but Konatsu is right there and a total sweetie. I've always been a big fan of the Okonomiyaki girl we first meet dressed as a guy because Ranma 1/2 is all about playing with gender. Our goddess with a giant spatula comes in late which works to her advantage. You're used to seeing new suitors pop up so yet another broken promise from Genma isn't anything new, but the way Ranma treats Ukyo more like a buddy is always a fun dynamic.

Adding the dynamic with Konatsu though, the kunoichi trapped in a man's body...that just made both better. The way Ukyo treats her Cinderella simp? Priceless.

[itsverydifficulttofindanick]

Third one for the kunoichi feat. Rankane because if I go too long without them I explode

[futabakitagawa]

"Ranma isn't a trans girl." Also Ranma getting close to Konatsu (a trans woman), and being the only one to treat her normally.

[fallensnowfan]

Introducing Ninja Cinderella, or better known as Konatsu. A late edition into the series I became aware of from reading basedkikuenjoyer's posts, and a delight of a character, who deserves nothing but the yummiest food.

[beedok]

Rumiko Takahashi accidentally(?) celebrating the concept of trans butches by putting Konatsu in a Takarazuka outfit.

[thekingofwinterblog]

So just a bit of Rumiko's originally planned color scheme i have never seen anyone comment on.

Ryoga's entire assemble was originally supposed to be very glaring pink, whoch has several meaning in Japanese, as it's speciffically a very masculine color... But with a twist.

In Japanese, Pink is the color of Sakura, and in terms of masculinity, is used to symbolize Samurai who died before their time, in the prime of their lives.

Which you could easily connect to Ryoga's feelings that his life effectively came to a premature end at Jusenkyo.

Meanwhile, Shampoo's most notable different feature is that she was originally meant to have scarlet hair.

Now this is of course a reference to the fact that Shampoo, more than any of the other of Ranma's love interests represents war, fighting, ruthlessnes and martial arts.

In the context of Japan, it also is the color of authority, happiness and strength.

It is also meant to be a clear cut contrast to Lum, the Heroine of Rumiko's first hit series, from whom Rumiko took a lot of inspiration, but ultimately made her a mirror of, as defined by Shampoo's red, to Lum's generally green.

As for Ranma's design, while there is of course the more notable fact that Manga ranma always had black hair regardless of form, there is also the original color of Ranma's famous amrtial arts uniform, which rather than the familiar red and black/blue se all know and love, was instead a very distinct orangish yellow.

Rather than any symbolism, thia is instead a reference to one of Ranma's contemporaries/predessecors, Dragon ball, as Manga Goku's Kame Gi as shown on the cover above, is almost the exact same shade, much brighter than it's animated counterpart.

Overall, Rumiko just loved this color scheme in general, as a lot of art has ranma in orange duds.

Its even the main color on the final volumes of the series.

Similar to Shampoo, Ukyo also has an element of red that was dropped in the anime, in the form of her ribbon, the trim of her short, but also her lipstick and Eyeliner.

It also symbolizes strength, power and war... But in a much more subdued manner, as while Ukyo is just as monstrously strong as Shampoo(With word of god estimating her raw, brute strength on the level of Ryoga, though lacking his monstrous durability), she lacks Shampoo's comfortable with violence, nudity and such, with her loss against Ranma in large part due to feelings of personal emberassment at her own nudity that Shampoo has never shown.

She also in general just lacls Shampoo's comfortable with true, murderous violence as the go to answer to her problems.

Hence while it was meant to be a defining color on Shampoo, on Ukyo it was meant to be a very small yet noticable aspect of her coloring.

It is also the color of sacrifice, and more than anyone of Ranma's finacee's, Ukyo is willing to change herself if it means winning Ranma's heart.

Later down the line, this red color would also link her to her introduced at the last minute love interest Konatsu, who wore red in general.

Also, speaking of character who never got the animated treatment in the original series, Ryo Kumon stands out as not only was he given a color scheme by Rumiko, but his color scheme was speciffically influenced by the Animated color scheme of Nodoka as having purple hair, in order to contrast him with Ranma as looking far more similar to Nodoka than her flesh and blood son.

Its an interesting choice as manga Nodoka had black hair, which meant Rumiko specifficaly chose this color design to make the similarity between him and Nodoka much more obvious for when the arc was adapted for the screen(Which didn't end up happening in the first anime).

[ylvasart]

Always curious how Akari & Konatsu would look like in Kagome's and Sango's outfits, and vice versa.

Bonus with the tweet who inspired me in the first place:

@beedok ❤️

[askranma12]

Who was it in the crew who first proposed polyamory, anyway?

(Grongagidapa'mo was my attempt to translated Village of Women Champions to Tibetan. Probably the wrong dialect for Qinghai.)

[misquoted-ranma]

[beedokart]

I have not drawn them nearly enough.

[nannichuan]

Sorry it's blurry please click for a better view! I hope the digital drawing on the kimono looks alright, I'm pretty happy with it.

[invisiblemelonmoose]

Day 4 - Favorite underappreciated/minor characters

My fave babies whom I hope to see in a few season in the new anime.

Glad they're checking the tag a month after otherwise I'll never finish. @____@

[itsverydifficulttofindanick]

Realized I hadn't drawn best manga-only character yet and had to remedy asap

[futabakitagawa]

Ranma and Konatsu have trans girl solidarity.

[fallensnowfan]

Ranma 1/2 complete! I love these big spreads of the characters, and the art in general for these final chapters was fantastic.

The extra Jusenkyo lore and action made for a fun finale, though not as fun as seeing all my favorites again. Shampoo and Obaba, Ukyo and Konatsu, Ryoga, Kodachi, and of course the Tendo family. The Jusenkyo guide having a family was a neat little reveal too.

Overall, Inuyasha is my favorite of the two manga, though Ranma's comedy and central characters were very enjoyable, and worked in so many of the series' zany scenarios.

I have a handful of posts about other parts I enjoyed queued up to post over the next week or so, so this is not my final post about my Ranma readthrough, worry not. Thanks to all who followed along and engaged with my posts for the series. Next up in my Rumiko marathon will be Rinne!

[jaredr-k]

Don't mess with Mama