Ranma 1/2: One Page Per Volume, Part 21

[rainsometimes]

Art runs from left to right

This page is from the Martial Arts Cheerleading arc, where Ranma battles Mariko Konjo, the strong and skilled cheerleader. In the Ranmaverse, cheerleaders are apparently allowed to intervene in the sports they're cheering for, and Mariko is the best of them all - especially when she is full of L-O-V-E for the one she cheers for, as she is here for Tatewaki Kuno (age 17)! Ranma had been drawn into it because Mariko's unexpected intervention in a volleyball game had humiliated Akane to the point of tears (while Ranma strenuously denied this was the real motivation for challenging Mariko), but despite Kuno's fixation on “the pig-tailed girl”, Ranma just couldn't battle Mariko evenly when it came to cheering lovingly for Kuno. However, the tide of battle turned as Akane in disguise intervened as a kendo fighter opposing Kuno, making it possible for Ranma to switch sides and pick this champion instead (not knowing it’s Akane).

It's a lively arc filled with nicely executed moves, a fun one-shot character, and with Kuno in the unusual position as the prize but excellent comedy fodder as usual (though his sudden propensity for being depressed when Ranma rejects him seems OOC and doesn't really return again, but oh well, it fits the story!). What I loved the most, apart from Akane's transformation into a third cheerleader followed by her ruthless exploitation of Kuno's crush on her ("Kick of Love's Betrayal!"), was the creative and almost poetic names for the martial arts moves, all in the same theme, where Mariko sets the tone but Ranma soon follows along. As we see in the page above.

I remember from reading the endless power level discussions in the fandom of yore that some claimed that Mariko was the strongest teenaged female character in the series not counting girltype-Ranma. Can’t recall the arguments too well myself there, but it would certainly have been fun to see Shampoo and Ukyo fight her as well!