English Dub Review: Ranma ½ “The Way the Cookie Crumbles”

Overview

Akane and Kodachi battle over homemade cookies, as Ranma chases after Kodachi and the stolen treats; Gosunkugi secretly snaps a compromising photo…

Our Take

Picking up from the previous episode, Ranma ½ brings back Kodachi and Gosunkugi for another round of ridiculous antics. Kodachi’s obsession with Ranma, combined with her blackmail scheme and Gosunkugi’s questionable photography habits, makes for plenty of hilarious complications. Meanwhile, Akane’s efforts to bake something special for Ranma are genuinely adorable, even if her culinary skills remain a work in progress. Watching Ranma desperately swallow photographs to keep them from getting exposed is easily one of the episode’s funniest highlights.

The rest of the proceedings are equally entertaining, particularly with the Kuno siblings getting caught up in their own romantic fantasies. David Errigo Jr. and Allegra Clark do a fantastic job portraying Kodachi’s delusional behavior, while Suzie Yeung and Jonah Scott deliver some amusing reactions during the collar incident. The animation is also worth mentioning, with expressive facial reactions and creative storyboarding adding plenty of personality to the comedy.

Overall, this is another thoroughly enjoyable episode, especially with Kodachi’s return bringing her usual brand of theatrical madness. Akane’s determination to make Ranma enjoy her cookies is a surprisingly sweet touch, and thankfully, Akane is no fool. However, the episode takes an open-ended turn, making it clear that there’s still more to this story. With the situation left unresolved, we’ll just have to wait and see what happens next week!