Rumiko Takahashi Appreciation Week: Now Entering Its Second Exciting Week!

And Akane Ranma has a message for any nitpickers who want to point out that a week typically ends after seven days:


Akane! I'm surprised at you! You're usually so lady-like! (Although Ranma always says you're manly...) As John Chennavasin pointed out in the comments, that's Ranma in the panel, not Akane. I can see flipping the finger as more in character for Ranma.

Seriously, I was a little shocked to see this gesture in volume nine of Ranma, but I figured it was just a glitch. And then I ran across this panel in the following volume:


Does extending the middle finger not have the same connotation in Japan? UPDATE: Just ran across this in Appendix A of Jason Thompson's Manga: The Complete Guide: "'The finger' is considered a lighthearted, rascally gesture in Japan and is sometimes censored in English editions of manga." Case closed!

And if you'd like to try your hand at dialoging Akane Ranma when (s)he's angry or intense, here's that first panel again with all of the text blanked out:


Go wild! What do you think has Akane Ranma so worked up that (s)he's stooped to flipping the reader the bird?

Labels: Cultural Differences, DIY Photoshop, Humorous Profanity, Never-ending Theme Weeks, Rumiko Takahashi Appreciation Week

10:38 PM | |