RANMA 1/2 Cafe

Ranma 1/2, a popular manga by Rumiko Takahashi, marks 30th anniversary this year, and

guess what? RANMA 1/2 CAFE opens in three major cities in Japan for a limited time.

Shinsaibashi in Osaka; Nov. 9, 2017 - Dec. 19, 2017.

Open: 11 a.m. Close: 9 p.m.

Nagoya in Aichi; Nov.22, 2017 - Dec. 25, 2017.

Open: 10 a.m. Close: 9:30 p.m.

Ikebukuro in Tokyo; Early Jan. 2018.

Open: 10 a.m. Close: 10 p.m.

It opens in Kanto region too. I'm really looking forward to visiting Ranma 1/2 Cafe in Tokyo next year. I wonder which item I'll have. I'll definitely order Pちゃんの方向音痴パンケーキ, or P-chan with no sense of direction Pancakes or something, haha.

Well, this plate seems to have Yubari Melon Jelly and Sata Andagi as well. Yubari melons are produced in Hokkaido, Japan, and Sata Andagi are local doughnuts in Okinawa. But, Hokkaido is located at the north end of Japan while Okinawa is the southernmost prefecture of Japan. Why P-chan's Pancakes are served with Yubari melon jelly and Sata Andagi? If you've read or watched Ranma, you know what P-chan is like and why this plate has both, haha.

Though Ranma 1/2 is a manga series produced by a Japanese manga artist, its main character, Ranma, usually wears Chinese clothes. China plays an important role in the series.

Ranma 1/2, or らんま１/２ in Japanese, is my favorite manga. I'm 30 years old now, so Ranma 1/2 is as old as me. Congratulations, Ranma 1/2. You're the best.

Rumiko Takahashi, 高橋留美子, has written and illustrated a lot of mangas, many of which are very popular as I mentioned before with paintings of Ranma and Ram chan. But I like Ranma 1/2 the best.

Left: Original book jacket version of Ranma 1/2 manga. There are 38 volumes.

Right: The latest jacket version, which started to be released last year, and it seems that the last volume of this ver. will be published next month.

I read Ranma 1/2 for the first time when I was an elementary student and I started to collect its manga. I played Ranma's games with Super famicom.

After I turned 15 years old or so, I threw away all the mangas I had at the time including Ranma, and games as well, to concentrate on studying. I had to study hard so that I could pass the entrance exam for the high school.

A few years ago, I realized that the original edition is not available anymore except at used book stores, on Amazon or something like that. Besides, a new edition released many years ago is not to my taste at all. "Oh my goodness. I should not have thrown away," I thought. Oh, the two photos don't show the new edition that I've just mentioned, just in case. I've never bought that version. Then, I got the older ver., I mean the 1st edition, at a used book store, though I didn't want used ones.

So, I'm so happy that the new edition is being publised right now. Each volume of this new version is more expensive and thicker than the other two editions, but it's worth having. Well, the size of the new Ranma 1/2 is a little larger than the usual ones. Each jacket color and design is great ... sometimes in my favorite color , sometimes in my darling's favorite greenish colors , sometimes in other colors. And these are so colorful when they are arrange on a bookshelve. Please try.

17 volumes have already been publised, and 18 vol. will be released this month and the last one will be next month. I can't wait.

I always use watercolors and poster colors when I paint my drawings. But it always takes many hours, so this time, I uesed colored pends and pencils. Instead, I'll draw other characters too.

Oh, Ranma♀above wears a Hibiscus pattern outfit ... Well, OHANA, staff members of Eggs 'n Things, wear Hawaiian aloha shirts or aprons, and at first I thought I'd draw a Hibiscus pattern apron for Ranma ♀, who is offering P-chan's pancakes, and aloha shirt for Ranma ♂. But, P-Chan's pancakes are not pancakes served by Eggs 'n Things, though Eggs 'n Things is famous for their pancakes, so that's why she wears a Chinese dress in Hibiscus pattern. By the way, They have a location in Shinsaibashi, Osaka, too. Also, Nagoya PARCO, a building Ranma cafe opens at, has an Eggs 'n Things restaurant as well. I've never been to these two locations of Eggs 'n Things, but I wanna someday to try their exclusive pancakes.

Coming soon.

Shampoo with 猫飯店's Gomoku Ramen.

猫飯店 (Neko Hanten) is a Chinese cuisine restaurant in the manga. It's located near the high school Ranma and Akane go to, and her great-grandmother owns the eartery, maybe. Shampoo and Mousse, both of whom are from China, work there. Another character Ukyo owns her own Okonomiyaki restaurant.

I colored this one too, but I didn't do well.

So, I drew and colored a new one, but I don't think this one is a good drawing. On the other hand, food items look good, right? These two are Ranma 1/2 Cafe's.

Shampoo with Great Delight Smoothie (left) and Gomoku Ramen (right).

Shampoo is not my favorite character, actually, but I'm sure she's popular especially among boys. On the other hand, her hair is my favorite color, purple, and she's also a cute cat.

When I was a teenager, my favorite character was Ryoga, who turns into P-chan when he was splashed with cold water. I didn't understand at all why Ranma ♂ was its main character and is popular among female characters in the manga. As I get older, I came to understand why a little bit, though he is not my type at all and Ryoga isn't either. After all, I'm not a girl anymore, you know.　

Akane with Love Fortune-telling Sakura-mochi Parfait.

This design is from volume 21 of the original edition, though I changed simple Sakura Mochi into a Sakura-mochi Parfait. You know, this parfait is one of the items of Ranma 1/2 Cafe. Akane is a heroine of Ranma 1/2. Oh, 桜餅, or Sakura-mochi, means ... Japanese cherry blossom sticky rice cake.

Also, I'm so glad 鋼の錬金術師, Fullmetal Alchemist, opens a collaboration cafe in Ikebukuro, Tokyo, on November 22 this year, maybe to promote its live-action film, which will be released next month. 鋼の錬金術師 (Hagane No Renkinjyutsushi) is Hagaren for short.

You know what? Fullmetal Alchemist opened another collaboration cafe until the end of last month and I didn't know that. I'm so sad I missed it. If I had known, I would have been there to have Al's pancakes, Winry's apple pie, and the military headquarters' "bad" coffee, haha. If you've read Hagaren, you know that the headquarters' coffee tastes bad.

Hagaren, or Fullmetal Alchemist, is also my favorite manga, and I like especially Olivier. She's so cool. I like Mustang too. He seems to be a handsome playboy at first glance, but he takes good care of Riza. And I really like this couple, I mean Mustang and Riza, though they don't act like that. They care about each other and that's for sure. I hope they get married and that he becomes a leader of the country (of course in the manga) though the story of Hagaren ends before these events happen.

Mustang & Riza. I drew this (above and below) with a pencil. The design itself comes from vol. 27, the last volume of Fullmetal Alchemist. I'd say ... her name, I mean the name of the manga artist of Fullmetal Alchemist, is similar to the name of my favorite female novelist, Hiro Arikawa.

I read Fullmetal Alchemist for the first time when I was 22 years old or so. My sister gave me some volumes of this manga, and I got into it. Almost 8 years have passed since then. Wow, now that I'm 30 years old, I'm older or as old as Mustang. I think he is 29 years old when he first appears in the manga, and then he turns 30. I like his appearance too, I mean, a guy with black hair and slit eyes, and he is strongly buit. After all, he's smart.

Well, it seems that both "Ranma 1/2" and "Fullmetal Alchemist" have been translated into English. They are good. You should read both. Check them out.

By the way ... a popular animated movie "Your Name," or "君の名は" in Japanese, have you ever seen it? It's also great. I cry every time I watch it on DVD. I read somewhere before that the movie director and the author of its oririnal novel got an idea from Ranma 1/2 in terms that a boy （Ranma ♂）turns into a girl (Ranma♀). A main character ... which should I put before the noun "character"in this case, female or male? Anyway, in the film "Your name", a main character eats pancakes at a cafe in Shinjuku, Tokyo, and they look delicious. Though the cafe doesn't exist in real life, a restaurant the character works part-time at does exist in Shinjuku, I think. I used to go there with friends.

As always, I found many grammar or spelling mistakes, so I've corrected. Sorry.

Speaking of cafes ...

Tully's Coffee starts "Customise your Holiday Season" on November 2. They're offering seasonal items and beverages like these for Christmas this year. I'll write about this some other time.