Episode 5 of the second season of the remake of the anime adaptation of the manga Rank 1/2 has set the Japanese forums on fire this week. A massive wave of fans are praising this weekend's latest episode, highlighting a drastic improvement in production quality and an artistic style that is very “more faithful to the original manga” written by Rumiko Takahashi.
Some of the most notable comments made by Japanese fans of the work of Rumiko are «This week's episode had manga-style art, it was great» and the comment «This week's art is my favorite».
However, this acclaim and positive comments for the change seen in this new episode of the remake of the anime adaptation. Just as there are those who praise what was seen in episode 5 of the second season, the civil war among the oldest fans of the franchise. So we analyze a highly praised episode that has become the center of the remake controversy.
1. The Praise: Smooth animation and is True to the Original
Being able to appreciate mainly positive comments with what was seen in episode 5 of the second season of the remake of Rank 1/2a fairly noted point is that this specific episode represents a peak in quality. Fans on Japanese forums highlighted that “The animation is super smooth and the facial expressions were great”.
Our expert analysis indicates that this positive reaction is due to the fact that the episode found the perfect balance that “manga purists” demanded, highlighting as a great point having high-quality modern animation (ぬるぬる動く – nuru nuru ugoku“fluid movement”) applied to a character design that respects the proportions and face of the original manga, something that younger audiences criticize in relation to the adaptation of the 90s anime.
2. The Critic: “Faithful to the Manga is… Outdated?”
Ironically, the very reason for praise is the basis for criticism. A section of the audience felt that although the animation was good, the style was a throwback. “It's too faithful to the manga and feels a little dated”commented one viewer.
This is the core of the conflict, the nostalgia side (90s anime fans) you are not looking for a 1:1 copy of the manga; They seek the “energy” and unique artistic direction of classic anime. For them, extreme fidelity is a lack of creativity, leading to complaints such as “If you're happy that it's 'faithful to the manga', it's better to just read the manga.”.
It is important to note that each episode includes dozens of internal and external animators, so it is quite common to see how certain episodes of modern anime could present improvements in their animation quality and at the same time there are series that could have episodes where the quality drops exponentially.
So this praise could be related to the fact that the people who worked on it stand out for their great ability to produce quality animation and even the possibility of having a longer period of working on the production of the episode. Since another quite common problem in the industry is working against the clock.
3. The Background Problem: The Episode Ignores Key Arcs
Despite the praise, some of the criticisms about what was seen in the episode and what was shown in the entire second season point out that events seen in the original manga are omitted. Rank 1/2. Therefore, it stands out as a sign that it is useful to have good animation when you lose valuable content that has a high impact among the most loyal followers.
Our analysis of the narrative structure confirms the most serious complaint: “They skipped the Bakusai Tenketsu (Breaking Point) and the Combat Tea arc”. This jump, which eliminates crucial moments for the development of Ryogashows that although the art of an episode can be perfect, the address The overall remake remains controversial, sacrificing story moments for a more fluid pace.
My verdict as an analyst is that it is impossible to satisfy the entire audience, but it is possible to resolve the criticisms most commented by fans of Rank 1/2. So we are faced with a conflict that is impossible to resolve, especially when taking into account that it is an anime adaptation inspired by a manga that contains its own errors, external to the adaptation. There will always be those who make the adaptation as faithful as possible, although that means dragging narrative errors, and others who prefer a more current and modern rhythm.
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