Ranma 1/2 Ranma Forever - Rock a Bye Ranma (Vol. 4)
The most original episode in this collection is "Meet You in the Milky Way," which plays off the Asian sky myth of the Weaver Princess and the Cowherd. Princess Ori comes to Earth--but she's the heir to the Milky Way Martial Arts School. Kengyu the herder travels through Japan with his cow, beating the martial artists in every dojo. Ranma eventually discovers the trick to Kengyu's secret move and clobbers him with the "Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire" technique. Whether this tale is just a dream of Akane's or not, it ends on an unusually pleasant note. More typical is "Cradle from Hell": on a camping trip, Ranma and Genma are stranded in a storm with a single cup of instant ramen. The struggle shifts the balance of power in the father-son relationship, with typically off-kilter results. (Unrated but suitable for ages 12 and older: slapstick violence, mild risqué humor)--Charles Solomon