Ranma½ is about a boy (Ranma Saotome) who went to China with his father (Genma Saotome) to further practise martial arts at the Forbidden Springs training ground, but both of them failed to read the warning in the guidebook that falling into any of the springs transformed one into the creature that drowned in it years before. Consequently Ranma becomes a girl, and his father becomes a panda. The way to change back into their original forms is by being splashed with hot water.
Whenever they're doused with cold water, they change shape again.
Years ago, Ranma's dad had pledged his son as a husband to one of Soun Tendo's three daughters, so that the Tendo Martial Arts tradition could continue for another generation. In the first volume of the tale, Akane Tendo gets stuck having to eventually marry what she thinks is a skeevy pervert (i.e., a typical teenage boy), though that won't be till years later, after both of them are grown up.
One of Ranma's martial arts rivals also went to the Forbidden Springs, and now becomes a small black pig at the most inconvenient times. Akane does not know about this, and finds the pig a delightful creature.
That's Ranma½ holding the pig in the illustration.
The Manga tale is about martial arts, insanely curvaceous girls (all of whom are super violent, OR psychopaths), strange situations at school, and a perverted old man who steals feminine underwear. Pretty much everyone is dysfunctional, except Akane. Who tends towards kick-ass fury at times.
Very effectively.
Teenage boys might read it for the neat-o-keen illustrations, middle-aged men read it for the character development and existential issues.
Women read it because it's about female empowerment.
Forceful and operatic man-clobbering.
It speaks to them.
The first exposure I had to it was years ago, in one of the bins at the second hand bookstore when I was pricing Asian language books, the episode where Ranma in his female form) is getting clobbered by a gibbon wielding an iron teapot. Both of them are wearing kimonos. Very formal. The first chapters had been translated into Chinese, and I ended up purchasing the entire series at a store in Chinatown, over nearly year's time, as new volumes were released.
It has since then also been translated into English.
Compelling literature from Japan.
It's about life.
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