Akane's blunder of a lifetime!

[Crescent Pulsar]

Well, not really. But it was a blunder, nonetheless.

I was looking up something in the moxibustion story when something caught my eye and made me wonder. Akane said that Ranma had always worn guys' underwear whenever he put on a skirt, so I decided to check that out.

I found the story where Ranma wore a tennis uniform to lure Happosai. It shows her wearing ruffled panties when she was illustrating her plan, but I disregarded that image since it was imagined. (I'm assuming.) But it looks like she actually is wearing those kind of panties, when Happosai appears and gooses her. And at other times too much leg is shown (practically up to her butt) for her to be wearing boxers.

I only brought it up since Akane was with her that time, and I don't see why she would not have known her choice in underwear. Especially with such short skirts.

But I have another thing that I wanted to bring up, out of curiosity. Even though Ranma had worn leotards, swimsuits, bunny outfits and girls' gym shorts before that time... What's the big deal with wearing something that covers the same place, but is generally hidden from view instead? I don't really get it.

[Nekomata-sensei]

Welcome to ret-cons Takahashi style, rather than noting something has been ret-conned, she forgets how she did things in the first place and has another character say something totally bogus to make a plot point more interesting and amusing.

Either that, or Akane has been desperately trying to convince herself that Ranma is still male as possible even when in girl form and has deluded herself into believing Ranma wears guy clothes even in the girl disguises. But that doesn't make quite as much sense as a Takahashi ret-con since Happosai gets really fired up by the pictures, and he wouldn't have gotten that fired up if Akane hadn't been correct, although the slinky, sexy poses might have helped.

And it is a big deal if we imagine Ranma is desperately clinging to his masculinity, even in his ridiculous disguises while in girl form, and wearing guy underwear like Akane said. It seem, however, that it isn't that big a deal to Ranma. Welcome to seeing the world through Akane colored glasses, when she isn't upset with Ranma, she makes stuff up about him to make herself more comfortable with his character, and when she isn't comfortable with him, he's a perverted jerk.

[Cheb]

Don't put too much effort into it.
It could be a translation glitch, she could've said "He always wears male underwear when he's in a skirt" or something like that.

And yes, Ranma *does* wear boxer shorts when she wears a summer dress or something else with a long skirt.

[Spokavriel]

Then again it could be a generalized Always. Like a Radio show I listen to says they Always start out with reciting the Second Amendment although it has been missed a couple times on accident.

Stating the habit is to always do that so it's the norm. Pointing out the exceptions when being general like that though could really bog down a scene or a convo IRL.

[Crescent Pulsar]

It could be a translation glitch, she could've said "He always wears male underwear when he's in a skirt" or something like that.

But that's what she says. ^^; She says that he wears a skirt often enough, but he always wears men's underwear. I don't think it was a generalization, but the stating of a fact (as she knew it to be). Otherwise the effect of him doing it then wouldn't have been (as) surprising. It was trying to illustrate the point of how far he was willing to go to get his strength back. I was only pointing it out because Akane should have known otherwise, since they both made a coordinated effort with their outfits to lure in Happosai.

I didn't want to argue about it. I'm more interested in what people think the big deal is with wearing girls' underwear, as opposed to the other girly things that Ranma has worn. I mean, when she's wearing a leotard, it's not all that different from wearing underwear. In fact, some underwear covers the body in the exact same way. So I'm all like... O.o

[Konsaki]

Probably because the leotard is an 'outfit' while panties and bras are underwear. Akane nor Genma won't pound Ranma, verbaly and/or physically, as much for wearing the outfits compared to if Ranma were to wear the underwear.
Plus if I recall correctly, in the Japanese culture, or at least at the time, girl's panties are/were a big taboo. The outfits are just clothes, but the panties and bras mean something more, but getting his strength back meant more to him at the time.

[antimatterenergy]

Genma won't pound Ranma, verbaly and/or physically, as much for wearing the outfits compared to if Ranma were to wear the underwear.

It's fanon, or maybe anime canon, that Genma pounds/yells at Ranma for wearing girl clothes. Genma even has suggested it in the manga. For example, during the wishing sword arc, Genma thinks Ranma should go with a mini skirt instead of a dress and gives Ranma lipstick.

[Crescent Pulsar]

Well, if it's true about the underwear, there could be something to it. I mean, there's countless anime and manga where taking girls' underwear is a big deal, beyond mere theft.

As for Genma, I know he brings up acting like a girl a few times, but I don't recall him complaining about the clothes in particular, either.

[Spokavriel]

I think that all the underwear related things might just be because people have been making a stink over how you could buy used girls underwear in the red light district in Vending machines in the Tokyo Red Light Districts since the mid 70's

[TerraEpon]

It's fanon, or maybe anime canon, that Gebma pounds/yells at Ranma for wearing girl clothes. Genma even has suggested it in the manga. For example, during the wishing sword arc, Genma thinks Ranma should go with a mini skirt instead of a dress and gives Ranma lipstick.

Hell, Genma himself crossdresses in the Neko-ken story.

[Spokavriel]

Genma Also cross-dresses for that Delivery race. Well in the Anime he does. In the Manga I think all the racers are sponsored.

[frice2000]

What's the big deal with wearing something that covers the same place, but is generally hidden from view instead?

That's it exactly. For the most part its hidden from view. The rest of the clothes can be seen as just being part of a disguise he was wearing for his own benefit. But when you're getting into real intimate wear something that's usually very personal in nature that others really don't see you're not necessarily wearing a disguise anymore...You're coming to terms with being something that you don't think you are.

I think to Ranma wearing the bra/panties even though it was only to get an advantage on Happosai was sort of like mortgaging his manhood. Before he always had some sort of mental defense that he really wasn't a girl in girl form since he didn't dress or act like a girl at all...With the events of that arc he really was dressed entirely in feminine clothing and forced to act in a somewhat feminine manner was something that he had never done before and as such it was a huge jump for him to make as he was at least was entirely as feminine as he could possibly be while still maintaining his male sexual identity.

However, while that might work in a more sophisticated story in the end I think Akane just basically meant he was taking this loss very seriously indeed and was pulling out all the stops.

As to the whole cross dressing and Genma thing. I honestly don't think Genma cares. If Ranma is dressing like a girl to get an advantage in a fight, to gather information of some kind, or to get an advantage on an opponent...I don't think he'd care at all. Anything Goes and its adaptability and using everything to your advantage right? However, if Ranma decided to go to school in a dress one day for none of those reasons...I'd bet Genma would be most displeased to say the least .

[WG_Writer]

I recently (last few days) reread some of the Manga and remember a good bit.

Genma from what I can see honestly doesn't truely care until Nodoka shows up. the girl insults are just a control he uses over Ranma.

And for Ranma, he is partially logical about it. If he is going out in a mini its not going to be boxers, can't get away with it. Its more of a self delusion thing from what I read into it. That if he can get away with wearing boxers that the rest do not matter.


Either that or he has only a few panties and wants to keep them clean and readied in case they are needed.

[Crescent Pulsar]

The funny thing is that, despite disliking Happosai and his underwear thieving, he probably has a nice collection of his own.

[antimatterenergy]

The funny thing is that, despite disliking Happosai and his underwear thieving, he probably has a nice collection of his own.

That and he acquires them via some means just to use on Happosai like during the dragon whisker arc: http://www.mangafox.com/manga/ranma_1_2 ... 0/146.html (a tactic most people who fight Happosai develop Soun and Pantyhose Taro use it as well)