Pros:
The biggest improvement Nihao, My Concubine has over the previous movie is its pacing. The first movie only really has 3 parts to it,
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the start, the chasing in the middle and the fights once the cast reaches Nekonron. It felt like much didn't happen. Meanwhile, this movie does much more with 14 minutes less runtime. You have
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the introduction, the mysterious part where everyone's being kidnapped, the bridal games and the ending where everyone is being rescued. Each part feels vastly different in tone, making the movie feel more distinct and like more is happening. The movie is a great example of the hero's journey done well with falling and rising action.
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The introduction is non-linear, hooks the watcher first with some action and then reveals the background as to why the Nerima crew are on an island. The mysterious segment slowly builds tension and mystery, climaxing with the reveal of the main villain Toma. Then you have a break in the action with the more comedic bridal battles and the movie climaxes with the battles where the kidnapped are saved by individual members of the cast. Speaking of the cast.
Unlike the previous movie, Nihao, My Concubine contains all of the main cast. (Except Kodachi, but she's the least important main cast member, so I can live with that.) They are also in arguably more prominent roles than in the 1st movie, where Ranma did most of the fighting. Each cast member gets some time in the spotlight
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while saving those who were kidnapped but the highlight is easily Mousse's (aside from Ranma's of course). He actually manages to save Shampoo, no ifs and's or buts. Mousse is often used as a comedic character in the anime and doesn't win many fights. That's why I was expecting him to fail or his win to get undercut in some way by Shampoo, but no he fully won by himself and it felt so rewarding to see.The ending is also amazing, especially with how the status quo is upheld,
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regarding the water that turns anyone permanently male. In Big Trouble in Nekonron, it's played off as a joke,
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they merely forgot about Jusenkyo while in China which isn't the worst, but it's handled so much better in this movie.
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Ranma chooses to save Akane from the pain and suffering that he's gone through with his curse, instead of being selfish and getting rid of his curse. It provides a very emotional ending to the movie's climax.
Despite its shorter runtime, this movie also gives background on Toma and why he would go through with his actions, which makes more sense than the villain's motivations in the 1st movie.
Due to the unique island setting, the main cast is seen in different outfits than normal, which makes the movie stand out more. The
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bridal dresses are great as well, especially female Ranma's design is top-tier. Due to the island setting, Ranma's appearance is much closer to 50/50 than in the previous movie, which is a plus in my books.
The last thing to note is the soundtrack. The scene where Toma is revealed has some grand music to go with it, which builds up the tension and sounds great. But the real highlight is the ending theme A Piece of Love. It sounds amazing and might be my favourite Ranma 1/2 ending theme out of all of them.
