This is a movie based on Ranma ½ but there are some changes and, in general, it's tone, especially towards the end, is much more serious. It all works quite well as a Ranma ½ movie. A lot of the major characters are in it. Those who aren't include Ryoga, Shampoo and Cologne.
Akane, who has just beaten the crap out of a kendo opponent.
Soun
Genma
Ranma
Kasumi
Nabiki
The guys who go after Akane each morning appear more thug-like in the movie than in the series.
Kuno
Ranma-chan stomps Kuno.
Ranma-chan
The vice-principal.
Tofu is introduced. The events in the actual series are being condensed. Also, in this case, Tofu is a teacher at the school.
Then, totally unlike the series, Soun explains that the Tendou family has been keepers of a secret spring.
Nabiki seems to be working at a hostess lounge.
The legendary hot spring Ranma is looking for is supposedly on the grounds of the school, and the fox is pointing in the direction where it is buried.
Ranma finds out the spring is supposedly in the girl's changing room but he's attacked by a bunch of guys dressed as girls, and someone is behind all of this.
Nabiki makes Ranma perform with the other girls in the club. Meanwhile. Gosunkyu finds out boy Ranma transforms into girl Ranma (no reference to cats as in the original series.)
The location of the springs under the girls changing room.
The vice-principal finds something but ignores that fact that there are sealing papers all around it meaning that someone was trying to keep something from getting out. There is a key needed to get whatever it is working and Akane is wearing it.
The Kuno mansion.
The scene where her long hair is cut off. It's a different way than in the series. Later in the movie Genma claims that Nodoka died when Ranma was young. He's lying, of course.
The movie takes a very serious turn when the vice principal and his cohorts kidnap Akane after tying up Kasumi and Ranma. Ranma gets lose and fights his way through the hunchmen only to be jumped by Kuno. Akane is trying to protect the spring. During the fight outside Tofu comes to help and, almost without precedent, Soun actually fights the henchmen. Even Genma shows up to help in the fight.
Ranma-chan confronts the vice-president and is nearly killed in the process. The spring doesn't turn out to be just what everyone thought it would be.
