(Sounds like some kind of dessert, doesn't it? ^_~)
A couple of years ago, I became a big fan of both figure skating and Japanese cartoons. But soon after that, I discovered that my fandoms crossed over (isn't life funny that way?). So, I decided to dedicate a little page to Japanese cartoons that involve figure skating. Interestingly enough, I find that the cartoons that do contain skating are quite popular, which might indicate the popularity of figure skating in Japan... ^_~
Below the image is listed the name of the cartoon series it is from.
Anime (Animation)
Ranma 1/2
Above, is pictured the title character of this cartoon series, Ranma, on ice. This is a scene from the the first few episodes of the "Anything Goes Martial Arts" season in this series. I admit, am a huge Ranma 1/2 fan, and the figure skating episodes are my favourite (and that's not just because I'm a figure skating fan! ;-). In the words of a fellow skating fan, "it is the funniest skating-related thing I've ever seen!" Go rent it! Er, sorry for the plug, but it is worthwhile watching. :-)
I'm not explaining this screen grab. You'll have to find out more by yourself! :-D
Ranma 1/2 videos are available commercially; you might even be able to rent them at major video store chain, such as Blockbuster. There is also a comic book adaptation available (actually, the comic came first!). Both the animated and comic book versions may be found at a comic book store.
Hey, look! Another Ranma 1/2 skating episode! :-)
Videos: (available in English; dubbed or subtitled)
Ranma 1/2: Anything Goes Martial Arts #1 "Darling Charlotte"
Ranma 1/2: Anything Goes Martial Arts #2 "It's Fast or It's Free"
Ranma 1/2: Outta Control #10 "You Bet Your Dojo" (2nd episode)
Comics: (English translation)
Ranma 1/2 graphic novel #2
Ranma 1/2 graphic novel #3
OR
Ranma 1/2 comics: Part II, #5-8
Related Links: The Golden Pair Page - By yours truly. :-) You can find out a bit more about the figure skating episodes here.
Sailor Moon
If you're not familliar with Sailor Moon, well, you should be. ;-) It is probably one of the most popular cartoon shows worldwide, and became one of the most popular of all time in Canada, where I from... And yes, I'm a big fan. :-)
Above is pictured Lita (known as Makoto Kino in Japanese), aka Sailor Jupiter. Not only is she one of the five superheroes known as the Sailor Scouts, she can skate, too! This image is from the episode known in N. America as "Ice Princess" (if anybody knows where I can find screen grabs from this episode, please e-mail me!). Though you have to know something about the series in order to watch this, it is fun to see the Sailor Scouts skating (or not, in some cases ;-). Another interesting point of note is that the skating pair featured in this episode, Misha & Janelle, have suspiciously Russian accents...
Serena, who unfortunately is as much of a klutz off the ice as she is on it... ;-)
Sailor Moon is now being aired on Cartoon Network in the US, and on YTV in Canada. However, there's no video of this particular episode available commercially; at least, not that I'm aware of... There might be a English subtitled version, though.
Ranma 1/2 and all related characters are property of Rumiko Takahashi. The screengrabs are courtesy of Gale and Bradster. Sailor Moon and all related characters are property of Naoko Takeuchi. The image of Lita is from Amy (and is used without permission ^_^;), and the one of Serena courtesy of Jennifer Wand. The image at the top of the page is from the Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon webpage. Special thanks to all those people who let me use their images on this page! ^_^ All images found on these pages are used without the original creators' permission, and are subject to copyright. Please e-mail me first before downloading any of them.
![[Sailor Moon's Lita skating with the handsome Misha]](lita-skatinglesson.jpg)
