Ranma ½ is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Rumiko Takahashi with an anime adaptation. The story revolves around a 16-year old boy named Ranma Saotome who was trained from early childhood in martial arts. As a result of an accident during a training journey, he is cursed to become a girl when splashed with cold water, but hot water will change him back into a boy.
Based heavily on the manga, this show offers a lot of fanservice early on to get your attention and then keeps it with it's constant side stories, and colorful characters. Ranma is a teenage martial artist who sets off with his father to train in china, they each fall into separate cursed hot springs that transform them when hit with cold water and turn back when hit with hot water. Ranma, who turns into a red-headed female counterpart when doused with cold water, is the object of affection and 'fiancee' to several characters in both male and female forms, which leads him into trouble constantly. A truly must see anime from the creator of Inunyasha, Rumiko Takahashi 'recycles' characters, so you will see some characters that are rather familiar such as the flea myoga(Happosai) and koga the wolf demon(Ryoga) and many others.
*SEMI-SPOILER*
the series does cut short a few chapters of the manga just as Inuyasha cut off a few volumes before 'the final act' was released. Although in the end both endings are rather close to one another.
