After challenges on golf courses and adventures among prehistoric tribes, our journey into the souls of the 80s continues in Supreme Kingdom us Ransie the witch. We are in 1983 when this anime aired for the first time in Italy, transmitted by the Euro TV circuit and taken from a manga that was achieving great success in Japan but which will arrive in Italy only many years after the release of the anime, in 2002. A story of love and magic, full of funny ideas: let's go and discover it.
Ransie the witch: the plot
Who is Ransie?
Ransie Lupescu she is not a girl like any other. In fact, the very original surname already reveals something about the protagonist and her unusual family. The girl is in fact the daughter of Boris Shela Lupescu, a vampire and a wolf woman, desperate because their little girl has not yet manifested any kind of power. But it is during the first episode that Ransie's life changes. It is her first day in the new school when she meets Paul Cabor, her classmate whom she falls madly in love with at first sight. Too bad that Lisa Thompson is also in love with him, with whom a strong mutual dislike is born. A quarrel breaks out between the two that leads to a fight and it is here that Ransie bites her, discovering that she is actually a vampire. But that's not all, because the girl discovers that she has the ability to transform herself into the person who bites and that she can only return to normal with a sneeze.
A bitter discovery
Ransie is shocked from this discovery: in fact, the girl hoped to be able to live a normal life and not as a witch. Instead, her parents are delighted and reveal the family secret to her: a door in the basement is the access to the Supreme Kingdom, where creatures like them live. One of those is already destined to become her husband because the magical creatures they cannot marry humans. It's terrible news for Ransie who dreams of marrying Paul from the first day she saw him. The girl does not want her powers at all and even tries to reject her legacy as a sorceress, going alone to the Supreme Kingdom (but without success). Thus, while the protagonist dreams of her future with Paul, constantly hindered by rival Lisa, her parents are summoned by the king of the Supreme Kingdom himself, Satan, which asks them to find his lost firstborn on earth. Meanwhile, Ransie, who has snuck into her parents' carriage, meets Aaron, the second son of Satan, who falls in love with her and with whom the protagonist befriends.
Ransie: suitors, enemies, declarations of love and a secret in danger
Things for little Ransie are starting to get complicated. On the one hand there is in fact Lisa who, in addition to putting a spoke in the wheel with Paul, begins to have suspicions about her and her family and to speculate that they are actually monsters. On the other hand, Aaron, in love with Rensie, does everything to have her with him. So he transports her and Paul to the High Realm, after discovering that the witch is indeed in love with her schoolmate. He therefore challenges him to a duel but in the end the two manage to escape and return to earth, not before Paul's memory of the last few hours is erased. After this episode, however, another turning point in Ransie's life arrives: the girl, on the street, turns into a dog to save a child in danger but the scene is seen by Paul who, therefore, discovers his secret. The witch escapes but, once home, she learns from her mother that anyone who learns of their secret must be killed. Ransie reveals everything to her mother, begging her not to kill Paul, so the Lupescus decide to move to the Supreme Realm to avoid the worst. Before leaving, Ransie reveals her true identity to Paul and declares her love to the boy. Paul realizes he loves her, so he promises the Lupescu family that he will not tell anyone their secret.
The end
Now that Paul finally knows the truth, that he and Ransie can live their love and that the Lupescus can return to live on earth thanks to the boy's promise, only one question remains: who is the lost son of Satan who lives on earth? A star-shaped birthmark reveals that it's really about Paul. Boris discovers it by chance and, over the moon, communicates it to his wife Sheila and daughter Ransie. Together they leave for the Supreme Kingdom to announce the news to Satan, but the boy pulls back, revealing that his is not a birthmark but a bruise from boxing fights. Everyone believes him and is disappointed. Once home, however, Paul discovers from his mother that the one in the armpit is just a birthmark he has had. The last episode ends, however, without the revelation: Paul is about to tell Ransie as they run to school together but are interrupted by Lisa. He then cuts it short, saying to the witch "anyway I am neither a prince nor the son of Satan".
Ransie the witch: curiosity
The manga
Night Heartbeat - Ransie the Witch is the Italian name of the manga from which the anime we have told so far is based. It is a work of Koi Ikeno, published by Shūeisha in Japan from 1982 to 1994. The work is told in 30 volumes and then concluded in 2000 by a special, Tokimeki Tonight: Hoshi no Yukue, which therefore officially puts an end to the series. In Italy the manga, however, arrives in 2002, when the anime had already been broadcast, also in this case divided into 30 volumes. Of these only a part has been transposed into anime, so much so that we can dissect the work into three parts. The first is the one also told through the cartoon and therefore sees the young Ransie protagonist between the discovery of her powers and love for Paul. The second (numbers 17 through 22) is not in the anime and focuses on a friend of Ransie's little brother who has accidentally acquired the power to give life to anything she kisses. The third part (from 23 to 30) sees an adult Ransie and focuses on the events of her second daughter, who lives a bit of the same misadventures.
Wizarding World Vs Hell
There is a very important difference between the manga and the anime dedicated to the vampire protagonist of the story: the provenance of the magical creatures. In fact, in the comic we talk about Magic world but in the anime this parallel dimension becomes the Supreme Kingdom, or the hell. So much so that the King of this monstrous dimension is called Satan and it is he who is looking for his missing son, prince and future king, who will later be discovered to be Paul. Yet, in the moment of the encounter between father and son, this character remained in the shadows until that moment, without showing his true appearance, will prove to be very different from what was expected. In fact, no characteristic recalls that typical of Satan. The reason? The manga explains it to us: it is simply not Satan but the king of the Wizarding World.
The truth about the ending
As already mentioned, the anime ends much earlier than what is told in the manga. This means that the ending of the cartoon Ransie the witch is very different from the one written. When in fact in Japan we arrive at the 34th episode, the ending of the manga still does not exist and it is also for this reason that the cartoon greets us with what we could consider an open ending. Yes, because the desire that should prove that Paul is the son of Satan and, therefore, that he is the prince of the Supreme Kingdom, is mistaken by him for a bruise, which everyone believes. But when his mother confirms that it is a birthmark, he decides not to say anything. We do not know, in short, if he will reveal his secret to Ransie and his real father, if he will go to the Supreme Kingdom to become King, if he will marry Ransie and so on.
The abbreviation
The Italian theme song for Ransie the witch is sung by Knights of the King. The main voice is that of Guiomar Serina.
The main characters
Ransie Lupescu (Ranze Etō in the manga) - the protagonist of the story. A little witch a little bit wolf, a little vampire who falls in love with Paul and often ends up in trouble.
Paul Cabor (Shun Makabe) - Ransie's desk mate. The two fall in love. It will turn out that he is the lost son of Satan
Sheila Lupescu (Shiira Etō) - Ransie's mom. He's a werewolf
Boris Lupescu (Mōri Etō) - Ransie's dad. He is a vampire
Ronnie Lupescu (Rinze Etō) - Ransie's little brother
Lisa Thompson - Ransie's schoolmate and her rival in love for Paul
Thomas Thompson - Lisa's father
Ania Cabor – mamma di Paul
Aaron Aaron Worensen - the prince of the Supreme Kingdom, son of Satan and younger brother of Paul
Sand - henchman in the service of Aaron and Satan
Ransie the witch. Tokimeki tonight (Vol. 1)
- Ikeno, Koi (Author)
Curious to rediscover other stories of 80s anime? We played between golf courses with Lotti, we were on a desert island with Flo and her Robinson family. We then ventured between Cursed Springs with Ranma 1 / 2 and among the thousand messes of Doraemon e Nobita. We were moved by the story of Anna with red hair. Finally we became passionate about the sporting challenges of Holly and Benji e Mila and Shiro. But also a lot, more!
Anime manga ransie the witch Ransie the Witch: A Difficult Legacy to Accept
