Ranma 1/2, Vol. 2

With more than 22 million copies of her work in print, Rumiko Takahashi may well be the most popular comics artist in the world, and Ranma 1/2 may be her most popular work yet. Takahashi's best gift might be that of characterization. The situations in this, the second volume of Ranma 1/2 stories, all center around characters who seem fully human because so many subtle character traits are perceptible. Filled with action (this one deals with an ice-skating competition) and balanced with tenderness (a character's embarrassing first kiss), it's no wonder these stories are so universally loved.