Miyamoto has grown tired of Coach Wakatabe's harsh Kendo instuction so he decides to head back to Tokyo. On the way to the bus he runs into Ichiyanagi, the new Kendo Club Coordinator who talks him into staying. On the way back, Coach Wakatabe comes flying down the hill on his bicycle causing Miyamoto, Ichiyanagi, and himself to crash over the guard rail and into the ocean.
After a few hours Miyamoto awakens to the news that Coach Wakatabe and Ichiyanagi did not survive the accident. As Miyamoto goes to pay his final respects to Ichiyanagi's body, she suddenly leaps up and announces everyone should head back to camp. After a few hours at back at the training camp, Miyamoto walks in on Ichiyanagi changing clothes and then turns to see her ghost in front of him. The ghost explains that before she could return, Coach Wakatabe jumped ahead of her and lept into her body. The Coach tells Miyamoto that he'd leave her body if he can score at least one point against him in a Kendo match, a feat that is impossible for Miyamoto to accomplish. After a lot of practice Miyamoto defeats the Coach who gives a tearful goodbye to his students, but not before the police arrive to tell everyone that the Coach's body has been found and has been comatose for the last few days.
Published In:
Shonen Sunday 1994 Vol. 36
1 or W
Publication Date: August 10, 1994
Pages: 32 (black and white)
Anime Adaptation:
None
Notes:
Published in Shonen Sunday, 1 or W falls between Ranma 1/2 chapters 334 and 335.
The title is a multi-layered joke. 1 or W is a reference to 1 (ichi for Ichiyanagi) and W is for Wakatabe, but it can also be read as One or W, which is single or double, as in who is in possession of Ichiyanagi's body, one person or two people.
Kendo (剣道), literally means. 'sword way' and is a Japanese martial art that uses bamboo swords called shinai (竹刀) and armor known as kendogu (剣道具). The individual parts of the armor are: men (面) which is the face and shoulder protectors, kote (小手) are the gauntlets, dō (胴) is the breastplate, and tare (垂れ) are the leg protectors.
Miyamoto – obviously named for Miyamoto Musashi (宮本武蔵) the most famous samurai in the history of Japan.
Shinken High – Shinken (真剣) literally meaning "real sword" is a Japanese sword that has a sharp forged blade; the word is used in contrast with boken and shinai.
The seaside setting is likely a leftover from Takahashi's original concept for Ranma 1/2. In a 1988 interview she said she considered setting the manga in a beachside town and even considered buying a second home in such a locale for research purposes. Ultimately she abanonded that idea.
Table of Contents
Q: Koshien is a summer tradition! If you were to play baseball, what position would you play?
A: I guess I'd play 8 in the right field.
Webmasters' Note: The 8th jersey usually connotes the centerfielder, so we're not sure if she's joking around here. Batting eigth is a non-power hitter position that has a lower batting average.
