[DeepL Translation - needs review] Volume 1 Introduction: Soun is disappointed to find that Ranma is a girl. However, when Ranma got out of the bath, he turned into a boy and the panda turned into Ranma's father, Genma. The two had fallen into a fountain while training in China, a fountain that turns you into a woman and a fountain that turns you into a panda when you touch its water. The Tendou family is in turmoil, including Akane, who has become a prospective bride, as they face the troub...
Akane is pretty 素敵 for most of this volume (basically till the last chapter or two)... otoh らんまのばか!! Between dojo-defense, a school play, and yet another farfetched possibility for Ranma to cure his condition, there's a lot going on in this volume. Ranma and Akane seem to maybe(?) be warming up to each other a bit, and even have their first kiss scene, tho of course "it didn't really count because...".
There were some things I thought could have been written a bit better, but overall I enjoyed this more than some of the previous volumes. The whole dojo thing is more interesting in the anime, but it still felt kinda goofy either way.