May 2025 Production Status Update Part 1

Project Status Updates (PSU) inform our patrons what work has been completed, what's currently being worked on, and what has to wait for a time in the queue. It's our way of assuring the community that, come what may, we're never idle and plowing forward on our never-ending mission to keep Ranma going. With all that said, let's get to the Project Status Update! (NOTE: Some relevant information may be repeated in PSUs for ongoing projects.)

Greetings, patrons!

The team continues to work on projects daily.

We have some news on that, but we're not here quite empty-handed. A surprise preview of the upcoming Pathfinder comic is being included in the post, featuring an equally surprised Ryoga to be the star of it! For now, we're keeping the identity of the gal(s) a secret, but all will be revealed once the comic drops.

Pathfinder Comic:

• Art status: Page 1 complete! Page 2 storyboarded and sketched. Page 3 storyboarded. Page 4 planning stage.

• Jobs pending: Page 2 inking, coloring, backgrounds. Page 3 all art production tasks. Page 4 all tasks excluding script.

• Estimated completion time: Pathfinder shall only be released once the entire comic is finished. This is tentatively scheduled for the first week of June, but could be sooner if production continues to go well.

• Impressions: A 5th comic page is possible, which would either let us flesh out some more details or add an official cover to the comic. The biggest advantage of our experimental release system is that we can give the comic whatever time and detail it needs to shine, something the team plans to take full advantage of going forward.

Ranma Generations Art:

Generations: "Dirty Pair Part 3".

• Art status: Fully planned, but on hold.

• Estimated completion time: Interest in the new Ranma anime has been lukewarm. Generations art has been put on hold in favor of other comic projects. Season 1 was quite short at only 12 episodes and we may bring the project back once the second season release date is announced.

• Impressions: The Exclusive listed in the May Menu will likely change in the next week. It is still possible Generations art will be completed in June if production continues to go well, finishing up Akane's current story, but future installments are unlikely until season 2 is announced. If we got it wrong, if you feel strongly this is your favorite comic project and want to read more of it, please voice your opinion in the comments.

Fan Request Art:

• Art status: One Fan Request has been posted in May (On the Hot Seat). A second Fan Request is planned.

• Estimated Completion: The second Fan Request should be released near the end of May.

• Impressions: The team continues to prioritize comic projects and the virtual novel, "Hard Training". Unlike recent years, we are not putting Fan Requests on hold again in 2025. Fan Requests will continue year round. However, we shall keep the tier eligible supporters small to ensure that Fan Requests proceed at a solid pace, with at least 1 art request being produced for patrons of the Champion tier each year.

Hard Training:

• Two new character models have been created for the game. Additionally, some key Nodoka art has been produced for the upcoming competition (as described in the game). Expansion of the story and player choices is underway, with the goal of making the next chapter much meatier than previous installments.

Thanks for reading and supporting this community. You have our eternal gratitude!

-Deep Star, SHADE & The Ranmabooks Team