True Confessions! A Girl's Hair is Her Life!

'''True Confessions! A Girl's Hair is Her Life!' (Otome Hakusho - Kami wa Onna no Inochi Nano'' 乙女白書·髪は女のいのちなの) is the 9th episode in the first season Digital Dojo of Ranma 1/2.

Relation to the Previous Episode
Ranma and Ryoga were battling near a fountain (where Ranma changed into female form) and Akane, seeing the disadvantage he now had against Ryoga, jumped in to help. Ranma insisted that she would only interfere, and she ran off and tripped. Her school uniform was cut by Ryoga's headband turned razor. Girl Ranma carried her to the safety of a tree where they blushed, argued, and fell. Akane with her short temper grew angry and stormed off, just as another of Ryoga's spinning headbands flew by, chopping off the majority of her long hair.

Plot Summary
Akane is in shock after her hair being chopped off. Realizing the trauma she has from her friends, Ranma and Ryoga offer that she "punish" them. It appears that she shrugs it off, but the camera shows girl Ranma and Ryoga with swollen cheeks. Akane heads home and realizes that her ankle is still damaged from the fall. She punches the telephone pole which Ranma sees later. At home she sits at her desk, remembering that she grew her hair because Kasumi told her Dr. Tofu would not like her anymore unless she acted more like a girl, when Ranma pops up at her window. She hurls objects at her, 4 books and her weights. She goes downstairs and shows Kasumi the damage. Kasumi overreacts and Akane asks that she even out her hair for her. Ranma sits on the roof holding Akane's ponytail feeling guilty about her hair. He asks Kasumi where Akane went, and goes after her. On the way, he sees a girl with short hair and calls her "Akane". He believes he is mistaken when she turns around, but Akane replies with a "What are you looking at?" He aplologizes to her and offers to carry her, but she laughs at him because it was unusual. At the office, she asks Dr. Tofu his opinion, and he compliments her saying that short hair suits her. She tears up because of it then embarrassed, cries on his shoulder saying, "They won't stop!" Ranma follows her home showing hints of rejection. He admits to liking her better with short hair and she toys with him, knocking him off the fence into the water.

During all of this, Ryoga was unsuccessfully trying to direct an old lady to the Tanaka Residence. He carries her all over Japan before stumbling upon the police booth, who tell her that the house was "right over there" which made her angry and beat Ryoga. He decides to blame Ranma and goes to his house to seek revenge. He misses the sleeping Ranma several times, which irritates Genma. Genma throws the two outside to fight in the rain. The Tendos believe there is a burglar until they look outside. Akane throws a weight at Ryoga who drops his umbrella and Ranma realizes that he also fell into the Jusenkyo pools. Ranma finds a dog near Ryoga's clothes and assumes that it is him. He takes the dog home and nothing happens to it. Akane meanwhile finds a black piglet with a necktie just like Ryoga's bandana and decides to make him her pet "P-chan". She shows P-chan to Ranma and asks her to give him a bath. Ranma discovers Ryoga's second form.

Trivia
This episode introduces a secondary "normal outfit" for Ranma; a pastel-orange pull-on shirt with short, slit sleeves and a small red bowtie at the neck.