Incense of Spring Sleep


 * This article is about the manga chapter named "Incense of Spring Sleep", or the incense itself see: Incense of Spring Sleep (item).

Incense of Spring Sleep, also known as The Smell of Nightmares, is the 365th chapter of the Ranma ½ manga is is also the first and only chapter of the Incense of Spring Sleep Arc.

Akane comes home with some sweet smelling insense, which piques Happosai's interest. He tries to share some of his special brand with her, but Ranma fans it in his face causing him to pass out. It seemed he had planned to molest Akane while she slept. That night, after he awakens, Happosai sneaks into Ranma's room and mixes the "Incense of Spring Sleep" intending to cause Ranma to sleep all through spring.

One Evening
Ranma observes all of the Incenses which Akane had bough earlier, and asks her if she brought the whole store. Akane tells Ranma that she couldn't help herself since they were all so cute (Kasumi notes that the Incense smells very nice and relaxing). Just then Happosai jumps on Ranma's head, noticing the Incenses he asks Akane if she likes the smell, since it's usually only older people who take interest in Incenses. Akane replies by telling Happosai she guesses she's just getting a head start.

Happosai then offers Akane another Incense, the "Incense for Quiet Sleep". Suspicious, Ranma takes the Incense and tries it by wafting the smell into Happosai's face. The Incense knocks Happosai unconscious immediately, causing Ranma to begin beating him up on the premise that he'd use it to take advantage of Akane while she's unconscious. As Akane and Kasumi look on, Akane wonders how Happosai can sleep through Ranma's beating, to which Kasumi says that the Incense must work really well.

Some time passes and Happosai has recovered from the Incense, while Ranma has gone to his bed. Happosai goes to Ranma's room and begins to prepare the "Incense of Spring Sleep", so Ranma will sleep through all spring as way of revenge. Happosai manages to finish making the Incense, but the noise he's made making it has awoken Ranma who hits Happosai and asks how he's meant to sleep with all this noise. Happosai quickly puts on a disposable mask and tells Ranma if it's sleep he wants then to come over to him. Ranma wisely refuses.

The Next Morning
A tired looking Akane wanders around the Tendo Dojo, thinking that she must have Spring Fever since she can't seem to wake herself up. Ranma and Happosai then come running in the opposite direction towards Akane. Happosai wafts some Incense at Ranma, hoping he'd inhale it, but Ranma jumps causing Akane to inhale it instead.

Akane staggers slightly, causing Happosai to panic since his plan has been foiled. However, Happosai soon tries to take advantage of the situation by going to grope Akane. Unfortunately for him, Akane kicks Happosai skyward for his advances.

At Furinkan High School and Ranma tells Akane about the Incense. Akane, however, tells Ranma that she doesn't feel any different, making Ranma decide that Happosai's recipe must've been fake.

Waking Akane
The day goes on and, as Hinako reads from a book, Akane begins to nod off until she's fast asleep. When Hinako finds Akane she tries to admit the usual punishment for sleeping in class, by hitting the student with a toy hammer. However, when Hinako attempts to hit Akane, she grabs the hammer off Hinako and hits her with it instead. Hinako's childish domineer takes over so she runs off crying. This odd behaviour is noted by Yuka and Sayuri who say that it's odd for Akane to hit a teacher.

Ranma then tries to get a response out of Akane, but is just punched into a wall. Happosai then appears and tries to grope Akane since his Incense did work after all, but he in turn is slammed into Akane's desk by Akane. Confused, Happosai takes out a which reveals that the user will act out while acting out whatever dreams they may be having. After Ranma kicks Happosai out a window for his stupidity of not reading the fine print, Yuka asks how are they meant to wake Akane, to which Ranma says that they can't until Spring's over.

Meanwhile, in Akane's dream, she imagines herself as the 77th wife of Ranma, who Ranma treats no better than a servant (while his other wives, who include Ukyo and Shampoo sit around him in luxury). Ranma then tells Akane that he told her to scrub the floor, to which Akane begs for forgiveness as she has spent hours preparing the finest meal for him. However, when presented with the meal (consisting of Mousse in his duck form) Ranma calls it disgusting and throws it at Akane.

Back in real life and Akane is now cleaning the floor, causing Ranma to note she must be having a weird dream. Akane then dreams about waking in the Tendo Dojo and thinks it was just a dream, before heading downstairs to find Ranma still with Ukyo and Shampoo hugging and kissing him. This shocks Akane greatly, who (in real life) lashes out at Ranma calling him a two-timing jerk. Ranma does his best to avoid Akane, but gets punched by her.

Had enough with being attacked, Ranma throws some cold water on Akane but this just makes her dream of drowning so she trashes out even more at Ranma. Akane stops, but Ranma ends up being stood on the the hoof of a horse which Kuno's riding.

Kuno tells them that to wake a sleeping maiden they have to have a handsome prince kiss her, like in. Akane, however, dreams of being kissed by Kuno dressed as a prince so sends him flying out of a window. She then images chasing a demon with a strong resemblance to Happosai so thrashes out at almost everyone in the room.

Luckily, Ukyo appears and uses some Spatulas with ropes attached to tie up Akane's arms so she can't thrash out anymore. The students then suggest getting Hinako to drain Akane's aura, but she's fast asleep as well (much to Ranma's annoyance). Akane, meanwhile, is dreaming she's been captured by an evil overlord who's about to torture her.

Ranma has managed to get Akane under a, while Daisuke plays some mellow music to try and stop her having bad dreams. Back in Akane's dream, and she's imagining being tortured by being wrapped in a bed cover and squeezed tightly. Just then Akane dreams of being saved by a Prince with Ranma's appearance. This development causes Akane to rip the Futon in half and hug Ranma.

As Ranma stands confused by what's going on, Ukyo says she doesn't know what she's doing, while Daisuke and Yuka notes that Akane's smiling. Ranma is then told that Akane must be having a really nice dream, so he better not mess it up. In Akane's dream, she imagines Ranma giving her his eternal loyalty and devotion. The bowing Ranma is patted on the head by Akane.

This is the final straw for Ranma, who shouts at Akane. This translates into Akane's dream as Ranma being unable to control himself anymore so he tries to force himself on Akane. So in response, Akane hits Ranma asking him why he must be so forward.

The Final Solution
Nabiki then appears on the scene, saying that if they keep this up Akane will sleep until the end of Spring. She then holds up an envelop and says that she has something which might be able to help. Ranma, wise to Nabiki's motifs, says that it's going to cost him ¥2,000, but Nabiki says that for her sister it'll just be ¥1,980.

Akane is now dreaming about being outside, wearing a Kimono and fanning herself. She then notices a so goes to swat it. Suddenly, Akane awakes and the Mosquito she tried to swat turns out to be Ranma's face. With Akane finally awake, Hiroshi notes the Incense smells like Mosquito repellant, to which Daisuke agrees. Nabiki denies this by saying that this is purely coincidental (although she secretly thinks to herself about how surprised she is that it worked). Akane tells Ranma she had some really weird dreams, to which Ranma retorts by saying he'd never had guessed. Hinako, meanwhile, is still fast asleep on the front desk.

Cast in Order of Appearance

 * Ranma Saotome (male)
 * Akane Tendo
 * Kasumi Tendo
 * Happosai
 * Hikaru Gosunkugi
 * Hinako Ninomiya (younger)
 * Yuka and Sayuri
 * Hiroshi and Daisuke
 * Shampoo (dream only)
 * Ukyo Kuonji
 * Mousse (duck, dream only)
 * Tatewaki Kuno
 * Hinako Ninomiya (older, dream only)
 * Nabiki Tendo