The Curse of the Scroll

Hanatareta noroi ga (放たれた呪い画) is the 179th chapter of the manga and the first and only chapter of the Cursed Scroll Arc.

While the family is at a fair, Ranma and Genma accidentally knock the seal off an artist's newest drawing setting loose the creature, which happens to be a very poor drawing of a panda. The panda drawing asks to go on a date with a nice boy before she has to be sealed back into the drawing.

At the Fair
The Tendos and Saotomes visit a fair. The Tendo sisters proceed to an exhibit of Chinese cursed paintings, but wonder where Genma and Ranma might be. The exhibition artist shows two grotesquely detailed paintings (one by his grandfather and one by his father) and how the paintings' curse caused them to die few years later. Before he can reveal his own drawing, Ranma appear and strike Genma, accusing him of stealing Ranma's. Genma hits the artist's painting and removes the seal, prompting the spirit to escape. The artist comments that the painting was made on a cursed scroll with a cursed brush and removing the seal has released it into the world. Ranma and Genma get ready to fight the abomination that appears before them, but it turns out to be a crudely drawn female panda about half of Ranma's height. Kasumi wonders if it's suppose to be an abstract art, and Nabiki replies that it's probably just bad art.

The artist hands Ranma the seal and gives him the responsibility of putting it back into the painting. As the doodle dances about, she realizes what Ranma's intention is and pleads with him to let her stay. Her only request is to go on a date before departing. Akane and Ranma take pity on her and feel that the best way to proceed is to make Genma (in his panda form) to go on a date with her. However, the panda doodle rejects "this ugly panda" and looks to Ranma, hoping to go on a date with him instead. Ranma initially backs away but Genma pulls him back saying he should feel sorry for her.

People at the fair start to take notice of the unusual couple, as they see the Panda Doodle and Ranma on a merry-go-around, eating, and chasing each other. Akane looks with disinterest as Nabiki humors her with question of whether or not she feels upset. Suddenly realizing how ridiculous the entire situation is, Ranma goes up to the artist and demands the seal so he can get it over with. The artist, however, lost the seal and tells Ranma that he must now force her to go back into the painting.

Unfortunately, Ranma's indecisiveness makes him nervous and unable to tell the scribble to go back into the painting. Akane decides this is her time to step up and whispers Ranma to simply lie to her to go back. When the doodle sees this, however, she suspects that Akane might be his sweetheart which makes him stutter his words even more. Akane becomes agitated and kicks him into the air.

The Good-bye
As the painting and Ranma sit and talk on a bench, she realizes that she can't stay out forever. He asks Ranma of one more request to make her dream complete: a good night kiss. Akane, who had been calm this whole time, is now perturbed at this development and Nabiki tries to calm her down saying it's just a graffiti. As the doodle closes her eyes and waits for the kiss, Ranma is frozen, holding her up for over 20 minutes unsure of what he should do. The painting grows impatient and lunges forward while Akane becomes increasingly anxious.

It turns out that Panda Doodle only wanted a kiss on her forehead, as the lunging smashed his lips on her head. Satisfied with this, the doodle holds hands with the artist as she returns to the drawing. Ranma is still in shock and in pain while Genma congratulates him on completing his duty.

Soon after, the artist puts forward his masterpiece which has a badly drawn Ranma besides the Panda Doodle. Nabiki comments that they look happy together while Ranma (with a bandage over his nose) remarks that he sees no resemblance.

Cast in Order of Appearance

 * Akane Tendo
 * Kasumi Tendo
 * Nabiki Tendo
 * Panda Artist (debut)
 * Ranma Saotome (male)
 * Genma Saotome (human, panda)
 * Panda Doodle (debut)

Trivia

 * In the anime counterpart, the Panda Doodle transforms into a human to be more pleasing to Ranma.
 * In the anime counterpart, the other two drawings are also released, and are fought by giant forms of Soun and Happosai. Sealing the Panda Doodle also seals the other two.