Bill Seney wrote:

B-ko and I watched "Tampopo" last night (after we put The Mouse to bed
of course!) and we started laughing as Goro issues "The Fish Cake
Challenge" to some toughs in Tampopo's ramen shop, thus calling them
outside for the fistfight that brings Goro into the story. The scene was
so eerily similar to Ranma's challenge to Mikado Sanzenin, that we began
to wonder which came first? "Tampopo" was released in 1987. Does that
put it before or after Takahashi wrote/drew her scene?

According to the Ranma 1/2 FAC, the first part of the manga came
out in Shounen Sunday 1987 #37 (in August), and finished in Shounen
Sunday 1996 #10 (Wednesday 21st February).  The fish-cake challenge
episode appeared in Volume 3 number 6, which probably means it appeared
in early to mid 1988.

 
Ah! But do we dare say that Takahashi borrowed "The Fishcake Challenge"
from the film? Anyone have her email address...? :p

Jamie and Bridget
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