Message-ID: <28531447.1078842244180.JavaMail.root@wamui05.slb.atl.earthlink.net> Date: Tue, 9 Mar 2004 08:24:03 -0600 (GMT-06:00) From: gteltschik@mindspring.com Reply-To: gteltschik@mindspring.com To: ranma@usagi.org Subject: Re: ranma ML 6 hour matome okuri X-ML-archive: http://www.usagi.org/ML/ Precedence: bulk Don et al, I guess I'm not really sure what this whole thread is about. It seemed to start as a thread about Akane being a weak female character, but you never referenced the article nor identified the points it made. Then it progressed to a discussion of love with your roommate, and finally to your frustration with trying to write Ranma fanfiction specifically around the Ranma-Akane relationship. There's been all sorts of discussion around how much time the Ranma series covers, how dysfunctional Akane is, etc., in addition to the topics above. It seems to have covered quite a large spread of ground. So, are Akane and Ranma in love? I think the obvious answer is yes. No, they don't come out and say it, but it's obvious from all the clues and hints left everywhere. There are not a few brief moments, but many, many situations where it's all too obvious what they really mean to each other. The fact is, the whole nature of their relationship is one of the principle drivers of the show. If in episode 3 they declared their love for each other, the rest of the show would be uneventful and boring. To attempt to define the Ranma series as reality or even with a rigid structure is to misunderstand completely. Hot water is either incredibly easy or incredibly hard to come by, depending on the needs of the storyline. Likewise, there is always something to come between Ranma and Akane, whether it's Shampoo, Ryoga, or any other of the cast, at just the right (or wrong) moment. This is a standard device in anime - one that never happens in real life. We also have flying ships, people who can teleport, and any number of other incredible occurrances. Likewise, the timeframe of the show is unclear. Ranma and Akane don't appreciably age, no matter the number of holidays that pass. If we step back, the reason they have so many holidays is because the tv executives of the real world want holiday specials and the like. The whole discussion of the characterization of the Akane-Ranma relationship reads like an immature assessment. "Falling in love" versus "in love?" First, as I mention above, I think it's complete ignorance of the little signals that Takahashi slips in all over the place. Second, it assumes that love is a structured process that moves neatly from point a to point b. Maybe in high school it makes all the difference, but in the real world with real relationships, things are always gray and never cut and dried. Just because you say "I love you" doesn't always imply you mean it, nor does it imply that a relationship has progressed beyond a certain point. Just because Ranma and Akane haven't said it means nothing. Finally, I'll touch on the whole fanfiction topic. Personally, I don't understand it, but I guess for others it's a great way to explore things. I don't see any reason why the scenario mentioned before (Ranma and Akane alone somewhere with no one else around) is out of character. It happens all the time in the series if you care to look. Granted, it's usually broken up by one of the other characters, but there's no reason to follow this trend. Akane is a caring person with a quick temper, but later in the series she keeps it more and more in check. Ranma is a oblivious dolt who over time starts to see what's around him. No reason you can't take this to a logical conclusion. No, I don't think they end up behind a bush getting it on, but maybe - just maybe - they have an honest discussion and share a moment together, maybe watching fireworks or the sunset or whatever. If you want a place for comparison, check out Love Hina, where the two main characters battle it out time and time again, but have those tender moments now and then. That's all for now. Too long already. Greg -----Original Message----- > From: Don Wang Sent: Mar 9, 2004 12:04 AM To: ranma@usagi.org Subject: Re: ranma ML 6 hour matome okuri Dr. Facer > Yes, she is, but that's the charm of her character; but now that I think of > it, most females in the Ranma 1/2 universe are somewhat clumsy when love is > the matter at hand....Then again that could be rather unfair, but look at the > girls! Shampoo is bordering on Stalker behavior, Ukyo is somehow in denial > and let's not start with Kodachi... And what about the other 2 Tendo sisters? Just because the rest of the world is dysfunctional doesn't make this behavior the norm. > I used to believe that the whole series only tells the reader what happens in > the life of the characters in a period of about a year and a few months. Of > course, Pierre already wrote a better answer to this question. The series spans more than 5 years if you just count the number of seasons or repeated holidays. > As many as Takahashi and the anime writers needed it would seem. And that's a poor style of expression. > I would disagree here, it is more than obvious by later volumes of the manga, > (perhaps as late as volume 30) that Akane and Ranma love each other, but are > not sure on how to act on it, let alone delcare their feelings in the middle > of the chaos that surrounds both of them. It's not that you have to say "I love you" to be in love. They still do not act like a couple at all. They're still falling in love. A shameless plug for the latest game I'm playing, but a love relationship is like Saber/Shirou, or Rin/Emiya. Anyway it's almost certain there will be an Anime based on Fate/Stay Night and assuming they don't mess it up on the transelation, look for the two pairings above. > I don't think it has to be out of character at all; While I stopped writing > Ranma fanfiction years ago but I never tried the Ranma & Akane relationship > (there's tons of stories about it and I couldn't find an angle I liked). I > devoted my efforts to write a Mousse and Shampoo three part story, which > proved to be as difficult, if not more, than tackling Akane and Ranma. I > don't think I'm very fit to give advice, but I think you could write based > mostly on the situation and not the character. You're just making things up with a characters who are conveniently named like that. Ranma 1/2 characters are horribly shallow characters that leaves very little room for development. Everything you can write that does not conform the story I can think of some way to disprove it, unless it's something that simply lacks a precedent. > As you probably know, characters can react in different ways depending on the > situation and location they're put in. If placing the story in Nerima makes > it difficult, try sending Ranma and Akane away for some reason; to a place > where not one of their crazy suitors finds them. The situation doesn't have > to be romantic at all, they can be in a 'martial artist' (getting rid of a > monster [not Happosai] or something) mision with...I don't know, Soun and > Genma, who in turn get drunk wasted at the hotel and their kids have to do > the job. This gives plenty of time for the couple to be alone and should > allow you to bring out the possitive traits of each; the mision could make > the feeling of the story not to be focused solely on romance, as well as > allowing you to relax the characters which can hep you turn their lines to > more sligthly romantic dialogues without being out of character. And > remember, you don't have to write an "I love you" line to get that message > through. Ranma and Akane wouldn't know what a "I love you" means. Don "For the first time of my life, Shirou, I hate you! You are saying you want me to kill you, don't you?" Saber, if you choose not to kill her in Heaven's Feel arc