> > I don't think Cologne is evil at all.  Certainly, she works for her
> > own ends, namely getting Ranma to marry Shampoo, but how does
> > that make her evil?
 
> Did someone say she was evil? I don't think I remember that.

Put the blame on several fanfics, which did protray Cologne as "evil".

Ranma 1/2 is first and foremost a COMEDY.   Happosai comes closest to
evil with his vengeful ways.

So, NEWBIES ...

Rumiko Takahashi wrote the stories and drew the artwork for the series, 
Ranma 1/2.  The Japanese Manga (38 volumes, each about 4 1/2" x 7" x 1/2") 
is worth having (even if you can't read Japanese), for the artwork 
alone, which carries the story and emotions involved.
(Also, if you can't wait fifteen years to see the later stories printed by 
Viz....) (See Chris' page: http://www.wot-club.org.uk/RanmaFAQ for more 
detail as well as everything you need to know; also visit The Ranma 1/2 
Universe by Cardwell, http: www.anime.usacomputers.net/~ranma/ranma.html)
Some of these stories have been translated and are available at both of 
these websites.

The stories are available in comic form from Viz ($2.95) (up to volume 12 
of the manga) and also collected in Graphic Novel form ($15.95 USA/%21.50 
Canada) (5 1/2" x 8" x 1/2") with No. 8 being the last one out.
(If you read Japanese, you will notice the Viz translations is not exact.)

The anime (videos) (dubbed $24.95 or subbed $29.95) are what most people 
have. (Michael Donovan, the voice of Ryoga: http://earthlink.net/~mdonovan1/
e-mail <michael@michaeldonovan.com>)

Videos are the best in entertainment. Lots of laughs and beautiful colors.
The content of the videos was written by OTHERS, and  NOT Rumiko Takahashi, 
although they are based on her stories and characters.  

Sometimes, in 
order to fill out the time, extra scenes are added or changed, and 
characters added.  Makes for great entertainment because they are always 
funny, but they cannot be used to define a character's actions or 
motives, because in some cases, they differ a great deal from the 
original character.  OOC (Out Of Character, refers to a character in the 
anime who says or does something which is contrary to the original
character designed by Rumiko Takahashi.)

Fanfics, while they use the same names for the characters, are the 
product of the individual author, NOT Rumiko Takahashi.  The authors 
should be given credit for what they have created.   Too often, readers
mistakenly absorb a fanfiction and then quote that fanfiction as if
it were part of the original character's personality.

So, Original manga for character studies, (Rumiko Takahashi's OWN works)

    Anime for laughs, (production company's ideas)

    Fanfiction for entertainment.  (individual author's ideas)

Enjoy what you can find; it is all entertaining, (though some of the 
fanfiction can get quite morbid).


Lyn
http://members.tripod.com/~LynD/index.html