Ken:

> By the time Takahashi had to use plot devices to keep Ukyou from becoming
> too important, the Ukyou intro had been in print for some time, and it was too
> late to go back and change it.  (I really doubt that Takahashi was thinking
> of Nodoka at _all_ when she wrote Ukyou's first appearance, since Nodoka
> first showed up two years later).

	Besides the intro story, she doesn't have a significant part until the
Ten Year Sauce Story, and after that she really doesn't have a
significant story that I can easily recall.  Konatsu's story, maybe, but
the story itself wasn't as serious as most others.

	I disagree that RT had to use plot devices to keep Ukyou from becoming
too important.  She was never that important to begin with, being the
last fiancee to show up in Nerima.  She doesn't require special
attention.  Unless you mean to say that RT was prescient and noticed
that Ukyou would become popular, I don't see how that make sense.  She
doesn't have a signifiacnt story to begin with.  Only one major story I
can think of revolves around her.

Chris:

> Er... volume 36, pages 130-132. Kodachi, Shampoo and Ukyou all turn up
> to meet Nodoka - Kodachi tells Nodoka that she and Ranma's
> relationship has gone "beyond friends" - Nodoka was thinking that all
> the girls were Ranma's friends/pals.

	She thinks of them as really close friend, no?  She's still never told
the true nature of the relationships.

> She knew about, and approved of Ranma's engagement to Akane. I think
> she'd take a _very_ dim view of other 'fiancees', especially since she
> had no even been consulted. The most likely outcome I think would be
> that Nodoka would tell Ranma to sort things out - which is what the
> narration at the end implies should be done anyway.

	I don't know.  She didn't consult Ranma's advise when she was going
along with the wedding.  It seems to me that the most she'd do is ask
Genma, and most likely they'll still go on with the wedding anyway.
 
> Yup. If Nodoka found out, the most likely outcome would be for her
> reject them. She'd probably be happy in a way that so many girls love
> Ranma, but I also think she'd be unpacking that katana of hers again,
> and go and have a 'talk' with Genma.

	Thank you.  At least someone has the reason to realize Nodoka wouldn't
approve of additional engagements.  That is all I need to know.

> Ukyou and Shampoo are about equal. I'd say Akane is better than
> Kodachi though.

	I think Ukyou and Akane are equal.  Shampoo, considering that her
background is much better than Ukyou, and she was trained under the
tutorlege of someone who is still probably the best martial arts in the
series, plus that she comes from a warrior society, has to be better
than Ukyou.  The things she does is clearly ahead of Ukyou and Akane, in
my opinion.  I haven't seem Ukyou able to smash a wall, for example, nor
do I think she can.  I think Akane and Ukyou are about the same because
I haven't seem anything Ukyou does that is clearly ahead of Akane's
level.  I always frown upon weapons and tools.  It is possible to
sabtoage and lose them, and if Mousse's weapons can be sabotaged,
anything else can.  It's true that weapons and tools give you a certain
edge in combat.  The corollary, however, is that losing you often puts
you at a bigger disadvantage than the advantage you gained from using
them since you're used to using them.

	Here's what I think will happen if they fight.  Ukyou, even though her
overall background may not be as good as Akane (Akane may not have
trained as vigorously, but she's got a lot more practice against live
targets and a better teacher and a better school (I think we can agree
that the Anything Goes Marital Arts is better than whatever school
Ukyou's in)), will still most likely have the advantage because she is
very good with her tools and weapons.  Yet, if Akane could disarm her,
which isn't that hard.  Just catch the spatula and yank it away, and
from what I've seem, Ukyou has no particular strength in the endurance
and strength department, so Akane should be able to overpower her if she
gets her hands on the spatula.  Of course, by then she might've get hit
a few times, but judging from the Dojo Destroyer story, she can take a
bit of damage, too, and if the spatula is used as a blunt weapon, it
won't take her out that fast.  Once Ukyou's spatula is disarmed, the
fight will swing drastically in Akane's favor, because unless she
carries all the other tools with her on a regular basis, and even so,
her main attack comes from the large spatula, she would be forced to
fight hand-to-hand, where Akane definitely has the edge.

> (if you ignore Kuno not fighting at full strength against girls, right?)

	Of course.  Actually the anime story of Linlin and Ranran illustrates
this example quite well.  These two probably couldn't even beat Akane,
yet they beat Kunou.
 
> Ignoring Cologne of course. Opps, and Hinako's beaten Kuno too.

	Didn't consider them as girls.  Sorry!  But I was thinking of the major
cast, ie Akane/Ukyou/Shampoo/Kodachi.

> I wouldn't say that Kuno could always beat them. Eg, Kodachi uses some
> sneaky method to disarm him, or similarly for the others. Basically,
> they'd have to trick him.
 
	So you mean he basically more able than the girls, no?

	Of course, being more able doesn't always determine the outcome of a
fight, and I agree with that.  Happosai is more able than almost
everyone else, and it appears to me he is still more able than Ranma at
the end (look at wedding story, for example.  He's still okay while
Ranma's KOed), yet he loses to girls on a very consistent basis.  Ranma
is not quite as able as the people he defeated, yet he still defeated
them.

Caroline:

> At least Ranma didn't bash up Ryouga when he was unconsious, unlike a
> certain Ukyou in the same story...

	"Poor Ryouga... *smack* (turns to other) Yeah, he's finally quiet down
now."

	From that incident along, I don't see how the two could love each
other.

> HK, are you really Blade?
> Or did you just cut and paste Blade's post from somewhere?

 


Don
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