>	False.  He is only shown to have an unlimited number of them once. 

So there's no good reason why he wouldn't have an unlimited number if it
was neccessary.

>	Umbrella is NOT a good all-around weapon, anymore than a spatula is. 
>The level of proficiency determines the usage of the weapon.  

He's very proficient, though, to a level where it can be used as:

-blunt/smashing type weapon, because of it's immense weight
-bladed, slicing type weapon - he slashed open Ranma's shirt with it
-thrown, like a top or a boomerang, and it spins kind of like a buzzsaw
when it does this.

>	The belt is definitely not a standard weapon.  It is not sharp enough
>to easily cut through metal.  Otherwise, it'd be pretty dangerous to
>wear it to begin with.  The idea is that he is good enough with the
>weapon to slice things that he couldn't slice through, just as how wood
>is able to break cement.

Yeah, point is though, that Ryoga *can* use it like that - even if he only
has once.

>If you look at the manga (and the anime) you see Ranma's legs are in a
>position that indicates that she has just leapt into the air after
>Genma- leaping up with the left leg extended, and the right leg tucked
>forward.  She is still in that position when she collides with Ryoga. 
>It is nothing more than two airborne bodies hitting each other- she
>doesn't even notice him, or remember hitting anything (unlike the
>Kodachi incident where he DOES feel something hitting the kettle).

Hm...don't remember the manga offhand (you're probably right), but I
remember in the anime a sort of flashing-blue thing that indicated that
Ranma had kicked or kneed Ryoga.

>I doubt it's a school at all.  My take on the matter is that she sets up
>the griddle to make okonomiyaki by the ocean.  Due to all the sea spray,
>the okonomiyaki will get wet and mushy if she doesn't protect it
>somehow.  So she must simultaneously use the spatula to prepare the
>okonomiyaki, and to deflect the spray away from it- vastly improving her
>speed, upper body strength, and skill with the spatula as a weapon.  So
>while you say Ukyo would be a piece of cake if Akane were to take the
>spatula away, I think she could beat the snot out of Akane if she could
>land a blow inside Akane's formally-trained martial arts defenses.  :)

That sounds fairly logical.

Also, while Don protests that Akane has to be good because of her martial
arts school (Anything-Goes), this isn't true, mainly because of two things:

1.  There is two branches of Anything-Goes, Saotome and Tendo (unless you
learn it straight from the Master, Happousai), of which the Saotome school
seems to be quite a bit more suited to actual combat and exploiting
weaknesses, due to having Genma as it's head.

2.  Akane isn't very proficient within the Anything-Goes School,
considering how much better Ranma and Genma are than her, even if they are
two different branches.

>On the other hand, you have the parts of Japanese _not_ written in kanji,
>and all non-Chinese readings of the Kanji, which you aren't going to learn
>from Chinese.

Yeah, but about half (?) of the Japanese language is in kanji, therefore
making the rest of the written language a lot less of a pain to learn if
you already know Chinese.

>But I thought he loved Akane.  If you love someone you just don't dump them
>when something different comes along.  I mean seriously.

If you look at things from Ryoga's point of view, what he does sort of
makes sense, considering his curse and all.

>Yokay.  I don't really see him as engaged to her.  Given it's more
>valid than Kodachi's claim to him, but I don't see tribal law from China
>in the slightest being binding in Japan.

I don't know if anyone except Shampoo and Cologne really care about the
engagement, but the point is that Ranma isn't doing anything to get rid of
Shampoo, instead letting her hang all over him.

>I don't think so myself.  Not always justified.

Again, look at it from Ryoga's point of view.  From his way of thinking,
he's either attacking Ranma because:

-Ranma is abusing Akane
-or it's because Ranma ruined his life, and he's seen hell, etc. etc.

Either way, they're both reasonable reasons for attacking someone.

>Hmmm....switch okay and scum and you have a true statement.

I think it's true already. :)

Hunter Kid
http://www.serve.com/guilds/ranma/
guilds@mail.serve.com