Koi's Anime Report; Manga Also
April 1999
Volume 1, Issue 4
April first is of course the Fool's day, a time when random jokes are appropriate and even encouraged. I realize it is a little late, but I am sure you will agree that this month's major review is suited to humor.
As an aside, it appears that KARMA does not appeal to everyone. Remember, I am NOT saying that the fanfiction I review is the best I have ever read. I choose them because they interest me, whether it be because they force me to think hard about life, give me hope, or are just plain silly. You may like them, you may not. I WOULD like to hear from more people if I should continue this or stop writing to the electonic winds of cyberspace.
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Life's Dulse Moments
Location: ftp://ftp.cs.ubc.ca/pub/archive/anime-fan-works/Ranma/ranma.dulse-moments.gz
or
http://www.tass.org/fanfic/ranma.dulse-moments
Size: 27.2 KB compacted, 68.3KB uncompacted
Classification: Humorous
Author: Leslie Mills, les@firstclass.sys.unb.ca
Structure: 6 parts, prose format, completed
Background:
This is a light piece, hardly meant to be taken seriously. In fact, it is very much like the canonical series, with irrelevant randomness and nothing resolved. The only important part as far as continuity is that Ranma has met all of his fiancˇes.
Story Summary:
In yet another effort to snare Ranma, Shampoo has bought some magical seaweed (also known as 'dulse', hence the title) and fed it to him. There are two things wrong, though. First, under a disguise, *Kodachi* was the one who sold the dulse to Shampoo. Secondly, the food Ranma ate was not *lust* dulse, as Shampoo thought, but something far worse: *pun* dulse, which forces the eater to pun uncontrollably.
Are you not sure why this is worse? Ask yourself if you've ever heard of a good pun. Of course, you have not; by definition, all puns are bad. Now imagine you (or someone else) cannot speak more than a few words without uttering a play on words. Then, imagine living in close company with several top-notch martial artists eager for an excuse to beat you up. That's the start of Ranma's problem.
Since Kodachi has the only antidote, Ranma will either be driven insane by the horrible puns and beg her for it -- or everyone *else* will force him to aquire it. If you have ever read the Xanth series by Piers Anthony, you have some idea of why this is true. To appreciate this story fully, you really must read it yourself.
Overall:
As someone who liked the early Xanth novels and is quite partial to puns, I liked "Dulse Moments". Those who wish to avoid any such pun-ishment should not read this story; those who enjoy such things need to seek mental help. My psychiatrist is very good, and I hear he still has a few slots open.
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Extra review to KARMA:
Hatred
Location: http://www.oocities.org/Tokyo/Pagoda/2314/fics/Hatred.htm
Size: about 7K
Classification: Serious
Author: Libby Thomas
Structure: Short fanfic, prose format, completed
I felt that to balance the lightness of "Dulse Moments", I should include a piece that takes a more serious approach to life. "Hatred" is in fact barely based in the Ranmaverse, and distorts a major precept (that nobody ever gets hurt) in order to make a point about intolerance and prejudice.
As you may know, last year a gay student named Matthew Shepard was killed in an unprovoked hate crime. "Hatred" addresses a similar topic: While on vacation in Hawaii, a girl spills tea on onna-Ranma, triggering the curse on a very public beach. Although the beachgoers attack him for being different, Ranma honorably refuses to use any ki-attacks to defend himself, and is eventually overwhelmed and put into a coma.
Why this story? When most people write in the Ranmaverse, they usually write about the romantic or comedic aspects of the story. This shortfic reminded me that at the core, Ranma 1/2 is just that: a story, with everything that comes associated with the term. Stories can be used for many purposes: to entertain, to record, to teach. Libby Thomas chose to do something unusual: to use Ranma 1/2 as a vessel to reach out to people and to make them think about their lives. Ranma, like so many people in the world, did not choose his curse, yet is constantly judged by it.
The message of the story is best summarized in the author's note:
This is dedicated to the memory of Matthew Shepard, whose tragic death reminds us all that we as people have a long way still to go before we can eradicate bigotry once and for all. All of us, straight, gay, black, white, Asian, Hispanic, Jewish, gentile, or whatever have an obligation as human beings to ensure that the world is free from such barbaric and primitive notions. Animals of the same species accept each other regardless of the differences in pigmentation--why can't we? To use that clich é, but very true phrase: "Why can't we all just get along?"
Oh, and if any of you are trivial enough to send me a note asking who he married, you clearly need to rethink your priorities.
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Just as a reminder to those of you who have made it this far, April 22 is Earth Day. Spend some time outdoors, and appreciate nature. Plant a tree, go for a walk, and see if you can take the time to make our world a little greener.
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