Koi's Anime Report; Manga Also
January 2000
Volume 2, Issue 1
This month brings the second longest fanfic I have seen, as well as an emotional one between Shampoo and Mousse and a pointless one based on a recent movie. I anticipate that, personally, there will be less distractions as I am now a senior and the school year is starting to slow down... but I may be wrong. When I have a chance, I plan to retroactively write all the KARMA that I have missed, but in the meantime, enjoy!
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Relentless
Location: ftp://ftp.cs.ubc.ca/pub/archive/anime-fan-works/Ranma/ranma.relentless.gz
or
http://www.tass.org/fanfic/ranma.relentless
Size: 244 KB compacted, 727 KB uncompacted
Classification: Epic, Fighting/Comedy
Authors: Grayson Towler, graysont@rigroup.net
Structure: Prose, 11 parts, unfinished
Background:
The story takes place after Ranma has learned the Moko Takabisha, but before Nodoka appears. All of the normal fiancees are present, and the story follows the normal continuity.
Story Summary:
Happosai interrupts a sacred burial ritual with his usual perversions, angering the priestesses. In retaliation, the high priestess summons a being called the Reikoku, and directs it to destroy the Master of Anything-Goes.
A short while later, Happosai challenges and loses to Ranma. He declares that he is no longer fit to carry the title of "Master", and passes it on to Ranma. Ranma, of course, is congratulating himself, but nearly everyone else is suspicious of Happosai's motives. That afternoon, while evading Shampoo's offer for a date, Ranma is attacked by the Reikoku. The Reikoku is fast, nearly as much as Ranma, and feels no pain, but Ranma finally wins after hitting it with three chi-blasts.
When Ranma and Shampoo drag the body of the Reikoku back to the Nekohanten, Cologne explains the history of the beast. "Reikoku" means 'the relentless one', or 'the unstoppable one'. Ranma has not yet won, and in fact, has not even come close. The Reikoku regenerates daily, and will become stronger every time it is defeated, adapting to whatever attacks were used against it. Worse, if more than one person tries to fight it, its own abilities will increase proportionately. In fact, any person who intercedes on its targets behalf becomes another target. It is not slowed by obstacles, and has no need of rest or food. Its body cannot be burned, buried, or submerged, because that will cause it to instantly be whole. Finally, it gives off an intense aura of fear, causing all animals to flee and affecting humans similarly. The only weak point is that it can only resurrect itself three times against one opponent, and then is destroyed forever. But despite this ray of hope, Cologne already thinks of Ranma as lost, because even she would not be able to overcome the Reikoku.
So, Ranma and Akane set out to look for Happosai and transfer the curse of the Reikoku, or to find the person who summoned it. Before they make it out of Nermia, the Reikoku attacks again. This time, it is able to easily block the Amaguriken, and reflects Ranma's Moko Takabisha. It is about to kill him when Ryoga shows up, and manages to defeat it with his chi-blast. They convince Akane to stay at the Dojo while they set off for China, as Nabiki has finally learned some signs of Happosai's presence.
Ukyo, who had been away on a business trip, comes back to Nermia only to find Ranchan missing. She quickly learns the reason why, and after much consideration, decides to follow them. Meanwhile, Ranma and Ryoga have been asking around for Happosai. Since their skill at Chinese is fairly nonexistent, they wind up being slapped or attacked much of the time.
The Reikoku catches up to the pair just as they run into Pantyhose Taro. Not believing their warnings, he attacks the Reikoku just to get it out of the way. Since he is in monster form at the time, he defeats it easily. But he does not stop to listen to Ranma's warning, and sets it afire to keep it from regenerating. As Cologne said, it rises immediately, and the first thing it does is to strike Taro with hot water. Without his powerful cursed form, Taro is defeated by the Reikoku, and is about to be killed when Ukyo appears. She okonomiyaki-bombs the monster, giving Ranma time to carry the unconscious Taro away. After a short chase, the Reikoku catches up, and Ukyo, with encouragement from Ranma, defeats it.
Meanwhile, back in Nermia, Akane is overcome with grief that she was not able to do anything, and doubly so because Ukyo had chosen to follow Ranma, knowing the dangers. She resolves to train herself... with the Bakusai Tenketsu. Natsumi and Karumi show up again, but this time to help. Soun grants them the right to stay at the Dojo as long as they wish, as their search for their father has not been going well. Akane challenges and beats Shampoo, and Cologne declares that she, Shampoo, and Mousse will return to China.
In China, after confronting Ryoga, Taro flies off, leaving Ryoga, Ranma, and Ukyo without rapid transport. Since the Reikoku is limited in speed, as long as its targets take trains, fly, or otherwise outpace it, they are safe. Now that Taro is gone, however, the Reikoku starts to gain ground. To prepare, they train whenever they can; Ranma shows Ryoga and Ukyo the Amaguriken while he trains alone in some secret technique. Ryoga develops a new technique similar to Kuno's rapid sword attack; since Ryoga's umbrella is much heavier, it displaces much more air and is more powerful. Ranma and Ryoga work together to increase Ukyo's battle-sense and help her a chi-blast.
The Reikoku catches up to the trio, and Ryoga attacks with his new umbrella technique. It is not enough by itself, but after a pitched battle, he wins. Ranma finally realizes that they have had a golden chance to return to Jusenkyo, and rid himself of his curse. More importantly, Ryoga can do the same, since the Reikoku has been using his curse as a weak point. Along the way, Ranma works on his aura control, to the point where he can generate ice in one hand while simultaneously starting a fire with the other.
Taro has been busy in the interim. He flies to the Musk Dynasty and steals the Chisuiton, and then returns to Jusenkyo, where he is attacked by the Jusenkyo Secret Preservation Society. Once he defeats Kiimi, he marks a certain spring, and flies back to find the Reikoku. With the Chisuiton, he defeats it, but only barely. It seems that the animal components of his body are strongly affected by the Reikoku's fear aura, and so freeze in panic. He carries the body of the Reikoku back to Jusenkyo and the marked spring, and dumps it in.
Ranma, Ryoga, and Ukyo arrive at Jusenkyo in time to see this. Taro takes a bucket of the spring he just pushed the Reikoku into, and pours it on himself. The spring was one of the blank ones, and Taro turns into a Reikoku! Meanwhile, the real Reikoku has regenerated due to the immersion, and attacks. Ranma and Ukyo haul an unconscious Ryoga away while Taro fights the monster. Unfortunately, Taro loses, and the Reikoku continues the hunt. Ranma tells Ukyo to take Ryoga to Joketsuzoku for healing while he fights the Reikoku. After they leave, Ranma uses the technique he was practicing -- control of the Neko-ken.
Ukyo, carrying Ryoga, arrives in the Amazon village only to find a cold reception. Matters get worse when it is discovered that Ryoga is a man and knows the Bakusai Tenketsu. Ukyo is challenged by Ling Ling and Lung Lung, but thanks to her training, she is able to gain the upper hand. She holds back because of the Kiss of Death, but Cologne appears and stops the fight.
Overall:
The first thing I need to mention is that I have cut a great deal of the story out! Much of the appeal of this fanfic lies *not* in the storyline itself, which is only mediocre, but in the asides. It is here that Mr. Towler shines; he shows the daily interaction of characters, and it is evident that he has given a lot of thought to where the story will finally go, and to every event in the story. Many of the events in the story happen simultaneously: Akane and Nabiki in Nermia; Ranma, Ryoga, and Ukyo in China; Taro on his own quest. Mr. Towler weaves them together, switching from one scene to another smoothly, yet leaving the reader wondering what happens next. Mr. Towler manages to keep anything from being resolved, although he has a strong setup for a Ryoga-Ukyo pairing.
Characterization is nearly perfect, and shows an *extensive* knowledge of both anime and manga stories, both English and Japanese. The downside to this is that the reader must have an equal knowledge of Ranma 1/2 to fully appreciate or understand the story, but Mr. Towler makes it easier by including notes as to who the lesser-known characters are. I only found one minor mistake -- Mr. Towler states that the Anything-Goes Martial Arts Obstacle course was an anime-only story, while it appeared in both the anime and manga.
Now for the bad parts to the story -- I have four problems with the story. First, it is long, and yet tells only one story (although, admittedly, with many subplots). Such long fanfics have a tendency to bore the reader, and this is not always an exception. Especially in the sections where characters train, there is not much holding the reader aside from wondering what new technique or plan the characters have.
Some readers may have a problem with the power that Ranma, Ryoga, Ukyo, and Akane are reaching. By the way the story is shaping up, by the end, both Ranma and Ryoga will be able to easily defeat Cologne or Happosai, with Ukyo and Akane not far behind. While necessary to the story, I do not think that it makes too much sense.
My third objection is that Taro dies. While it is completely believable, up to that point, the story had followed the innocent "nobody is really hurt" line. Now, personally, I think that anytime a character dies, the fanfic should automatically receive a "Darkfic" tag. I guess this problem was more that it did not seem to fit in with the rest of the story -- Taro's death does not really accomplish anything, and I do not believe that death should be included unless it is necessary to the plot.
Lastly, Mr. Towler uses too much false foreshadowing. At least three times in the story, he sets up a character with a very important, life-or-death decision, and makes the reader believe that the character will choose one particular choice or something horrible will happen. But it soon becomes obvious that there is an overabundance of drama. If Mr. Towler had kept the pivotal scenes with Ukyo, Nabiki, and Shampoo shorter, they would have worked much better.
If the minor bad points I mentioned do not bother you, I would definitely recommend that you read this fanfic. I think it has just about the best "in character"-ness of any fanfic I have read, but Mr. Towler works well within the limitations of each character to bring some very interesting scenes. As I said before, the beauty of this fanfic is not the story, but in the details.
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Sacrifices
Location: ftp://ftp.cs.ubc.ca/pub/archive/anime-fan-works/ranma.sacrifices.gz
or
http://www.tass.org/fanfic/ranma.sacrifices
Size: 34.1 compacted, 89.9 KB uncompacted
Classification: Serious, Romance
Authors: Adele Shakal, adele@caltech.edu
Structure: Prose, 9 parts, completed
Background:
Normal continuity. This takes place after Ling Ling and Lung Lung arrive, but in this universe, some other Amazons have come along and are also harassing Ranma and Shampoo.
Story Summary:
The story centers around Mousse's attempt to win Shampoo's hand. It seems that the "Kiss of Death" and "Kiss of Marriage" is more complicated than we know: If Ranma chooses someone other than Shampoo, she will be required to kill that person. Also, if Mousse challenges Ranma and wins, then wins against Shampoo, he will nullify Shampoo's claim on Ranma.
Mousse convinces Nabiki to let him know the next time Ryoga and Ranma fight, and, after Ranma wins, Mousse pours cold water on Ryoga and leaves him in full view. Coincidentally, Akane and her friends walk up, and see that Ranma has been picking on P-chan again, and Akane mallets Ranma several times. Mousse then challenges Ranma, and barely wins.
A few months later, the reader learns that Mousse also succeeded in defeating Shampoo, but she is far from happy. Before they leaving for China, Mousse offers Shampoo an honorable way to release herself from the obligation to marry him: he offers to die for her. Horrified, she refuses, and after some confusion, Cologne is brought in to witness the depth of Mousse's commitment.
It seems that Shampoo had a reason other than dislike for rejecting Mousse. Generations ago, one of Mousse's ancestors disgraced her line such that only the actions of an insignificant male could redeem them. Mousse's actions have finally lifted the curse and rejection, and as a side benefit, he can finally see without his glasses. Shampoo finally accepts Mousse's declarations of love, and agrees to marry him.
Overall:
This is a highly introspective piece. Mousse, and to a lesser extent, every other character, thinks much more than in canonical Ranma. However, it is well-thought out, and although some of Adele's interpretations of Amazon law seem farfetched, all make sense ultimately. Characterization, especially of Sasuke and the Kunos, seems wrong, but as they are minor characters in the story, is not a major problem. On the other hand, I do *not* think that the skill level between Mousse and Ranma is so great that even after taking damage from Ryoga and Akane, Ranma nearly manages to defeat Mousse. As this is not the focus of the story, though, it, too, is not a major flaw.
Mousse's mental attitude towards Cologne, Shampoo, and gender makes more sense in this fanfic than others that I have read. Remember that they come from an Amazon village, where females have more power than males. In this fanfic, Mousse defers to females, which is what one would expect of an Amazon society. Also, he seems much calmer than normal, and has no vision problems. In short, Mousse's defects have been fixed, and while this goes against canon (for any character), it allows the author to resolve the tension between Shampoo and Mousse in a reasonable way.
If you ever wanted a good story where Mousse and Shampoo end up together, this is it. On the other hand, if you do not care for that sort of thing, there is not much here to interest you.
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You've Got Ranma
Location: http://www.tass.org/fanfic/ranma.youve-got-ranma
Size: 62.8 KB uncompacted
Classification: Romance
Authors: Jennifer Morales, jen@jenorama.org
Structure: Prose, completed
Background:
Ranma and Akane both attend Furinkan High, but do not know about their engagement. Genma did take Ranma on the training trip, but it is not clear if they visited Jusenkyo.
Story Summary:
Ranma and Akane still fight: he calls her a tomboy and generally sticks his foot in his mouth. She, in turn, aggravates him. Both are consoled by an anonymous online friend, who cheers them on and convinces them to act more sensibly. In fact, things go so well that Ranma and Akane start to like each other, make fewer social errors, and become boyfriend/girlfriend. But their parents inform them of an engagement, although they do not specify to whom, and they spend the night chatting with their online friend. They are surprised to find that their friend is in exactly the same predicament, and wonder if they are engaged to each other. The next day, they find out that their online friend was actually the other person, and everything is happily resolved.
Overall:
If you have ever seen the movie "You've Got Mail", this story is a direct copy. There are some nice touches, which is why I have chosen to review this. Mainly, that it is plausible for Ranma and Akane to get along, if they had a way to really talk to each other. The style is fair, although not outstanding. If Ms. Morales had avoided using e-mail as the method of communication, the story would have at least seemed more original. I think this is a good warning of a crossover that has potential, but contains too much of the source and therefore has no reason to be written. I would probably skip this one unless you write fanfiction, and in that case to read it only to see a genre you should avoid.
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Extra to KARMA:
"The Best of Anime" CD
This CD features the openings themes of anime from Astro Boy to Devil Hunter Yohko. Although I disliked the English tracks, the rest of CD is nice to listen to and contains a variety of styles of music. I like the idea of this "sampler" CD as it provides a economical way to hear various themes of the more popular anime. On the other hand, I wonder why it is only 51 minutes long; it is not as if there is not enough source material! Besides this, the only other changes I would make is to add another CD that contains closing themes and to include more recent titles.
The Best of Anime:
1. Astro Boy - English
2. Gigantor - English
3. Speed Racer - English
4. Lum's Love Song (Urusei Yatsura)
5. Sentimental Over the shoulder (Megazone 23)
6. Beautiful Planet (Windaria)
7. Active Heart (Gunbuster)
8. Adesso e Fortuna (Record of Lodoss War)
9. Full Moon Light (Devil Hunter Yohko)
10. Sailing (Silent Mobius)
11. Happy Birthday to Me (All-Purpose Cultural Cat-Girl Nuku-Nuku)
12. Just Beyond the Time (New Dominion Tank Police)
13. My Heart I Can't Say, Your Heart I Want to Know (Oh! My Goddess)
14. Cutey Honey (New Cutey Honey)
15. Voices (Macross Plus)
16. Sailor Moon Theme - English
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