See part one for an explanation.

  --------------------------------------------------------------

                         RANKO 1/2

                           Part 2

Fade in opening shot of the Tendou front door complete with sign
proclaiming "Tendou Dojo".  Cut to an inside room with a big
sliding wall that is open to the garden.  The sky outside is
already beginning to darken - soon night will fall.  The Tendou
family as well as Saotome Genma and Ranma are here.  The girls sit
opposite of the Saotomes, Souun is sitting a bit to the side
talking.

Souun:  I'll explain it once more.  This is my old friend Saotome
        Genma and his son Ranma...

Nabiki:  [poking the clearly female Ranma in the breast] Only that
         he's *not*.

Ranma:  [blushing] Could you stop that?

Akane:  Now come on!  You won't change the fact that she's a girl
        by repeating again and again that she's his "son".

Kasumi:  This is so confusing.  I was sure she was a real boy
         before.  Taller, too.

Souun:  Ha ha ha, he *is* a real boy.

Genma:  Hmmmm, how can I best explain this?  Ah, yes...

Suddenly in one swift move he flips the girl "Ranma" backwards out
of the wall opening.  She flies directly into the little pool
behind the house.

Ranma:  Hey!

<SPLOOSH!>

A few bubbles burst at the surface, then Ranma emerges.  He is
taller than just a moment ago and has lost all female attributes.

Ranma:  What on earth did you do that for?!

A look of astonishment crosses the girls faces.

Nabiki:  N...?

Kasumi:  Now he's a boy!

Genma:  [crying] Oh what a tragic fate that my son must still
        endure this condition after all these years.

The dripping wet male Ranma suddenly stands besides him looking
angry.

Ranma:  There wouldn't be any "tragic condition" without your
        stubbornness.

Before Genma can move Ranma has already kicked him into the same
pool with a flying leap.

The others look even more shocked when up comes a big furry panda!

Kasumi:  Father, why are you friends with them?

Souun:  They were not like this before.  Not before they went to
        China on that training trip...


Some time later.  Genma has changed back into a human being in the
hot bath and tells the tale of the tragedy.

Genma:  Ah, yes.  It was six fateful months ago...

Cut to a flashback scene in China.  Genma's voice tells the story.
We see a mountain range in the distance, in the forground there
are some bamboo sticks but we cannot see the ground yet at this
angle.  A plain, stocky man in chinese clothing points something
out.

Voice:  ... at the foot of Mt. Quanjing in the Bayankala range in
        the province of Qinghai.

Chinese Guide:  Here, honourable visitor.  The legendary training
                ground of accursed springs:  Jusenkyou.

>From a different point of view we now see the Jusenkyou plains
from high above.  The ground is covered in hundreds of little
pools with Bamboo sticks in them.  Genma, Ranma and the guide are
little figures at the border of the area and we see them making
their way weaving back and forth between the pools.

Voice:  I had heard of the legendary Training ground from a
        chinese book about martial arts.  It was reportedly very
        famous, but knowing too little chinese I did not grasp
        what these springs are legendary for.

The two white figures jump in the air and balance on the Bamboo
footholds above the springs while the grey clothed figure of the
guide frantically waves it's arms.

Voice:  Too late came the warnings of our guide, the tragedy was
        already under way.

The two figures of Genma and Ranma collide in mid-air and the
smaller one, apparently Ranma, falls into the pool beneath.

Voice:  The Nyannichuan.  There is a very tragic legend that one
        thousand and five hundred years ago a young girl drowned
        there and since that day everybody who falls into the
        spring...

Cut to a closer view of the spring with ripples on the Water.
Bubbles arise, then hair, and the head of the female Ranma breaks
the surface.

Voice:  ... turns into a girl.

Ranma's Voice:  Hey, wait a minute.

The flashback ends and we are back in the Tendou living quarters.
Ranma has interrupted Genma's tale.

Ranma:  You are turning the whole thing around.  That wasn't the
        Nyannichuan...

Genma:  [frantically trying to shut him up] Shhh!  Shhh!

Ranma:  ... it was the *Nanni*chuan - The spring of the drowned
        boy.  And I didn't just fall in...  [points at Genma
        angrily]  You threw me in on purpose!

Suddenly a stream of steaming water splatters on Ranma's head and
he is female again.  The shot widens and we see Akane with a
kettle standing behind the Girl-Ranma.

Akane:  Ah, so that's it.  The old man turns into a panda with
        cold and back with hot water.  You turn into a girl with
        hot water, so that's your true form, Ranma?

Ranma:  [obviously relieved] Yes.  Actually my name is Ran*ko*.  I
        just call myself Ranma when I'm a boy.  It's easier that
        way.

Akane:  [to Genma, fuming] And you threw her in on purpose?!

Kasumi:  Whatever made you do something like that?

Nabiki:  Yeah, that goes to far, even for martial arts training.

Genma:  But I had to!  How else could he marry one of you?

Silence falls.  After some long moments Akane speaks first.

Akane:  What did you just say?

Genma:  When Ranko was born female even though the stars had
        foretold a boy the vow of marriage had already be made.
        What could I do to save our family honor?

Souun:  [with tearful eyes] What dedication.  Despite this tragedy
        you found a way to solve the problem.

Akane:  N...?

Souun empties a bucket of cold water over Ranko who instantly
turns male.

Souun:  So, with cold water you become a man...  Ha ha ha, then
        your problem isn't so terrible after all.  [pats Ranma on
        the back]  My daughter Kasumi, nineteen - and Nabiki,
        seventeen - and Akane, sixteen...

Close-ups of the girl's faces as Souun mentions their names.

Souun:  Pick the one you want.  She's your fiance.

Without a moment's hesitation Kasumi and Nabiki look at each other
and say

Kasumi:  Oh, he wants Akane!

Nabiki:  Oh, definitely!

Akane:  What are you talking about?

Nabiki:  Well, you hate boys, don't you?

Akane:  Uh...

Kasumi:  So you're in luck.  Since he's half-girl, he sounds like
         the *perfect* fiance for you.

Akane:  You've got to be kidding.  Sure, I like girls better than
        boys, but not to the point of *marrying* one!

Souun:  But he is a boy now.

Akane:  *She* may have the body of a boy half of the time, but
        that's only since six months ago - She grew up as a girl.

Ranma:  Umm, actually...


Again, a little while later.  The wind-chime in the window
"chirrinng"s softly.  Then we see the living room once again.

Akane:  You mean...  The wole time...?

Ranma:  Yes, soon after I was born he took off with me.  I grew
        up as a boy from day one.

Kasumi:  How horrible.  You poor thing, that must have been hard
         to endure.

Ranma:  Well, not too horrible, actually.  It was kinda fun in the
        beginning, acting like a boy and playing with boys all the
        time.  Later when I grew up my body was harder to hide,
        but we managed and it didn't seem *that* strange to me
        anymore.

Akane:  Not even being engaged to a girl?!

Ranma:  Well, when I was old enough to comprehend that I kinda
        figured the old man had flipped when I was born and I was
        just humoring him by playing along.

Genma:  Hey!

Ranma:  But I never thought that he would do something *that*
        crazy.

Souun:  Well, it doesn't matter anymore how you got here, the
        important thing is that our families' honour is saved by
        your engagement to Akane.

Akane:  Wait a moment!  I don't care what you two madmen have
        cooked out, I'm not marrying this fluke of nature.

Ranma:  Hey!  I'm not exactly thrilled about this either, but
        could you at least leave the insults out?

Souun and Genma seem very happy about their argument.

Souun:  Ha ha ha, they already sound like a married couple.

Akane:  She's a couple all by herself.

Ranma:  That does it!  You guys can rage all you like - I'm in the
        bathroom continuing my interupted bath.  You can speak to
        me again when you're back on this planet!

He angryly stamps out.  Everyone stares after him.


Akane's room.  Akane is sitting on the bed with her knees pulled
up, hugging them defiantly.  Nabiki sits considerably more relaxed
beside her.

Nabiki:  Ranma was right, you know.  You insulted him when you
         were really angry with father and Mr. Saotome.

Akane:  She!  Ran*ko* is a girl.  No matter what you all say.

Nabiki:  All right, then you insulted *her*.  Doesn't change a
         thing about the fact that you were unfair and hurtful.

Akane:  [slumps tiredly] I was, wasn't I?  You think I should
        apologize?

Nabiki:  Yup.

Akane:  [getting up] All right, then I will.  [pauses] Thanks,
        Nabiki.

Nabiki:  [smiling] Hey, what are big sisters there for if not for
         helping you out.

Akane:  [grins] I thought they were there to bug me all day.

Nabiki:  Bugging you *and* helping you out, then.  [shoos her out
         the door]

Akane walks down the hall in the direction of the bath.

Akane:  [thinks] I'm going to apologize that I was so mean to her
        when I was really upset about our fathers.  That's what
        I'll do.

Determinedly she opens the Bathroom door.  Inside is Ranma.  He is
not in the hot tub, but dripping cold water and definitely male.
He is so surprised by Akane's entrance that he doesn't even think
to cover his nakedness with the bucket in his hand.

Ranma:  A-Akane... I...

Akane just stares as Ranma's naked male body registers with her.
Ranma does not notice this and takes a step towards her.

Ranma:  Akane?

Cut to a shot of the outside of the Tendou Dojo under the dark
sky.

<POW!!>

Cut to the inside again.  A close up of Ranko's head with a towel
on her brow.  Ranko opens her eyes.  Kasumi and Genma are sitting
by her side.

Kasumi:  Are you okay?  Don't think too badly of Akane.  She is
         really a very sweet girl.  She's just a violent maniac.

Genma:  That girl has spunk!  The perfect fiance for you, eh?

Ranko:  Shut up, pop.

In the next room beyond the paper-thin space divider we see Akane
and Nabiki.  Even though we only see Akane's back, she seems a
little flustered.

Nabiki:  But *you* said that she was really a girl, no matter
         what.

Akane:  Shut up, sis.

-- End of part 2.



  -------------------------------------------------------------------

Continued in part 3.

Sebastian
--
       <http://enterprise.mathematik.uni-essen.de/~bastian/>
                         Comics reviewed
--
Beware of the Turing Tar-pit in which everything is possible but
nothing of interest is easy.