At 06:35 PM 12/6/96 -0800, you wrote:
Hmm. I'm of two minds about this one.
On the one hand, the story was very skillfully presented. Good
dialogue, prose, etc. The plot was fairly original (fairly), and the
author did a good job with the dark tone. Normally I'd be endorsing the
story.
I agree wholeheartedly with you. The same thing was going through my mind
after reading this fic. It is very well written, and skillfully presented.
But...
Spoilers Below
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But the ending is just, IMHO, skewed. We have Ranma killing Nabiki to
satisfy "Justice", even though it's clear he doesn't want to. Justice?
Let's examine the case.
I don't get this justice thing either.
Nabiki is guilty of telling the Amazon Duo when the wedding would take
place. She does this because:
She's getting paid a lot of money
She's been promised that a cask of male Jusenkyo water will be given to
Ranma.
She has Cologne's promice that they won't try to inferfere with the
wedding.
Obviously she doesn't expect or anticipate the results.
This alone is weird since Nabiki is always made out to be the all knowing
all seeing one. She may do alot of stuff for profit, but if she thinks
something is gonna hurt her family she avoids it. I can't fathom how she
could take the chance.
She conceals the truth from Ranma, because she's afraid he'd hate her.
Well....that's sensible. I'd do the same myself.
Ditto, my concience would be bad enough.
She has just given birth to a child.
This was the part that really struck me, Ranma had just become a father, how
the hell could he do such a thing. Justice aside Ranma is not that kind of
person. I mean, first he asks permission to hold his daughter, tells Nabiki
he doesn't hate her, then snaps her neck? Uh uh, no way.
She's been guilt-ridden and mentally tortured by her sister's death,
which she sees as her fault.
That's more than enough punishement. For Gods sake she figures that shes
ruined Ranma's life. This however brings up a question. If she just let
him kill her in the end, why'd she run in the first place? The baby'd be a
good reason, fear of death too. But why give up then?
She's been trying to make Ranma happy for his sake.
Well....Nabiki did a stupid thing. Not a malicious, or a hateful one;
just stupid. And everyone got hurt as a result, including her.
Exactly, Ranma's made stupid mistakes lot's of times. This one just
happened to snowball on Nabiki.
How on earth does this make killing her "justice"?
You gotta wonder who's justice was being done.
Hell, it doesn't
solve anything, it leaves poor Midori without a mother,
Again this was the part the made the least sense. If anyone knows what it
is like not to have a mother it's Ranma. How could he force the same thing
on his daughter. I don't see any reason good enough to put Midori through
what Ranma himself had to deal with. Not only that, but ther is no way that
Ranma would not be arrested for the Murder of his wife, then Midori would
not even have a father. Ranma is no Einstein, but he had to realize this.
Ranma's got a
guilt complex and probably a jail sentance now, and I doubt Akane's shade
of spirit or whatever is crying out for Nabiki's blood. Not to mention
that the punishment is _way_ out of proportion to the crime.
The crime was stupidity and a feeling of security, I'm sure we've all done
this at one time or another. I think Nabiki had payed for her crime already
a thousand fold. The crime did not merit Ranma's Justice.
Well-written story. F--ked up premise.
I unfortunately must concur with Loader-san.
Wow my first C&C post, sorry it wasn't the most favourable.
Ja ne!!
Ranchan
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