Zen wrote:

At 12:07 -0700 12/13/97, David Johnston wrote:

Zen wrote:

Dunno about Akane as Sailor Jupiter - though it might indeed be interesting
to see how she fit in with the rest of the senshi.  (Zen *likes* Makoto,
and would not like to see anything happen to her.  Maybe Akane can be the
new Sailor Mars... ;p)

Given the meaning of Akane's name.  Jupiter would definitely be her
slot.

Eh?  How does "Scarlet Cloud" lead to Jupiter?  Or is Zen missing something
obvious?  Scarlet = Red = Mars!  Besides, she has Mar's nasty streak.

No, she has Jupiter's nasty streak.  Explosions of physical violence
when frustrated or provoked contrasting with a sweet sympathy for
underdogs.  Mars on the other hand has far more consistent and less
explosive bad temper.  Can you really see Akane engaging in those
tongue duels with Usagi?  

Hmmm.  Here, Zen is not so sure.  Not so sure that the other characters
will turn up, that is.  In fact, Zen sortof got the impression that this
was an Akane that had never met Ranma.  Still, Zen could be wrong.

Zen agrees that it would work best with just Akane though...

Actually I wouldn't mind seeing _Ranma_ left out of the mix.  
After all, by rights Ranma would be arriving at about the end of
the Sailor Moon series.  But Akane's family and the Kunos are another 
matter.  

Assuming that it was just Akane, the differences would be so
trivial that this would be an alternate reality that wouldn't
reward further exploration.  What would be the point in having
Akane go through the exact same events that Makoto (oops, Linna)
did?  Her temper's a little nastier (but not much, given Makoto's
past history), and she can't cook.  That's hardly a pivotal divergence
point in the Sailor Moon continuity, even if this is a big difference in
Akane's life.

Linna?  What does this have to do with BGC? ^_-  (LITA, ne?)

I do my best to tune out the NA names and thus can rarely recall
them when I need them.  

Ara... you missed the point.  Zen was not talking about merely replacing
one of the senshi with Akane.  Zen was talking about an Akane who had never
met a Ranma - an Akane whose temper had gotten worse over time, with no
focusing factor (Ranma) to the point that she had injured some of her
classmates rather badly - and how that Akane would react to the senshi as
they currently exist.  Would she help them?  Could they help her deal with
her guilt, and her past?  Could they help her get past the bitterness?
Would she ever let them get that close?

She wouldn't have much choice.  After all, Usagi has a downright 
hypnotic power over those near to her.  

And would it ever come to Akane needing to be "healed"?  Or mayhaps Akane
would be duped into working for the "dark side" - completely ignorant of
the Sailor Moon connection - her ONE friend in school.  There would be
plenty of drama or story there.

I suppose, but it's still a story that could be as easily done
as a variant timeline covering Makoto's introduction and induction.  

Of course, I'm in favour of recasting everyone except Usagi.
Nene Romanova as Mercury.  Madoka Ayukawa as Mars.  Major
Makoto Kusanagi as Pluto.  Futana Shimeru as Uranus.

O_o...  The trouble with re-casts is that you often have an awful lot of
flashing around the mold lines...

Flashing around the mold lines? 

Then you'd have some differences to work with...

indeed!

Zen no Itan-sha