Hmmm. Interesting comments.
I do kinda have to disagree with a lot of them, though, in particular in
regards to Ranko's character.
I guess what isn't taken into account is the fact that the Ranma we know
has been shattered. Everything Ranma's been taught about herself, every
bit of wisdom her father gave her in ten years on the road... all of that
is suspect. He's been taught for ten years that he had to be a man among
men, to work hard at being a man... and, after all this, he finds he isn't
a man. Moreover, there's this nagging feeling in the back of his mind...
this desire to be what all of these voices have told him he can not be.
At the risk of sounding rude, this shock puts anything in the other
Ranma-becomes-woman works to shame. It's one thing to have to deal with
physical changes; to have to suffer such a total crisis of identity would
send most people to their destruction. Ranma is shattered; slowly, Ranko
has to build herself up. This new person that arises... a quote from a
Dr. Who episode comes to mind: "When everything is changed, can anything
truly be a surprise?"
Yes, she's weepy; yes, she has a confidence problem. Personally, she
should probably be in therapy. However, the story about all of this is
her building up, slowly putting the pieces of herself back together.
That's going to take time. Heck, most of the 'traditional'
Ranma-becomes-woman works center around this journey; in this case, hers
is simply a little different.
As for her rebelling against martial arts... it was all her father gave
her. For most of her life, it's all she's known. Now, her father's gone;
she needs to find out who she is. For the first time, 'martial arts' is
an optional course in her life, rather than a requirement. It shouldn't
come as much of a surprise that she de-prioritizes it, especially given
what the instructor did to her.
Finally... a comment on Deborah's writing style. She writes like a girl.
I know that may sound like a strange, possibly even a sexist comment, but
it makes sense considering. She writes like it's a shojo manga; the
fights and martial arts are downplayed, and discussions and personal
interactions take center stage. She writes the friendships between people
differently than most men would, because she perceives friendship
differently. It's not worse than the way us guys write; it's just
different, not something we usually see. And, in this case, I think it's
contributed to some of the misunderstandings that have gone on concerning
Ranko.
At any rate, I'm sorry youdidn't enjoy it, for whatever reason. I think
it's a great work; we see a person torn down, only to build herself up
again - what we do ourselves a little every day, and do a lot in those
dark moments we prefer to forget.
-- Nick
- P.S. For Scott's comments: Kumon who? Herb who? They didn't show up
until after Nodoka arrived.