telling.  By using a particular character name, the author evokes a
number of related associations.  If I write a story that is not a parody
with a character named Ranma Saotome who is a 3 ft. tall Belgian midget
who dances with the New York City Ballet and has no water-related curses
and no association with martial arts, unless I provide some tie between
my "Ranma Saotome" and the Takahashi "Ranma Saotome", the name of the
character is a distraction.  

My own two yen on the canon issue is this: It's up to each individual
fanfic author how much of the original series he or she retains. BUT,
before making such a decision, an author would do well to ask himself or
herself a few questions.

1. What's my purpose in writing this story?

If you just want to entertain, then it probably doesn't matter that much
how much canon you use. But if your purpose is to make a point about the
characters -- let's say that you want to show that character X is a
loose cannon who should've been locked up long ago for everyone's sake
-- then those characters' behavior had better be consistent with what it
was in the original series, or you haven't shown anything.

2. Am I being consistent and honest (with myself, and the readership)
about how much canon I'm using?

"My fanfic uses volumes 1-32 of the original series as backstory, and
diverges at that point." Oh really? Why does your favorite character
suddenly turn into an utterly selfless paragon of virtue at that point?
"Um, because I'm writing it." Thank you. Mr. Delete Key, do your stuff.
(I'm not trying to pick on any specific character here. I've seen this
sort of thing done with just about every female in the Ranma cast, Akane
included.)

3. Is my fanfic so Alt that I'm losing the elements that made the
original series interesting? If so, have I added enough that my story is
still worth reading?

No matter what you think of a particular anime or manga series, it
probably had something going for it or people wouldn't be fans of it in
the first place -- whether it be a suspenseful conflict, well-detailed
and sympathetic characters, humor, fan service, or whatever else. The
author set things up the way he or she did because he or she knew
something about what makes a series worth reading. Until you also
develop such an understanding, it might be better to leave the
successful elements of the original series in place.


Gary Kleppe
http://www.akane.org/gary/comics.html
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