Subject: [FFML] Re: [fanfic][Ranma] The Things We Wish For... Chapter 3 [with endnote]
From: Brian Randall
Date: 11/18/2002, 11:02 PM
To: Benjamin Goldberg
CC: DB Sommer <sommer@3rdm.net>, ffml@anifics.com


Benjamin Goldberg wrote:
Brian Randall wrote:

DB Sommer wrote:

[snip]

       These paragraphs are designed to show how thorougly Nabiki was
duped, thus underscoring Kachiko's sneakyness.

       I think I'm starting to actually hate this character.

       She's too perfect. She beats everyone in their home court.


With the exception of her victories over Nabiki, who is as smart as she
is, I consider everything else she's done to be bullying, though through
sneaky tricks/smarts, rather than brawn.

Ranma's an honerable idjit.  The Mecha was also an idjit, because she
it's builders are... what's more, she's faced them and their machines
previously.

	That's all well and good, provided that a reader manages to enjoy the 
story up to that point. I stopped right where I noted I cut off, because 
I wasn't enjoying the story. My issues are probably limited enough that 
the only person who doesn't want to read it anymore is me, and there's 
absolutely no reason why Mr. Sommer should go out of his way to change 
the story just to suit me.

	That being said, a lot of what I'm being told, both from the author's 
notes and your commentary, is that I should be willing to look past this 
to enjoy the story.

	Unfortunately, Kachiko is written and used in a way that doesn't work 
very well for me. The entire chi/ki attack thing where she kicked Ranma 
in the groin didn't work well for me, because he's not blind, but she 
manages to shift her weight well enough to launch a kick when she 
claimed it was going to be a punch? Let's face it, Ryu Kumon couldn't 
pull that off in the manga, and from what Kachiko's said, Ranma's better 
than her.

	I would personally put Kumon above Ranma until Ranma learns the 
Umisen-ken, but Kachiko is obviously better than that if she can pull a 
fast one on Ranma like that.

	Or more to the point, Kachiko yells out the name of her attack, and Ranma 
falls for it. I would probably have found that funny if yelling attack 
names weren't common for many anime and manga. Unfortunately, in this 
specific anime/manga series, they DO use attacks where they say, "Look 
over there!" or the like and then kick someone from behind -- heck, 
Ranma and Genma are the two who know and use those attacks the most! But 
here it seems like Kachiko is somehow above and better than the laws 
that define how other characters interact with one-another and the world 
about them.

	Again, a minor detail and one that just doesn't sit well with me.

	To make my point:

	There's nothing wrong with the story.

	I just didn't enjoy it. Sorry.

-- Brian Randall -- I write fanfiction. Too much of it. You can read it here, thanks to a kind grant from the Larry F foundation: http://www.rakhal.com/florestica/durandall/index.html -- Together. Allegiance or death. BIGFIRE! -- Haiku of my lament: Forgive my spelling, my U.S. education, is the source of blame. .---Anime/Manga Fanfiction Mailing List----. | Administrators - ffml-admins@anifics.com | | Unsubscribing - ffml-request@anifics.com | | Put 'unsubscribe' in the subject | `---- http://ffml.anifics.com/faq.txt -----'