Well, I seem to be losing my audience.

	I wouldn't bet on that too much.  I imagine a lot of people are
like me; I tend to become much less captious in my criticism when I
find a story particularly gripping.  Sometimes no news really is good
news.  (Of course, sometimes it means that people are completely
turned off by what you've done and can't think of anything constructive
to say, but I rather doubt that's the case here.)  In other words, my
compliments so far.

	As far as characterization goes, I know the depictions of
Shampoo and Cologne fall in line with other people's opinions, but
I'm not so sure.  Would Shampoo really think Ranma was coming
for her?  As far back as the Dojo Destroyer story she was displeased
at Ranma choosing Akane over her.  I tend to interpret her behavior in
the later manga that I'm familiar with (admittedly not that many) as
indicating that like Ukyo and Kodachi, she's aware that Akane is the
one Ranma cares most for.  And would Shampoo and Cologne really
think that Ranma would turn to Shampoo if they killed Akane?  My
impression of the later Shampoo is that while she might be glad to get
rid of Akane if it could be done with no one (especially Ranma) finding
out about it, she wouldn't risk facing an enraged Ranma by committing
open murder.  (And under the circumstances, it would be hard to
disguise.)

	That's all IMHO, of course, and I know others will disagree,
sometimes violently.  If you were to think about changing it, you could
switch to Shampoo and Cologne deciding to take their revenge on Akane
AND Ranma for Ranma's rejection of Shampoo.  "Hell hath no fury like
an Amazon scorned," or something like that.  Anyway, just a thought.

	I look forward to further installments.

Reid Carson
rcarson@landmark.com