At 21:43 07/05/97 -0500, you wrote:
Oh, and one other thing; the fic has absolutely zero comedic content.
That,
above all else, is a fatal flaw in any Ranma fic, IMHO.
<sarcasm>
Oh? Then you're saying that if it has no comedy, it isn't Ranma? Well,
then I guess that volume 28(*), most of volume 24, parts of volume 18 and
a great deal of the final story arc were not written by Takahashi. Why, they
must have been dark, grim doujinshi cleverly disguised as manga :P
I have not personally seen 18, 24 and 28, but I have read the last two
(okay, -looked at- the last two) and even in the darkest parts, there are
light moments and bits of silliness. (At least to me.)
Here? Nothing.
As it should be. This was supposed to be a serious fic. It won't be a
serious fic if it had an element of comedy, would it? Hmmmm?
A story can be excellently written, but that does not make it a Ranma story.
As far as I am concerned, a fic is a Ranma fic if it has Ranma characters
in it. There is no point in trying to deny it otherwise.
I read Ranma for the characters and the situations, but more importantly I
read it to laugh. The two Ranma fics I am currently working on (stalled on)
are both highly silly items, one a total altiverse take, and the other a
lighthearted mix-and-matchmake concept. When I find myself writing dark or
overly angsty Ranma stuff, I delete it immediately.
Pity. You should try and broaden your horizons.
*(SPOILER AHEAD!) In volume 28, the infamous Ryuu Kumon storyline, there
are... what? One and a half jokes? OTOH, you get to see someone's life
getting torn to pieces utterly and irrevocably, on such a scale that even
Ryouga would feel sorry for Ryuu, and what's worse no epilogue was given
whatsoever. How do we know that Ryuu didn't commit suicide right after
his fight with Ranma? As far as dark and gritty goes, the end of the Ryuu
Kumon storyline is the darkest and most depressing I've seen in the manga
canon. And yet, it's one of the finest plots ever assembled by Takahashi.
The way she orchestrates illustrations and panel flow reminds me of
artistic cinema, especially the scenes between Ryuu and Nodoka. We also
get to see much more of Mrs. Saotome's personality, and how deeply she
cares for Ranma. This is one of my favorite story arcs, right after the
Musk Dynasty arc. But that doesn't negate the fact that this was a very
dark story. So dark, in fact, that Takahashi needed to write the "Ranma's
Tears" oneshot right after it to recover some of the series USUAL
lighthearted tone.
I have yet to see this volume of the manga. When I do, maybe I'll comment.
Then please do before you write any sort of comments you have written
previously. I know you are entitled to your opinions but your comments
bordered on disdain and self-righteousness as if only you are right and
everybody else is wrong. NOBODY is ever 100% right. Please remember that.
Redneck
Kris Overstreet, will write for food... | "The universe is already mad.
http://www.txdirect.net/users/redneck | Everything else is redundant."
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