The whole thing's not here yet, but there's enough to comment on.
I don't know exactly what to say about what I perceive as the author's
decision to use Ranma 1/2 to create an all-new spin-off series. I
remember someone posting recently saying that manga creators were
wondering why fanfic writers didn't create and sell their own characters
in the first place. Maybe this writer should take their advice. I must
admit I felt uncomfortable seeing invented characters closely associated
with the author (he seems to use Toma as an email handle) easily defeat
or pair off with the resident characters, regardless of how well I
liked the invented characters.
If one accepts the way the Ranma characters are handled and reads this
fic on its own terms, it's pretty entertaining for most of the early
chapters. I laughed aloud a number of times.
Toma has a peculiar background (half amazon, half japanese, educated at
Furinkan and Juketsuzoku, a great martial artist, a billionaire, changes
into a puppy, owner of a haunted house, the same name as the illusionist
prince in Nihao My Concubine, etc. etc.) which makes him hard to get a
hold of. He fits in everywhere; that's a little too convenient. However,
as used here he's at least interesting. I don't think his jusenkyo curse
is necessary, though; at least as it's used here, it's just replaying
the P-Chan plot, using Kasumi as a foil.
Chris' transformation has more comedic value than Toma's. Chris is used
to good comic effect in this story. Although maybe it's because of
something I missed, I don't understand why he's staying so long in
Japan. If Chris is intended to represent the author or one of the
author's buddies, he should _not_ be dominant in combat; this tends to
rankle fans of the original characters. Note that I'm not objecting to
the author having an analogue in the story; that's a temptation many of
us have succumbed to, or will someday. Chris' interest in Kodachi is an
element of the story I'd like to see developed; I also want to
understand his appearance better. Should we conclude, from the cracks
made by the movie theatre clerk, that he is obsese?
Nora kind of leaves me cold, because she's kind of a combination of
Shampoo and Ukyo, but has less personality than either at the moment.
Tazuki [sic], the uncle, is almost exactly like Genma. So far he hasn't
added anything to the story. I suggest he be removed from it.
I don't believe an unconscious man would be sleeping in Kasumi's room,
or even that her fiancee would be, or that she would try "living
together," even with her father's permission. (Soun is pretty liberal
about this stuff; at least in the anime, he seems to encourage Ranma to
invade Akane's bedroom.) Toma and Chris should probably be crammed into
the room with Ranma and Genma, or the sisters should be doubled up to
free one of their rooms entirely..
MINOR PROBLEMS
In Ch. 1, when Toma come into Neko Hanten and talk to Shampoo, why she
speak broken Japanese? Why no speak Chinese like in real Amazon tribe?
Since you write all in English, it all translated anyway, right?
"Janijitzu" is cool, but needs an all-English or all-Japanese name.
Combining two languages to form a word is awkward. I like the stuff
about the Janijitzu sensei fighting Happosai.
Kuno's first speech in Ch. 2 makes no sense. Kuno's a stupid guy, but
his speeches do make verbal sense -- they're just dumb ideas.
The Nekohanten is within walking distance. Both Toma and Kasumi walk all
the time. Why do they need a cab?
Akane hits Ranma in the head with an iron. Why? He did nothing in that
scene to provoke her. It's just more of the "psychotic Akane"
stereotype. If she must hit him, can't she use her fist? She hits hard
enough to break cinder blocks already.
word problems your spellchecker missed:
boat fare all right (NOT alright) pedaling a bicycle (peddling is
being a peddler) vile beast (vial is a container)
too (with two o's) for all comparisons, viz. too bad, too slow. etc.
accidentally not accidently
lose a fight (not loose)
psychic
exorcise ghosts (exercise your muscles)
Final comments:
I enjoyed reading a lot of this, but by the time the house of ghosts
showed up, I lost track of who was who and lost interest as the story
lost its Ranma focus. It would be easy to remove all the Ranma elements
from this story and make it an entirely original piece (martial artists
with ghost house, a new woman instead of Kasumi, no jusenkyo curses
required). I can't speak for the rest of the FFML, but I am willing to
read this as an original piece with a manga/anime comedic flavor.
Notwithstanding that there are some funny moments and interesting ideas
in it, I don't like it as a Ranma fic.
DRM