Thomas Schauer wrote:

Well, in the manga, I actually don't recall a single instance of Ranma calling
Akane a tomboy (in Japanese, that is).  Usually he calls her "uncute",
"violent", or "no figure".  I don't recall much about the Viz versions, but I
seem to remember that they translated "violent girl" as "tomboy".

	I don't remeber tomboy being used either. However, I can see how Akane
would be insulted by the word. In Japanese tomboy is actually 'otoko
onna' or 'otemba'. I'm not sure where otemba comes from, but otoko onna
is boy-girl. In the traditional Japanese society, which is very sexiest,
the girls are expected to be feminine. This is changing over time, but
the preconception still exists that a girl is supposed to be married,
preferably by wenty-five, and she is to raise children for her husband.
To do this she is supposed to be feminie and cute. Truthfully, Ranma's
uncute insult is more of a blow to Akane than tomboy ever could be. Take
a look at Azusa. She is a ditz by our standars, yet in Japan she is a
very stereotypical character of how girls aere supposed to see
themselves. Frilly dress, cute/annoying voice, very cute and good
looking. She is the teen idol wannabe and as such is considered the more
desirable of the girls. It is really a joke, and I think Caroline
Seawright put it best in the following section she posted to the ML a
few months ago (I still have all the posts on this subject if anyone
wants them)

------

Most Japanese girls want to be known as kawaii (cute). That's the
highest compliement a young woman can be paid... kawaii connotes an
innocence and naivete - almost a childishness - that is considered
very attractive in girls." Even Japanese women, it seems, act like
and want to be thought of as girls. (Well, Hinako's got that bit
down, alright!)

This seems to be very serious in Japan - and Ranma's insult
(kawaikunee),
is a very hurtful one to Akane. It's not only saying that she doesn't
look pretty, but that she's got a bad personality, that she's not
attractive at all, and she's very unfeminine. We all know that this is
not what Ranma really believes, since he himself has called her kawaii
many times.

But there is also a phenominon in Japan of girls who take being kawaii
and try to be even moreso - they are called burikko ('buru' to put on
airs and graces, 'ko' child/girl). This is Azusa. "the word and concept
first gained popularity ... with the original burriko, cutesy-wutesy
singer Seiko Matsuda... one of a long line of innocent, virginal
talent-o
dressed in frilly, petticoated party dresses and adored by Japanese boys
and girls alike. In a female variation of the Peter Pan complex, burikko
try to act younger and purposly vacuous... They wear cute bows, cute
shoes, cute ribbons, and cute, girlish party dresses... But the real
tip-off is the giggling. All Japanese girls tend to giggle a bit, but
the burikko have raised the art to new heights."

Why do they act like this? It seems that Japanese boys find burriko
girls attractive. They act cute and act like they don't have much of
a mind of their own - and I guess it all comes down to the mother
complex... if a girl acts like that, then she'll be the perfect one
to look after and baby him. She'll be totally devoted, and she'll
look after him, and she'll do whatever he wants, and they'll all be
happy. She'll stay at home - she obviously isn't 'strong', and will
not want to go out and get a job, and so she'll be the perfect wife
and mother. (When a Japanese girl marries, she finally becomes a
woman, the book says.) So the act is a way to bring security to the
girl (though in some cases it may not be so much of an act as something
ingrained into them.)

This is why Azusa has the voice she does in the anime - she's the
burikko of all burikko girls in the Nerima area! She has the act in
the manga, she dresses the right way, and her speach patters in the
Japanese are right ... so, although some may complain about her voice,
it's the only proper voice for Azusa! After all, she's burikko! And
that's why she's got so many fans - she's a burikko idol skater!

 ----- 

The one thing that must be remebered about dealing with fanfictio based
on anime is the very different values of the Japanese compared with
Westerners. My Japanese instructor told us that Japan is a lot like a
combination of the Conservative feel of the 50's and the moral ideals of
the 1800's. I would strongly sugest anyone to actually take a brief
overlook of Japanese history. it would explaion a lot of the differences
you have trouble explianing in the anime.

	Hope this helps

	Joseph A. Kohle