Brian McGee writes:

I freely admit that I am not the biggest Kuno fan in the world.  But I 
like the way you have portrayed him here.  Not the semi-insane, lustful 
maniac that I have seen him painted as by some.  Or a perfect paragon of 
manliness, as I have seen him portrayed by others (You know who you 
are).  He is the brother to someone who feels that they have been 
greatly wronged.  He is compassionate, caring, and attentive to his 
sister.

    Only problem is, that's not really Kuno. I've only seen about 30
volumes of the manga, but I don't recall any incidents of actual affection
between the Kuno siblings, and several indications that they barely
tolerate each other. I find it unlikely he would attack his beloved
"osage no onna" just because his sister was upset. He'd probably
blame it all on Ranma.

    No, he's not a "semi-insane, lustful maniac" - he's a totally-deluded,
lustful moron. (Can you tell I don't like him?) He's worse than Happosai.
Happosai at least has a good side - a small one, but it's there - see the
"Santa's helpers" story, e.g. When Happosai stole Ranma's strength, he
mostly left him alone afterwards. Had Kuno gotten hold of a weakened
onna-Ranma, does anyone believe the results would have been the same?
After all, he's convinced she loves him.

Kodachi is, beyond any doubt, my favorite character.  That is one of the 
reasons that this fic caught my attention.  This fic was one of the 
better representations of her that I have seen.  She is not insane, she 
is merely slightly deluded in the same way that Shampoo is.  She 
believes that Ranma loves her with every fiber of his being.

     Okay, I like Kodachi too, but this is simply wrong. As she says in the
Asuka story, she knows Ranma doesn't love her - she just feels that since
he's never said he loves anyone, she's still got a chance, and who can
blame her for that. I do agree that, based on the manga, she doesn't
appear to be insane - in fact, she's got a better grasp on reality than
her brother. She's just got an irritating mannerism (her laugh) and
some unfortunate habits, which aren't really any worse than some of
the things Shampoo, Ukyo, or even Ryoga have done.

     Finally, as regards the end of the story - Kuno's got no chance
against Ranma if Ranma's not carrying a load of watermelons.


Reid Carson
rcarson@mnsinc.com