Look thanks for the comments about my fanfics. But I wasn't asking about
them specifically. My question was why no one has problems with someone who
writes nothing but Ranma or Tenchi or Sailor Moon, (which is essentually
writing exclusively about the title characters.) but a the same time,
people tend to think of a writer (any writer) as obsessive if they write
about Operative A, or Mikado, or Wurzel (from Lensman).
**I don't think so. Characters appeal to each person, and admittedly,
while the title characters are designed to carry the weight of the show,
sometimes it's the background characters that make a show last. Are any of
you familiar with a (very little known) Japanese anime called Tiger Stripe?
It was very similar to Ranma 1/2 (think of it as R1/2 with no curses, less
fiancee troubles, and a smaller cast) and didn't last that long (the only
reason I know of it was through a friend who had a few copies of it she
videotaped). For the most part, the show was dull and uninspiring (they
did a very bad job with the concept), but there was one gem in it: one of
the background characters, a girl named Kimano Ayumi (she was a romantic
rival of the female lead), was created to be boring (read: non-martial
artist with a shy personality), and thus constantly ignored by Hiro (the
male lead) and Keiko (the female lead). Instead, she became the only
character that was normal in a overblown, attempt-to-be-larger-than-life
cast, and the only character that appealed to me.
Characters like that can appeal simply because there's something in their
nature that is in tune with yours. Ranma, Tenchi, Usagi, whomever can
appeal to most simply because there's something in them that calls to most,
but there's nothing at all wrong with a preference with Mikado, or D (from
Project A-ko) or any other second-string or lesser characters.
Isn't the person who writes Ranma-centric fanfics just as obssessed with
Ranma as the person who writes about Mikado is about Mikado? At least the
person who likes Mikado isn't just jumping on the proverbial bandwagon. Not
that that's bad or anything, but there is something to be said for liking a
character because they appeal to *you* rather than just liking someone
because everyone else does.
**Yes and no. Writing about a major character will appeal to most, and get
more people to read it. However, that doesn't mean you can't take a minor
character and make a good fic out of it. Take, for example, Donny Cheng's
"Ordinary". He brings Sayuri into the limelight, when I'm sure there are
readers out there who have no idea just who the hell Sayuri is.
And of course, in the end, it's all about how you write the fic, whether
the character is as big as Shinji, or a fic just about a day in the life of
Maia.
--Rob (detaching C7F on Jul 22nd! YESSSSSS!!!!!!)
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n5yn@c7f.navy.mil calicatcafe@geocities.com ashita@rocketmail.com
Nihongo no email: ashita@daruma.co.jp
The California Cat Cafe Online:
http://www.geocities.com/~calicatcafe
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Tadzunetsuru Being on my way to pay a visit,
Hana ka tote koso I found that which I took to be a flower,
Hi wo kurase Therefore, here I spend the day...
Akenu ni otoru Why in that time before dawn that dawn-blush
Akane sasuran? tint should glow--
That, indeed, I know not.
--from the Japanese fairytale The Tale of Aoyagi