One thing I'm noticing as I do these things is that I get a greater
appreciation for script format.  I have always been a serious proponent of
prose for dramatic stories, as it is far more flexible and useful medium of
storytelling.  However, script does have its uses, such as in a comedic or
dialogue-intensive work.  Also, for some writers who have trouble with
flowery description, script may actually work better than prose at bringing
a story across.

Tonight's selection for review is "Timeslip: Actor in the Mirror" by
Christian Gadekan.  It is located in the RAAC archives, at

ftp://ftp.cs.ubc.ca/pub/archive/anime-fan-works/Ranma/ranma.timeslip

The time of release is unknown; I'd guess 1992 or 1993, judging by its
'1994' archive stamp (all in the archive when it was set up were given the
stamp).  

Gadekan starts his work out somewhat comically; it is a typical day, with
Ranma getting frustrated at his curse.  Ranma decides to do something about
it, with results that appear successful... but eventually backfire.  

The mood itself is interesting: It appears to be typical comedy at first,
as Ranma first bargains to get the Nanban Mirror, then attempts (with Akane
in tow) to change the mistakes of his past.  The comedy quickly evaporates,
though, as a more neutral tone is used at the beginning of Ranma's 'new'
life, then grows progressively darker.  The mood is so thick by the time
Ranma leaves to correct his 'corrections' that the somewhat comic ending
scenes seem almost a violation of the sanctity of those middle sections.  

There were no serious problems with characterization; the only nitpick that
I could see is Ranma's treatment of Happousai.  Gadekan made an information
error (an all-too-common thing back then, due to a lack of source
information), and had Ranma refer to Happi as 'Grandpa'; also, Ranma is a
little too friendly to the old lech.  Others could argue that the 'new'
Akane is also out-of-character; however, as this Akane is a different one
from the frustrated tomboy we're used to, this should be dismissed.  

The work, as guessed, is in script format.  Gadekan uses the format
somewhat unpredictably; his work seems hesitant and choppy at first, then
quickly refines.  His use of descriptive words to paint a scene is
remarkably effective, and should be noted by anyone wishing to attempt a
script-based fanfic.  Also, Gadekan wastes little time on irrelevant
sections, something too many writers do nowadays.  He tells his story, and
he tells it well.

Overall, I give it three bweees out of four; its use of script format is
skilled after the first section, there were few glaring errors in a time
when fanfic was notorious for them, and the crafted mood of the middle
scenes is an excellent study.  The ending could have been better; however,
it's still a great read.

-- Nick