Another Sunday, another fanfic review.

(Sigh) I'm gonna regret this....

Tonight's fanfic review is of the opening episode to Daigakusei no Ranma,
by Paul Gallegos and David Tai.  This can be found in the DnR archives at

http://www.tass.org/fanfic/Daigakusei-no-Ranma/dnr.01.REV

Going on...

Truth to tell, I'm not sure how to put this in a time context.  This is a
revised version, that got most of the wrinkles out of the storyline (such
as the resolution between Ranma and Nodoka in the manga).  

It... well, it *looks* polished.  The original had some errors in it; most
have been corrected in the revised version.  Also, the old lines are still
there, waiting for someone to smile at.  However, it refuses to take risks
in areas where it would have been best.  

Chracterization, for once, is flawless within acceptable tolerances.
Nodoka is closer to Biles' version than the more outrageous aspects of
Takahashi's; that's about par for the course.  Nabiki is well-played as a
conniving schemer; her portrayal keeps the work laughing and flowing.
Akane and Ranma's characterizations are good, if somewhat lacking in
serious depth.  

Plot: The plot does its job.  It sets up the DnR universe perfectly by
marrying Ranma and Akane off, and showing their reasons for leaving.  The
reasons are intelligent and very credible.  It's flawless; however, it
doesn't take any real risks, either.  The Akane / Ranma / Ukyou triangle,
while credible, didn't really *go* anywhere, and didn't lead to any open
conflicts.

Storytelling.  In the more comedic aspects of the story, it succeeds
admirably.  The wedding scene was beautifully played, and some of the
Nabiki scenes were hedonistically done, with the mistress of money being as
nasty as the author could get away with.  However, the more serious and
emotional scenes just didn't hit home to this reader.  This is a work that
would have been much better served in prose format, as its sentimental
scenes required the description necessary to them.  

Overall, this is a good beginning; however, I'd need more to truly enjoy
the *feel* of the series.  I give it two-and-a-half stars for doing its
job, but also for not following on points of contention which could have
made it a much more powerful read.  

About DnR as a whole: The main reason why DnR has survived for as long as
it has is because it has shown an ability to adapt and change.  I cheered
when DnR finally put works out in prose format, even if it was only two
episodes.  Also, adding the esteemed Jeff Hosmer and John Biles to the DnR
crew was a stroke of genius, as both are masters of serious meleodrama and
high comedy, respectively.  Overall, I would give DnR higher marks than
what is here, at least three stars; however, to know where those marks came
from, you have twenty-five episodes to wade through.  ^_^

� Nick