*Reads the commentary on both Waters Under Earth and Shampoo 1/2*

*Reads said commentary again*

It boggles the mind. I realize it's just one man's opinion, but...

It boggles the mind.

"Waters Under Earth" can only be called a continuation piece in that it is
set after the end of the manga. The aim of continuation fics in general is
to provide some closure to the Ranma/Akane and Ranma/other fianc�es
relationships. At least in theory... correct me if I'm wrong. "The More
Things Change" and "A Lesson in Love" are examples of continuation fics in
that they do just that. "Waters Under Earth" has so far done very little if
any of that... unless the attempted domination of the world by forces man
was not meant to meddle with is actually some elaborate plot by Soun and
Genma to get Ranma and Akane together. And if THAT turns out to be the case,
I rather doubt I'll be the only one calling for Harnum-sempai's head.

I believe Harnum-sampai's original Nameless Saga was also set post-manga,
was it not? The closure of the relationships there was a minor plot point at
best, compared to the consequences of the other plot threads not being
favorably resolved.

Condemning every continuation fic is to say, that, for example...

Thy Inward Love,
The Bitter End,
Long and Winding Road,
The Insanity Continues,
The Shadow Chronicles,
A Lesson in Love,
Hearts of Ice,
The More Things Change,
Chiesai,
Ranma: Ni bun no ichi,
Autumn and Spring,
and, of course, Waters Under Earth,

are all inherently wastes of time and should never have been written. You'll
forgive me if I don't find that to be the case.

Unless, of course, our mutual friend The Critic made a slight grammar error
and is talking about CONTINUING fics...

In which case...

Shampoo 1/2,
Ranma's Curse,
Macho Caballo,
The Most Unlikely Of Friends,
A Scary Thought,
Switching Heirs,
Ryouga and Ukyou,
and Ranko 1/2, and likely many others,

are also wastes of time and should never have been written.

You'll forgive me if I don't find that to be the case.

I find it difficult to believe that a continuation fic can be inherently
pointless... does this perhaps mean that you wouldn't read the manga if
Takahashi-sama started it up again due to demand from the fans? (Unlikely,
I'll grant, but odder things have happened.) Volume 38 was an attempt at as
much closure as Takahashi-sama wished to allow... it didn't have to end in a
wedding, even a botched one.

Was the original manga thus flawed, being, after all, a continuing series?
Is the anime flawed along with it? Are the OVAs meaningless as well, since
they're also attempts at continuation?

I realize I'm probably twisting a very few words here, but that seems to be
what our friend the Critic's words mean, taken to their natural end.

And one last thing... I'm curious to know exactly what he thinks about
Monkey Head Butting, a recently concluded nine-part series which seems to
match most of the stories within the manga in terms of tone, plotline, and
assorted other factors.

--G. Falconar, who will probably get the feathers flamed off of him for this
one.