At 08:26 PM 9/14/98 GMT, Gary Kleppe wrote:

Nice job on the writing with this one, but like your previous Kagome
story, the extreme pro-Ranma bias makes it hard to digest.

I'll second the agreement on the writing, Coutuva has always written very
good, solid stories. But I'm going to have disagree with you on the
pro-Ranma bias. My opinion is that the story doesn't have a pro-Ranma bias,
it only has the appearance of one, and it's a caused by three things:

1)A rather psycho Akane. Personally, I think this is the worst part of the
story. While Akane can be rather quick to anger, Coutuva blows this trait
way out of proportion. Or at least doesn't balance it out with tendency to
cool down rather quickly as well. (Unless he's using the anime as a source
as opposed to the manga, it which case Akane *is* the psycho bitch from hell.)

2)The story is told from Ranma's point of view. Few of us don't indulge in
a little altering of events in our favor when we recall them. And Ranma's
hardly a saint in this area. Wether Ranma is or is not to blame can't
really be judged to well since the only eyes we really see the story
through is his. (Yes, I know Coutuva use's the third person POV, but it's a
very limited 3rd person POV.)

3)Kagome's rather worshipful attitude toward Ranma. I can't remember many
details about the story this is a sequel too, but didn't the two of them
spend very little time together? Kagome doesn't seem to have had a chance
to be exposed to some of Ranma's less than stellar traits. She's as
obsessive as Kodachi in her own way, and perhaps just as delusional.

I'm not a Ranma-basher by any standards... I *like* the guy; but I
really can't accept him in the role of innocent victim who isn't at all
responsible for any of his problems.

Agreed. I just don't think this story displays that attitude fully. But
with it's harsh portrayal of Akane, a rather limited, biased POV, and
Kagome's worshipful attitude toward Ranma it gives the appearance of such a
bias. 

Just my own opinion on this...

As well as mine...

Gary Kleppe
http://www.execpc.com/~kleppe/comics

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Scott Pollert [pollerts@hsonline.net]