Annotations
Chapter 1 - Here's Ranma: The shortest one, which is as it
should be. You all know how Ranma's arrival goes; all you
needed to know were the changes. Hopefully it wasn't too
abrupt.
Tone is still uncertain.
The quotes: The first is a line from the Greek Theses. The
second is from the collected writings of the little-known 20th
century philosopher John Wells. The third comes from Goethe's
Faust; it translates as "Two souls, alas, dwell within me."
Chapter 2 - Perchance to Dream: The title comes from Hamlet's
soliloquy. Chapter quotes were not yet being used.
We hadn't quite gotten a unified tone for the piece, and
the humor element is perhaps overplayed. Certainly it
dominates much more than in the later chapters.
We also have the first appearance of ditzy weird Kasumi,
the unsuccessful attempt at compromise between two wildly
different interpretations of the eldest Tendo sister.
Ranma's dreams are proof that, even at this date, we
knew what was wrong with the boy.
Chapter 3 - Brothers in Arms: The quote's from Queen's 'One
Vision,' and doesn't fit now as well as it did then. We started
the piece writing to Queen, and ended it writing to Cohen. The
title has no particular meaning, except to hint at the odd
Ranma/Hibiki relationship.
Mariko makes her first appearance here, originally
intended as a throwaway line. Her addition is either a good or
bad thing depending on several wildly varying opinions.
The Akai no Kasa coffeeshop (Japanese for 'Red
Umbrella') appears in the Pastpresent episode 'Beautiful
Friendship' as the site of Soun and Nodoka's date.
Chapter 4 - ...What Are Friends For: The title refers to both
Akane/Mariko and Ryouga/Ranma. The quote, from Leonard
Cohen's 'I Can't Forget', is a veiled reference to Koji's identity.
Kasumi makes the 'Complete psychopath' comment, which
is OOC and knowledge she shouldn't have. To be edited out in the
revision. Tone moves closer towards the series norm as the
writers begin to comfortably meld styles.
Close examination of the email scene will reveal that
Nabiki corresponds with Urd from A!MG and Devon Edwards
from the preread crew. Closer examination with reveal that
Hikaru's last name begins with a T, and that he isn't Gosunkugi.
Which we should have made clearer. In the revision...
Chapter 5 - Idle Conversation: The title is a reference to
Ranma's talks with Nabiki and Akane, and Nabiki's pact with
the Hibikis. The quote is from the Flash Girls, a
folk/rock/gothic band which includes author Emma Bull and
has songs written by Neil Gaiman, and alludes to Shan's
arrival.
Cologne's prophecy is left as an exercise in deduction;
although, to be fair, the man with the beam of light never
showed. Hundred-year-old matriarchs aren't infallible, and
neither are we.
Chapter 6 - I'm Happy To Be Here: The title is the refrain from
'Cactus-Flower Town', a song by the Brisbane group Mythica. It
is one of the most obscenely perky pieces of music ever
written, and is hideously inappropriate for this chapter. Which
is why it was put in.
The quote is from the Aberwyvern Chronicles, a
delightful series following a cheerful young fellow being
hunted across time by half the civilized world.
The Ichishi Building is completely fictional, although
graphed out and designed by Mike. Mike would like to note that
he used to want to be an architect before learning that it
requires math skills, and has always wanted to blow up an
office building. The Japanese name of the building - 'One Death'
- is a Red Herring courtesy of the authors.
The name Tsen Wu has no significance at all.
Chapter 7 - Faust: The title is, of course, a reference to
Goethe's Faust, in which the title character enters a deal with
the devil to reach his highest pinnacle of ability. It refers both
to Akane and Ranma's training pact, and to Shan's assumption
of Tsen; both are deals that they may, ultimately, find came at
too high a price. The quote is from the same work, and refers
both to Akane and Ranma.
The concept of Tsen is ripped off by Catbert25 in a
scribbling of his. He also, in the same work, appropriates the
name 'Reiraku' from Mr. Willmore's R2096 series. Sincerest
form of flattery, we guess. :P
Chapter 8 - Escalation: The title refers to the alliance
between the Hibikis and Tsen, Nabiki's murder attempt, and
Ukyou's arrival. The quote, by the Flash Girls, applies to both
Akane and Ukyou's view of Ranma, and their questions and
doubts.
The Ooni Temple, the Ooniyama, and the entire region are
fictional. A slightly different version of the Ooni Temple
appears in the fanfic Ghost Story.
The name Genma gives to Ukyou's father is different
from the one given by Ukyou in Chapter 9. Our bad.
Chapter 9 - A Gathering of Ravens: The title refers to the
forming alliances, and the cloud of doom which follows Nabiki
the entire chapter. The quote is from Lorca's Novena, a requiem
by the Pogues.
The authors make a brief cameo here, riding the bus with
Nabiki. The paper crane symbolizes her.
Tai Park, a fanfiction and MU* convention, is named here
for the first time in the fic. The various Tai Parks are all
tributes to David 'Daav' Tai, co-creator of Daigakusei no
Ranma.
Masamune Shiro and his schools are fictional.
The song Nabiki listens to is 'Pillar of Davidson', by Live.
The end of the chapter is nonfiction. Writing helps lay a
lot of demons to rest.
Chapter 10 - Things Fall Apart: The title is a line from Yates'
poem 'The Second Coming', depicting a world in upheaval and
changing for the worse, and refers to the shattered lives and
plans in the wake of the accident. The quote is from Live, and
alludes to Ranma's growing control over Akane in the
emotional devastation wrought by Nabiki's accident.
The policeman's name means 'Burglar' in Japanese. Who
says we don't make jokes in IMBS.
Akane's 'friend' who she quotes is James 'Zen' Bateman,
who has a fondness for the phrase. With friends like these...
The fluttering scrap of colored paper from the paper
crane, sinking, represents the removal of Nabiki from the
board.
Chapter 11 - Heart of Darkness: The title is a reference to the
Joseph Conrad novel of the same name, in which brutal
surroundings and actions wear away the morality and ethics of
the protagonists, and is aimed at both Mariko and Ranma. The
quote refers to Mariko's growing savagery, and her fear over
how much of herself enjoys what she is doing.
'Miyabi' is a reference to Miyabi Saotome, created by
Caroline Seawright for her Nibunnoichi series and Converging
Series. Just one of them cosmic coincidences.
Chapter 12 - The Tempest: The title is both a reference to the
storm and the flurry of connsumation which ends to chapter.
The quote, of course, refers the the two pairs of lovers.
The Chapman was a real ship, serving as a fisheries
vessel for the United States government. It has since been
decommissioned.
The reef and cave are both fictional.
Akane's Bakusai Ten-Ketsu training in IMBS occurred in
tandem with her training in Relentless. All three of us are a
bit bemused by it, putting it down to great minds thinking
alike.
It is correctly pointed out that we have a female Shan
standing in the rain. Whoops.
Chapter 13 - The End of the Matter: The Title means exactly
what it says. The quotes are, respectively from the movie
Face/Off and 'For it All' by Cats Laughing. That latter group is
a very literary band; musicians include Emma Bull and Steven
Brust, author of the Jhereg series.
Hashima Island, more commonly known as Gunkanjima, is
real and has been faithfully presented in both history and
appearance, with the following exceptions. The real
Gunkanjima is located off Nagasaki harbor, not Tokyo. Jigoku-
Kado is largely invented, although accidents with the furnaces
and forges did kill dozens upon dozens of workers. An excellent
online source of information about Hashima is Brian Burke-
Gaffney's essay 'Hashima - The Ghost Island'... presumably no
relation to fanfiction author Sean Gaffney.
Epilogue 1 - Jabberwocky: Title refers to Lewis Carroll's poem
beastie; often seen as an allegory of nameless fear given form.
Ranma's haunted by his own Jabberwock; not real, yet all too
real. The first quote is from the Pogues' 'USA', and alludes to
Things One Was Not Meant To Know. The end quote is from
'Draw the Curtain', by Cats Laughing.
There have been a lot of Neko-ken scenes, and this
probably isn't the best of them. We do what we can.
Epilogue 2 - Silverblue: The title quote is from 'A Long
December' by Counting Crows. The title is the name of a song
by Roxette, which Susan insists is Ranma and Akane's happy
ending music.
The 'Gekihou' is from Rod M.'s 'The More Things Change',
being an umbrella-based attack of Ryo Muhoshin. Ah, the irony
of a Hibiki using it...
The Tofu bit is drawn almost entirely from a comment he
makes in the moxibustion point episode - "I haven't seen this
in a hundred years!" - that makes you wonder about the good
doctor...
Yes, Akane and Mariko are the Ranma/Ryouga of the
ending. By Epilogue 2, the constant oneupsmanship has built
Akane into nearly the equal of Ranma as a fighter.
The end quote is from a christmas letter written by Fra
Giovanni.
Epilogue 3 - A Vase of Cherry Twigs: The title is self
explanatory. The quote is from Dante's Inferno, and consists
of dialogue spoken by a damned soul in Hell. The translation,
for those of you who can't read Italian, is:
"If I thought that you would ever return to the outside
world, I would remain silent. But since, if what I hear is
true, no-one has ever escaped this pit, I shall tell my story
truthfully without fear of disgrace."
Fighting Ability:
Note that the views of the OM (original manga) characters are
those held by the author, not gospel truth. Feel free to
disagree. The more ---, the higher the approximate skill.
OM Ranma (beginning Manga)
-------------------------------
IMBS Ranma (entire fic)
--------------------------------------
OM Akane (& beginning IMBS)
----------
IMBS Akane (At Chapter 13)
---------------------
IMBS Akane (epilogue 2)
---------------------------------
IMBS (OM?) Nabiki
---
OM Ryouga (first appearance)
----------------------------
OM Shampoo (entire manga)
---------------------------
IMBS Shampoo (after arrival in Nerima)
-------------------------------
Koji
-------------------------------
Mariko (Chapters 3-13)
------------------
Mariko (epilogue 2)
---------------------------------
OM & IMBS Ukyou
------------------
*Why is IMBS Ranma better than beginning manga Ranma? The
IMBS version fights all out, unhampered by concern or sense of
style. He also took the martial arts more seriously than OM
Ranma - his control centered around it. Once OM manga enters
the highly competitive environment of the manga, however, and
is forced to regularly fight against superior and equal foes,
picking up new techniques and moves as he does, he quickly
outstrips IMBS Ranma as a fighter.
*Why does Akane advance so quickly? Is it just because you
like her? No. Takahashi canon (NOT RL martial arts, we hasten
to add) holds that fighting against a vastly superior opponent
and learning special techniques will vault you ahead in skill to
an astonishing degree. Look at Ranma and Ryouga. Their first
two major fights - their first battle and the skating rink - end
in arguable draws; it's pretty clear that the two are almost
evenly matched. Then Ranma trains/fights Cologne. All of a
sudden, Ryouga's attempts to fight Ranma are laughable. Ranma
beat him without effort. Until _Ryouga_ trains with Cologne,
suddenly putting him back on a near-equal footing with Ranma.
Throughout the later part of IMBS, Akane trains with and
fights opponents vastly better than her. She learns the Bakusai
Ten-Ketsu from Shan. In effect, she's in the same highly-
advancing situation that Ranma is in in the original manga.
We do know that Akane has the potential to be vastly
better than late-manga Ranma (see the Battle Dougi arc). We
also know that she's practically the only one of the fighting
characters who has a life aside from martial arts - Shampoo
was trained from birth exclusively as a warrior, Ranma and
Genma did nothing but train for 12 years, Ukyou's life revolves
around okonomiyaki and the accompanying style, Ryouga spent
years on his extended training trip hunting for Ranma. Akane
just does it after school as a hobby. Her lack of skill compared
to the others can largely be explained by the fact that she
hasn't applied herself as hard as them.
*Why do you have Ukyou ranked below Shampoo? Based on the
evidence we can find in the manga, this seems to be the case.
It is, however, worth noting that Ukyou's style is most
effective when on the defense, and the two girls aren't that
far apart in skill.
*Why do you assume Nabiki to be a (rusty) black belt, let alone
a martial artist at all? It would stand to reason that Soun
would train all of his daughters in the basics of the Art; after
all, how else would he find out who had the most aptitude and
ambition for it? It certainly is a useful thing for Nabiki to
know; the knowledge that you can defend yourself is quite a
confidence-builder, and a regular workout doesn't hurt one's
figure. Canonically, Nabiki is agile and fast enough to trip
Ranma on more than one occasion, something implying that she
has at least a modicum of skill.
That said, any of the real martial artists of R1/2 could
beat her in seconds with both hands tied behind their backs. At
most, Nabiki is your generic black belt, and not a very good or
practiced one. And it's entirely possible that she's never so
much as put on a gi; all evidence of martial arts abilities in
her is circumstantial at best, with a great deal of room for
interpretation.
*Is Tsen a better fighter than Shan? It's the same situation as
with Ranma. Tsen is stronger, but Shan is faster.
Soundtrack - Musical Themes and Written-to's
MBS Main Theme - Broken Arrow, "Brothers"
Hibiki Theme - I'm Your Fan, "I Can't Forget"
Mariko's Theme - Broken Arrow, Deakins Motif
Akane in the Elevator - Mythica, "Cactus-Flower Town"
Nabiki's Demise - Hunt For Red October, "Plane Crash"
Ichishi Showdown - Hunt For Red October, "Kaboom"
Ranma's Theme (long Industrial Version) - NIN, Pretty Hate Machine album
Ranma's Theme (short Industrial Version) - Machines of Loving Grace,
"Perfect Tan"
Ranma's Theme (Modern Classical Version) - Henry V, "The Boar's Head"
Ranma and Akane's Theme - Live, "Iris"
Akane's Theme - Flash Girls, "Signal to Noise"
Nabiki's Theme - Broken Arrow, "Greed"
Nabiki Forges On - Live, "Pillar of Davidson"
After Nabiki - Live, "I Alone"
Akane and Mariko's Theme - Mac+2 soundtrack, "Jade"
Shampoo's Theme - Flash Girls, "Prince Charming Comes"
Mariko and Tsen's Theme - Mac+1 soundtrack, "Bees and Honey"
Ukyou's Theme - I'm Your Fan, "Avalanche IV"
Ranma & Akane's End Theme - Roxette, "Silverblue"
One-CD Soundtrack For IMBS - Broken Arrow Soundtrack.