The FFML Reviews List ===================== For the week of: October 23, 1998 Reviewers: Paul Arezina Helen Szeto Shunsuke Synopses Submitted: 38 * * * * * [Ah! Megami-Sama!] - - - - - Title: Friends & Relations Chapter 2 Series: Ah! Megamisama Genre: AMG fic with new character Author: David Row Email: drow@newmoon.uk.com Homepage: http://www.newmoon.com/iczer2 Size: approx 30k Summary: Ashtoreth arrives on Earth, and enjoys herself finding her way around Tokyo. Keiichi discovers the joy of motorcycle maintenance (without zen) and various people encounter each other for the first time - in some cases, with explosive results... {Paul} Heh heh heh. Nice scene with Keiichi and the new live-in succubus- type demon... for the approximately two minutes before the littlest goddess becomes too proactive for her own good. Again. Wonderful touches which hover just outside the plot; the whole story has a sort of layered feel to it which I like - a quick skim is enough, but a thorough read yields a few finer details. All in all, very nicely done. 15 or 16 out of 20. * * * * * [Blue Seed] - - - - - Title: Hidden Fires chapter 2 Series: BlueSeed Genre: Dark... Author: LilTigre E-mail: mitama@yahoo.com Date sent to FFML: 10/20/98 Summary: Delve into the mind of Kusanagi Mamoru as he dreams of a past best left forgotten.... and watch as the TAC continues the fight against Kaede and Murakumo's sinister plot! Will the Aragami win the fight for Kusanagi's life? {Shunsuke} Like the first part, this fits in quite well with the storyline of the original, though it definitely requires knowledge of the series. The flashbacks and current scenes are very much like the series and has much the same feel. It just seems that the parts are a little too short, but other than that, it works. * * * * * [Bubblegum Crisis] - - - - - Title: Drunkard's Walk II, Chapter 2 Series: Bubblegum Crisis Genre: Crossover/Insert Author: Robert M. Schroeck Email: rms@cnj.digex.net Homepage: http://www.cnj.digex.net/~rms Date Sent to FFML: 25 October 1998 Size: 94K Summary: As Douglas Sangnoir attempts to blend in and settle down in MegaTokyo, several different groups investigate his arrival. Meanwhile, Lisa Vanette discovers that her new neighbor is something other than he appears, and must deal with the consequences of pressing Nene for information on the Knight Sabers' activities. {Paul} Hmm. So many things to say, so little space... first off, I'm calling this one 18 and up out of 20, right up front. Why? Simple. This story strikes a VERY nice balance between having the new character do his own exposition and letting others do it for him. And, while some might argue that having the AD Police being even remotely competent is horribly out of character, it adds a welcome touch of realism to the story, similar to the one that is lent to Stigma. Slightly less morbid, however, and interesting to see that the eminently logical reasoning of one Leon McNichol can still totally miss the mark. Not as though Leon-san's been dealing with the new man's particular genetic strain, but still... All in all, a very interesting work, a lot of further background and stats on the new guy, and several nice sub-plots that twine nicely around the main one before being resolved, if only partially. Quite a few throwbacks to the original, ones which WON'T leave you in the dark if you haven't seen the series or don't remember certain episodes... deserves every point I gave it. * * * * * [Dragonball Z / Ranma 1/2 / Star Trek] - - - - - Title: Love Hurts Series: Star Trek/DBZ/Ranma Genre: Novel/Xover Author: SuperAkane Email: superakane@yahoo.com {Shunsuke} Uhh...I dunno. This doesn't really go anywhere (except maybe to let the author gush publicly about her favorite ST:V character). The characters from Ranma (are there any DBZ? I don't watch it) feel like an afterthought, and don't really do much besides facilitate the two ST couples' actions. The writer does have a good idea of how to set up a romantic scene, but there's not much else here. With a little more, sure, it'd be interesting. * * * * * [Evangelion] - - - - - Title: Apocrypha, ep. 3 "Give Me Understanding" Series: Neon Genesis Evangelion Genre: Alternate timeline/"what if?" Author: Tim Miller Email: trmiller@bcpl.net Homepage: http://www.bcpl.net/~trmiller/ Date Sent to FFML: 10-19-98 Size: 38 KB Summary: As he continues the process of settling in at NERV's Tokyo-3 headquarters, Michael begins undergoing the battery of tests and training sessions which will enable him to join the official combat roster of Evangelion pilots. His inexperience with the Japanese language is just one more barrier which he'll have to overcome along the way; fortunately, there are several people who know enough English to communicate with him. But will language alone be enough to help Michael start making friends where he needs them? {Shunsuke} And now we play that well known game, "Where's Gendo?" ^_^ Kidding aside, this picks up where it left off and goes in the same direction (though I'm still trying to figure out what that is...). The character development is consistent, although I'd question Michael's reaction to Asuka's idiotic/thoughtless question; I would have thought he'd be a little more ticked or upset, but maybe it's just me. Other than that, I'd say the same as I did for the previous parts, so I'll keep it short: read it. * * * * * [Evangelion/Patlabour] - - - - - Title: The Replacement Killers Series: Evangelion/Patlabor (cameos by others) Genre: Spamfic Author: D.B. Sommer Email: sommer@3rdm.net Summary: With all three of the regular pilots down, it's up to the replacement pilots to go out there and stomp the Angels. Too bad they tend to cause more damage then the enemy. {Shunsuke} Chow Yun Fat is exactly what *is* needed here. Ye gods, what's next, Rei VII calls her EVA the "Starleaf"? O_- Silly, silly, silly. (But funny.) * * * * * [Megacrossover] - - - - - Title: First Knight 2: Challenges Series: Ranma 1/2, Yu Yu Hakusho, and some cameos from other series. Genre: Crossover Author: Donny Cheng Email: chengd@ucalgary.ca Homepage: http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Ginza/4537 Date Sent to FFML: October 21, 1998 Size: 28k Summary: Ranma reflects on his art and decides to do something about it. {Shunsuke} There's a definite sense of finality to this, that whatever happens will be permanent. This is certainly not a story that will end up back where it began. Familiarity with the various series would be a big help here, or you could end up missing things or not appreciate what each person can do. This demands a little homework of the reader, but it's not work without a reward. - - - - - Title: The Sum of All Parts - Yellow : All-Purpose Cultural Mecha Boy Ryu-kun Phase 0-I Series: Nuku-Nuku among others Genre: Megacrossover Author: TimeRunner Email: keiichi@i-manila.com.ph Homepage: http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Towers/7482 Date Sent to FFML: October 19, 1998 Summary: The legacy of the Mirror Shards continues as Ryunosuke - or is it Ryutaro? - deals with everyday life - in his new cyborg body! Kyusaku prepares to quit teaching to work ar NERV! Lady Akiko deals with estranged parenthood - and her two strange sidekicks! {Paul} *pfft* Okay. Once you get past the "every series happens at once" idea, this fic is actually very good, if not completely hysterical because of the overlap in roles between series. I shudder to think what would happen if, say, Kei and Yuri took the place of Kiyone and Mihoshi... but I digress. Overall, some very interesting writing, nice interaction between series, and it all seems plausible somehow. Funny omake too. All in all, 14 or 15 out of 20. * * * * * [Original] - - - - - Title: The Lemon: The FFML's Finest News Source Series: Newspaper you rapscallion! Genre: Witless drivel disguising itself as humor. Author: Ryoucilo who is not as amusing as he thinks he is. Email: bogue@negia.net Homepage: Soon to be taking over The Onion's Web Page in a hostile takeover Date Sent to the ML: October 23, 1998 Size: Now, isn't that a little too personal a question? Summary: The only journalism that's supposed to be yellow! More wanton plagarism than any other newspaper in the world! {Shunsuke} Some people on the FFML have taken offense to this and called it an unnecessary attack on certain authors and posters, and other people (a smaller number) have called it funny and a good job of deflating some egos and arguments. I'm in the latter category. This may not be worthy of the term "fanfic" or be very PC, but it does what it intends to do: poke holes at people without naming names and asks "why are we arguing about xxxxxx?" * * * * * [Patlabour] - - - - - Title: Patlabor: Personal Files, Episode 02 Series: Patlabor Genre: Um... I dunno. Continuing Author: David A. Tatum Email: desaix@sysnet.net Homepage: http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Acropolis/7872/fanfics.htm Date Sent to FFML: 10/15/98 Summary: A tournament is held to place the new recruits, and Kanuka goes to visit her grandmother... {Shunsuke} The telling of this chapter is quick, but it doesn't gloss over anything. There's enough detail about everything that happens to explain things and tell where the story is going, but...even in the most lunatic and violent crazies, the accidents would make me suspect sabotage or at least unsafe equipment, and doubt anyone would let a tournmant, like the one in this story, continue with people's lives on the line. - - - - - Title: Patlabor: Personal Files, Episode 03 Series: Patlabor Genre: Um... I dunno. Continuing Author: David A. Tatum Email: desaix@sysnet.net Homepage: http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Acropolis/7872/fanfics.htm Date Sent to FFML: 10/21/98 Summary: The SV2 starts to get back to work after the reorganization. Kanuka and her grandmother have a talk. {Shunsuke} A less action-filled chapter than the previous one, it only feels slow when it bogs down in the unimportant details (shift times and other mundane stuff). This part adds a more human quality than the others, especially when talking about Kanuka and her grandmother: those parts are emotional yet never become weepy or schmaltzy. This is about the same quality overall as the other chapters. * * * * * [Ranma 1/2] - - - - - Title: All Mixed Up-A Prologue Series: Ranma 1/2 (Maybe others later) Genre: Comedy Author: the DragonBard Email: dragonbard@hotmail.com , dragonbard@my-dejanews.com Homepage: Backstories can be found at http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Pagoda/4630/ Date Sent to FFML: Thurday, Oct 23 1998 Size: 27k Summary: Amused by the bet, several cosmic beings decide to liven it up a bit, by combining several different bet entries into a single timeline. {Shunsuke} I never read any of "The Bet" (no flames, please) so I can't say much about what went on there, but here...hoo, boy, this is all over the place. Ideas from what hinted at as other "Bet" stories, plus misplaced ideas from Ranma and other sources...this could end up as a farce, a mess, or a brilliant parody. Right now, there's too little to say, but I hope this heads in the right direction. (Though I like the idea of Shampoo being shut up with no harm done. ^_^) - - - - - Title: CMD - Chapter 7: The Cure is Worse than the Curse Series: Ranma 1/2 Genre: Continuation Author: Jim Lazar Email: jimlazar@earthlink.net Homepage: http://home.earthlink.net/~jimlazar/anime Date Sent to FFML: 10/18/98 Summary: A series chronicling sixty years of Akane Tendo's life. Some happy moments and some sad. Akane and Ranma love each other, but is that enough to keep them together? Will James Davidson ever finish the book on Akane's life he is writing? Not if his fiancee, Hanaki Ono, keeps distracting him. Chapter Summary: Ranma and Ranko's epic quest to recombine! From the Amazon village, to Jusenkyo, to the Australian Outback; just how far will these two go to satisfy the woman they love? But in the end, they may have been better off accepting their lives as separate people. {Paul} Tinker to Evers to Chance to... all sorts of globe-hopping going on, and I keep reminding myself that this IS only a story, after all, and they don't need to spell everything out, and this is the Takahashi universe so things naturally WILL only get more complicated from here on in. But I find myself asking "Was this really necessary?", particularly when the only purpose of the trip was not accomplished and, indeed, even anti-accomplished. We've already seen the Ranma/Ranko interplay in a prior chapter; this chapter is the sort of thing that could be summarized in a few sentences upon the return home, perhaps even a few relevant flashback scenes... I just didn't see the need for it, unless the minor characters are going to be making recurring appearances, which I doubt. But it's a good piece of work regardless... 13 or 14 out of 20. - - - - - Title: The Clan - Parts 1-5 Series: Ranma 1/2 Genre: Horror - Fantasy Author: Chris Jones Email: hamster@arn.net Homepage: cyberwheel.simplenet.com/ranma/fanfiction.html Date Sent to FFML: 10-12 (?) Size: 5 parts 10-20k each Summary: Nodoka reveals a family secret, while the Ranma and the Tendou girls must cope with monsters invading Nerima. Oh, and lots of Vampires. {Paul} Oh, my. This is one of those... things that make your skin just CRAWL. Chilling. Unusually chilling, particularly the scene where Kasumi and Nodoka Fight Evil. One wonders if "Kasumi's Lullaby" was inspiration... for this fic's release if not for parts of it. Just... gah. It must be read to be fully experienced, as I can't really describe how it tugged at me. 15 or 16 out of 20. - - - - - Title: Doors Best Left Unopened part 13 Series: Ranma Genre: Serious/darkish Author: Mark MacKinnon Email: emmack@ibm.net Homepage: http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Ginza/8225 Date Sent to FFML: Oct. 15/98 Size: 63 K Summary: After stumbling onto the scene, Ryouga tries to save the beguiled Reiko from Wynneth's clutches. The Tendou sisters talk in the aftermath of Kasumi's date with Tofu. And later, both Kunou and Reiko have dreams that reveal important clues about the dangers and destinies that await them. But what is the secret of the dragon pendant, and why are so many people after it? {Paul} The dream sequences, to put it quite simply, rock. Particularly Reiko's; that one is just chilling. And, finally, I can score an unqualified victory for the good guys, for the first time since the first book of these here Shadow Chronicles. I still say this is an attempt, and an eminently successful one at that, to find a middle ground between the upbeat nature of TIL and many of Lawson's works and the dark and horrifying imagery and near-impossible odds and valiant struggles of WUE and many of Harnum's works. I particularly enjoy Kasumi being debriefed after her date... you'd think the Tendo sisters would just accept chaos as the order of the day. Ah well. Another chapter worth 18 and up out of 20, with a lot of thought to the future here. Translation? Write as fast as you can, my friend. - - - - - Title: Hearts and Minds Prelude 7 -- Mu Si: Reflections Series: Ranma 1/2 Genre: Continuation Author: Gary Kleppe Email: kleppe@execpc.com Homepage: http://www.execpc.com/~kleppe/comics.html Date Sent to FFML: 10/12 Size: 31 kb Summary: With Ranma married to Akane and Cologne passed away, Shampoo heads back to China -- alone. Having been denied what he wanted more than anything else, and having nowhere to go, what will become of Mousse? {Shunsuke} Mousse and...I can't even say her name! Are you mad, man!? ^_^ This doesn't delve as deeply into Mousse's intervening years as earlier parts did for the others, and it's not as strong as other chapters, but it does have an emotional strong point. I also liked the misdirection when it came to Ryoko's intentions. ("Jacques! Jacques!" she said as she held the gold coloured safe. ^_^) - - - - - Title: Hearts and Minds Prelude 8 -- Gosunkugi Hikaru: Courage Series: Ranma 1/2 Genre: Continuation Author: Gary Kleppe Email: kleppe@execpc.com Homepage: http://www.execpc.com/~kleppe/comics.html Date Sent to FFML: 10/19 Size: 49 kb Summary: College life isn't easy when you're Gosunkugi Hikaru -- never noticed, always burning with unfulfillable desires. But what happens when you meet someone who can show you how to use those things to your advantage? Also, Ranma meets up with Kodachi's old rival, Asuka the White Lily -- who's willing to go to great lengths indeed to outdo the Black Rose. {Shunsuke} And if Hikaru were a law student, he'd be applying to the firm of Dewey, Cheadum, and Howe, right Mr. Kleppe? Ye gods, your humour is getting worse...(those employer's names!). So for once, two wrongs do make a right, and someone who thinks he's doing something evil ends up doing something helpful, and I'm not talking about Hikaru.... This is probably one of the better ones so far, with some neat twists in the plot. But did Asuka never meet the female Ranma in the TV or manga series? I haven't seen any episodes with her. Anyway, lots of fun here. - - - - - Title: Heredity Sucks Just A Little Bit Series: Ranma 1/2 Genre: Darkish (more suspensful I hope) Author: Jonathan Lavallee Email: newranma@hotmail.com Homepage: none as of yet Date Sent to FFML: October 22, 1998 Size: 31.6 kb Summary: It's the future story where Ranma and Akane's son has acquired Ranma's curse. Ryoga is back with vengence on his mind. {Paul} Thing 1: Proofread, proofread, proofread. Lots of mistakes in narration and such. Thing 2: Ranma and Akane? I can see. Shampoo and Mousse? Well, if the boy acts like Lawson writes him and not like Tritschler writes him, I can see. Ukyo and Kuno? I... whoa, back up the truck. Ukyo and Kuno? Smacks of need-to-pair-uppishness, a disorder common to many next-generation stories. No explanation as to WHY Kuno's suddenly gone sane... is there any evidence in the manga he knows Ukyo's true gender? Does he perhaps have an inbuilt gender sense like that given to Ataru? Thing 3: Who gave Ryoga the rage pills? I know you need an enemy, but drag in Taro or someone like him if you want to destroy Ranma's life. I've never really seen much justification for the homicidal Ryoga type, and if you don't do anything to justify it, it won't fly. Keener made a Ryoga who wants to kill Ranma with some great background information... I'm not expecting the same, but I'd like a little more... that's what this story needs! A prologue. Changes made that are to be taken as givens from the end of the manga but really aren't, at least not to everyone's interpretation. Thing 4: Given Things 1-3 above, I can give this... about 10 or 11 out of 20. - - - - - Title: Just A Friend Chapter 3 Series: Ranma 1/2 Author: Saotendo@aol.com Email: Saotendo@aol.com Homepage: HTTP://members.xoom.com/bellchan/saotendo.html Date Sent to FFML: 23 Oct 98 Summary: Kasumi Cleans up. {Paul} Hmm. Deals with a few issues raised by ALS, only in a slightly different context this time: what if Akane still saw Ranma as a girl? And, perhaps, what if Ranma saw himself as a girl? Lots of good, solid introspection this time out. Though Kuno drops his formal tone in one place, and I don't think anything short of a nuclear holocaust could cause him to do that for more than a second. Oh, and the way this ends... I do NOT envy Ranma at this particular juncture in time. Though I want to know what happens rather badly. 15 or 16 out of 20. - - - - - Title: The Leper Part 11: Runaway Horse Series: Ranma 1/2 Genre: New Character, Self-Insertion Author: Nikholas "NomaD" F. Toledo Email: niftol@i-manila.com.ph Homepage: http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Flats/3145/theleper.html Date Sent to FFML: 2105H 19 Oct 98 (+0800H) Size: 24 KB Summary: Pull the noose, and rein him in - the snare closes in only faster as the suspects gather to deal the fatal blow. Where, in all this, is the man with the leper's touch? {Paul} Oh for the love of Mike... what a roller-coaster ride of a chapter. A lot more development of Ranma's Rage, a great scene with Shampoo, a great one with Akane and Nabiki, and everything is starting to come together... almost as if it were all planned... but that can't be true, can it? Time will tell, I suppose. 18 and up out of 20, easily. Read this and enjoy eminently realistic portrayals of all your favorite characters. - - - - - Title: A Matter of Face Series: Ranma 1/2 Genre: Dark Author: Scott K. Jamison / SKJAM! Email: majks@cyberx.com Homepage: http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Flats/5990 Date Sent to FFML: 10/20/98 Size: 11K Summary: Upperclassman Kunou finally gets a clue. {Paul} Gah. Just... just Gah. And it all seems so very fitting, too, if somewhat cynical and ironic. But... gah. And gah I say again. *shudder* Excellent work... distilled essence of fic, could be drawn out but absolutely does not need to be. 9 and up of 10 on the short scale. - - - - - Title: Nabiki - New Horizons Chapter 17 - Revelations Series: Ranma 1/2 Genre: Continuation / Original Flavor Author: G.L. Sandborn Email: sandborn@microlink.net Homepage: www.microlink.net/~sandborn Date Sent to FFML: 10/10/98 Size: 100K Summary: After getting Ranma and Akane married and confronting the Grand Council of Shinobi Elders, Nabiki has one more task to preform before returning home. In the mean time, Sodoshi's illness causes Jeff to panic - what would his wife, Nabiki, say? He learns a hard lesson in parenting. Meanwhile, Akane thinks she has Ranma's agreement for her to teach in the dojo. She's wrong. In the ensuing altercation, Ranma escapes his wife only to be ambushed by the Chinese Amazons and captured. Nabiki searches for Master Sato to correct a great wrong and discovers what it is to be a gaijin AND an elder of a rival clan. {Paul} Hmm. Perhaps I should clarify an earlier statement. By "otaku-insertion", I mean that there are names in this fic you'll recognize. Not that they have anything to do with their namesakes' real-life personalities, or that they're powerful, merely that they're there. And you'll see at least two. Continuing... Hmm. This story has an uncanny knack for fluctuating back and forth between sitcom reality, Tahakashi reality, and "real" reality, as though it can't decide whether to be serious, comically exaggerated, or just plain cliched. I'm not used to tone changes in the middle of chapters, that's all; my mind suddenly has to switch gears and it takes a few paragraphs before I start or stop taking things seriously. Otherwise, nice unspooling of prior plot threads... when will it all end?... and solid writing overall. But I can only give it 12 or 13 out of 20 because, as I said, the chapter changed tones abruptly a few too many times for my liking. {Helen} Even though I rarely read Ranma fics (personal preference... there are just sooooo many!), I found that Nabiki - New Horizons was something that captured my attention and held it. Firmly. It's not just the run of the mill New Character story.. although, after 17 chapters, the characters have been fleshed out...and the various cameos... ^_^;; It is a very well written story; managing to capture an aspect of Nabiki that some few others have tried to write about. Even as Nabiki moves towards establishing her own future, we see various facets of her past move to the forefront; not to 'haunt' her per se, but to aid her as skills.. especially her iron nerves and 'negotiation' skills. ^^ {Shunsuke} YEEEEEHAH! Been waitin' for this! (And open apologies to the author for last time, I called the series a self-insert; he gave me thirty whacks over the head with a bokken for that gaff.) Some chapters have overdone it on the clan stuff, but not this one. Lacking in the violence department, this is much more emotionally based and it works well. The characterizations range from pained (Sato) to insane (the nun with the sportscar sounds like one of the characters from the "Brides of Christ" miniseries), with a lot in between. The big surprise I found, though, was what the China gang end up doing to Ranma; I thought Akane chasing Ranma was going to be their form of foreplay (a la the Klingons). Oh - and the guy was right, they are a freaky family, but in a good way. - - - - - Title: The Sacred Chinese Amazon Mind Control Technique - prologue and chapter 1 Series: Ranma 1/2 Genre: lemon Author: neB Email: kergillian@hotmail.com Homepage: http://www.crosswinds.net/japan/~prpchan/little/ Date Sent to FFML: 10/14/98 Size: 10k Summary: Nabiki learns the secrets of Mind Control from Cologne and uses it to her advantage {Shunsuke} Well, if the author says not to take this seriosuly, I won't... This is *TOTALLY* out of character for Nabiki. Yeah, right, like she wouldn't be selling and teaching the technique to the Yakuza, or better yet, taking over. Hpmh. Yeah, like she'd boff Kuno. - - - - - Title: The Sacred Chinese Amazon Mind Control Technique - part 2 Series: Ranma 1/2 Genre: lemon Author: neB Email: kergillian@hotmail.com Homepage: http://www.crosswinds.net/japan/~prpchan/little/ Date Sent to FFML: 10/14/98 Size: 20k Summary: Nabiki, having learnt how well her new powers work, decides to try out something more.. interesting. {Shunsuke} Hey, what happened to Kuno? He shows up at 8PM as Nabiki asks and she just ignores him. That has to suck. (Arrogant bitch!) And as for Ranma, I dunno if I'd equate his female form's breast size with his male form's saluting seargeant. And as the saying goes, it's not how deep you fish, it's how you wiggle your worm. - - - - - Title: Shampoo 1/2 Chapter 36: Those Who Would Dare Dream of Tomorrow Part B Series: Ranma 1/2 Genre: Alternate Universe Author: D.B. Sommer Email: sommer@3rdm.net Homepage: http://www.geocities.com/~azatlan/Special-Series/shampoo.html Summary: It's the second round against the Eight Devils of Kimone and the Shogun of the Dark. Death looms for many and the final part of the plan is about to be set into motion. {Paul} This chapter is DARK with a capital D and that rhymes with B and that stands for BATTLE and that rhymes with... erm... where was I? Oh yeah. Battles. And Darkfic. A bit of a sudden change after the rather light-hearted tone of prior chapters, but... gad. What battles. Very nice fight scenes, all of them. The adrenalin was pumping all the way to the very end... which had overtones of Ninja Gaiden II to it, oddly enough. Not often that an Evil Villain sacrifices himself for the cause. This whole chapter, though, left me with one question... WHEN ARE YOU WRITING MORE? It seemed like the entire last third of the chapter was nothing but cliffhangers, worries, things left unfinished, and I WANT the next part. 18 and up out of 20 yet again. The end is in sight, at least of this arc. - - - - - Title: Soul of Ice: Counterpoint Series: Ranma 1/2 Genre: Serious Author: Matthew Lewis Email: maybeso@ican.net Homepage: N/A Date Sent to FFML: 10/16/98 Size: 15kb Summary: A revision to Counterpoint. Also included are the mandatory author ramblings, some of which are hidden under the guise of a preface. {Shunsuke} From this revision, it sounds like Cologne and Happosai conspired together to teach Ranma something entirely different.... Whether the author intended it or not, there's a different lesson being taught, and it seems that Ranma caught it in listening to the two trolls. This is cleaned up over the previous version, though I wish writers (not just this one) would reformat their paragraphs when they indent or just use a blank line, it would make things more readable. - - - - - Title: Three Souls, One Heart, Chapter 5 Series: Ranma Genre: Continuation Author: David A. Tatum Email: desaix@sysnet.net Homepage: http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Acropolis/7872/fanfics.htm Date Sent to FFML: 10/21/98 Summary: Akane and Ranma talk about what happened in Chapter 4, and decide on a course of action. (notice that I'm using a LOT less description in the synopses' for this series? I don't want to give away any more than I have to, this time- I had a couple complaints about spoilers in some synopses of earlier works...) {Paul} Hmm. A chapter which, oddly enough, boils down to a single scene and a pair of settings. But the conversation is more than enough to make up for it. And what an interesting conversation it is... I get the feeling that Akane is giving Ranma a bit more of an abridged version than she really should... if she can send feelings, why not just flash him her memories of the conversation? Just an alternative to spending part of a chapter retelling a prior one. But other than that... I think the final sentence in this chapter says it all. Where DO they go from here? 16 or 17 out of 20. - - - - - Title: Waters Under Earth - Chapter 27 Series: Ranma 1/2 Genre: Darkish, Continuation Author: Alan Harnum Email: harnums@hotmail.com Homepage: http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Bay/9758 Date Sent to FFML: October 12th Size: 87k Summary: In Okinawa, in Nerima, in China, and in a place of absolute darkness outside any of these places, Ranma and all those who have found their threads bound with his in the spinning of his fate will face their own trials. Judgement will be passed, and sentence will be carried out. It's going to be a long, long night... {Paul} Oh goodness. The plot threads all continue in their own ways, spun out wonderfully as complications pile on each other with alarming frequency and the web of Dark sends ever more strands around what heroes exist to fight against it. Harnum-sempai, you'd better have one mother of an ending planned out, because you're certainly digging these characters in deep... and do I really need to tell anyone who's read any of the prior stories out there about the kind of evocative and descriptive imagery they'll find in this installment? I didn't think so. 18 and up out of 20, yet again. - - - - - Title: Wheel of Fire #9: The Past is Prologue, part 1 Series: Ranma 1/2 Genre: Continuation Author: Razorclaw X Email: spiceoflife@hotmail.com Homepage: http://www.crosswinds.net/anaheim/~slythe/ranma/ranff.html Date Sent to FFML: 10/21/98 Size: 60kb Summary: Ukyo decides to return home while Ryoga and Akari get married. However, going home doesn't turn out quite as the okonomiyaki chef expected. {Paul} Let the backstory... BEGIN! Seriously, though, sending a spiral out into the darkness before the series from the darkness after the series is what this particular series has been doing all along. Serially. At any rate, it's not my place to call it plausible or implausible, only to judge... and I say that it's fairly interesting, and leaves a definite touch of what might be foreshadowing somewhere down the line. The wedding of Ryoga and Akari, which was played up at least somewhat beforehand, was a bit of an anticlimax... but then, who can follow Kleppe-sempai's prelude to Hearts and Minds without a comparison being made? All in all, a nice chapter, one that is obviously looking to the future. Here's hoping the future is soon, hmm? 15 or 16 out of 20. - - - - - Title: Wheel of Fire #9: The Past is Prologue, part 2 Series: Ranma 1/2 Genre: Continuation Author: Razorclaw X Email: spiceoflife@hotmail.com Homepage: http://www.crosswinds.net/anaheim/~slythe/ranma/ranff.html Date Sent to FFML: 10/21/98 Size: 40kb Summary: Tatewaki and Kodachi return home from Ryoga and Akari's wedding to find the last person they expected waiting for them. {Paul} Oh my. This is not how I pictured Mama Kunou... then again, the picture's been shaped by Lawson and MacKinnon beforehand, and this series is substantially more fast and loose than either of the prior two. Yet more backstory, a nice slice of life for the Kuno sibs, and a bit of psychobabble... but what does one expect from psychos, hmm? :> But unlike the prior part, this doesn't really GO anywhere... although I imagine those plot points are likely to come up again, given the implied cyclic nature of this series. Still, though, this particular installment was noticeably free from the foreshadowing its predecessors all had small amounts of. But meaningless literature - gads, I'm turning into Gubby - still has its merits, and this story is nothing if not well-written and at least passably plotted. 14 or 15 out of 20. - - - - - Title: Wheel of Fire #9: The Past is Prologue, part 3 Series: Ranma 1/2 Genre: Continuation Author: Razorclaw X Email: spiceoflife@hotmail.com Homepage: http://www.crosswinds.net/anaheim/~slythe/ranma/ranff.html Date Sent to FFML: 10/21/98 Size: 40kb Summary: Mousse tries to woo Shampoo, while Cologne receives word from back home in China, and the portents are certainly not in her favor. {Paul} I was laughing out loud at how pathetic Mousse's attempt at wooing Shampoo was... then realized that it's perfectly in character, at least given some interpretations of the boy. Odd, then, that it should be followed by something as uncharacteristically insightful as what Mousse says. I find it to be rather at odds with my own understanding of his aims and such in the manga, but then, he's been like that since the fanfic series started. "Mousse, Version 2.0" is probably the most concise statement of what needs to happen to Mousse for him to be at least passable in Shampoo's eyes... ah well. Even if I don't entirely agree with what happens, I can't say it's not logically done. 14 or 15 of 20. * * * * * [Ranma 1/2 / Sailor Moon] - - - - - Title: A Different Viewpoint pt 36 Series: Ranma/SM Genre: Continuation/Crossover/SI Author: Christopher J. Olsen Email: Gamers@pacbell.net Homepage: http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Dojo/1449 Date Sent to FFML: 10-7-98 Size: 38 KB Summary: The fight of the century is on, as Ranma and the Senshi fight for the fate of the world against impossible odds. Akane goes one on one with War! Ukyo shows Pelelance how a good chef cooks, and a Demoness and three Godesses do Cameo apperances. [This part was reviewed last week, included at the end of the list.] * * * * * [Rurouni Kenshin] - - - - - Title: No Turning Back Series: Ruruoni Kenshin Genre: Another of my dark and angst fics. Perhaps a vignette? Author: W. Siew Lee Email: wsiewlee@tm.net.my Homepage: http://members.xoom.com/hiei Date Sent to FFML: 17th of October, 1998 Size: 8kbs Summary: I swear this isn't a spoiler! Alright, I killed Kaoru this time. {Shunsuke} Yep, more emotional terrorism from this author, designed to make you all weepy, then feeling good when it's finished. Grrrr... ^_^ Not knowing the series is a disadvantage in that I don't know the relationships between people and how they've been built, but in terms of displaying the feelings between these people, this works fine. * * * * * [Sailor Moon] - - - - - Title: Disgust Series: Sailor Moon Genre: Unusual Setting Author: Lunari Email: Lunari@Sprynet.com Homepage: http://members.xoom.com/RyanMercury/anime.html (Coming Soon) Date Sent to FFML: 10/5/98 Summary: A dark tale and the foreshadowing of a deadly enemy of the senshi, as seen through her eyes. {Helen} Yep, yep. Dark is right... a short story but very well written. It captures the feelings of the enemy very well... - - - - - Title: Isobel Series: SM Genre: Songfic Author: Bastion Email: bastion@ix.netcom.com Homepage: None Date Sent to FFML: 10-22 Size: 8K Summary: An exploration of Ami's more playful self through a song by Bjork. {Shunsuke} The Bjork album is actually entitled "Post", and the video the author refers to with the woman walking naked around town is by Lisa Stansfield (I forget the song). This sounds like a hentai version of Lawson's "Desires" where Ami loses it. To be too much like that would be a mistake, but this is kind of unique. (Not my favorite Bjork song, I preferred her work with Sukarmolarnin, but what the hey.) * * * * * [Shoujo Kakumei Utena] - - - - - Title: Sono Kanojo no Kangeki (That Girl's Inspiration) Series: Shoujo Kakumei Utena Genre: Introspection/Monologue Author: Scott Johnson Email: zagyg@io.com Date Sent to FFML: 10/11/98 Size: 5,820 bytes Summary: Kiryuu Nanami tries to justify her admittedly odd choice of romantic interests, and clarifies a little about her world view. But just who is she trying to convince? {Paul} I want to make comparisons to Asuka and Tobimaro, but they won't hold water beyond the superficialities. Kudos for the Life With Roses you posted earlier... I know at least SOMETHING about the series to base all this on, and I can see what you describe happening... perhaps it's a tribute to the writing that I can infer the anime from it. It's a very nice character sketch, and I can get a wonderfully clear picture of the character portrayed... it's just that I have no clue whether that picture is anything close to reality. Gomen. But 9 and upwards out of 10 on the short scale anyways. * * * * * [Tenchi Muyou!] - - - - - Title: Legacy of Tears2 Episode 2: Doctors & Detectives Series: Tenchi Muyo Genre: Crime/Drama Author: Trakal Email: Trakal@map.com Homepage: http://members.xoom.com/Trakal Date Sent to FFML: Tue, 20 Oct 1998 23:09:12 +0000 Summary: Ichiko wakes up in the hospital the morning after the attack and is questioned by a police detective. {Shunsuke} A nasty little snippet that lets you inside the mind of the victim of a brutal crime. It goes from disbelief to realization of the horror she goes through, though it could go a little deeper. As with other parts of this, my only gripe is that it's TOO SHORT! Please, more at once, it'll work better. ^_^ - - - - - Title: Unfinished Business chapter 1:2 Series: Tenchi Muyo! Genre: Name it. Author: Dennis Carr & Karmin St. Jean Email: DC: ke6isf@nerv.nu KSJ: trakal@map.com Date Sent to FFML: 27Oct98 Size:30k Summary: The gang lands in California, and Aeka is reunited with Moriyata after about 700 years. Trakal, being concerned that this is a hoax, tries to fly out to no avail. {Shunsuke} Trakal may have wanted to travel, but Sasami must have found a Star Trek-type transporter, or how else did she get to California, ne? O_- (This gaping mistake pointed out for obvious reasons.) If the author can throw in off-hand comments all over, I can too... pretty appropriate choosing Santa Ana, CA; Ryoko and Aeka are a real pair of Babylon sisters, and Hikaru will have to be a steely Dan to put up with them. (Off-hand comments will or won't work depending on the story; for TM!, it fits.) The author does have the Tenchi series feel and dialogue, though with a little less destructiveness than the original. It isn't bad stuff at all. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ End of the FFML Reviews List for the week of: October 23, 1998