*Spoilers for Chapter 30 of Waters Under Earth*

Heheheheheh. Genma's redemption. Happousai's too, earlier on in the
chapter, really, but Happi's was more of an ongoing process, started
earlier; Genma's, while it may have began earlier, only really came
about now. An epiphany. 

<nod>  Epiphany is the right word for it.  Genma was struggling for a 
long time to come to terms with himself, with what he was and what he 
would like to be.  Right before he died, he finally realized just how 
much he wanted to change.

	Even though he had his conversion, even though he was firmly
on his way down the path of redemption, that did not save him. Reminds
me of the book 1984, in a way-- it was mentioned that they kill you
not before they convert you, but after. The same thing basically 

happened

to Genma here.

I see it as a question to ponder as I move into the concluding arc of 
the series; what might Genma have become had he not died here?

	I liked it, I really liked this chapter-- especially Genma. You
made him more than someone to be hated, something more than the
one-dimensional waste of flesh which seems to be rather popular of late
amongst serious fics. Genma is a man, and one who may have made 

mistakes

in the past, but he is not at heart evil, or villainous. Foolish? 

cowardly?

weak? I can give you those, but not, at heart, evil. 

No, not evil.  Only human; too, too human.  

I especially liked
his little confrontation with Akane there, his little rebuke. People 

who

live in glass houses should not throw stones (and, just to mix 

metaphors,

even if they haven't sinned), don't you know. Pointing out that Genma 

is

not the only one who may have done wrong by Ranma, that, in effect, 

none

of them are innocent or blameless.

People are too quick to excuse Ranma's faults by blaming his father's 
upbringing of him; as if it is all Genma's fault, and Nodoka (or Ranma 
himself) bears no blame.  

	So, in other words, good work!

Thanks for the praise, and for the comments, Matt.

Ciao,
-Alan Harnum

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