allyn yonge wrote:

Hm. Just a thought, but wasn't the occupational
forces somewhat negative
to the practice of martial arts. You might put in a
note about how this
has affected them.

## To the best of my knowledge the occupation forces
forbad martial arts. The Japanese were also forbidden
to manufacture or bear arms. Many swords were destroyed
and swordsmiths and martial arts teachers were driven
out of business or underground. It would have been
IMPOSSIBLE for Akane to practice openly. Nor could they
take on students.

That could lead to a different take on things.

##A better reason need to be given for deserting. Esp.
if Genma is the Admirals AID. His people worshiped him.
Also it was the YOUNGER naval officers who pushed for
the war, often assassinating superior officers who they
felt were insufficiently enthusiastic.

For this story to work in a �realistic' manner it is
going to have to have some changes. I recommend a
series of manga done during this period:
"The wonderful world of Sazae-san" by Hasegawa Machiko.
They are now available in English with the original
Japanese text in the margin. WONDERFUL. Written during
and about post-war Japan, they are funny in a very
low-key way.

Also, if you bring in the Chinese Amazons . . .the
Chinese don't like the Japanese very much now. They
went out their way to kill them in WWII. (The Rape of
Nanking, Section 73 (biological and chemical warfare
experiments on Chinese people. etc. Section 73(hmmm. I
may have the number wrong. I don't have by library
handy right now) But it did exist. There are a couple
of new book just on Japanese Bio-warfare out now)
Conducted near where the Amazons are supposed to live
in the manga/anime. :( ) If Shan Pu shows up saying

Are you sure?  I thought that the area in question was
pretty much in the extreme southwest of China.  Why would
the Japanese Mad Scientists have been operating so far out
in the boondocks where they would have been so vulnerable?  
And of course the Amazons wouldn't care
any more about the Rape of Nanking than the firebombing 
of Dresden.  A lot of foreigners a long way away died.
Big fat hairy deal.  

However, if I were a Japanese Enthusiastic Scientist looking
for a good biological weapon, Jusenkyo water might qualify,
so what happened in real history might not signify.  

Which brings me to my beef with "A Refugee's Tale".  
Deserting from the Imperial Navy at the start of the Pacific 
War simply isn't on.  Nodoka would _not_ tolerate it.  
It violates his vow as an officer,
it is treason to the Emperor, and it just isn't manly.  
Besides, a physically fit young man would hardly be
able to wander the Japanese countryside in the middle of
such a terrible war without problems and it would be very
difficult indeed to make your way from Japan to China if
you were a deserter with a wife and two five-year-olds in
tow.  

It would make far more sense for Genma to be in the army in
China.  Then if he deserted or was simply trapped behind 
enemy lines in the wake of the Japanese withdrawl of forces
 he could head to a nice out-of- 
the-fighting part of China with ensuing hilarity.  He could
also just have have sleazed his way out of military service
entirely and have been one of those Japanese colonists in 
China.  

"Ranma, you I kill." She's going to want his head on a
pointy stick. And if she can get Soun, Akane, Kasumi
and any other Japanese in the kill-zone that would be a
bonus. Plus, the Chinese were still out allies. So the
occupation forces might look the other way while she
sliced and diced.

I sincerely doubt that.