[Author�s Note: Anyone who doesn�t like OOC, lime, or Ranma fics that diverge significantly from the original series, leave now!]
All characters TM & copyright 1996 by Rumiko Takahashi.
Place: Viz Communications HQ
City: Tokyo, Rippongi District
Rumiko Takahashi adjusted her glasses. �I�m sorry, what did you say?�
The representative from Kitty Films smiled gently. �I said, we�re going to do a remake of Ranma 1/2.�
Rumiko shook her head. The conference room had suddenly gotten very warm. �That�s what I thought you said, but I still don�t understand.�
�Why should you be surprised? It was in your last contract. We here at Viz and Kitty Films now have the right to remake any of your previous TV shows as we see fit, with NO CREATIVE CONTROL on your part�
�Well, yes. But I assumed you wanted to do a remake of Maison Ikkoku. I mean, that�s my only series that hasn�t aged very well.�
The man nodded. �Oh, I can see where you�re coming from, but quite frankly Ms. Takahashi, adult-oriented anime doesn�t sell anymore. You see, now that Pocket Monsters has peaked in terms of popularity, we really don�t have anything left. So, we�ve decided to ramp up production on remakes of earlier shows.�
�But...�
The man ignored her. �You see, after the success Sunrise has had with the Gundam altaverse titles, and JVC and AIC have done phenomenal business with Bubblegum Crisis Tokyo 2040. So, we here at Kitty and Viz have decided to update Ranma for a more mature, teen audience.�
Rumiko Takahashi paled. �But Ranma was always geared for adolescent boys. To change him in anyway would be...�
The Kitty rep became quite angry. �That is enough! Need I remind you, MS. Takahashi, that you are an employee of the Kitty-Viz-Kadokawa consortium. To hear this type of rebellion from anyone else would be disgraceful, but coming from you, a woman no less. We have tolerated many of your eccentricities with quiet humor. Especially your continued refusals to walk three steps behind the company chairman during press conferences, but this is the last straw. You will either adhere to the terms of your contract, or we will strip you of creative control on �Inu-Yasha� and give it to Kia Asamiya.�
Rumiko shook in fear. �NO! Anything but that! Not Kia! I...I will yield. My...my apologies.�
The man smiled. �Excellent.�
Rumiko bowed her head. �So, who have you got lined up to handle character designs and plan the overall direction of the series?�
�Well, we need someone young, someone sexy.�
�Hiroshi Negeshi?�
The Kitty representative smiled. �No, no. He�s still trying to rebuild his reputation after the debacle that was Tenchi In Tokyo. We were thinking along the lines of someone who�s worked with us in the past. Oh, by the way, did I mention that this was going to be a late-night series?�
Rumiko looked up in shock. �But, there�s only one person who does your late-night shows.�
�Yes.�
�You can�t mean him!!!�
�I�m afraid so. The new Ranma series will be directed by U-Jin.�
Rumiko Takahashi sobbed.
W*ING Higley Presents:
U-Jin�s Ranma Diaries
Dear Journal:
Jeez, I can�t believe Mom�s making me keep one of these things. Anyways, my name�s Ranma Saotome. I�m 18 years old and I just graduated from high school (barely)
and now my parents are makin� me enroll in college.
I�ve led a pretty weird life so far. When I was five my Pops took me on a trainin� trip that lasted ten years. When I was 16, we visited these cursed springs in China and I ended up gettin� dunked in this �Spring of Drowned Girl.� So now, whenever I get dunked with cold water, I turn into a red-headed girl, and when I get splashed with warm water, I turn back into a guy.
Anyways, after this I was feelin� pretty low, and wanted to see mom again. But Pops didn�t want to go home yet. He was complainin� about how hungry he was and wanted to go to a nearby Amazon village to see if they had any food. But I said the hell with that, and knocked the old fool out and headed for home, only to discover that about five years ago, Mom sold the family house and moved north to Sendai. At least she left a forwarding address.
When we got back, Mom was kinda shocked by the curse, but still glad to see me an Pops. If anything, I think she felt kind of sorry for me. Turns out the old man had engaged me at birth to marry the daughter of one of his old buddies, Tenma or something. But Mom said that I was goin� through enough trouble with the curse, and didn�t need somethin� like an arranged marriage to complicate things. Basically, she
forced my dad to cancel the engagement, all without me ever meetin� the girl I was s�posed to marry.
Oh well, who knows, she might of been cute or something.
*****
Ranma sat in his hotel room and studied his journal entry. Not bad, all in all.
Still, he wished he didn�t have to be here. But his mom was insistent that he continue his education, not that Ranma was sure exactly what he wanted to major in.
Absentmindedly, he thumbed through his day-planner, a graduation gift from his mother.
�Let�s see. I�ve got the entrance exam for Tokyo Tech tomorrow, St. Herebeke A&M the day after that, and then Kayo University on Friday.�
Ranma smirked at that last one. Kayo University was an �elite� school that he had no chance in hell of entering. He had just applied for the hell of it.
Ranma sighed and sat down at his desk, flipping open a book on remedial algebra.
�Gotta study,� Ranma thought, �otherwise I�ll be stuck at some prep college, and then mom might actually go through with that seppuku pledge.�
Oh well, it wasn�t like anyone in Tokyo knew where he was at.
*****
Outside the door, Ukyo Kuonji smiled. At last, after 12 years, her beloved Ranchan had returned. She smiled as she began to unbutton her blouse. Boy, was Ranchan in for a surprise......
To Be Continued
*****
Author�s Comments: This will not be a straight retelling of Sakura Diaries with Ukyo replacing Urara. Far from it. I�ve never even seen any episodes other than the first domestic tape, so I�m using that as the springboard for a love triangle. But who, you may ask, will play the role of Meiko? Ah, now that is an interesting answer....
C&C can be sent to cactusnick@yahoo.com
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