It pains me greatly to have to criticize a writer whom I respect,
admire, even - dare I say it - venerate as much as Mr. Kleppe, but I
feel this work falls grievously short of his usual high standards
Gary Kleppe writes:
"'My decision is that I prefer the creamy smooth kind of peanut butter.' Signed,
'Ranma Saotome.'" Nabiki folded the paper and inserted it back into the
envelope.
I'm sorry, this is totally unbelievable. Can Mr. Kleppe adduce a
single incident which evinces this preference on Ranma's part? I think
not. The evidence of thiry-eight volumes of manga is overwhelming -
Ranma is a brave, unconventional risk-taker, exactly the sort of person
who prefers chunky style. I simply cannot accept this statement without
at least 100KB of back story showing us how Ranma came to this unusual
choice. And what of Nodoka? How has Ranma convinced her that this is
in any way manly?
A mangled blob lay on the floor of the Tendo living room. It struggled to raise
its head, and it spoke.
"Then again, chunky peanut butter's pretty good too...."
The ending tries to restore matters to the previous status quo, but it's
too little, too late. Our minds boggle as we try to comprehend the manifold
ramifications of Ranma's choice. Nothing will ever be the same again. I
fear Mr. Kleppe has stepped back from the brink at the last moment, fearful
of antagonizing the COTOTPB(*). Let me urge Mr. Kleppe, and all other
authors who may be facing similar situations in their writings, to have the
courage of their convictions, no matter how wrong-headed they may be. Just be
sure to prepare your readers when you make such a drastic departure from canon.
Looking forward to the revised, greatly expanded version of this story.
Reid Carson
rcarson@rcarson.com
* Church of the One True Peanut Butter