Damn. (Can I say Damn?) After reading the fic and all subsequent postings, and not finding myself particularily swayed either way, something occured to me pretty quickly. Why does the argument between parties here about Nicks portrayal of an extreme Shampoo seem to slowly get away from the specifics instead of look closer at them? This is something i have noticed before on the list in the last few years, and is probably the biggest, best example Ive come across yet. 

Nick writes a fic, very descriptive, that takes the reader (assuming permission is given) over a very detailed, emotional, and ultimately tragic hill of thought in the life of Akane. He uses Shampoo in an archtypel role as the meddling, sordid, greedy voice of her outside world that has plagued her since she can remember, and has ranma fight for her, and teach her how to better fight for themselves. Its the story of growing up for just about everyone, done with as much thought and intention the author could give. It wasnt Tolstoy, but then none of what we do here really is. Hell, I dug it, even if it didnt send me over the edge *personally*, I applaud the desire and drive shown by Nick. It covered what it had to, left out what it didnt. If only we all could be so discriminating. Then, I think, DB notices somthing from a different point of view, that the charaterization of Shampoo stood out to him and came off very wrong. He was reading the story much more from his own knowledge of the feel of the story as written by Takahashi, and shampoo was over the line, not necesary and unpleasant. I got some of both feeling while reading through the first time. 

What I dont understand here is why the argument has pretty much settled  down to the idea that the anime/manga Shampoo offers very little of what Nick wrote about her vs. the idea that it is a fanfic after all and is from a more realistic Akane's point of view, saying what she thinks openly rather then letting her anger just boil characteristically. Fantastic. Both views are obviously correct. Why berate this? Has anyone learned something new here about Akane, Shampoo, Takahashi, Literature in general, or themselves? Is anyone in their right mind really going to steadfastly disagree with either point? Of course not, the points are too general, which I think is why the two sides to this debate quickly resorted to these steel girders of debate defense. Like DB said, I see these things falling too quickly into ruts and not going anywhere. 

Now the list changes members a lot, so not everyone knows everyone else, and what they mean when they critisize. But I think that some of us, upon seeing the first arguement would want to say, hey, what further interpretation could be given to the fic that supports its characterizations strictly from the body of the text? I would love to see Nick go 'No DB, I think my use of Shampoo in the role is perfectly reasonable and necessary because of how ranma reacts here, here, and here, and because of this sentence here, etc.' I think there was a little of that done, but more of the arguements relied on abstracted, already well-accepted reasons than no fan of ranma or its fics would disagree with. To be fair, I would like to see exactly what Nick relies on in the story to support the 'villainization' further than just the fact that we are really getting into Akane's deeper side, and EVERYONE has thoughts down there that defy all reason and past behavior. ('Sanity is not statistical.' -George Orwell, who I seem constantly drawn back to.) Then the arguement could be taken more stylistically from the other side, debates would spawn up about certain sentences and paragraph flows, and we all might come away with something. As it is now, the only thing I know is that a few stubborn people are mad and their views are unchanged. I personally would have no problem going into this stuff in-depth and showing where I though Shampoo could have been used more to better make her point, or where the language regarding her could have been toned down giving her more integrity, either way. Does any of this make sense? I hope im not rambling.




Max M.
(ae)
-Who realizes he may have pretty much made enemies with everyone in the universe here and nonetheless would love to be 'Banned a Martyr.'


(KashikoiNeko, i got your post as i was trying to send this, I think you know what I mean)


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