The Apprentice wrote:
[snip]
Also, at least in the cannon, Ranma 1/2 seems to follow the idea that
you can't *really* change the past. The Namban Mirror comes to mind,
for example.
IMHO, it might be possible to use magic to change the past. However, it
clearly isn't something doable with the Nanban Mirror. Some other magic
might work for real time travel, but it's fairly clear that the mirror's
purpose is not truly to travel to the past.
My own private theory as to the Nanban's purpose is that it's actually a
training tool, a time travel simulator, which is designed to teach a
would-be time traveller precisely how easy it is to royally screw up
when one tries to change the past.
Also, it be a way for you to go on practice missions to the past, so
that once you've figured out how to do it right, you would hop into your
*real* time travel device, and try to change things the same way that
you did when practicing.
Hmm...
"Hey, Setsuna, howcome you never used the time gate to prevent the
Silver Millenium from falling?"
"Here Usagi, I've got this this time-travelling magic mirror that will
let you try it and see what happens."
"Oops! I destroyed the world by accident! Whaa!"
Yeah, I know that's now how they talk, nor would this IC for either of
them (except maybe the "Whaa!" part:)), but you get the point.
Actually, the *scenario* might happen, just not that dialogue.
It might be an interesting story ... suppose Setsuna tricks them into
using the mirror, and arranges for them to believe that it really did
bring them into the real past, and only let them know it was a
simulation after they came back. To make a happy ending easier, one
would have the mirror's nature be such that if you died in the
simulation, one would immediately return home unharmed... and for that
matter, *any* wound recieved in the sim would be undone on exit.