[FFML] Ranma and Iron Man 2

[Henry Cobb]

If you'll be looking up the lass on Utube, please be aware that there
are two ts:

Scarlett Johansson

On Fri, May 7, 2010 at 6:05 AM, Richard Lawson <nouma at msn.com> wrote:
>
> No, I'm not proposing to do a cross-over.
>
> One thing that's always mildly bothered me about Ranma fighting when he's female, and that's believability.  Ranma, while undoubtedly skilled, is also shown to be quite small as a female.  It's just been difficult for me to imagine sometimes that Ranma really could take on a roomful of assailants and emerge victorious.
>
> When I have problems with visualization, I turn to movies.  But there, they've let me down.  There are, of course, fewer examples of women who fight than of men.  But those examples have left me disappointed.
>
> "Buffy" the television series had lots of samples of Buffy fighting.  But when the enemy has one glaring weakness that they don't seem to do a lot to protect themselves against, the fights tend to be variations of "dodge/parry/stake-to-the-heart".
>
> In "Serenity" it's especially bad.  I love the movie and I love the character of River Tam, but I found her two major fight scenes utterly unconvincing.  There is no way I believe that a gangly young woman with no appreciable muscle mass could take out a bar full of patrons or a room full of Reavers.  Yes, yes, I know she's supposed to be a genius who can calculate angles of attack etc etc.  But the choreography just wasn't convincing.  At no time did I believe the fights were anything other than well-staged dances.
>
> Michelle Yeoh in "Crouching Tiger/Hidden Dragon" or "Supercop" was also unconvincing.  Definitely a talented martial artist.  No way do I think she could take on a room full of bad guys.
>
> Now, let me say that it's also difficult to imagine a man doing something similar.  Any of the "Conan" movies shows how studly Arnold can be when fifty assailants come after him one at a time, but I've always wanted to shout at the screen, "Bunch up and attack him all at once!".
>
> The person who I've always found most convincing is Jackie Chan.  His intricate choreography, while at times ludicrous, at the same time makes me believe he really could take on twenty guys at once so long as he has a warehouse full of household items to throw at them.
>
> It's just that I'd never seen any similar scene involving a woman.
>
> Until now.
>
> In "Iron Man 2", Scarlett Johansson plays a secret agent.  Without spoiling too much, in one scene she attacks ten guards.  Ten burly guards.  And she wipes the floor with them.  And it looks very real.
>
> She's insanely fast.  She's flexible and uses that flexibility.  She knows how to use her elbows to good effect.  She's not above using stuff she carries in her utility belt to help her.
>
> Yes, I know the fight was choreographed and almost certainly enhanced with sped-up film and/or CGI.  Still, it was convincing.  I truly believed this short, red-haired woman could take on these ten guys and emerge victorious.
>
> At last I can put my mind at ease.  I have found something to placate the niggling bit of doubt I had in my mind that female Ranma really could beat up anyone she faced.
>
> Anyway, Iron Man 2 was only so-so, not nearly as good as the original.  But I wouldn't mind seeing it again just to imagine Scarlet Johansson as a female Ranma and watching the fight scene again.
>
> So if you ever want to see what Ranma fighting might look like, I'd recommend you see it, too.
>
> -Richard
>
> -------------- next part --------------
> An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
> URL: http://www.chez-vrolet.net/pipermail/ffml/attachments/20100507/f685c722/attachment.htm
>         .-------Anime/Manga Fanfiction Mailing List--------.
>         |   Administrators - ffml-admins at chez-vrolet.net   |
>         |   Unsubscribing - ffml-request at chez-vrolet.net   |
>         |         Put 'unsubscribe' in the subject         |
>         `----- FAQ http://chez-vrolet.net/ffml/faq.txt ----'
>
>