What events do you find contrived?

[SpaceKnight of Chaos]

Just like it says on the tin: in the manga and the anime both, there are scenes, moments, events and whatever else you want to call them that people dislike. Each person has their own moments, and usually has several different options to choose from to explain why they dislike them. What I am asking is this: what events, from the manga or the anime, do you dislike because you feel that they are contrived?

Myself, four moments come to mind straight away:
-Akari's introduction in the manga. Not only does the character herself feel contrived, the fact she does more or less nothing after the chapters in which she's introduced doesn't help.
-Ryoga abandoning Anna Brown to go running back to Akane in the anime. This is especially potent seeing as how he had just admitted to himself that Anna is in love with him and he mightn't ever be this lucky again in his life.
-The Daikoku's agreeing that Akane won the Martial Arts Takeout Race in the anime. This despite the fact that Kaori lost only because Ranma-chan semi-cheated (she was partially forced by Genma) and intervened in a race she had no business participating in.
-Ranma-chan appearing just in time to win the Tendo Dojo back for Akane in the second half of the One To Carry On OAV. Especially seeing as how he, last we saw him, had apparently finally gotten sick of the Tendos and was getting his stuff together to leave town.

[bissek]

Akane being picked to represent the school in a swimming contest when the fact that she was a terrible swimmer (And Ukyo an excellent one) was common knowledge.

[SpaceKnight of Chaos]

Oh, yeah, I'd forgotten about that one. I initially chalked that up to her keeping her inability a secret from the other kids (she wouldn't have wanted that embarrassing little fact thrown around, and so they would have gone to her because they figure that super strength=super-fast swimmer), but the fact that none of them suggest switching to Ukyo when it becomes painfully obvious Akane is hopeless, now that's contrived.

[Siden]

The scene where doll-Akane makes a hole in Saffron's fireball so Ranma can get in the finishing blow. Not only was it contrived, but obvious, expected, and one of the worst cases of blatant deus ex machina in the series. Combine that with the fact that Ranma is apparently suddenly too stupid to realize he's got backup (Ryoga and Mousse) who could have dunked Akane into the spring while Ranma distraced Saffron.

[antimatterenergy]

Combine that with the fact that Ranma is apparently suddenly too stupid to realize he's got backup (Ryoga and Mousse) who could have dunked Akane into the spring while Ranma distraced Saffron.

I also don't like the doll saving him for a variety of reasons, starting with it really doesn't make sense and is illogical, but he really didn't have an opportunity to pass Akane over to them and they were unable to open the tap without the staff which he was using to battle Saffron with (Ryoga was unable to damage it -Ranma ends up tossing the staff into opening followed by a tornado that destroys the tap).

My most dislike story though is the Gambling King arc. The behavior of Ranma in it is contradicted in just about every single other storyline (using the definition of unnatural, forced for contrived rather than showing effects of planning or manipulation since that arc did not appear to have much planning).

[PCHeintz72]

Here is one not mentioned...

- Ranma-chan having trouble fighting Mousse due to arm length. Nowhere else in the series does this type of handicap occur, and he deals with plenty of guys with greater reach than his girl side, and in fact most girls are taller than his girl form.

[Jupiah]

Here is one not mentioned...

- Ranma-chan having trouble fighting Mousse due to arm length. Nowhere else in the series does this type of handicap occur, and he deals with plenty of guys with greater reach than his girl side, and in fact most girls are taller than his girl form.

This is almost justified by saying that he learned to compensate after that fight... except that Ranma had gotten into fights with both Genma and Ryoga in his girl-form before his fight with Mousse, and had never had that problem. Not to mention that I have a hard time believing he'd even be able to function in day-to-day life if he didn't know how long his own arms and legs were, let alone that he wouldn't have even realized he had this problem until someone used it against him in a fight. Making the whole limb-length weakness against Mousse a complete asspull to force him into the role of underdog.

If you absolutely had to justify it, I'd say that Cologne pointing it out made him think about it to much, and he essentially psychologically sabotaged himself during that fight.

Not if you want to list contrived events in the Ranma manga, you'll have to add pretty much every time that Ryoga shows up out of the blue just when his help his needed the most during whatever current crisis they crew is having. The Ryugenzawa arc is easily the worst offender of this.

[Spokavriel]

If they had made the moves in the Moose fight more skillful then maybe I could have accepted that Moose was use to fighting girls and was taking advantage of that but the scene wasn't drawn that way.

[Ezvir]

Here is one not mentioned...

- Ranma-chan having trouble fighting Mousse due to arm length. Nowhere else in the series does this type of handicap occur, and he deals with plenty of guys with greater reach than his girl side, and in fact most girls are taller than his girl form.

He always has trouble fighting opponents who
1. have greater reach
2. attack him just as he is closing in to exploit that reach
and
3. are at least close to as fast as he is.

This is the case in the fights against Mousse, Pansutotarou, and Kunou in the Melon amnesia story. Genma also does 2. occasionally, but Ryouga never tries against girl Ranma (that I could find); he usually attacks first which allows Ranma to dodge around the attack and attack form inside his guard.
Also, in the manga the only 16 year old who is actually intended to be taller (same sex) is Kodachi, all others are the same height when standing right next to Ranma in straight posture. Ranma only appears to be shorter due to the limitations in Takahashi's drawing ability.

Note that he is not misjudging the length of his limbs as such, quoting myself from another thread:

You conflate two separate issues. Ranma unconsciously adjusts the execution of his moves for the length of his limbs, otherwise he would never be able to hit anything. We know that he does this unconsciously because he hits Ryouga with a roundhouse kick without even being aware that he is a girl a few volumes earlier.
This is no different in the fight against Mousse. What he doesn't do is adjust his fighting style or even consider the length of his limbs in the decision which move to use (i. e. not to use the cross counter kick).
Even so this wouldn't be as much of a problem if his fighting style wasn't so vulnerable to reach in the first place.

[PCHeintz72]

Also, in the manga the only 16 year old who is actually intended to be taller (same sex) is Kodachi, all others are the same height when standing right next to Ranma in straight posture. Ranma only appears to be shorter due to the limitations in Takahashi's drawing ability.

Ehhh... Ranma in girl form is without question smaller than just about anyone in series except Happosai, Cologne, a couple other random old geezers (chingansi sp?, Grandmother of martial arts tea ceremony, etc...) and in anime Sasuki. In some scenes shown about same height as Akane, in others a bit shorter than Akane, but Akane is shown shorter than Kodachi, Kasumi, and Nabiki. Heck, Kodachi is shown as a full head taller in manga than female Ranma when they shake hands at the match.

Note that he is not misjudging the length of his limbs as such, quoting myself from another thread:

Heh... Takahashi is a woman.[/quote]

[DCG]

Here is one not mentioned...

- Ranma-chan having trouble fighting Mousse due to arm length. Nowhere else in the series does this type of handicap occur, and he deals with plenty of guys with greater reach than his girl side, and in fact most girls are taller than his girl form.

I all ways found how serrious they tried to pass off that great handicap amusing.

Not like ranma's beeen cursed for months by then, training mostly 24-7..

[Ezvir]

Ehhh... Ranma in girl form is without question smaller than just about anyone in series except Happosai, Cologne, a couple other random old geezers (chingansi sp?, Grandmother of martial arts tea ceremony, etc...) and in anime Sasuki. In some scenes shown about same height as Akane, in others a bit shorter than Akane, but Akane is shown shorter than Kodachi, Kasumi, and Nabiki. Heck, Kodachi is shown as a full head taller in manga than female Ranma when they shake hands at the match.

Are you even reading what you quote? Kasumi and Nabiki are older than 16 and I explicitly mentioned Kodachi as an exception (Kodachi's height is inconsistent, she is clearly intended to be taller than female Ranma, but at the same time shorter than male Ranma in her introductory arc, and the differences don't add up properly. Later she seems to be about the same height ass the other 16 year old girls).
And I was taking about the manga only. If you disagree point me at a panel with another 16 year old shown as significantly taller than Ranma while standing right next to each other in straight posture.

Heh... Takahashi is a woman.

I know you have a good reading comprehension so please do me the favor and read the posts you are replying to.

[PCHeintz72]

Are you even reading what you quote? Kasumi and Nabiki are older than 16 and I explicitly mentioned Kodachi as an exception (Kodachi's height is inconsistent, she is clearly intended to be taller than female Ranma, but at the same time shorter than male Ranma in her introductory arc, and the differences don't add up properly. Later she seems to be about the same height ass the other 16 year old girls).
And I was taking about the manga only. If you disagree point me at a panel with another 16 year old shown as significantly taller than Ranma while standing right next to each other in straight posture.

Groans... that is what I get for posting when just getting up.

In any case, I was talking manga as well, since no one here likes anime comparisons.

Shampoo is also shown as taller than Ranma. When giving the kiss, Shampoo leans down, and Ranma has head tilted slightly up and away. And when she has tears in her eyes and is about to run away, she looks down upon Ranma. Ranma standing next to Shampoo on the take out race, Shampoo, despite leaning, is taller.

I found Ukyo, next to Akane, is taller in a few intro scenes with them together, I'm looking at one where they are walking together to hunt down Ryoga and Ranma in disguise. Since Akane is same or taller than Ranma in female form, then Ukyo is taller than Ranma in female form.

Since Ranma in female form ends up fighting just about every recurring character in the series, and many but not all one shots, age and gender should matter not, So I fail to see why excluding comparisons to older characters, like Kuno (17), Genma, Soun, etc... should matter.

EDIT: There is a fan site that attempts to take a whack at character heights, it is not canon, but it is lookintg at a picture of them.

Ranma 1-2 Character Heights
- [Direct] http://web.archive.org/web/200802112259 ... ights.html

[Ezvir]

Shampoo is also shown as taller than Ranma. When giving the kiss, Shampoo leans down, and Ranma has head tilted slightly up and away. And when she has tears in her eyes and is about to run away, she looks down upon Ranma. Ranma standing next to Shampoo on the take out race, Shampoo, despite leaning, is taller.

please no leaning. As soon as even the simplest forms of geometry enter the picture the results become widely inconsistent. When I asked for standing right next to each other in straight posture I really meant exactly that and nothing less (next to each other as in not before/behind each other, not necessarily the distance). And that's not the case in any of those examples.
If you disagree with this criterion I ask you how else you want to avoid having to conclude that female Ranma sometimes shrinks down to 3 feet or Kunou grows to over 7 feet for no discernible reason. Otherwise there is no point in talking about heights. The only other viable apporach I can see is to measure each characters size in heads (for characters who have the same head form, most of the 16 year olds do).

I know such panels are few and far in between, but here are a couple of examples (each only comparing two persons):

http://ranmahentai.ranma.ws/RanmaManga/ ... 8-016.html third and fourth panel.

http://ranmahentai.ranma.ws/RanmaManga/ ... 0-042.html fifth panel

http://ranmahentai.ranma.ws/RanmaManga/ ... 6-101.html first panel.

http://ranmahentai.ranma.ws/RanmaManga/ ... 7-136.html third panel

http://ranmahentai.ranma.ws/RanmaManga/ ... 2-096.html fourth panel is close, but it doesn't quite count due to a tilted head.

http://ranmahentai.ranma.ws/RanmaManga/ ... 3-120.html second panel.

http://ranmahentai.ranma.ws/RanmaManga/ ... 5-016.html fifth panel

http://ranmahentai.ranma.ws/RanmaManga/ ... 3-092.html fifth panel

http://ranmahentai.ranma.ws/RanmaManga/ ... 3-111.html first panel

http://ranmahentai.ranma.ws/RanmaManga/ ... 1-033.html

http://ranmahentai.ranma.ws/RanmaManga/ ... 5-068.html fourth panel

http://ranmahentai.ranma.ws/RanmaManga/ ... 5-110.html first panel

http://ranmahentai.ranma.ws/RanmaManga/ ... 4-042.html first panel

http://ranmahentai.ranma.ws/RanmaManga/ ... 4-051.html fourth panel

(OK, Mousse is taller. Maybe he is 17?)

I found Ukyo, next to Akane, is taller in a few intro scenes with them together, I'm looking at one where they are walking together to hunt down Ryoga and Ranma in disguise. Since Akane is same or taller than Ranma in female form, then Ukyo is taller than Ranma in female form.

They are not standing next to each other. And I forgot to mention even ground.

Since Ranma in female form ends up fighting just about every recurring character in the series, and many but not all one shots, age and gender should matter not, So I fail to see why excluding comparisons to older characters, like Kuno (17), Genma, Soun, etc... should matter.

Because this was a side point, my main point was right before it. But specifically on those three, he never fights Souun (as a boy, for a significant length of time and unarmend) and Genma and Kunou were mentioned in my original post.

EDIT: There is a fan si
te that attempts to take a whack at character heights, it is not canon, but it is lookintg at a picture of them.

Ranma 1-2 Character Heights
- [Direct] http://web.archive.org/web/200802112259 ... ights.html

Not referring to the manga and therefore irrelevant.

[PCHeintz72]

Hmmm... after looking at your examples, and mine, I've come to the conclusion that this is another aspect of the series that seems to be too inconsistent to be able to be determined by manga continuity material alone. Even in your own examples, some examples conflict with others IMHO to my own eyes.

Also, considering I once remember being told Takahashi went on record as stating Ranma was the tallest male in the series after Soun, which also conflicts with observed evidence, I do not think any discussion on it will provide solid results. Not that I consider anything she states as canon related material, but some do.

The heights seem much more consistent in either anime TV, or anime OAV than the original manga. However, some (likely yourself as well) would argue those series don't matter, as they are not manga canon, which conflicts with my own views on canon.