Magical Girls Academy

[Dumbledork]

Somewhat inspired by Xylix’s fic ‘Haigeki’, The first paragraphs are the general idea before I introduce the Ranma ½ elements.


Japan is the land of magical girls. There are dozens of them running around and causing widespread chaos and destruction in their fights against evil forces with the rookies being the worst of them. While the Japanese Government is grateful for their help, the wages of the cleanup crews are getting astronomical.

The Government decides that enough is enough and that things can’t continue like that and creates the Magical Girls Academy. This special school for all kinds of magical girls not only helps them control their powers, but also teaches them about ethics and responsibility. Of course, they still have all of the usual school subjects.

The school is mandatory for every magical girl and failing to attend will have severe consequences, not only for the magical girls themselves but also for their families, like losing their jobs, social security, and other benefits. However, after informing the parents about the magical girl status of their daughters this isn’t much of an issue since the parents are not happy that the girls kept their secret identity from them.

The academy proves to be a huge success. First of all, all the girls are registered and they can help each other in their respective fights. They get training, which helps reduce the property damage, and maybe most importantly, they are among peers and can make friends who know about their secret identity.

How does Ranma fit into this concept? Unfortunately for him the curse makes him a magical girl and he’ll be forced to attend, much to his protest. However, after the Government threatens to take Genma to court for child abuse and Nodoka for child neglect Genma quickly agrees and sneds Ranma to the school.

The problem is that even if the curse is magical in nature Ranma doesn’t get any special powers from it as far as he knows, and scamming free food from the vendors can’t be really considered a magical power. Thus the problem of finding the right place for him.

Here’s a list of the main groups in the academy (some girls fit into more than one category):

1) The magical girl fighters : Sailor Moon, Wedding Peach, Pretty Cure, Madoka Magica, …
2) The witches : Magical Doremi, Sugar Sugar Rune, Rosario + Vampire (Yukari & Ruby), Negima, Lalabel, Kiki,…
3) The magical girl idols: Fancy Lala, Creamy Mami, Magical Emi,…

The first group is out, because even if Ranma is a great fighter he doesn’t use magic.
The second group is out two. They gave Ranma a magical wand but he couldn’t make it work at all.
Unfortunately that only leaves group three, and since Ranma’s female form has a great singing voice it’s decided that he is to become a magical girl singing idol. Ranma tries his hardest to get out of school, but with the amount of powerful enforcers that’s not an easy thing to do.

At first Ranma’s rivals laugh at his misfortune until they are informed that due to their curse they qualify as magical girl mascots and enrolled into the school too where they are taught how to be a mascot.

Later on I want Ranma to find a book in the library on song magic, where he learns how to use his incredible singing voice as a weapon. If he had to do the idol schtick he wants to get something out of it at least.

[Crescent Pulsar S]

I have several concerns about this idea.

The first is the action that the government would supposedly take. It doesn't sound legal or ethical at all, and more like the actions of a criminal organization. I'm sure that the government could take a lawful action to get the same effect. For instance, they could pass a law where it would be illegal to fight baddies with potentially property-damaging abilities without a license. To get a license, one has to go to the academy.

Two, I don't see why it makes any sense to include every single magical girl, as not all of them fight or cause damage; some even take/have their battles someplace else, or else restore the damage made afterward.

Three, there's the whole secrecy and secret identity thing, and the government somehow knows most or all of them so they can strong arm them. I know plenty of magical girls make it seem like everyone should know their magical identity, but one of the key aspects of the genre is that their secret identity is only known by some (if any at all), and to just dismiss it is like sitting on it after eating a can of baked beans.

Four, exactly how are the baddies and such going to be handled while the magical girls are in the academy? This may not be a problem later, especially given another generation, but it would be if you round them all up within such a short span of time that their forces are too thin and moved too far away to deal with the various threats, which I assume will be all over Japan rather than conveniently being within a few miles of wherever the academy would set up. Baddies are often conveniently within range of any given magical girl, but following every single one of them to the academy would just be insanely absurd.

Five, even without taking into account what I mentioned with number two, the reason given is a weak excuse to make Ranma applicable for the academy (and especially the rivals who don't turn into girls), and what I mentioned with number one makes the reason even worse.

Six, if you really need Ranma to go there, the first thing I'd do is refine those groups (though you should do that, anyway). I can think of a few magical girls who don't fit in with any of the three (an example being Himeko from Hime-chan's Ribbon), and Ranma would fit better into a new category. Maybe something like a miscellaneous group.

[Ellen Kuhfeld]

You catch more flies with honey than with vinegar. (I've been told this isn't that true -- flies do not especially care for honey. But honey is a lot stickier, so the saying should work in a roach motel kind of way.) Bribing the girls with a sort of learner's permit, with a full-bore magic license and insurance coverage after graduation should do a better job.

Instructors might not be as hard as one might think. Devil Hunter Yohko, for instance, is being trained by her grandmother. Shampoo, arguably a magical girl, is being trained by Cologne. Washuu would probably jump at the chance to be an instructor, and Urd might serve a semester or two as a potions instructor before she was fired.

The fun part is the "other" category -- girls like Ranma, or Nuku Nuku.

But what I most want to see is Mascot School. Heh, Kero teaching Ryoga how to be a guardian beast ...

[Noy Telinú]

Ok, 3 things.

One, this sounds eerily close to an Anime Addventure thread that was created years ago.

2, forcing people sounds eerily like the registration act of the civil war for marvel.

3, how the hell does the government find out if someone is a magic girl?

[Ellen Kuhfeld]

how the hell does the government find out if someone is a magic girl?

NSA. Telepaths. Jealous rivals.

[Noy Telinú]

First one would only get the stupid ones. 2nd would need a betrayal of someone like that. And third would be ridiculous. Jesus wouldn't do that.

[Ellen Kuhfeld]

And third would be ridiculous. Jesus wouldn't do that.

Arguably true. But Odin might.

[Noy Telinú]

Only if it was part of a crazy plan.

Anyway... It's unrealistic for a mandatory forced academy to be created. Serious backlash and all. Now, it could exist as a way to teach them formally as well as legal ways to prove credentials.

Since this idea rests with Ranma going, there are alternative options on the how.

Genma enrolled him there, for training reasons or otherwise.

Ranma couldn't get into any other school so Genma put him there.

It's the only girl school around and Ranma has to hide for some reason.

Nodoka signs Ranma up.

Since you didn't specify who else Ranma knows, perhaps Akane went there, therefore Ranma must.

Ranma thinks that in a place full of magic girls, SOMEONE should be able to cure his curse.

How's that?

[Ellen Kuhfeld]

Ranma thinks that in a place full of magic girls, SOMEONE should be able to cure his curse.

How's that?

The most tenable idea yet for Ranma and the rest of the Zoo Crew. What drew the other magical girls?

[Blackcat101]

How about this?

There are TWO Academies. One Academy is a "normal" Academy where potential magical girls are enrolled, with the bribe of full scholarship due to some (non magical) talent the girls have. For example due to the school needing to win several martial arts tournament, they could want to enroll "Ranko". Another girl is there because she is a very talented pianist, and so on. In the school, the girls are monitored for any magical girl potential, those ranked high enough also enrolled to the Secret Magical Girl Academy., that's actually underground of the regular Academy. Ranma could get enrolled as they just bribed Genma, and or the need of Ranma to hide into girl form (Lets said one of the fights got out of hand in Ranma's school, several people got injured and they blamed him.)

Ranma of course wont' want to be a magical girl, but since the alternative is to pack and leave, where else will he go? As those who are found talented enough to be magical girls but refuse just get kicked out of the school after being mind wiped.

[Ellen Kuhfeld]

Ranma of course wont' want to be a magical girl, but since the alternative is to pack and leave, where else will he go? As those who are found talented enough to be magical girls but refuse just get kicked out of the school after being mind wiped.

Sturm und drang! Schrecklikeit! Unausprechlich! Scheissdreck!

Ranma would not stand for a mind-wipe!

[Blackcat101]

Ranma is very talented, in martial arts, when it comes to magic, he is toast. Besides they could feed to Ranma ego.


*****
"Ranma, I have read your file, you seem to be a magnet of weirdness and danger, And things are getting out of your control. That fight at your old school proves it, how long until someone gets killed? Do you really want to go back to that life? Where fights where for stupid things instead of saving lives? Granted a few of your fights ended saving lives, but most of them would never have started if you weren't there."

"Don't give me that crap! You aren't the only one who had been reading files. That Magical girl codenamed "Bunny" and her friends, they want to take over the world, don't they? Aren't you trying to do the same too? Build an army of magical girls then take over? You think I want to be part of that?"

"Ranma, The Secret Academy exists just to prevent stuff like that. There are many groups of magical girls over the world. What you think happens to those girls once the treat they are facing is defeated and no new enemies show up? In most cases, there is some kind of safety switch and they lose their powers, but in the cases they don't..."

"You got a group of people who learned you can get love and justice and a better world just by fighting for it, right? No respect for democracy, it just takes watching the news to see the world isn't exactly fair. Then they become disillusioned, and may decide that since they used to defeat evil, they could fight for a better world... by acting against regular humans who they see as tyrants."

"Exactly, so if you know this already, why do you want to quit?"

"This may sound selfish but... is not my fight. Besides, you don't really need me, I can be replaced. I don't want to be someone pawn."

"Yeah, like you aren't your father pawn already, or Nabiki. Or Mister Tendo, or the Amazons..."

"That's... that is different dammit!"

"How? Because of honor? We might not be a charity organization, but even we have treated you better than then. And I see a great potential in your Ranma, you won't be a mere pawn."

"Like I want to lead a bunch of stupid girls that care more about a broken nail than there's a monster eating people around!"

"Then teach them, show them the right path."

"You just won't quit until I decide to stay, would you?"

"Ranma, do you believe in destiny?"

"If I did I would have to believe is my destiny to have been cursed, and that I will never get a cure. So, no, I don't."

"Destiny is what you make of it. That means if you want something then stop playing around and go out and get it. Want to leave? Just do t already. We will erase your memories about us first, but besides that, we will never bother you again. Want a cure? Travel to China and get it, Want to take control of your life in Nerima? Stop letting others push you around and just do it!"

"What? Now you are just letting me leave, just like that?"

"Why not? You said it yourself, is not your fight, you are easily replaceable. Is worse to do something haftway, that not doing it at all. If we forced you, if we brainwashed you, then we would be no better than the monsters we fight."

Ranma just stood there is silence... it was... his choice? Just like that? No pressure or honor involved? That was... different...

*****