General Questions mk 2

[Necavit]

"Everything is Ranma's fault."

In all fairness it usually is.

Ranma gets blamed for the curse and for pissing Akane off.

And those are his fault. Mabye you can argue a bit about pissing Akane off but the curse is 100% Ranma's fault.

Does Ranma intentionaly cause these things? Nah, but the fault still lands on him.



Why does Ranma keep the secret, friendship? Penquin you said your friends commit fraud. As a friend would you hint at their misdeeds in front of the police? Taunt them with the knowledge and leave hints for the authorities? Does this sound like friendship to you?

I think guilt it what motivates Ranma.

[Penguin-sa]

"Everything is Ranma's fault."

In all fairness it usually is.

Ranma gets blamed for the curse and for pissing Akane off.

And those are his fault. Mabye you can argue a bit about pissing Akane off but the curse is 100% Ranma's fault.

Does Ranma intentionaly cause these things? Nah, but the fault still lands on him.



Why does Ranma keep the secret, friendship? Penquin you said your friends commit fraud. As a friend would you hint at their misdeeds in front of the police? Taunt them with the knowledge and leave hints for the authorities? Does this sound like friendship to you?

I think guilt it what motivates Ranma.

If I had a friend who I otherwise liked, but was using a secret to betray someone's trust, I would definately give him or her a hard time concerning that secret. Assuming I didn't just tell the person involved. But then I'm not (thank god) a Takahashi character.

I agree that guilt does come into it initially, but in my experience guilt does not last very long, especially when someone is taking advantage of it.

Of course, I put forward the friendship hypothesis as just that, as a way to find to answer the question I raised. The truth, comedy aside, probably lies somewhere between the two, a mixture of both.

By the way, can we agree of the princibles who do know about P-chan, including Ryoga, Ranma is the least blameworthy? He may have a poor excuse, be it guilt, promise or friendship, but he does have an excuse, unlike Soun.

[claymade]

Actually the question I have is why Ranma doesn't Ranma tell Akane if he is not bound by a promise not to? I mean he is clearly jealous of Ryoga, if he tells Akane right away, it should be a brownie point, so why doesn't he?

Well, to answer the question of why he didn't tell her right away, the most reasonable method of analysis would seem to be to look at that initial encounter for our data.

And in fact, he does start to do exactly what you suggest. But he's interrupted partway--not by friendship or guilt or sympathy, but by Akane kissing P-chan. This infuriates Ranma to the point where he's literally shaking, and instead of finishing his sentence he instead just shouts out "Idiot! See if I care!" and runs off.

Later on, of course, other reasons come in to play--things like guilt and friendship and sympathy and the fact that with each time he hides the truth like that he's getting in deeper himself. But to answer your original question, the thing that kicked it all off--the reason he didn't tell her up front--was ultimately a jealous reaction to that kiss.

The first night that Akane took "P-chan" to bed, Ranma snuck into the bedroom with a kettle of hot water, threatened to splash Ryoga in order to get him to leave, and when he refused, actually tried to splash him.

Does he? I read through that part again, but nowhere did I find him actually trying to follow through on his threat.

Of course, Akane woke up during the chase, accused Ranma of being a pervert and jealous of a pig, and refused to listen to his explanation.

(In her defense, considering that she woke up out of sleep directly to a boy in her bed, lying on top of her, I don't really think she overreacted.)

It's my opinion that it was after that event that Ranma began to suspect that she would never be able to realize the truth about P-chan and stopped trying to actively out him.

The problem is, it's not really consistent with his actions at all. Think of all the effort that he's gone through at various points to prevent Ryouga from transforming in front of Akane. He very clearly believes that if he were to do something like this for Akane, she'd believe him.

[Penguin-sa]

I re-read that section and I totally agree with you. I also agree that the bedroom scene is one of the comparatively few in which Akane is perfectly justified in her reasctions. your response did get me to thinking though.

Maybe the real reason is as simple as being caught in a lie. Once you let a lie go uncorrect4ed, it becomes harder and harder to tell the truth. In this case, given Akane's volatility, everyone gains a strong self interest to keep quiet and even for Ranma to save Ryoga, but still taunt and tease him, since Ryoga still has the most to lose. Maintaining the lie becomes the most convenient action for all concerned.

[claymade]

Maybe the real reason is as simple as being caught in a lie. Once you let a lie go uncorrect4ed, it becomes harder and harder to tell the truth.

That is indeed probably part of it--although I don't think it's the whole of it. Considering how Ranma reacts when he thinks the secret is out--his foremost concern being for Ryouga--I think friendship/pity definitely have their place in the equation too.

(Of course, that particular occurrence takes place after the Weakness Moxibustion arc--meaning that by that point, things have already begun to tilt more toward friendship between them than had been the case previously.)

[Necavit]

Yea we can agree that of those who know Ranma deserves the least blame for not telling.

Soun and Genma obviously have an agenda.

In fact I would admire Ranma's dedication to helping Ryoga conceal it, if Ranma didnt seem dedicated to giving every hint in the book to reveal him.

Oh and I agree that there is at least some friendship in the mix. The longer the manga goes on the more friendly they become.

[SpaceKnight of Chaos]

Just some queries about anime alterations to the characters and how great a distortion they are of the canon...
-In an early episode of the anime, Mr. Daikoku -a father Genma promised Ranma to but cheated him- offers Soun monetary compensation in exchange for Soun relinquishing his claim on Ranma. He tells Soun to name his price and Soun actually looks interested (asking how much Daikoku has) before Akane pipes up and makes him change his mind. Hw out of character is this for Soun? Could he be persuaded to give up the engagement for money, and if so how much?

-In the anime take of the Cradle from Hell storyline, Genma "starts" things by telling Ranma that they are no longer father and son. Does this happen in the manga? Also, what is the cause of these events in the manga version?

-If Genma did indeed disown Ranma in the manga, then how great a distortion of his character is the anime's "Ryoga Inherits the Saotome School?" storyline? For those of you who haven't seen this, in this episode, Genma comes home one afternoon to find Ranma has eaten some pastries Genma was saving. Genma ends up being punched through the roof by Ranma for trying to yank his jaws apart, and vows revenge. He declares to the Tendos that, while he and Ranma are still father and son, he no longer thinks Ranma is fit to be the heir to the Saotome school, and so he's switching over to Ryoga. He has no intention of actually sticking to this; he's just trying to frighten Ranma into grovelling to him, then he plans to have Ryoga beat Ranma into doing this.

-As antimatterenergy has mentioned before (I think- I know it's on his/her blog), the idea that every martial artist in Nerima roofhops is fanon when compared to the manga. But how does it compare to the anime? I mean, are Ranma and his various rivals/fiancees more likely to roofhop there? I vaguely recall Ryoga having trouble jumping up onto a roof and failing to land when he jumped down from it in one episode (Kuno's House of Gadgets), but in the christmas episode, Kodachi, Shampoo and Ukyo are all on the roof and ready to fight.

[KonokoHasano]

In the anime take of the Cradle from Hell storyline, Genma "starts" things by telling Ranma that they are no longer father and son. Does this happen in the manga? Also, what is the cause of these events in the manga version?

In the manga version, everything is started because Genma found that he could no longer defeat Ranma in their fights, and so he devises a way to defeat him.

While Genma did say 'As of now... we are no longer father and son', it's not a 'true' statement of disowning.
http://ranmahentai.ranma.ws/RanmaManga/ ... 1-020.html

[SpaceKnight of Chaos]

Just to clarify, I meant that Genma starts their respective preparations for their "duel" by declaring that as of now they're no longer father and son. The anime also opens with Genma losing a fight to Ranma and being horrified by this.

[SpaceKnight of Chaos]

Now, if my memory is serving me right, I asked on this topic people's opinions what would happen if it came out that Happosai is actually a resident of Soun's dojo. I believe someone answered that the town council probably already knows Happosai is the panty-thief, given how ineffective his "sneaking mask" really is (antimatterenergy did a nice article on its symbolic nature on its blog, by the by). So know, I have to ask: while the town council of Nerima might know what Happosai really looks like, in the manga, do they know his identity? Or that he does live at the Tendos?

Because, in the anime, as far as I can recall, all the signs seem to indicate that Happosai's existence as a person outside his thievery and his residency at the Tendos are facts the other citizens of Nerima are ignorant of. Soun goes out of his way to keep the fellow council member from seeing him in "The Witch Who Loved Me", for example.

Also, I would like to point out that Happosai moves at speeds that are considered impressive even amongst his fellow martial artists and he often raids at night or in other inclement conditions (a typhoon, for example), so even though his mask doesn't really hide his face, he's not all that easy to get a detailed visual identity of either.

[SpaceKnight of Chaos]

I got a question concerning the Amazon's names. Are there any other amazons apart from Cologne, Shampoo or Mousse that are named after hair care products? I constantly see in fics amazon names like haircare, conditioner or others like that.

I know this is late, but I just had to point this out: cologne isn't a haircare product. Its the masculine equivalent of perfume- scent for boys. So the 'gag theme' for Amazon names, in either canon, is beauty products. Hair care products do fit, but a more accurate homage would be names like Perfume, Mascara, etc.

[SpaceKnight of Chaos]

Just trying to get some questions answered, futile as it may be...
*In some fics, I've seen authors claim that Happosai is Ranma 1/2's embodiment of "The Scottish Trope"- that is, if you dare to say his name aloud, he's almost garaunteed to appear. Does this have any basis in fact?

*A lot of stories claim Ranma can learn anything just by seeing it done once. While this is, obviously, an exaggeration, just how long does it usually take him to learn a move or devise a countermove?

*In an early episode of the anime, Mr. Daikoku -a father Genma promised Ranma to but cheated him- offers Soun monetary compensation in exchange for Soun relinquishing his claim on Ranma. He tells Soun to name his price and Soun actually looks interested (asking how much Daikoku has) before Akane pipes up and makes him change his mind. Hw out of character is this for Soun? Could he be persuaded to give up the engagement for money, and if so how much?

*In the anime take of the Cradle from Hell storyline, Genma declares he and Ranma are no longer father and son roughly prior to arranging their 'duel' in a week's time, which was started because Ranma proved he could now beat Genma easily. Does this happen in the manga? Also, what is the cause of these events in the manga version? In the anime, Ranma beats Genma off when they fight for the last cup of instant ramen.

*If Genma did indeed disown Ranma in the manga, then how great a distortion of his character is the anime's "Ryoga Inherits the Saotome School?" storyline? For those of you who haven't seen this, in this episode, Genma comes home one afternoon to find Ranma has eaten some pastries Genma was saving. Genma ends up being punched through the roof by Ranma for trying to yank his jaws apart, and vows revenge. He declares to the Tendos that, while he and Ranma are still father and son, he no longer thinks Ranma is fit to be the heir to the Saotome school, and so he's switching over to Ryoga. He has no intention of actually sticking to this; he's just trying to frighten Ranma into grovelling to him, then he plans to have Ryoga beat Ranma into doing this when Ranma proves unshaken.

*As antimatterenergy has mentioned before (I think- I know it's on his/her blog), the idea that every martial artist in Nerima roofhops is fanon when compared to the manga. But how does it compare to the anime? I mean, are Ranma and his various rivals/fiancees more likely to roofhop there? I vaguely recall Ryoga having trouble jumping up onto a roof and failing to land when he jumped down from it in one episode (Kuno's House of Gadgets), but in the christmas episode, Kodachi, Shampoo and Ukyo are all on the roof and ready to fight.

*Now, if my memory is serving me right, I asked on this topic people's opinions what would happen if it came out that Happosai is actually a resident of Soun's dojo. I believe someone answered that the town council probably already knows Happosai is the panty-thief, given how ineffective his "sneaking mask" really is (antimatterenergy did a nice article on its symbolic nature on its blog, by the by). So know, I have to ask: while the town council of Nerima might know what Happosai really looks like, in the manga, do they know his identity? Or that he does live at the Tendos?

Because, in the anime, as far as I can recall, all the signs seem to indicate that Happosai's existence as a person outside his thievery, and his residency at the Tendos, are facts the other citizens of Nerima are ignorant of. Soun goes out of his way to keep the fellow council member from seeing him in "The Witch Who Loved Me", for example.

Also, I would like to point out that Happosai moves at speeds that are considered impressive even amongst his fellow martial artists and he often raids at night or in other inclement conditions (a typhoon, for example), so even though his mask doesn't really hide his face, he's not all that easy to get a detailed visual identity of either.

[Drawde]

*In the anime take of the Cradle from Hell storyline, Genma declares he and Ranma are no longer father and son roughly prior to arranging their 'duel' in a week's time, which was started because Ranma proved he could now beat Genma easily. Does this happen in the manga? Also, what is the cause of these events in the manga version? In the anime, Ranma beats Genma off when they fight for the last cup of instant ramen.

I don't think this was meant to be taken literally. It just means that Genma is going to treat this like a duel between two unconnected people, not a spar between family members, where you usually try not to seriously hurt each other.

As far as how it started, that's pretty much the same. Genma lost the food to Ranma, then later Ranma mocked Genma about him not being able to steal Ranma's food anymore.

[SpaceKnight of Chaos]

Whether or not Genma actually meant it is not the question- did he say something like that in the manga is all I'm asking. I personally don't think he means it in either version. Don't stop it being a scummy thing to do.

[mondu_the_fat]

Whether or not Genma actually meant it is not the question- did he say something like that in the manga is all I'm asking. I personally don't think he means it in either version. Don't stop it being a scummy thing to do.

Heck, it should be a complement.

"Even though you are my son, I will hurt you.

In order to fully test your skill, I must stop looking at you as my son.

That is how much I respect your skill."

That is what Genma meant. I fail to see how this is scummy. This would have been scummy outside of context, if Genma had simply cut ties with Ranma and had absolutely nothing to do with him afterwards.