The Ranma anime... darker and edgier?!

[Crescent Pulsar R]

Rather than argue, I'll just state what I consider to be dark, which I feel is the official way that it should be applied, and leave it at that. That being: it can't be dark unless these serious things are actually focused on and addressed, rather than just being kicked away like a small stone on the path. I mean, with how many near-deaths that occur in various media, and the amount of deaths that are just mentioned (i.e. dead parent(s), usually for character development background), we'd be dealing with a shitload of dark labels all over the place. (Even something like the Little Mermaid, or the Lion King.) But we don't, because it's always about the prevailing features. Let's take the story with the sick boy that needs medicine to live, but won't take it, and Ranma ends up getting involved. On its face it concerns a serious topic and, while it can be dark, if such a thing were common enough in its given medium (Ranma 1/2), at best it can be considered drama in the series. However, considering the comedy and slapstick, it's simply can't be even that.

A couple of examples of what I consider to be dark, off of the top of my head, would be movies like... Eye for an Eye and Strangeland.

And, yes, I do realize that I'm addressing it as a whole, rather than in bits and parts. The way that I see it, is, if it's like looking up at the sun, where you can't see the sunspots even when aware of their presence, it just doesn't matter. Majority rule, and all that. In this case, a minority of a minority of a minority. And the minority, as far as I see it, isn't even dark.

Now, edgier, on the other hand... That makes more sense, to me, since I think it's actually applicable. Though I haven't seen all of the anime, so I can't determine whether I think the anime or manga is edgier.

[Quickshot0]

Doesn't edgier and dark have things in common? Specifically I'm thinking of how in both bad things happen, but in the one there is still a reasonable amount of hope, while typically in really dark stories, hope is starting to bleed away for things to get better. As such, it probably isn't to much to say that Ranma does contain some dark elements in it. And I guess you could then try to discuss whether the anime or the manga had more of them, or where they seemed more prevalent.

[Crescent Pulsar R]

Dark and edgy are two different things, though the latter can lead to the former. Edgy is just a way of drawing a line somewhere, then pointing out how the content brushes or passes that line to some degree. It's often used for movies that have more/worse vulgarity, sexual/adult content, gore or violence than in comparison to something else.

As such, it probably isn't to much to say that Ranma does contain some dark elements in it. And I guess you could then try to discuss whether the anime or the manga had more of them, or where they seemed more prevalent.

No, it's not too much. If you can find any serious scenario where the focus (its purpose within the proper context) is not on comedy, romance or standard drama (i.e. saving someone's life), you might have a winner. Morbid things are particularly easy to classify as dark.

[Quickshot0]

So is your point of view then, that if comedy is the main focus, then nothing else that might be happening in the background matters?

[Konsaki]

So is your point of view then, that if comedy is the main focus, then nothing else that might be happening in the background matters?

When looking at the forest and admiring the view (i.e. comedy) can you see the death and destruction the animals are wreaking inside (i.e. dark elements) without specifically looking for them?

[Quickshot0]

Konsaki, my first thought on that was, yes, then I decided that was a bit of a reflex answer so I thought about it.

So when I'm being particularly thoughtful... then when I look at a forest, which admittedly is very pretty to look at, I tend to consider it a major war zone, including the trees and the other plants.

So I suppose, considering that just seeing the trees, tells me a bit about the overall cruelty inside... I'd still say yes. Then again, maybe I think about these things to much.

[Crescent Pulsar R]

Sigh. Again, no one understands what I'm saying. Okay, I'll try one more time. I need to return my focus to writing my fic, anyway. *I glare at the part that I'm stuck at*

I'll use an example. A girl is dying in a man's arms. They're lovers. Dramatic, tragic. Heart-wrenching. There's tears as they exchange their final words, as a violin plays in the background. And the last thing that the man says, before she breathes her last breath... is a punchline to some joke, and her head falls back comically with X'd out eyes.

It's the point of the thing, the culmination, the impact, the intent. It's not like looking at a forest and saying it's dark because most of the trees that can be seen are shaded from the sun. To ignore any tree's significance is like trying to read a proper sentence while only paying attention to the subject and the verb; because, without the object, you lose the message intended.

It's kind of like being a case of not seeing the forest for the trees. Unless you pick up everything that you need to understand the point, you won't. You need all of the trees to see the forest for what it is, what it amounts to, not just a portion of them.