The following essay originally appeared as part of my Third Quarter Fanfic Year 1996 posting of favorite Ranma 1/2 fan fiction stories, in July 1996.
The subject of this essay is annoying new characters (ANCs). You know the ones I mean: the foreign exchange students or itinerant martial artists who show up at the Tendo Dojo, steal the story away from Takahashi's characters, and are romantically involved with Nabiki. You can see them coming a mile away: they often have western names or dramatic-sounding appellations inspired by fantasy roleplaying games, such as Nightblood, Spoonhead, or Breakwynd. Many of them have fantastic powers, complete with "called shot" special effects ("Verdant projectile!" Breakwynd shouted, before hocking a lunger on Ranma's cheek.).
Often, online discussion of this topic is dominated by a sort of "common wisdom" that was best expressed in David Bateson's Guide to Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction. In that excellent resource, Bateson's brief critique of one fanfic finds fault with a new character that is "too perfect." His commentary on another set of stories indicates some displeasure with its "all-powerful" central character. Bateson's observations exemplify, and perhaps even inspired, oft-repeated criticisms of ANCs and stories that feature them.
Other discussions of ANCs center on the distaste many readers have for authors who make themselves, or unambiguous proxies of themselves, leading characters in Ranma fanfics. Bateson's guide aptly refers to an example of this practice as "otaku wish fulfillment."
Certainly, unrealistic levels of perfection make for uninteresting characters, and characters of insuperable power make for uninteresting stories. Self-based characters, unless done very well, are boring at best and at worst, little more than childish "play pretend" games, indicative of unsophisticated fantasies about stepping into the TV to live, fight, and play with Ranma & Co. Yet these flaws in characterization, though glaring, are not at the heart of my problem with ANCs. This essay explains my own annoyance with such characters.
To identify what makes ANCs annoying to me, it is necessary to define the reason I read and enjoy Ranma fanfics. As an enthusiastic fan of Ranma 1/2, I have collected and experienced all the manga and anime, and many ancillary products. And I want more. So, I turn to fan fiction as a continuation of the Ranma mythos that will not necessarily end anytime soon, as the manga has and as the anime likely soon will.
Perhaps more importantly, fanfics expand on the Ranma mythos. They flesh out characters who remained shallow and undeveloped in the source material. They introduce to Ranma 1/2 mature, serious, and complex themes that were inappropriate for the anime/manga, which were aimed primarily at a juvenile audience. In addition, fanfics explore fascinating what-if? scenarios by altering the established continuity or characterization.
Simply put: I read Ranma fanfics because I very much enjoy Ranma 1/2 and want to explore that universe more thoroughly. That is the sole reason for my enjoyment of fanfics; I do not read them for the quality of writing. Although, obviously, I have great appreciation for well written fanfics, there are lots of literary sources available, other than rec.arts.anime.creative, where I am much more likely to find excellent fiction.
The purpose of Ranma fanfics, for me, is to enrich my vision of the Ranma 1/2 mythos in some appreciable way. Fanfics that do not adequately address this priority, therefore, do not interest me and may annoy me. Of course, authors have their own, completely distinct reasons for writing, such as sharing something that is important to them, stretching creatively, or just having fun. These are noble artistic objectives in my estimation. But when an author's objectives for a fanfic begin to conflict with my ideal of appreciable enhancement of the Ranma mythos, I consider dismissing that particular work.
And so, for example, I do not enjoy most Ranma fanfics that are set anywhere but in or near modern Japan. No matter how well such stories are written, they depart so far from the source material that they create a new mythos, with only coincidental similarities to the universe I enjoy. Such enormous departures lack the appeal of the much simpler changes at the root of such excellent fanfics as the Elsewhere series or Tales of Ranma & Nabiki. While stories transposing Ranma & Co. to ancient Greece or outer space may be objectively good, they don't meet my needs and I'll spend little time reading them.
By the same token, newly created characters who distract from the Ranma 1/2 mythos repulse my interest and may fuel my annoyance. These ANCs can distract by introducing plotlines and story elements that are in discord with the Ranma 1/2 milieu. Discordant elements include stories that are totally separate from, but forcibly integrated with, the Ranma 1/2 milieu. Additional discord is inflicted by ANCs who make repeated cultural references that are alien to the Ranma 1/2 universe. Such material is often the mark of author-based characters, who typically insist on introducing Ranma & Co. to the author's favorite songs, TV shows, hobbies, etc.
It is important to emphasize that new characters per se do not necessarily distract and annoy. Indeed, characters that are especially created by a fanfic author for a specific story can enhance the work by providing new perspectives and otherwise surmounting the limits of the original Ranma 1/2 cast. Some of my favorite stories involve such characters, such as Shori in The Least One Can Do, whose budding romance with Ranma opens up new possibilities in the existing Ranma 1/2 continuity. When authors create and insert new characters into Ranma fanfics, they are attempting to meet some objective that could not easily be accomplished using only the original characters or throwaway "extras." Among the most important of these possible objectives is the authors' desire to put a little bit more of themselves and their creative energy into the work. And so, new characters may reflect the thoughts of the author, may address issues the author wants raised, or may play important roles that the author thinks cannot be performed by any of the original anime/manga characters.
And of course, these goals are fine by me. I am disappointed, however, when an author uses a new character to bring in story elements that have no (or only passing) relevance to the Ranma universe story that I was looking for. In such situations, the author is taking an unrelated story they want to tell and force-fitting it into the Ranma 1/2 milieu. In such cases, the new characters who are the vehicles for intrusive story elements become annoying to me.
ANCs are inserted to achieve goals that I can't abide, such as showcasing ideas that don't seem to mesh well with any semblance of the Ranma 1/2 universe. The more alien the idea is to the existing Ranma 1/2 milieu, the more likely it will intrude, distract, and annoy. These alien story elements often take the form of relationships between different ANCs. When one new character shows up at the Tendo dojo, he at least has the potential for smooth integration into the Ranma universe. This potential, however, crumbles very quickly when the author introduces other new characters who have prior relationships with the first new guy, necessitating the telling of stories and the exploration of motivations that have nothing to do with Ranma 1/2. Annoying.
So "perfection" and "power" are not necessarily defining characteristics of an ANC. More importantly, ANCs become no less offensive merely because an author adds flaws, weaknesses, or other realistic touches to their characterization.
Now, I'll admit a prejudice that affects my reading of Ranma fanfics. Like most prejudices held by intelligent people, it is based less on reason and more on experiences that outweigh contradictory evidence available to the prejudger. My prejudice: new characters who happen to be of western origin are always annoying.
Don't get me wrong. Some of my best friends are westerners. Actually, all of my best friends are westerners. Actually, so am I.
Occidental new characters are automatically annoying to me because, by definition, their involvement in the fanfic introduces story elements that are alien to the established Ranma 1/2 universe. When I read a Ranma fanfic featuring a western character, I immediately ask myself, Why did he have to be western? Typically, the answer is an annoying one: because the author wanted to incorporate some idea or plotline that could not be easily incorporated by a Japanese or Chinese character. Such ideas or plotlines are literally foreign to the Ranma milieu and therefore, not what I am looking for. Undisguised author-based characters are the most obvious "offenders." If authors take the trouble to inject themselves into Ranma fanfic, then adequate characterization demands a generous helping of western attitudes, ideas, and culture. Annoying.
I have encountered no evidence to contradict my prejudice. Some western characters have such minor roles that they are relatively unintrusive; a good example is the witch in Putting Your Heart in the Right Place. More often, however, such characters are the focus of the fanfic and so its value for me begins to approach zero.
After all this discussion of what I don't like in new characters, I feel obliged to specify some elements that go into original Ranma fanfic characters that I enjoy. An effective way to do that is to remark on one particularly well conceived character: Juyza Shiratori from Juyza's Lyric by Stephan Gagne.
Statements in the author's notes and hints in the actual story make clear that Juyza is to a great extent an author-based character. There is no doubt, moreover, that Shiratori is the unchallenged star of and focus of the fanfic. And while he is not perfect and has no comic-book superpowers, he definitely has skills that enable him to hold his own: Juyza is able to fend for himself and even to "defeat" Ranma, Akane, Ryouga, and Azusa by employing intelligence and some technological savvy.
The important distinction between Gagne's avatar and the vast population of fanfictional Furinkan High foreign exchange students is this: Juyza clearly belongs in the Ranma 1/2 universe. Gagne not only made the character Japanese, he gave his creation a simple, but effective backstory within the existing continuity. By making Juyza a relative of one of Takahashi's one-shot characters, Gagne provided a firm grounding in the Ranma 1/2 universe while still allowing himself plenty of freedom to develop the character and his story.
Although Juyza is not a complete simulacrum of the author, Gagne did invest the character with genuine emotional content that is likely Gagne's own. This level of authenticity, perhaps even honesty, is lacking in the author-based ANCs that draw so much criticism from fanfic readers. Again, the issue is not Juyza's lack of perfection or power, but rather the bona fide nature of Juyza's thoughts, motivations, and reactions. The first-person, journal-style narrative of Juyza's Lyric is a decidedly successful vehicle for the type of fidelity that readers like me demand from author-based characters. As we read about how Juyza feels and how he acts on those feelings, we can't help but be drawn into his situation. We imagine ourselves in his place, even if we don't particularly admire his personality or maturity. I've never imagined myself in the place of any author-based character who shows up at the Tendo dojo to learn Anything-Goes Martial Arts.
Further evidence of Juyza's intimate link with his creator are such "western" elements as an affinity for trendy "grunge" heavy metal music and immersion in Internet culture. Yet while these story elements raised some concern for me, they are readily acceptable because they fit very securely into a Ranma 1/2 story that I considered worth telling; Gagne did not merely throw in mentions of grunge and Internet for the sake of sharing with readers things that were important in his life. Rather, these elements served clearly identifiable purposes in the story. Juyza's musical tastes stand as an important contrast to his sister's obsession with "cute" and become a focal point in their peaceful coexistence. E-mail access becomes important in the buildup to Juyza's climactic confrontation with Ukyou.
I think Gagne has overdramatized his story by describing it as "dark" and
has misrepresented his character's distress as "angst." But he has created
as memorable an original character as we are likely to ever see in Ranma
1/2 fan fiction. More to the point, while there are elements of Juyza Shiratori's
personality that would seem offensive were he real, as a fanfic character,
Juyza does not annoy.
In my opinion.
Taleswapper
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