by Taleswapper
[Originally a post to Rec.Arts.Anime.Stories in October 1995.]
I noticed that someone posted on rec.arts.anime.stories a poll to select favorite fanfics, etc. No poll, unfortunately, enables respondents to provide a rationale for their choices. Suddenly inspired to express my thoughts on stories I have enjoyed reading, I put together the following list of my favorites and tried to describe why I like the stories so much. At first, I tried to assemble my thoughts using the usual gimmicks (e.g., top 10 list, "best of" categories). Such constructs, however, only constrained me unnecessarily, requiring me to leave out good stories that didn't make an arbitrary "cut" or to rank stories numerically. Depending on my mood on any given day, there are at least four fanfics that could have won my "Best Story" award. So I decided to simply state what I like about all the fanfics that I count among my favorites.
Why only Ranma stories? Since I don't read everything on r.a.a.s., I didn't think it would be valid to list favorite overall fanfics when I have deliberately limited my choices. I've read all Ranma fanfics. Well, to be accurate, I've *started* to read all Ranma fanfics. When the writing is really bad or the story uninteresting, I often just skim to the end to get the basic plot. But I've finished most of them, even many bad ones.
All Ranma fanfics in Megazone's ftp.std.com archive that have an archive date after 9/29/94 qualified for consideration. I picked that date since it is the archive date of all the older files (presumably when Megazone moved from wpi.wpi.edu). Also, having a cutoff date enabled me to enshrine a few stories in my "Hall of Fame" at the end of this post.
How does a fanfic make my list of "favorites?" Basically, a fave is anything that I've read in its entirety more than once. Some stories are so enjoyable or so skillfully crafted that I find myself reading them a second time, a third . . . There are stories that I consider very well written, but have nothing to draw me back a second time. What tends to draw me back?
After compiling my list, I discovered one more virtue I look for in a fanfic: brevity. Now, extended length is not an absolute disqualifier (one of my all-time faves is John Biles' 15-chapter epic "Putting Your Heart in the Right Place"). But there does seem to be an arbitrary point at which stories become too long for me to want to re-read unless they are _very_ entertaining or thought-provoking. Perfect examples are the stories released as part the Elseworld series started by Biles. I enjoyed all of them, but their great length, combined with necessarily very complex plots, are a disincentive for me to re-read the stories.
The following comments are entirely my own opinion. Naturally, there are a few SPOILERS in my critiques. I welcome your comments.
Taleswapper
September 1995
P-chans are awarded to the following six Ranma 1/2 fanfics. I deliberately
avoided reviewing my quarterly posts when I wrote these appreciations. I
hope I haven't repeated myself too much and have found some interesting new
things to say.
If Hayao Miyazaki did a Ranma movie, the script might read something like Stepping Stones. The moving story of a young woman conquering her emotional dependency is about as mature and realistic as fiction based on cartoons can be. Ukyou's first-person narrative flows beautifully and sounds very much true to life, except for a few overdone "Now we come to . . ." sort of lines and the annoying "Takahashi Wall" joke. Her description of the childhood encounter with Ranma was especially enjoyable, although Benares has either changed or gotten wrong the story of how the Saotomes ended up with the Kuonji's yatai. I would have liked to have read the author's take on the secret sauce story and how Ukyou felt about Ranma's childhood vow to her.
In adulthood, when Ukyou talks about her feelings concerning Ranma and his family, your heart has to ache for her. Absolutely fascinating is the final confrontation between Ukyou and Shampoo, especially the former's palpable and frightening rage when her old rival dares to speak the truth Ukyou has denied for so long. Bringing in the monk from the Joe's Crepes episode was a nice touch and a smart way to advance the plot toward resolution. Ironically, this dead-serious story contains one of the funniest things I've read in any fanfic: the scene when Ranma dumps a potted plant on his head. It wasn't until my third reading that I noticed that what I've read is meant as the beginning of a longer story. Maintaining this level of quality will be a major challenge: Good luck, Benares, and don't do anything silly like having Ukyou fall in love with an American (where's she going on that ship?).
Click
here to download Stepping Stones from the anime fanfic
archive.
To commend the author merely for constructing "a lemon story in which the sex is central to the plot" would be faint praise. No doubt that's what Demaine intended, but like the fabled characters that write themselves, his plotting and scripting abilities have taken over and yielded prose and stories that are good regardless of the sexual content. While this lemon fanfic, for obvious reasons, cannot be completely faithful to its anime/manga inspiration, Demaine does a heroic job of keeping Ranma and Co. in character (especially their dialogue) despite the obvious challenges.
The plots, which Demaine modestly downplays in his notes as overlong justifications for the lemon scenes, are as imaginative as any but the most expansive fanfic stories. The plot of Volume 2, Part 4 - wherein Ranma must think of a counter to Mousse's new technique - could be the basis of a good fanfic (in the TV episode style) on its own, without the lemon scene. Speaking of which, the sex scenes are well conceived and very capably written, better than anything else out there. The Ranma/Akane scenes are marked by genuine romance of the youthful, inexperienced sort. The Ukyou/Ryouga story, though, is probably the best in terms of imaginative staging and raw eroticism, with a setup as faithful to the source material as you can get in the context.
Click here to download the Ranma .05 Volume 1 from the anime fanfic archive.
Click
here to download the Ranma .05 Volume 2 from the anime fanfic
archive.
Juyza Shiratori wins for Best New Character. I wanted to hate this story; I have little patience for fanfics in which the author or his proxy is a major character. I wanted to hate the self-centered main character with his trendy counterculturalism and Marvel Comics-style teenage angst (complete with stereotypical lines like "I don't believe in the concept of love"). But Juyza's Lyric story grabs hold of you and won't let go. Gagne's choice of the first-person/journal style was very well calculated; it enables the reader to experience firsthand Juyza's maturation and enlightenment. The development of the title character is professional and polished. Juyza has clear (if sometimes objectionable) motivations and well-defined personality traits, unlike the predictable, two-dimensional stars of other author-in-Ranmaland fanfics.
The journal entries, despite their realistically nonlinear style, weave a surprisingly complex story. The P-chan kidnapping subplot is crafted nicely; particularly well-thought-out is the use of the character Chance, who links success of Juyza's scheme to Mikado's desire to keep Azusa at a safe distance. And it takes a very skilled scripter to make an effective climax out of a speech (Ukyou's explanation of contentment with her life); Gagne qualifies.
My essay on "Annoying New Characters" contains additional thoughts about Juyza's Lyric.
Click here to
go to Stefan Gagne's fiction page.
This beautiful tale is the most romantic fanfic after Joseph Palmer's seasonal stories. Garza is especially adept at describing what Ranma and Akane think of each other in trying circumstances. Also touching are the scenes between Ryouga and Akane. Akane's feeding scenes (Ranma and Shampoo) are as erotic as anything written in a lemon fanfic. The in medias res beginning is unusually sophisticated for a fanfic; it works very well, so it's not pretentious. The climactic fight scene is exciting; Garza shows skill in giving the multiple combatants something useful to do. The story could have used a little more editing/proofing, though.
Click
here to download Akane por Siempre from the anime fanfic
archive.
They ought to turn this fanfic into an OAV. Seriously, while the story may be extremely introspective for Ranma 1/2 (that's a *good* thing, BTW), it's certainly not too talky. A fun tale on the first read, Girl's Night Out turns into a capable character study if you read it a second time. Hosmer does a commendable job of exploring Akane's and Ukyou's motivations (especially how the two feel about each other) through capable third-person portrayal of the girls' private thoughts. The language in these "inside her head" passages is well matched to each character's personality: Akane's tempestuousness and insecurity; Ukyou's cheerfulness and quirky femininity. The fight scene was a little contrived and unnecessary, but it did have the effect of giving the fanfic the feeling of a TV episode.
Click
here to download Girls' Night Out from the anime fanfic
archive.
Palmer is a runaway winner in the Best Writer and Best Romance categories. His prose is elegant: simple and unpretentious yet enormously expressive; rather like poetry. I thought about quoting some of my favorite passages, but taking them out of their well-formed contexts would be unjust. The imagery is vivid and, although the extended similes in Winter are a little forced, the author keeps getting better as the seasons pass.
The plots don't have the complexity of other good fanfics, but that is because the overall story is so very realistic; as in much of real life, less turns out to be more. Palmer portrays very authentically the evolution of a genuine romance. The author has removed the slapstick comedy that is an integral part of Ranma 1/2, but he methodically uncovers the Ranma/Akane relationship in the precise way, I think, that Takahashi intends it: Ranma's slow realization of his feelings and Akane's hopeful impatience as he comes around. BTW, Kasumi's role as instigator in Winter was the most successful of all authors' attempts to portray the elder Tendou as smarter than she seems. I look forward to Autumn.
Not surprisingly, Autumn was excellent, and I said as much in my First Quarter FY 96 post and in the 1996 Taleswapper Awards. Additional appreciation of all four "Seasons" stories can be found in the 1996 Induction Ceremony for Taleswapper's Hall of Fame.
Click here to go
to Joseph Palmer's home page.
Latus wins the award for Best Fight Scene. I enjoy the climactic battle not only for the originality of having Ryouga and Shampoo team up against Ranma, but also for the ruthlessness Latus portrays in both attackers. The battle is well choreographed; Latus' imagery enables any imaginative reader to paint some pretty exciting animation cels in his mind. I wish the author had made battle last longer, although it might not have made much sense for Ranma to be able to put up more of a fight. Also well-crafted are the scenes where Ryouga's secret is revealed and where he resolves to give up on Japan and kill his rival. The characterization is pretty faithful to the source material, although Ryouga gets a little too verbose near the end. I thought the framing sequence was superfluous; since I didn't enjoy Ryouga: Crossover nearly as much, linking the two stories holds no appeal.
In my opinion.
Taleswapper
The original 1995 Taleswapper Awards post included appreciations of the charter inductees to Taleswapper's Hall of Fame. I have since expanded those appreciations; the new versions are in the Hall of Fame page.
Any of these six fanfics could have been my favorite for the year. Indeed, most have been at some point, depending on my mood or on fleeting changes in my preferences. But today, my choice is the story described next.
Return to Taleswapper's Home Page.