I developed the Hall of Fame concept when I wrote my first posting, the 1995 Taleswapper Awards. The Hall afforded me an opportunity for me to honor my favorite fanfics that didn't fit within the 12-month period from which the Award-winners were drawn. Sometime afterward, I decided that Hall enshrinement should not merely be a function of age and quality, but should also require demonstrated influence. Each of the stories honored below have had a major and lasting effect on my reading of other fanfics.
I have expanded and improved my appreciations of the three "charter" Hall-of-Famers, made slight modifications to the 1996 entries, and elected three new inductees.
Join me in paying homage to the giants of the Ranma 1/2 fan fiction art form.
Inducted in October 1995
More than three years after its completion, Right Place remains for me the most influential of Ranma 1/2 fan fiction works. Its accomplishments reach far beyond the scope of Biles' writing skills or Right Place's relative quality. The fic set the standard for extended "continuation" fanfics, paving the way for numerous successful fics of comparable extent and nature. Right Place also redefined certain elements of Ranma 1/2 for fan fictional use, with the result that many of Biles' reinterpretations have usurped the status of fanfic "canon" from Takahashi's originals. Most importantly, Biles' comedic magnum opus shines like a beacon, continuing to inspire madcap "original-flavor" fics, even after serious and grave stories became the norm in the Ranma 1/2 fan fiction.
Right Place was not the first continuation fic, and it may no longer be the best. But it will always be the yardstick by which I measure attempts to maintain the anime spirit of Ranma 1/2 over a story of significant length that is set at the end of the existing storyline (though Biles completed his fic more than a year before the manga ended its run). Many fanfic authors choose to pick up where Takahashi and/or the anime producers left off. A few brave "continuers" attempt to take on the entire series, addressing the ongoing activities of all major characters and tying up the loose ends left by Ranma's creator. I view all such stories, from the comedic (e.g., The More Things Change) to the sombre (e.g., Thy Inward Love), as the progeny of Right Place. Biles' work provides me with a baseline for evaluating the myriad efforts to reconcile Ranma's many romances and conflicts.
How many other readers, or more to the point, how many authors of Ranma continuation fics are so deeply influenced by Right Place is an open question. Less debatable is the power that Biles has exercised, through Right Place, on the evolving and diverging "canon" of Ranma 1/2. Specific choices that Biles made in departing from or adding to Takahashi's universe are continuously repeated by authors to this day. Consider Biles' characterization of supporting players Ukyou, Mousse, and Gosunkugi. Clearly, his reinterpretations of these characters have had greater impact on fan fiction than have Takahashi's original conceptions.
The popularity of Biles' story and its great "crossover" appeal have done much to spread through the Ranma fanfic community the idea of Ukyou as Ranma 1/2's tragic heroine. While Ukyou's characterization in fan fiction is broadly diverse, she is most often portrayed as the clear Silver Medalist in the competition for Ranma, and as a very good sport about her second-place finish. Even more canonical is Biles' Gosunkugi: the spooky outcast created by Takahashi is reinvented as a fantasy antihero. It is atypical in fan fiction for Gosunkugi to be portrayed as anything but a sorcerer-in-training, and he rarely is depicted as anything less than wholly benevolent.
If Right Place gave Gosunkugi a transformation, Mousse experienced a redemption of Biblical proportions. Gone is Takahashi's trigger-happy and occasionally sinister Mousse. Though still an annoyance for Shampoo, Right Place's Mousse is contemplative, gentle, and poetic, a far cry from his whiny manga characterization or the even-more-constipated anime version. The effect of Biles' reshaping of Mousse on Ranma fan fiction has been nothing short of dominant: fanfictional Mousse portrayals are almost universally positive; contrast his situation against the much wider range of depictions for Ryouga and Kunou, who in Biles' story were far more conflicted than Mousse.
Such redefinitions of the Ranma 1/2 universe are perhaps the most visible legacy of Right Place. Most important to me, however, are the elements of the manga and anime which Biles most lovingly preserved. No author has surpassed Biles' ability to sustain the slapstick comedy and Nettouhen-style mayhem that define the original flavor of Ranma 1/2. To be sure, the quiet and contemplative moments most distinguished Right Place from the majority of its contemporaries in the formative period of Ranma fan fiction. Yet by successfully fusing these more-sophisticated story elements with the types of jokes and preposterous situations that are most characteristic of Ranma 1/2, Biles took the lead in perpetuating within fanfic the manic spirit of the manga and anime.
As the Ranma fanfic community advances, authors conceive of novel ways to explore Takahashi's wondrously pliable characters and situations. My articles have consistently asserted that such developments are fitting and gratifying. I revel in the serious, tragic, adult, and intellectually challenging stories and story elements that Ranma fanfic authors have cultivated. Yet I will always be thankful for Putting Your Heart in the Right Place and for its enduring power to keep alive the comedy and the joy that first drew me to Ranma 1/2.
Click here to go to John Biles' Fiction Page.
Nearly four years and hundreds of fics after I first read the story, Timeslip is still my usual response to the question "What is your all-time favorite Ranma fanfic?" Gadeken's work has something for everyone, and for me, it embodies many of the best aspects of Ranma 1/2 fan fiction. Even as the Ranma fanfic art form progresses, and authors reach new heights of sophistication and stylistic accomplishment, the powerful appeal of Timeslip endures.
If Ranma fanfic authors can be viewed as explorers who map new territory in the Ranma 1/2 universe, then many of them have found in their wanderings flags planted by Gadeken in 1993. Innovative for its time, Timeslip gave us a first glimpse of what is so spectacularly possible in Ranma fanfic. Its story elements reach across the full spectrum of genre that have arisen as Ranma fan fiction has become more voluminous and diverse.
Timeslip is, for example, the classic alternate-reality fic. Gadeken skillfully crafted a concise, but rich fantasy based on the most obvious AltReal premise: What if Ranma had never been cursed? Key to the success and appeal of Timeslip is a corollary to that premise, and perhaps humanity's most widely shared lament: If only I had known then what I know now. We can all draw vicarious pleasure from the opportunity afforded Ranma to correct his past missteps. Re-living the early events of Ranma 1/2 is especially enjoyable thanks to Gadeken's astute manipulation of the script format, producing maximum story with minimum verbiage.
While weaving this splendidly compact AltReal, Gadeken managed to make room for a top-shelf love story. Armed with the lessons of history, Ranma unconsciously makes himself irresistibly attractive to his reluctant fiancee. Akane's confession is well staged and compelling, if a bit rushed, and the first kiss scripted by Gadeken has yet to be outclassed, despite the many excellent kiss scenes that grace the finest Ranma fanfics. A large part of the scene's allure is its plausibility within the context of Ranma 1/2 as Takahashi wrote it. With Ranma's unconquerable hesitancy and Akane's initiative in making up the distance, Timeslip's kiss scene is comparable to the hand-holding scene at the end of the Shinnosuke story. Back before the manga ended its run, I speculated that Takahashi might script a kiss scene exactly like Gadeken's. If only!
Dark adventure is another genre well represented in Timeslip. Drawing on stock fantasy elements, Gadeken sends Ranma on two separate mini-quests for the Nanban Mirror. The first quest is for happiness, which Ranma finds in his remade life. In the second quest, with Akane's soul at stake, Ranma must act on a moral lesson learned about using magic to bend reality to his will.
Succinct but incredibly effective, Timeslip's romance, the alternate history that spawned it, and the chilling mystical events that prompt Ranma's climactic decision unite to create genuine emotional impact. The resultant breakup is as heartrending as many of the more rigorously developed tearjerkers among my favorite Ranma fanfics. Ranma's bitter retort to Akane - "You don't know what I had to give up!" - carries all the weight of true love forever lost.
Timeslip spanned at least three major genre of Ranma fan fiction years before they would be recognized as such. Yet as he scripted his tale of fascinating alternate reality, touching romance, and compelling adventure, Gadeken managed to preserve much of the original flavor of Ranma 1/2. The centrality of Happosai and his lecherousness to both of Ranma's quests provides a firm comic grounding in the Takahashi vein. The post-climax chase around Jusenkyo has all the slapstick quality of a Nettouhen episode fight scene.
Timeslip's author, apparently long gone from the Ranma fanfic scene, pioneered the idea of "alternative" Ranma 1/2 fan fiction. He also demonstrated how it is possible to maintain fidelity to the source material while exploring new territory in the Ranma 1/2 universe, in effect bridging the original flavor and the alternative. Gadeken lavished on us a most generous gift, and this tribute can reflect only a fragment of my gratitude.
Click here to download Ranma's Timeslip from the anime fanfic archive.
At the time I first conceived of the Hall of Fame, I was merely looking for a vehicle to present my appreciation for some of my favorite fanfics which were too old to be considered part of Fanfic Year 1995. I had not yet invented the main criterion for Hall enshrinement: demonstrated longlasting effect on the writing (or on my reading) of subsequent Ranma fan fiction. Had this criterion been in effect in 1995, Kanketsuhen would not have been a charter inductee in the Hall. For Uyeyama's work has not made a clear, major impact on Ranma fan fiction in the five years since its release.
I only *wish* it had.
I can only wish that Kanketsuhen would have (or will) inspire comparably masterful works of Ranma 1/2 metafiction. The closest we've come are the self-parodies known as "revengefics" and other occasional imaginative departures from the norm. But none of these approach the fullness of experience engendered by Kanketsuhen.
Uyeyama's editorial asides and fanboy remarks bring alive the faux script translation. Especially clever were the earnest explanations concerning difficult or ambiguous translations. Detailed yet concise descriptions of actions, gestures, and facial expressions create splendidly vivid imagery, a motion picture of the mind. The sappy lyrics of the ending song and the confused," thrown-together" quality of the omake sequence complete the illusion.
At the heart of the fic is a quest story that holds up pretty well when compared against the multitude of dark adventure stories that constitute a major genre of Ranma 1/2 fan fiction. With some clear but unobtrusive departures from Takahashi's characterization and mood, Uyeyama builds a smart, tense thriller. Reliance on such fantasy staples as ancient weapons and convoluted magic spells make the bluff more believable. The climax is exciting and touching, in a maudlin way.
Nearly three years after Kanketsuhen, Takahashi would end the Ranma manga with a story whose climax is similar to the one scripted by Uyeyama. In many ways, Kanketsuhen provided a more interesting and more satisfying conclusion to Ranma 1/2 than did its creator.
Click
here to download Ranma Kanketsuhen '93 from the anime fanfic
archive.
Before Stepping Stones, the term "dark" applied mostly to formulaic Ranma fanfics set in violent or grave realities. After Benares' most enduring work was digested by the Ranma fanfic community, we have seen a tidal wave of stories that focused more on dark emotions than on dark settings or events. While I would not saddle Benares with responsibility for the numerous dead Ranmas and Akanes now populating the fanfic mailing list and archive, it seems clear that Ranma fanfic turned a corner with the release of Stepping Stones. Specifically, in 1996, mature themes associated with unpleasant emotions became highly fertile ground for Ranma fanfic ideas. While the inevitable maturation of the Ranma fanfic community is no doubt a moving force behind this change, so is Stepping Stones.
The term "angst" has been overused and misused in the writing and discussion of dark fanfics, with many commentators confusing angst with depression or disappointment. In Stepping Stones, however, Benares presents a textbook case of angst in portraying the nearly suicidal Ukyou. For angst is not sadness, but anxiety; fear. Not Ranma's (or Ryouga's) "Why does this always happen to me?" but Ukyou's "No one will ever love me!" Her dread of the bleak future she envisions is palpable and chillingly familiar to any soul who has known the depths of existential anxiety.
Benares' exploration of these frightening emotions opened the door for other mature treatments of intense emotions in Ranma fanfic. This observation is not relevant merely to the multitude of "darkfics" we saw in Fanfic Year 1996, but also to more versatile stories that feature powerful emotional dramas, such as Sunrise and Thy Inward Love. I have no evidence to speculate that these stories or any others were "inspired" by Stepping Stones. But my reading of emotionally honest or intense Ranma fanfic will always be affected by Benares' tale of Ukyou's epiphany.
I originally wrote about Stepping Stones in the 1995 Taleswapper Awards.
I once wrote disparagingly of the praise: "At last! A lemon where the sex is part of the plot!" that characterized readers' general reaction to Demaine's landmark work. I believed, and still do, that this accolade distracts from the best feature of Ranma .05: superior prose. This fanfic series is very well written, with smart pacing, fluid dialogue, excellent descriptive passages, very effective humor, characterization that is remarkably faithful to the manga inspiration, and plots that are surprisingly believable (in Volume 2, anyway) given the sexual content that is so incongruous in the familiar Ranma 1/2 universe. The writing, moreover, has improved continuously since Volume 1, Part 1.
A year after I first commented on the work, it is plain that while "lemon with a plot" may be faint praise for Ranma .05, that description very aptly summarizes Demaine's enduring effect on the Ranma fanfic community. For since his series hit its stride, other authors have followed working in the same vein: attempting to build a quality story that includes lemon content alongside solid plotting, characterization, prose, etc. And so we have had since mid-1995 several Ranma lemon stories and series that build as much (or more) from the manga/anime inspiration as from the requisite scenes of sexual activity. More impressively, many of the more conventional Ranma fanfics include increasingly sophisticated and realistic portrayals of sexuality and its unavoidable presence in life and relationships, without actual sex scenes. I wonder if all this would have happened without Ranma .05.
For the record, Volume 2 Part 4 is my favorite installment. The plot (minus lemon) more closely approaches the spirit and style of the Nettouhen episodes than any other fanfic. The lemon scene itself, while not as erotic as scenes in the preceding two chapters, is much more realistic in its conception. Welcome to the Hall of Fame, Mr. Demaine. Please keep your trench coat buttoned.
I originally wrote about Ranma .05 in the 1995 Taleswapper Awards and again in the First Quarter FY 96 post.
What is left for me to write about Palmer's "Seasons" fanfics? The four short works are universally recognized among Ranma fanfic readers as a breed apart. Their poetic timbre and resonant beauty evoke emotions that are sometimes powerful and sometimes subtle, always satisfying.
As the first of Palmer's stories, Winter is naturally the crudest. Yet, even viewing his sometimes shaky "test flight," we knew there was something special about this author. The wealth of vivid imagery was something new in the Ranma fanfic, as was the quiet, uneventful "plot," a far cry from the anime-spirit stories that had dominated Ranma fanfic previously. The lightly humorous ending was also a warmly pleasant change of pace.
These appealing features reappeared in the much more polished Spring. With a second story featuring (seemingly) pointless conversation amid impeccably lovely prose, whole new vistas opened up for Ranma fanfic. No longer limited to the standard manic anime style (or to the less prevalent, but equally tired ideas borrowed from sci-fi/fantasy/adventure), Ranma fanfic was poised for exploration of more mature ideas and sophisticated literary styles. It seems clear that the "Seasons" stories were a major inspiration for that step forward.
With Summer, Palmer took a step beyond the arena of intimate conversations, incorporating "action" into the quiet, slice-of-life storyline. An absolutely adorable portrayal of Akane, subtle but memorable imagery that we had come to expect, and an ending that can be (generously) characterized as "slapstick" helped to round out Summer. This balance and the sentimental allure of the ideas expressed in the story make it my favorite of the "Seasons." It contains a passage that I consider one of the most memorable in all fanfic: the portrait of Ranma's simple, but stirring pride in his life's work gave us Ranma 1/2 fans something apart from romantic love to feel affected by. Later stories have flirted with the deep emotional component of Ranma's dedication to "the art"; Palmer's exploration of this virgin territory is to be saluted.
As the finale for the "Seasons" series, Autumn did not disappoint. Though his more plot-centered focus somewhat diminished the aimless charm that characterized the earlier installments, Palmer more than compensated for that loss with drama that carried heavy emotional impact. If the groundbreaking series had to have a climax, Autumn was appropriate, mixing more of the intimate dialogue and breathtaking imagery that had become Palmer's trademarks with a psychologically insightful storyline. By the autumn of 1995, such sophisticated stories were, happily, becoming more frequent among new Ranma fanfics.
In addition to paving the way for serious, mature contemplation of the heretofore wacky absurdity that was the Ranma 1/2 universe, Palmer's "Seasons" stories also "raised the bar" for the quality of writing in Ranma fanfic. Authors now have a standard to inspire them or against which to measure their most artful efforts. Though no one has surmounted Palmer's mark, I have been gladdened to see authors attempt to emulate his excellence, if not his style.
The appearance after the climax of Autumn of the other cast members, who haven't had speaking parts since Spring, is like a hand shaking us from a reverie. For the buildup, which began in Winter, to the climactic moment in Autumn is like a dream. It's the kind of a dream that makes you reach desperately for a pencil and paper so that you can scribble its beautiful details before they evanesce from memory, ethereal images dissipated by harsh consciousness. How fortunate for us that Palmer was able to write them down.
I originally wrote about the "Seasons" stories in the
1995 Taleswapper
Awards, then in the
First Quarter FY 96
post, and in the
1996 Taleswapper
Awards.
The past two years have seen several excellent fanfics starring Kodachi. These stories draw on most or all of the following elements: an assumption that the cause of her eccentric behavior (as opposed to all the other cast members' eccentricities) is true mental illness; some deep exploration - pseudoscientific or valid - of her psychosis, usually employing some sort of the depiction of her fevered thinking; strong association of Kodachi's condition with the absent Kunou mother and/or her alleged death. Given Takahashi's limited development of Kodachi and her back-story, perhaps the evolution of these story elements was as inevitable as was the preponderance of rose-based metaphors. Nevertheless, someone had to be the first: the semi-canonical portrayal of Kodachi took root in Wicked Garden.
From that rich soil has sprung a bumper crop of fan fiction. When it comes to starring in best-quality fics, Kodachi enjoys a success rate far higher than that of any other Ranma 1/2 character. The list of her vehicles reads like an honor roll: The Dying of the Rose, Kurobara, Paint It Black, Black Roses: A Love Story, Iron Roses, Roses of Shadow. Some of these stories may have been directly inspired by Gagne's landmark work. Certainly, my reading of all of these stories was heavily influenced by my recollections of Wicked Garden.
Gagne was one of the early experimenters in the Ranma fanfic community. In Wicked Garden, he pioneered sophisticated literary devices associated with mentally unstable characters. Unclear realities, born of dreams nested within hallucinations, and unreliable narration are stock for artful stories about insanity. Wicked Garden helped to make these gimmicks accessible to Ranma fanfic. As long as fanfic writers continue to turn out Kodachi stories that shine, I'll continue to compare them against the one that shone first, in the late Summer of 1995.
Click here to download Wicked Garden from the anime fanfic archive.
Remarkably, outspoken admirers of Richmeyer's vampire story include the authors of the last two Ranma fics which I have named the best of the year. The notes for both Sunrise and Hearts of Ice cite Nightshadow as a key influence in the genesis of their authors' fanfic careers. This circumstance is hardly coincidental, for Nightshadow represents not only a highlight of Ranma fan fiction in general, but also the herald for a succession of highest-quality writing in the dark adventure genre.
Ranma stories centered on mortal challenges and fateful quests were plentiful before the Autumn of 1995, and some were very good. Two-and-a-half years later, however, it is clear that the appearance of Nightshadow inaugurated a major step in the evolution of Ranma 1/2 fan fiction. Specifically, Richmeyer was the first of an illustrious sequence of authors who have succeeded in melding rich characterization and superior prose with grave or foreboding adventure stories. With Nightshadow, the author raised the bar for the dark adventure genre. Her masterpiece enabled readers like me to demand greater sophistication from authors who would pit Ranma and Co. against the sorts of foes and challenges that populate horror, fantasy, and thriller literature.
And so, as stories like the two "Golden Ranma-chan" winners have emerged, I would read them with Richmeyer's accomplishments in mind. I could appreciate Sunrise and The Sunrise Chronicles in part because I detected in their best passages the lyrical, evocative writing that made Nightshadow's best moments so compelling. Much of the appeal of Chasing the Wind originated for me in its impeccable fusion of touching romance with fast-paced action, so reminiscent of the way Richmeyer revealed the strength of Akane's love by putting her to the most harrowing tests. My favorite parts of The Shadow Chronicles showcase the author's ability to communicate his characters' emotions so effectively, as did Richmeyer when her efficient prose enabled readers to achieve close sympathy with the cast of Nightshadow. I re-read from the 1996 Taleswapper Awards my gushing affection for Nightshadow's heroine, who embodied "stormy femininity, an endearing tragic flaw of insecurity, and the resolute courage of a warrior." Well, that most beautifully crafted Akane has recently re-emerged, though she's been stuck in the Kami Plane.
Richmeyer joins the list of Hall of Fame inductees who appear to have departed from the scene. But like Gadeken, Uyeyama, and Benares, the impact of her best work continues to reverberate through the Ranma fanfic art form.
I originally wrote about Nightshadow in the Second Quarter FY 96 post, then again in 1996 Taleswapper Awards. Click here to download Nightshadow from the anime fanfic archive.
Well, this has been a long time coming. When "lasting impact on Ranma 1/2 fan fiction" became the primary criterion for election to Taleswapper's Hall of Fame, DnR should have been near the top of the list. For longer than I have been reading fanfics, this serial has served as a model and inspiration for many Ranma authors. Popularity among readers, while usually not a factor in my deliberations, cannot be ignored in the case of DnR. Consistent success in the regular "Best of Ranma Fan Fiction" polls has distinguished DnR for years.
Even more distinctive has been the unique gestalt developed by Tai et al. for the series, fusing new settings, new characters, and new conflicts with uncommon interpretations of Takahashi's creations. To set Ranma and Co. firmly in their new environment, the DnR authors have crafted and maintained a meticulous continuity of mood, language, and plot. Across five years and more than 30 stand-alone episodes (if you count Daigakusei no Ukyou and the side stories), DnR's ambience has endured with consistency, even as the separate storylines and scenes have spanned a wide range from Takahashi-style martial slapstick to introspective character drama.
And the results have been remarkably convincing and compelling. While superficially, DnR is a continuation fic, I have rarely contemplated its merits in the context of other prominent continuations, such as Putting Your Heart in the Right Place. Rather, I see DnR as having established a new subgenre - I'll call it "Focused Futures" - that is distinguished by continuation milieux that are as least as consequential to the stories as are the characters and plots. From the beginning, DnR's steadfast portrayal of the Ranma gang's new collegiate life has captured my attention more readily than have the more obvious story elements. As the pioneer of Focused Futures, DnR has grounded my mindset in reading and evaluating such disparate fics as Ranma 2096 and the Ranma Goes to War continuity.
DnR has also been one of the most powerful engines, perhaps even the prime mover, for the redefinition of Ukyou as tragic heroine. In this story element, DnR has succeeded at least as impressively as did Right Place and Stepping Stones, thanks to the authors' painstaking and elaborate characterization of Ranma's next-best girl. The clarification of Ranma's relationship with Ukyou resonates more than any other DnR storyline, from her acceptance of the wedding, through the aftermath of the kidnapping scam, to the encounter with Kurakujanen. Not surprisingly, the spotlight-on-Ukyou Episode 19 is my favorite of all DnR chapters. DnR having provided a wealth of character development for Ukyou, the DnU spinoff serves only to make the rich richer.
The series has led in other major movements within the Ranma fanfic art form, such as the reconciliation of continuation fics with Takahashi's final manga story. Also, DnR has upheld the viability of screenplay-style Ranma fan fiction, long after that format surrendered its dominant position. Abundant history, consistent quality, and robust popularity characterize the series and demonstrate the enormity of DnR's impact on the Ranma fanfic community.
I wrote about DnR Episode 19 in the Fourth Quarter FY 96 post. Click here to go to the DnR/DnU home page.
In my opinion.
Taleswapper
May 8, 1998
Ideas for the Hall of Fame page, and nominations, are welcome. Write to me at talswapr@aol.com.
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