Response #2
by: ikillyoupig
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First off, the Ranma and Akane relationship analysis page. It's nicely done, but there are a few points I disagree upon (and a lot that I agree with wholeheartedly). I disagree most on your assertion that Ranma and Akane are best friends. I don't think they're friends at all. I think that it's impossible for a guy and a girl to be "just friends" if there's any mutual attraction between the two of them. Ranma's "must boink her" instinct and Akane's all-important "must jump his bones" inclination precludes the formation of any deep platonic relationship (don't look at me like that, you know they fantasize about each other). Friends don't get jealous when one of them is nice to someone of opposite gender. Friends don't get depressed when one thinks the other finds her unattractive. Lastly, friends don't feel the overwhelming urge to stick their tongues down each other's throats (this last point is a very important one). Like Billy Crystal crudely put it, sex just gets in the way.
But if they're not friends, then what are they? That's part of why their relationship is so difficult in the first place. They're not friends, but are they a couple? Kinda, sorta, maybe. They're engaged, but that wasn't their idea, so that kind of doesn't count. They like each other, but they're not even dating, so they're not boyfriend/girlfriend. BUT, they do like each other. They're not friends, they're not engaged, and they're not dating, but they are interested in each other. So what the hell are they? The vague and undefined nature of their relationship is one of their biggest problems. No wonder Akane gets so frustrated by their weird "sort-of, maybe-not" couplehood that she bashes Ranma over the head with heavy objects.
Moving on, I would have to agree with you that Ranma and Akane's relationship is more realistic and viable because it developed over time, instead of the miracle overnight love that everyone else specializes in. I don't believe in love at first sight, for how can someone love a complete stranger? Instead, Ranma and Akane started out by being attracted to each other, then liking each other, moved on to caring deeply about each other, and then somewhere along the way fell in love with each other. After that, things just got steadily more intense.
I would also have to agree with you that Akane and Ranma's relationship would be a lot healthier than the worship they get from their admirers. I mean, if Akane and Ryoga ever got together, I think it would fall apart because Ryoga would be too clingy and smother her (or he would get distracted by the first girl who treats him nice, and that sure as hell wouldn't be healthy with someone as jealous as Akane). The same goes for all the others, to varying degrees.
Now then, on to Andrew Lemly's rebuttal to your relationship essay. I'd have to agree that you must give Akane some leeway, as Ranma gets in all kinds of weird and incriminating situations. Plus, how can Akane trust Ranma to be faithful when Ranma doesn't even acknowledge their relationship? I think she'd forgive him more easily if he'd just say, "I'm with Akane, so please back off."
Continuing on with your rebuttal of the rebuttal (you get what I mean, right?) you say that it's the fear of rejection that stops Ranma and Akane from admitting their feelings for each other. I think Akane is afraid that Ranma will reject her, but I don't think Ranma feels the same way. Ranma isn't afraid that Akane will reject him; he's afraid that she'll accept him -- for him, a deeply more terrifying prospect.
Let's face it, Ranma's a weenie. What else can you call someone who's afraid of kissing the girl he likes? A girl that's practically begging him to kiss her (remember Romeo and Juliet?). I wonder, if there had never been any engagement, would Ranma have ever had the guts to ask Akane out? Well, anyway, being a weenie, Ranma is afraid of growing up. He wants to stay 16 forever, always in a land where women throw themselves at him, where his peers envy him, where he wins all the fights, and where he never, ever has to worry about anyone but himself. Love, however, is a dangerously adult concept in Ranma's world. To him, love means marriage, which means commitment, which means staying with someone for the rest of his life. The rest of your life, decided by you at the age of sixteen? Now that's something to be scared shitless over.
By the by, about Andrew Lemly's assertion that Akane is only kind to Ranma when he's down or when he grovels to her: What about when Akane cooks for Ranma? Forget how it tastes, she still made it for him. How about when she won the trip to the hot springs (and possibly Jusenkyo), and decided to give it to Ranma anyway, even though he'd been an absolute jerk? Or how about that scarf Akane made for him as a Christmas gift? What about Ranma's season 6 calligraphy challenge, where Akane cheered for him just as loudly as anyone else? I could go on, but I think you get my point.
I also agree with you about the slapstick nature of Ranma 1/2. Akane isn't being abusive, just humourously correcting her errant boyfriend. I know, the joke gets stale after a while, but it is still meant to be a joke. After reading a few dark and serious fics, then returning to the original manga and anime, I just have to laugh at how ridiculous it is to subject these characters to such alien concepts as death, betrayal, teenage pregnancy, or any of a thousand other real-life problems. I still enjoy serious stories, but I make sure to return to the original series every now and then to stay grounded. I especially hate it when Kuno, that delightful moron, gets the serious treatment.
On another matter, I must agree with you when you say that Ranma deserves a good beating for insulting Akane's femininity so often. Most girls don't like their girlhood to be questioned, but to have that be done by their own boyfriend? I'm surprised Akane hasn't castrated Ranma yet. I mean, Ranma doesn't like his masculinity to be questioned, so isn't it a small leap to assume Akane feels the same way about her own gender? It's especially a deadly insult when Ranma calls Akane "kawaiikune." "Kawaii" is a state of being that all Japanese girls strive for; they all desperately want to be "cute" (the closest English approximation). But then Ranma tells Akane, "You are the exact opposite of the ideal your peers strive for. You are uncute." Ranma's very lucky that Akane uses practice swords and not real ones on him.
Now then, about Akane's skill in martial arts. She's good, very good. Good enough to fight off a mob of attackers. Even Ranma was impressed when he saw her really fighting for the first time. It's easy to forget, what with how good Ranma and Co. are, just how good Akane herself is. But if she's good, how come she gets in trouble so often? Partly it's because the others are better than her (not that much though, I think she would be a match for Kodachi and could pummel Kuno even if he went all out). But I think it's also because she wants Ranma to "prove" that he cares for her and so wants him to rescue and protect her. She wants him to look after her. But that's just my theory. Oh, and about your comment that Shampoo has reached a plateau in her training: My suspicion is that the advanced Amazon techniques take months, if not years, to master. Ranma is an exceptional martial artist, so he absorbs techniques like a sponge. However, to all others, they have to take the slow road.
Editor's Note: Not much I can say to this, as it's a good intrepretation of R/A's relationship as any. I will say that I believe Ranma and Akane still act like best friends a good amount of the time, despite their inner desire to "boink" each other. Akane's traditonal views of reserved intimacy and Ranma's "weanie-ness" tend to get in the way, which is fine. They are still kids, and despite the fact that 16-year-olds may be boinking each other in other countries, R&A still have plenty of time to just be themselves, before committing to any closer relationship.
ikillyoupig's Addendum:
Okay, I was being a bit facetious when I said that Ranma and Akane were all hot for each other. Sure, they're attracted to each other, but they're both so sexually repressed that I doubt either of them even masturbates. I think Ranma would probably have to crawl through hell's sewer before Akane ever let him touch her goods; that is, any physical intimacy between them would result only after a long and arduous courtship. However, I still maintain that Ranma and Akane are not friends -- it is impossible to really be friends with someone you're desperately attracted to.
Editor's note: Our opinions grow and change, based on new info and new insights; the main reason why this section exists. This addendum was sent to me by ikillyoupig, as a result of a changed view. Again, not much to add, as it's as good an intrepretation as any. I'll add that I don't feel Akane's sexually repressed, just sexually reserved. She's not about to screw someone unless she loves them, and she's sure they love her. She may smack Ranma for feeling up her butt in public, but when they are alone in private, she seems to have no real problems with physical intimacies. Probably has something to do with the "No PDA's" feeling that is common to Japanese culture (at least in the recent past; may be changing). Again, this is my own thoughts, however.
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