Hunter Kid wrote:
One what-if, unless it spawns a *lot* of changes, can
be boring, though - a good example (no offense to the
author) is the fanfic 'Ranko 1/2,' which is so similar
to the original that it's almost plagarism. Because of
this, I got annoyed and didn't read past the first book.
The author is Sebastian Weinberg. And I absolutely agree - I told him
much the same thing myself. He's very well aware of it. According to
him, he vastly underestimated how interesting it would be to try and
stay completely faithful to the manga and just show subtle differences
in how Ranko relates to everyone because of her difference.
However, if you read after that - in Volumes Two and Three - the changes
accelerate. By the end of Volume Two, a *lot* of different things
happen, and very interesting things, too. By Volume Three, Sebastian
has begun to write his own stories with only a nod towards the manga
continuity. And these are *excellent* - I highly recommend them. He's
got a wonderful gift for dialogue and a *neat* way of evoking emotions
within the confines of the script format that takes my breath away.
So, if anyone wants to read Ranko 1/2 (which, as I said, I strongly
recommend), I would suggest skimming over Volume One. Start slowing
down in Volume Two, and by Volume Three you'll be glad you've come this
far. ^_^
Hunter Kid