Reid Carson wrote:

Phil writes:

Vincent Seifert wrote:

{Excellent. :) I wonder what Ranma's reaction will be; this could be a
repeat of some of the attitudes he showed in the Reversal Jewel story,
or perhaps Jusendo made him a bit more, er, focused.}

It'll be fun to work that out in the storyline.

     I would think it would be more like his reaction to the notion
that Ukyo and Ryoga were interested in each other during the 'tunnel
of lost love' story. After all, Kodachi is his least favorite of the
girls after him, and she hasn't said she hates him, just that she
likes Ryoga as well. I'd think Ranma would find it more amusing than
anything else, unless he thought Ryoga was getting interested in
Kodachi. That he might have a problem with, because Ranma, and Akane,
for that matter, both like Akari, and think she and Ryoga are a good
match.

A very good point. Akari will have to show up at some point, probablyafter the
dust settles in the current story arc.

{Me too. Akane's usually thick as a brick about stuff like this. It's
plausible that, since it is a) blatant and b) happening to someone else,
it's perceptible to her this time, though.}

Nods. It is OOC for her to be so observant. Though she has beenused to
provide 'insights' into battles before by Takahashi-sama (and
she's usually wrong, too :)

     Have to disagree with you there. At the skating rink, Akane was the
only one who knew Ranma had beaten Mikado. During the fight between Ranma
and Ryoga in the Bakusai Tenketsu story, she consistently figured out what
was going on ahead of Ranma, and even Cologne, at one point.

True, she is fairly savvy with battle-tactics. I'll have to admit these
slippedmy mind. :)

     Moreover, she generally understands Ranma as well as anyone (the Hiryu
Shoten Ha story) with two exceptions: her blind spot where Ryoga is
concerned (not just P-chan, but also the fact that he loves her); and her
notion that Ranma is highly interested in sex with either her or one
of the other fiancees (a clear case of projection, if you ask me).

Actually, I think she probably does understand Ranma better than anyoneelse; the
main problem being that she doesn't trust him at all. This could
stem from the fact that she's insecure over her own attractiveness
compared to the other fiancees and that she's too stubborn to admit that
he isn't a pervert.

As always, just my opinion, and not intended to start a character
debate. :) But back to the original point, I guess I was trying to show
that Akane is capable of having good insights when it comes to
battles - therefore, when she has her flash of insight into why Ranma
and Genma intend on having a little battle to renew/recover their
relationship, it's not too far-fetched for the reader to believe.

     Let me just add my compliments to the growing chorus. A well-written
story with an interesting plot. Everyone's mentioned Devil Hunter
Kodachi, so let me just mention that I like your portrayal of Genma.
You've managed to recast him in a more positive light without having
to retcon away some of his scummier deeds. Well done.

Genma is another character who's fun to write since he has a lot offlaws (which
makes it more fun).

Thank you very much for the gracious compliments and for pointing
out the details on Akane.

Phil.

Reid Carson
rcarson@rcarson.com
rcarson@mnsinc.com