----- Original Message -----
From: "Miller, Bert" <bert.miller@unisys.com>
To: "'andrew norris'" <atn6581@silver.sdsmt.edu>; "Miller, Bert"
<bert.miller@unisys.com>; "'David Eddy'" <dje@progress.com>; "FFML"
<ffml@fanfic.com>
Sent: Friday, January 07, 2000 1:24 PM
Subject: [FFML] Re: [fic][Ranma] Wild Child, part 2 (incomplete)
<SNIP>
Saotome Nodoka, born of Saotome Kenji and Saotome
Fujiko. No other children. Suzuki Genma, adopted the
day before their marriage eighteen endless years ago,
known thereafter as Saotome Genma. Saotome Ranma,
Right. Like this. Genma is trading up, so he adopts
Nodoka's family name. Post-WWII, you can do this w/o
the adoption, just by naming Nodoka clan head on the
family register, but this is still regarded as 'unmanly'.
The workaround is to fall back to the previous system,
using the adoption to give Genma the desired family name,
and then Genma heads the new family register with his (new)
family name. This is what the Japanese did back when
the law said that the man's family name HAD to be the
new family's name.
*Sigh* My most fav. topic...
Japan's leagal System
While Japan DOES have a Law system that is very western in
its mores and codes,
Japanese courts tend to toss out WRITTEN Law for Unwritten
laws based on the tradional ways.
PLUS Nodoka is a VERY Tradional woman, do you THINK she would
WANT the job of Clan head?!
No; clearly the adoption path was used for Genma and Nodoka,
assuming (as David does) that 'Saotome' is Nodoka's family
name. (BTW, I agree with David that it's hard to interpret
the volume 36 story any other way. Other stories, however,
suggest that the name might be Genma's. Personally, I think
RT changed her mind, or hadn't consciously thought about
it until volume 36.)
That's a good bet, but I wonder WHY Genma would Know the family graves, IF
he was adopted. (Nodoka's a LOT more likey to honor an adopted bunch of
Ansteors.)
*Shurgs* It's a open arugement etheir way. (I lean towards NODOKA being
adopted for some of my fanfics, but on two, I lean towards Genma. Depends
on my mood.)
Does the emphasis with which you wrote the question above mean
that you think I disagreed with you? (just curious)
No, I use whatever one suits the story I am writing. (I think it is too open
to discussion to make a hard call.) though, I would lean normally towards
Genma being adopted myself.
Also, Female clan heads GET a lot of abuse. (if you're female
in Japan, def. a second class citzen in a lot of ways.)
(IF, and in this one, likey. Ranma takes the Tendo name {If
equal rank, who brings more to the wedding? AND how many
children in both familes...} He would be adopted, FIRST.
{Soun, Nodoka, Kasumi, Genma {and to a lesser
degree. Ranma} are all tradional in this. NAbiki would ALSO
push for it, due to the "dislike" of female clan heads.)
My own solution, as dealt with in "Much Ado about Ranma" parts
1 and 2 (almost two years ago now, [sigh; where does the time go?]),
was to have Ranma adopted as a Tendo prior to the wedding.
Given that Ranma is also an only child, I had Genma, but not
Nodoka, insisting that the Saotome name be kept (meaning, of course,
that I assumed the Saotome name had been Genma's). Consequently,
I had the adoption occur almost a year prior to the wedding,
against Genma's will, through Nabiki's machinations.
In Wild Child, Genma's got a LOT less ground to stand on. (Lord Archive
leans towards Akane's adoption, due to Kasumi and Nabiki still being
around... I lean towards
Ranma being adopted, due to the more stuff Akane brings to the wedding.)
The factors in the descion...
One. How many children to carry on the name. (tendo three, saotome one.)
Two. Rank of Families... (It's a toss up there. No clear indications...
though I SUSPECT tendo is the higher rank, plus with the stunts Genma's
pulled?!)
Three. Who brings what to the marriage?
Akane, Dojo, more land, bigger house.
Ranma, mom's house.
(And that might be traded to Soun for a dowry for KAsumi or Nabiki.)
Bets, Tendo.
Andrew