two tiny, eency-weency little questions about Nerima...

[Tuisto]

1) Soun Tendo holds a position on the Nerima Ward Council. Yes?
Presumably a Paid position, most political seat are, everywhere there's politics...
Now, by Japanese standards, would he be an Elected official by the people, or appointed by the 'ol boys network?
edit: think about this; if his position is paid, then that pretty much invalidates a lot of fics that presume the Tendo's to be cash-strapped wouldn't it?

2) Somewhere, I don't know where, I read that "Ranma Saotome" transliterated to english works out as "Wild Horse, Becoming a Woman" is this accurate?


I've just not been able to find a 'site confirming these.
Thanks in advance.

[Metroidvania]

Soun does become a member of....something to do with the town safety patrol when Happosai comes around. I think volume 10 or 11, don't have my manga at college. They want to elect him to stop "the panty thief".

As for Ranma Saotome, I've seen that Ranma can equal wild, and Saotome means horse/stallion. But I've also heard of Ranko Saotome meaning "Rice picking girl..."

According to Wiki, it's....

Ranma can mean "chaotic" or "reckless horse" or "a tangled thread". Saotome means "fast maiden".

Someone like Togashi or Larry could confirm better than I, though.

[Jupiah]

Soun is never explicitly stated to be on the city council, but it is a logical assumption to make, considering all the bureaucratic-looking guys who come to him asking for help with criminals and monsters, and the fact that he was out late at town meetings several times during the arc where Hinako visits the Tendo home. Also, several times in the manga he runs away from a threat in a business suit and holding a suitcase, claiming he has to go on a business-trip, which would be a pretty poor excuse if he didn't have some kind of office job.

Soun's seat on the city council isn't his only source of income either. The Tendo's apparantly regularly rent out the dojo to anyone who needs the space. In the Mark of the Gods arc, a bunch of local women rent the dojo to host a "Ladie's Club" meeting.

Also, Soun is presumably paid for all of the monster hunts he goes on. Concerned citizens contact the Tendo dojo to stop the panty thief, the pigtail-stealing midgets, the demon-dog swimsuit, the demon cherry tree that possessed Kuno, the oni spirit that possessed lots of people, and the giant animals of Ryugenzawa.

[antimatterenergy]

Ranma means:
Ran has many meaning in Japanese it can mean wild, disordered, confused, chaotic, boisterous, abusive, reckless, random, excessive, indiscriminate, extravagant, inordinate, haphazard, reckless, social disorder, disturbance, rebellion, civil war, war, riot, revolt, be corrupt, storm, be demoralized, and also used to mean ulceration and decomposition as well.

Ma in compounds simply means horse. If not in a compound Ma has other possible meanings like daemon and true.

Saotome means: rice-planting girl, girl

The names of most of the characters have very interesting meanings and the characters can mean multiple things for instance
Akane means: Angry, dark red, crimson, madder - the name of a root used for dyeing red.
Nabiki means: To bend, lean, incline, or yield to some power or motion, to follow, to comply with.
Tendo means: ordinances of heaven, laws of nature, way of heaven
Hinako means: Chick/young bird

[Drawde]

I've seen "saotome" translated as "young girl/s" in Ai Yori Aosih, volume 12, chapter 97.

I've also seen, in another discussion on Ranma's name somewhere, that the "ma" isn't part of the meaning, and his name can simply be translated as "chaos". Can't remember where though.

[Knight of L-sama]

Ma in compounds simply means horse. If not in a compound Ma has other possible meanings like daemon and true.

I wouldn't try and conflate horse 'ma/uma' in Ranma and Genma's name and the demonic 'ma' found in words like youma or mazoku. While their compound forms are homophones the kanji (to the best of my knowledge) are unrelated.

The issue with figuring out the meaning of names is that the romanji is useless since Japanese has so many homophones and names especially are more prone to use unusual readings. You really need the kanji becuause that's where the meaning is.

As for the 'ma' in Ranma and Genma's names being a meaning neutral place holder like 'maru' in some other names, I can't comment.

[SpaceKnight of Chaos]

I can't speak for the manga, but in the anime Soun is expressly stated to have a position on the town council- the most obvious storyline is in Season 3, maybe 4, where they ask him to first find & stop the underwear thief and then to protect the haunted bra of Yang Gui-Fei. However, it's also stated that his income is "irregular" and so the Tendos as a whole, especially with Ranma, Genma & Happosai staying there, have to be careful with money. Season 3's "Kodachi The Black Rose! The Beeline to True Love!" is focused on this.

As for Ranma Saotome's translation, whenever I heard about it, it was always "Ranma: Wild Horse", "Saotome: Rice-planting Girl".