Akane's Real Issues

[truedemonicfire]

The story starts with Ranma waking up in female form and dealing with his first period. I'm thinking that the story should start a little bit before Shampoo's first arrival or during the Phoenix Pill arc. Ranma takes the blow to his masculinity of course and Akane is nowhere to found. Kasumi is being her cheerful self and being helpful towards Ranma. Genma has no idea what's going on and insults Ranma. Soun tries to keep Genma from doing so, but feels that Ranma is justified in beating him down. Ranma gets some advise from Kasumi and Nabiki, but feels as if it's too feminine for his tastes. So he finds Akane coming home from a friend's house. He asks how she deals with the pains and hormones. She starts to cry and run. Ranma chases after her and finds her crying in a semi secluded spot. Ranma asks what's wrong and finds out Akane's secret, something she kept from her family. Akane never gets her period and therefore never can have children.

Akane sees Ranma as someone she likes, but she sees the engagement as a constant reminder of her problem so she tries to push him away. When Ranma finds out he tries to be supportive, but mishandles such a delicate issue. Akane sees that he is trying and does come back. Genma finds out by eaves dropping on the two when they think they are alone. He immediately sees Akane as worthless and tells Ranma to switch the engagement to Kasumi, he's scared of Nabiki. Ranma doesn't want to because he knows of Dr. Tofu's emotions and doesn't want to mess with it.

I have no other ideas beyond this and I really don't have time to write it. Can someone find time to write this fic?

[Maximara]

The thing is the promise was to join the Ryu (schools) not the families. There is nothing to show that either Nabiki or Kasumi practice the Art. Also why would Genma care if Akane is barren? It is Nodoka who wants grandbabies (the point she would love for Ranma to have mistresses)

More over the age of majority in Japan in the 1990s was 20 which means Kasumi is still considered a child at 19. With Akane Genma has four years that he can control Ranma if Ranma and Akane married right now...with Kasumi he would have only one.

No there is no reason for Genma to switch the engagement.

[Crescent Pulsar S]

If the promise were strictly about martial arts, Ranma wouldn't have had his choice between the three sisters; Soun and/or Genma would have chosen Akane, as the only practicing martial artist of the three, and that would have been that. Nor would they have just accepted it when Nabiki ended up being the fiancee for a spell (well, until Soun learned that she would sell the dojo, but that's obviously a different issue).

So, offspring does appear to be pivotal for the joining and carrying on of their school. If Akane can't have children, I can see Soun and/or Genma wanting to change Ranma's fiancee. Nodoka would probably share the same sentiment, but not because she's particularly keen on having grandchildren; that's fanon (unless it's from the anime; I've no idea).

I don't know what the age of majority has to do with anything, really. (Which hasn't changed since the forties?) What would Genma benefit from it that he isn't getting out of it already? In all likelihood, their school of martial arts will only be passed down through their progeny, rather than through just anyone, which is why stress is placed on having one of their children marry. After all, there's no canonical reason given for why they don't use the dojo to teach martial arts to anyone else, and (at least in the manga) they don't seem to have any financial issues that would require doing it for the income. I think there's only one example of it being rented out for another use, but considering said use it mustn't have been for much, not if it was meant as any significant means of supplementary income.

[Spica75]

The thing is the promise was to join the Ryu (schools) not the families. There is nothing to show that either Nabiki or Kasumi practice the Art.

Well, there are a rare few hints during the anime and the manga that Nabiki quit practising at some earlier point and that Kasumi may be practising on a "casual" or fitness only level. A comment somewhere something like "Kasumi never really had the interest to be serious about the art"... Being very vague here since i don´t really remember where or exact phrasing. I think there´s some comment about how Akane is "the best of the 3" as well, which would imply that all sisters have trained or are training to some lesser degree.

[Maximara]

If the promise were strictly about martial arts, Ranma wouldn't have had his choice between the three sisters; Soun and/or Genma would have chosen Akane, as the only practicing martial artist of the three, and that would have been that. Nor would they have just accepted it when Nabiki ended up being the fiancee for a spell (well, until Soun learned that she would sell the dojo, but that's obviously a different issue).

Soun may be smarter then we give him credit for. Kasumi expresses hope that Ranma is at least her age (younger men bore her or something along those lines) and Nabiki hopes he's rich. Soun likely has some idea on how old Ranma is and he likely knew Genma well enough to know the man couldn't hold on to wealth for very long. He could have figured on these factors resulting in the sisters passing off the engagement to Akane. In short he offered Ranma a false choice.

As for Nabiki being the fiance for a while he likely figured it wouldn't last long and would go back to Akane.

So, offspring does appear to be pivotal for the joining and carrying on of their school. If Akane can't have children, I can see Soun and/or Genma wanting to change Ranma's fiancee. Nodoka would probably share the same sentiment, but not because she's particularly keen on having grandchildren; that's fanon (unless it's from the anime; I've no idea).

Well there is adoption and I can see Genma keeping Nodoka out of the loop for that (In Japan you have to ask the family's permission to adopt). But then again Ranma 1/2 does play fast and loose with the rules. For example, in the real Japan Ranma would have had to take an entrance exam for high school (going to high school is not mandatory in Japan) and this exam would set which school he went to. (Preparing for High School Entrance Exams shows that high schools in Japan are on par with colleges in the US) But we never see this critical High School Entrance Exam or Ranma even preparing for it.

From what we see even before Principal Kuno gets there Furinkan High School must have been the absolute bottom of the Japanese schools system's barrel given they don't even seem to care about the High School Entrance Exam. After Principal Kuno gets there the barrel's bottom is kicked out and he digs down a couple hundred miles.

"If you want to be successful in Japan, you must go to the right High School. The High School you go to helps determine the college you can be accepted at." Well thanks to Principal Kuno any hopes a Furinkan student had of going to a good college just when down the tubes. I'm sorry but in anything even resembling our world Principal Kuno would have been fired within a month regardless of how much money his family has.

I don't know what the age of majority has to do with anything, really. (Which hasn't changed since the forties?) What would Genma benefit from it that he isn't getting out of it already? In all likelihood, their school of martial arts will only be passed down through their progeny, rather than through just anyone, which is why stress is placed on having one of their children marry. After all, there's no canonical reason given for why they don't use the dojo to teach martial arts to anyone else, and (at least in the manga) they don't seem to have any financial issues that would require doing it for the income. I think there's only one example of it being rented out for another use, but considering said use it mustn't have been for much, not if it was meant as any significant means of supplementary income.

The age of majority means that financial say falls to Genma and Soun. And due to the Bakuchioh King mess we know that Genma for what ever reason had the deed to the Tendo Dojo. This seems to imply that Genma is the stronger of the two men in terms of deciding what they do which is strange because in the manga they are on the level of acquaintances rather then friends.

From what we have seen Genma doesn't seem to be a long term planner - primary example being the mess with Kuonji Ukyo. He's luck that didn't turn into a blood feud (in manga canon it was nearly on par with one)

The Tendo's financial situation is another one of those wonky things. Just where is the money to support Genma and Ranma coming from? Not from Nabiki's meager antics...assuming she would even use those to help her family as opposed to herself (which squelches the fanon idea that Nabiki provides any income for the family). One could theorize Soun does teach and we just don't see it but there are problems with that idea.

[Blackcat101]

The only example we got of the Tendos making money in both anime and manga is when they rented the Dojo or something like that during the "Ryoga got a funny drawing in the stomach" incident. And Nabiki only wins money for herseft. We do know Soun and Genma got jobs at the town council, but where does the money for repairs come from?

[Maximara]

The only example we got of the Tendos making money in both anime and manga is when they rented the Dojo or something like that during the "Ryoga got a funny drawing in the stomach" incident. And Nabiki only wins money for herseft. We do know Soun and Genma got jobs at the town council, but where does the money for repairs come from?

Soun having a job with the town council I knew about but when did Genma get one? I know that he had a little job with Tofu before Tofu simply disappeared (around vol 13 IIRC) but where and when were we told Genma got a job with the town council?

[three headed dog]

we know that Genma for what ever reason had the deed to the Tendo Dojo

Nope the deed is never mentioned and that story arc doesn't imply that he did. While i dislike that arc for a number of reasons it doesn't make mention of a deed at all. Ranma bet something he would have in the future and Soun went with it for a few reasons (tightens claim between Akane and Ranma in that the only way Ranma could get the dojo to make the bet valid is to marry a Tendo and Second after what he said immediately prior to finding out what was bet it would be a loss of face for him to not let it play through - face being very important in Japanese culture)

For example, in the real Japan Ranma would have had to take an entrance exam for high school (going to high school is not mandatory in Japan) and this exam would set which school he went to. (Preparing for High School Entrance Exams shows that high schools in Japan are on par with colleges in the US) But we never see this critical High School Entrance Exam or Ranma even preparing for it.

That isn't strictly true. While the manga makes no mention of those the anime specifically Season 4 Episode 13 - Ryoga's Tendo Dojo Houseguest Diary (which I generally don't consider not liking the anime much compared to the manga) actually did make mention of high school exams in that the episode was about Ryoga studying for them to get into high school with Ranma and Akane (the episode implied Ranma had passed those exams at some point that wasn't shown which is easily possible since you can, depending on the school, take the exams up to 3 months before school starts). As for the manga, we wouldn't see that since all the prep, studying and applying to schools and such happens during jr high often even in second year of jr high (and the manga starts at the beginning of high school) and most people apply to multiple schools so as to have back ups if first choice doesn't work.

[Noy Telinú]

They rent out the dojo for things like during the mark of god Ryoga thing. But that's just the anime.

It's also only in the anime that they have money problems.

Seeing how its a big house in Tokyo, I'm thinking they have a lot of money somewhere. How else can they afford so many trips?

[Maximara]

Maximara:we know that Genma for what ever reason had the deed to the Tendo Dojo


Nope the deed is never mentioned and that story arc doesn't imply that he did. While i dislike that arc for a number of reasons it doesn't make mention of a deed at all. Ranma bet something he would have in the future and Soun went with it for a few reasons (tightens claim between Akane and Ranma in that the only way Ranma could get the dojo to make the bet valid is to marry a Tendo and Second after what he said immediately prior to finding out what was bet it would be a loss of face for him to not let it play through - face being very important in Japanese culture)

"With the King now reminiscing about this victory, Ukyo adds that she went to Ranma in the hope that he could beat the King. This, too, proved useless however as Ranma also lost continuously until the only thing he had left to gamble was an old deed." (Summation of Viz Vol 13 Chap 9 ala Vol 15 Chapter 4 "The King is Wild")

The Ranma manga online (viable but not downloadable) shows something wonky. On Ranma 1/2 15 Page 62 after the King says "You have nothing left to wager" Ranma replies "Yes I do. Here's the deed". On Ranma 1/2 15 Page 66 the King holds a paper "Entitles the bearer to ownership of the Tendo Dojo. SIgned Ranma Saotome (with Ranma's Handprint beside the signature)" however in the recap on Ranma 1/2 15 Page 70 the paper says "Entitles the bearer to ownership of the Tendo Dojo. SIgned Soun Tendo (with Ranma's Handprint beside the signature)".

So on page 62 Ranma himself states the paper he holds is the deed for the Tendo Dojo and the recap has Soun Tendo's signature on the paper. Furthermore on Ranma 1/2 15 Page 67 Soun declares that "it is a legal document"...which would NOT be true unless the recap with Soun's signature is the correct one (being underage no document Ranma alone signed would be legal). Ego Ranma and therefore Genma had the deed for the Tendo Dojo.

Maximara:For example, in the real Japan Ranma would have had to take an entrance exam for high school (going to high school is not mandatory in Japan) and this exam would set which school he went to. (Preparing for High School Entrance Exams shows that high schools in Japan are on par with colleges in the US) But we never see this critical High School Entrance Exam or Ranma even preparing for it.

That isn't strictly true. While the manga makes no mention of those the anime specifically Season 4 Episode 13 - Ryoga's Tendo Dojo Houseguest Diary (which I generally don't consider not liking the anime much compared to the manga) actually did make mention of high school exams in that the episode was about Ryoga studying for them to get into high school with Ranma and Akane (the episode implied Ranma had passed those exams at some point that wasn't shown which is easily possible since you can, depending on the school, take the exams up to 3 months before school starts). As for the manga, we wouldn't see that since all the prep, studying and applying to schools and such happens during jr high often even in second year of jr high (and the manga starts at the beginning of high school) and most people apply to multiple schools so as to have back ups if first choice doesn't work.

The anime diverges so far from the manga that you really can't use anything in it for the manga (and visa versa). Nevermind the High School Entrance Exam determines which school you go to.

Also the implication is that after knocking Ranma out waiting for Ryoga Genma hitailed it to China. Then he and Ranma had to get to Jusenkyō which located in the Bayankala Mountain range (Bayan Har Shan), south of Mount Kensei, in Qinghai Province, China. Given the cheap skate Genma is, they likely walked there. Then they have to run-walk back to the coast avoiding Sham pu. In all logic this trip would have about two years and that is assuming Genma and Ranma didn't stop on the way to Jusenkyō to train which odds are they did. Given the conversation Ranma and Genma have at the beginning of the manga there is no way Ranma would have studied for high school after getting back Japan.

Furthermore, remember Genma pressures Ranma to go to school with the comment "Well we are going to staying a while" (Ranma 1/2 1
Page 58) Certainly if Ranma had taken the High School Entrance Exam within the last three months he would have known which high school he would have been going to and not asked suprised when Genma mentioned going to school.

There is quite literally no time for Ranma to have taken the High School Exam before being sent to Furinkan High School for a period of roughly two years before the manga starts!

[Noy Telinú]

Except Genma says "two weeks ago" when he starts telling the tale of jusenkyo.

Yes that might not make sense but these are martial artists. Running for your lives could put them into very high speeds.

I doubt greatly that Ranma hadn't been in school for at least two years before.

[Cheb]

SIgned Ranma Saotome (with Ranma's Handprint beside the signature)"

This is the true version. See the original (Note "Saotome" childishly written in hiragana instead of kanji)

Soun declares that "it is a legal document"

He says "ま、証文が　あるのでは　仕方　あるまい。". I'm at a complete loss here. A real understanding of Japanese is required to even scratch this mess.

I suspect it could be something like "Well, a deal's a deal, there's no helping it."

"証文" means "bond | deed | contract"
ある (aru) means "to be | is" should be used to refer to non-living beings AFAIR, in some specific circumstances at that. Is used by Shampoo *everywhere*, including instead of "desu" and just for the kick of it.
では may mean "so | then"
仕方あるまい may or may not be a form of 仕方ない (it can't be helped).

[Cheb]

They rent out the dojo

They are monster hunters, plain and simple. Their phone number is known far and wide across the country. They receive at least two calls during the manga: 1) to hunt the giant animals of Ryugenzawa (Akane receives the call and decides to do the job on her own) 2) to hunt the rogue octopus jar, Ranma Genma and Souun go all together, then those two start goofing off and eat the feast provided by the employers while Ranma has to do all the work.

I'd suspect the monster hunting pays well.

[TerraEpon]

It's funny how much proof there is in the manga that the Tendos are FULLY aware of magic existing before Ranma ever gets there (not to mention, at least in the anime, the Kunos) yet there's always stories where, for instance, Nabiki denies magic or whatever, not to mention "Ranma brought all the craziness with him" -- as if the guys beating up Akane, Dr. Tofu's madness, Ryuugenzawa, etc etc aren't all bizzare too...

[Konsaki]

It's funny how much proof there is in the manga that the Tendos are FULLY aware of magic existing before Ranma ever gets there (not to mention, at least in the anime, the Kunos) yet there's always stories where, for instance, Nabiki denies magic or whatever, not to mention "Ranma brought all the craziness with him" -- as if the guys beating up Akane, Dr. Tofu's madness, Ryuugenzawa, etc etc aren't all bizzare too...

Takahashi's major rule: Do it if it's funny or leads to funny. If it fails to do either, forget it exists or change it until it complies.