The Bitter End Syndrome

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Re: The Bitter End Syndrome

Postby Ellen Kuhfeld » Tue Oct 27, 2015 8:33 pm

slickrcbd wrote:I apologize for missing the point.
Although I should point out that while I wholeheartedly agree that blaming the victim makes no sense, I was on the receiving end of that for five years around 20 years ago and many people in charge of discipline in schools wholeheartedly believe in that. I can only think that they rationalize it that it's not five troublemakers conspiring, it's just one troublemaker "playing victim" and thus it's easier to go after the one person than five and makes the school less likely to look like they have a bullying problem. Thus they put the onus on the victim to stop the incidents from happening, and wash their hands of it.

I don't know if that is true, I'm drawing conclusions from the fact that when a group of students had singled out a student for constant harassment and generally only went for their preferred target, the school assigned the blame on the victim and put the onus on him to stop the incidents of violence that resulted even when the victim never threw the first punch.

Oh, I believe this with every fiber of my soul. The authorities almost always go after the innocent and the victim -- they don't put up nearly as much of a fight.
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Re: The Bitter End Syndrome

Postby Crescent Pulsar S » Tue Oct 27, 2015 8:43 pm

Probably because they have something in common with the actual troublemakers, too.

Cheb wrote:Yeah, she was demolishing cookies, her eyes glued to the screen with a sick fascination.
The next moment Ranma suddenly *groped* her.
It was very funny.
At her expense.
It is always at someone's expense. :roll:
I'm not going to get my panties in a bunch over what happens to fictional characters. The event mentioned wasn't meant to be taken seriously, so I'm not going to.
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Re: The Bitter End Syndrome

Postby Cheb » Wed Oct 28, 2015 2:43 am

One could see this as her having a secret kink for being manhandled

More likely, as a horror story addict. This is how I interpret it.
Didn't Ranma tell her she has a sick imagination after she imagined Kunou date-raping Ranma?
The sound effect alone (especially in the Japanese original) is all wavy and bristling with spikes, "oh the horror" or how was it?

so I'm not going to.

I did not mean to. See pic (far) above. :mrgreen:
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Re: The Bitter End Syndrome

Postby Crescent Pulsar S » Wed Oct 28, 2015 11:50 am

Cheb wrote:More likely, as a horror story addict. This is how I interpret it.
Didn't Ranma tell her she has a sick imagination after she imagined Kunou date-raping Ranma?
The sound effect alone (especially in the Japanese original) is all wavy and bristling with spikes, "oh the horror" or how was it?

It was the "habit for watching bodice-rippers at best" part that the joke was drawn from, since it'd be an unlikely coincidence if every horror she watched also included that element, which could elude to the aforementioned kink. I wouldn't be surprised, though, if the "horror" show was a drama, or a drama and horror, since that's a (stereo)typical thing for a girl to watch.

...And the success of things like Twilight and Forty Shades of Grey makes me think that many girls and women are really... Maybe I shouldn't apply any adjectives so I don't step on any landmines from the Knights of [add descriptive title for their cause here]. That's just what I'd need.

I did not mean to. See pic (far) above. :mrgreen:

I know you didn't, but neither did I. D:
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Re: The Bitter End Syndrome

Postby Pata Hikari » Wed Oct 28, 2015 8:54 pm

Cheb wrote:Yeah, she was demolishing cookies, her eyes glued to the screen with a sick fascination.
The next moment Ranma suddenly *groped* her.
It was very funny.
At her expense.
It is always at someone's expense. :roll:

It was!

Then Akane got out the Kendo armor and started shooting arrows at Ranma. Which, is, you know, also hilarious.
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Re: The Bitter End Syndrome

Postby Crescent Pulsar S » Wed Oct 28, 2015 11:10 pm

Pata Hikari wrote:Then Akane got out the Kendo armor and started shooting arrows at Ranma. Which, is, you know, also hilarious.

Obvious reference time! (It's just a music video. Don't watch if you're allergic to the eighties.)
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Re: The Bitter End Syndrome

Postby SpaceKnight of Chaos » Mon Jan 20, 2020 5:55 am

toushin wrote:The bitter end syndrome is what I call when authors depict the problems in Akane’s and Ranma’s relationship as entirely his fault. That all Ranma needs to do is get rid of his fiancées and stop insulting Akane and everything will magically fix itself. This does not mean that the fic is bad take Relentless and Heart of Ice. In the former after Akane masters the bakusai tenketsu she is suddenly strong enough to defeat Shampoo and when they go save Ranma he is moved to tears as he finally realizes how much he as held her back. While in Heart of Ice the entirety of Akane’s training revolves around her learning to ignore Ranma’s insults.

My question why are there so many of these fics. the reason I call it Bitter End syndrome is that fic basically deconstructed this idea. Ranma suddenly stop insulting Akane won’t do anything in fact it most likely would make her more suspicious (which is has). It just seems like a convenient excuse to force the relationship instead of allowing them to grow as a couple

There are a lot of reasons why this was (and still is) a thing.

Firstly; Akane is the Designated Heroine of Ranma 1/2. The manga in particular pushes the idea that Ranma and Akane WILL get together, and all the other characters are just nuisances who're getting in the way of a destined couple. This naturally entices a lot of readers to sympathize with her first and foremost.

Secondly; the canonical humor of Ranma 1/2 runs a lot on the trope "Double Standard". It's okay for Akane to be violent and temperamental towards Ranma because she's a girl and he's a boy, and that's the stance a lot of media takes.

Thirdly; whilst Akane actually provokes a number of their conflicts, Ranma is more obviously the agent provocateur on a more frequent basis, and this earns him a more negative reception amongst many fans. This trait tends to be emphasized due to the above reason; people are more likely to sympathize with Akane and rationalize her bad behavior than to do the same for Ranma because, again, it's different when a girl does it to a boy.

Finally; it's the easy way out. That's the major reason why it happens. Ranma/Akane pairing fics are the oatmeal of the Ranma 1/2 fic writing community - they're the most common variety of fic by far, with everybody wanting to write them, and usually not wanting to put a lot of effort into them. Handwaving the whole messiness of the coupling by just placing all the blame on Ranma's shoulders (especially since Akane and her whole family do the same thing in canon) makes it easier to write a RAkane fic - you just have Ranma "miraculously" stop being such a bully and voila; your perfect heroine gets her perfect life, and the reviews come flooding in.
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Re: The Bitter End Syndrome

Postby Ellen Kuhfeld » Mon Jan 20, 2020 12:38 pm

Desperately Seeking Ranma has a Ranma/Kasumi pairing set off by Akane's violence. But in chapter 26, a discovery shows that Akane was not truly at fault. Be warned, this particular fic is almost a million and a half words long. I've read it all the way through twice; a friend of mine has read it three times, and cursed me for getting him hooked on it. If you're fool enough to read it, go to Pixel1's home page and note the side stories. Read Aftermath first, to see where the explosions start.

Save for Ranma and Kasumi, almost none of the Tendos and Saotomes come out of it looking well, nor do their friends and neighbors. It's just as well the two got out of Nerima and became magical girls. But if the problem noted in ch. 26 had not existed, I could easily see a Ranma/Akane pairing.
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