The moral problems of Ranma 1/2

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The moral problems of Ranma 1/2

Postby SpaceKnight of Chaos » Thu Dec 11, 2008 9:39 pm

I was reading the entry for Ranma 1/2 in TVtropes's "Pillars of Moral Character" and I was just curious; what precisely are all of the various quandries, problems and other hassles caused by the need for various characters to balance On, Gimu, Giri and Ninjo? The site's entry mentions that Ranma just up and choosing one girl is dishonor to at least one other girl (though it doesn't state precisely which 'pillar' is the problem source here), and also that the P-chan situation is a problem of Gimu vs. Giri (though it notes that Ranma did actually swear, mentally, to a dog and not to Ryoga himself), but what other troubles can be laid on the moral pillars of Ranma or some other member of the cast?
Water, water, everywhere, and all was cursed and black!
Drowned ones cast bad spell and out come pig, girl, duck, panda!
Swirl, swirl, slithery pond, and join with magic spring!
Swirl, swirl, dirty pond, and rid the cursed sting!
Here my prayer, I beg you please!
Now turn these curses BACK!

http://www.issendai.com/rpgs/japanese-boys-names.shtml
http://www.issendai.com/rpgs/japanese-girls-names.shtml
SpaceKnight of Chaos
Prism Power Senshi
Posts: 2561
 

Postby FOG3 » Fri Dec 12, 2008 10:20 am

I think you need to take a step back because you're nuking it. Here is the entry. As you'll note it's about forms of humor related to reception with the audience. Humor itself playing on the inherent absurdity of things.

In this case:

On aka just in settling debts.

Gimu aka offering service if nothing else in settling debts justly.

Giri aka be responsible in managing your obligations.

Ninjo aka empathy and looking out for the other guy.

Is or is not the vast majority of Ranma 1/2 humor an over-the-top version of either doing what the average person would want to do instead of following these and otherwise more or less mocking them? So do or do we not have that kind of humor related to that, and is there or is there not a viable question of its ability to work cross-culture?

Also don't nuke of their "morals" too much. Right up to WW2 the Japanese were in a Feudal system where the elite could cut the peasantry down for minimal reasons. Think of them more like the Greeks with Attica's, which includes Athens, 19 to 1 slave to master ratio. They might philosophize on the nature of justice, etc. but reality ain't exactly cheery. Sparta's being along the lines of 7 to 1 for comparison, and that's just scraping the tip of the iceberg.
FOG3
 

Postby SpaceKnight of Chaos » Fri Dec 12, 2008 12:28 pm

Who's nuking them? My ancestors were exiled for petty crimes, so I'm certainly in no place to mock any culture's moral code and nor am I doing so.

I'm just genuinely curious as to what parts of Ranma 1/2, besides Ranma's inability to choose a girl and the P-chan situation, can be attributed to conflicts between two or more of the four moral pillars.
Water, water, everywhere, and all was cursed and black!
Drowned ones cast bad spell and out come pig, girl, duck, panda!
Swirl, swirl, slithery pond, and join with magic spring!
Swirl, swirl, dirty pond, and rid the cursed sting!
Here my prayer, I beg you please!
Now turn these curses BACK!

http://www.issendai.com/rpgs/japanese-boys-names.shtml
http://www.issendai.com/rpgs/japanese-girls-names.shtml
SpaceKnight of Chaos
Prism Power Senshi
Posts: 2561
 


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