The End?

I have pretty much emptied my non-humdrum ideas for amusing scenes or continuation at this point, without dragging along for the sake of it, or at least virtually all interest. It wouldn’t have been enough to avoid being bland and an omnivore diet tastes better. Most threads were addressed, but it’s not in their nature to truly be tied-up, just enter another phase, and seriously, we would have had to follow Nabiki for decades if we wanted final resolution of the central plotline, unless she screwed up big in some way. The final scene did seem thematically satisfying in addressing these issues and as the most fitting closure. Let’s just say that without this intervention there likely would have been eternal friction between her and Ranma, but that they would have been stuck unless the other died. They’d continue along their own paths and at most manage to change each other at a snail’s pace (and that would be a very optimistic prognosis), given that they have extremely deeply rooted intrinsic personalities. It’s the feeling I get from them as this developed, unless I tried to force them somewhere much harder than in character. The readers deciding for themselves whatever Nabiki would have chosen, and how that turned out, seemed like the most appropriate culmination under these circumstances. Ok, so it could be perceived as a Sopranos-style 'cop-out', but I genuinely think that it turned out as the most befitting thematic option. It's also a good way to write myself into a corner, so that I finally get done with this thing. Still, send away any notions that you think could be cool if you want me to pick up at some point.

So where could it have gone from here in the long run, if simply straggling along after the Herb mess? Well, I might be able to see something like this developing… -

Nabiki gradually expands her knowledge, and corporate investments, attains help to get away with more from her lapdog mystic, tries out various types of legal or illegal empires, which she discards whenever she wants to try something else. Is very happy about finally getting her lack of accountability, due to wisely staying far away from dangerous chi-users and law-abiding psychics, and probably exits the country at some point. Lots of bodies are left in her wake. Taro might have turned into a personal handyman after all, just one employed far away from Japan. Alternately, Shampoo learns to find her in the same manner as Ukyo and summarily kills her off as a too dangerous liability. Simply stretching and getting around her limitations while being aware that she’s still vulnerable might ground Nabiki enough to not to eventually grow apathetic in the long run, as opposed to the outlined completely unrestricted reign under demonic supervision.

Ranma gets his chain of dojo-schools, if Nabiki survived, and possibly otherwise as well. Akane might head a separate unit, but they would probably stay away from each other. Soun is otherwise mitigated since Ranma married another daughter, but in worst case Ranma gets foisted on Kasumi, poor girl, who is discovered to have fled the country with a foreign doctor at that point. She takes up the habit of screaming “Free! Finally free!” at the top of her lungs whenever possible. Soun promptly vainly tries to adopt Ukyo. The latter, Shampoo, and Akane get on with their lives, and make do fine without Ranma after shifting degrees of depression and anger. They’re very, very tough broads.

Ukyo becomes a renowned master chef, and expands her restaurant. Shampoo keeps getting versed in lots of different areas, as long as they make her more dangerous. Akane probably studies a lot, so it’s uncertain if she develops her enormous potential in the martial arts. Ryuu, Ryoga and Hao Li make a very ‘odd triple’ ESP monster-hunter unit. Akari and Hao Li sort of get used to having each other around after a few years. Ryoga stays a virgin until his late thirties when his girlfriends finally get fed up and turn proactive, but consistently remains very interested in using his comparatively long life-span for studies now when he can finally stay around long enough, and helps to manage the pig-dojo on the side. Though he remains indecisive about just what he’s supposed to do when he’s finished, and simply decides to keep studying and training to get stronger for no other reason than the pursuit itself. He gets very uncomfortable when his kids turn out to be chi-blast-burping pigs, tigers, and dragons... Or not.

Mousse might join the ESP just to get some kind of life beyond his obsession. It’s a touch-and-go whether he gives up on Shampoo before or after she poisons his food, and dumps the body in the ocean. Kuno is Kuno, and Kodachi is Kodachi. Some things never change. Bless them. The Veteran is still dead… orrrr issss heee? A young African boy is starting to behave very strangely, even for child militias…

Hayato receives the Nobel price… all of them, after blackmailing the entire committee. He and Nabiki hit it off online while he takes ongoing commissions to forge her new cover identities, and start having a passionate cyber-sex romance on the side… until he sends her a photograph. Spiritual soul-mates deals only go so far. He keeps being a general nuisance, sprouting half-baked obscenities, eating snacks while watching his colleagues fight for their lives, taking contracts to kill off scum of the Earth to pass the time, emptying accounts, and never gets caught, ever. The moral being: Knowledge is power, especially if you’re a complete bastard. Then Hitomi catches him in the act too many times and turns him into a retarded paraplegic with severe epilepsy fits, rat-tail, and frog warts all over his body. She’s inexplicably upbeat during the rest of her mortal life. Nabiki innocently whistles before going to bed that night. Ranma is too distressed over being gagged with a plastic apple, splattered with gravy sauce, and tied-up with massive titanium chains to notice.

Urd eventually grows bored and decides to throw in another curve ball to screw up continuity, which renders all of the above moot. Her license is temporarily revoked, and she’s kicked right into the mess for the effort… uh-oh. See, aren’t you all glad that I didn’t just drag along? -

Seriously though, the ‘problem’ here is that Nabiki won’t ever get hers. It’s not in narrative character, and given this the story in itself would just be centred around her developing a really freaky empire, and turning increasingly uber-Mary-Sue, super-genius, perverse wish-fulfilment-style unstoppable freight-train (in every respect), where any and all potential obstacles/opponents are run over without a hitch, and turn brain-damaged and/or spineless when she is in the room, as a general shortcut for handling a protagonist that’s supposed to have turned far more intelligent than the writer or any of the readers, but in practice inevitably comes across as someone semi-clever matching wits with babies, which isn’t enjoyable, or the least bit interesting, as a regurgitating theme. I’m likewise not the sort who’d have fun with never-ending ‘everyday’ ‘life goes on’, which also goes for the rest of the cast.

Story- and character-notes:

I’m still mostly attempting to craft a story that appeals to my sensibilities/I personally find entertaining, but it should hopefully also provide some food for thought. If it can be said to have had a purpose it's a tale about genuine monsters and what defines them, as well as write the first fanfic I've ever read that at least makes an effort/works from scratch to directly translate the manga characterisations as is and work/develop them from there, but it didn't always quite work out, as it is rather hard to portray moody and/or severely vicious, but simultaneously goofy and/or light-hearted characters appropriately. Virtually all of it does have firm manga precedents/references however, and I'd go with that over a convenient thin air myth any day of the week. In any case the views of the characters are very seldom my own, just getting into their heads and exorcising various impressions, so flames remain pretty pointless. Still, please take care to check if a matter is already addressed in the text or author notes before writing. Potential patterns of objection are most likely an intentional choice/personal style, so enjoy it for what it is, and go somewhere else for something different. It’s not like I either force you to read it, or you pay me any money, but constructive and sincere ideas for improvements are always very welcome. I need lots of input, but without good descriptions and/or alternatives I’m probably not capable of doing much without fouling things up considerably worse than they were previously.

The yarn continues to be an unconventional and unpredictable acid trip, to play around with language and experiment with various crammed chaotic ideas, since I didn’t feel like crafting a padded ‘quantity over quality’ narrative. Much like the manga itself it’s skipping and turning along various co-plots, rather than one drawn-out track, and we’re generally peeking into more entertaining moments while leaving the rest for imagination, rather than endlessly droning on about everyday humdrum.

It’s filled to the brim with irony, and I consider it an effort to catch more than half the layers in this regard. There’s some equal opportunity, silly and demented, deconstructionist fun-poking at various conventions or attitudes, a rather unsettling interest in studies in near-absolute evil, and almost spot-on grasp on ‘not entirely sympathetic’ personas. I’m aware that the various thematics are technically very, very ‘wrong’, or maybe ‘fuck you hush-hush, I hate you all’ politically incorrect, but I find it more amusing and useful that way. Although somewhat disturbingly it’s still very sane compared to, and far less callous than, a great part of the stuff I’ve seen out there in the genre, just not actively following a beaten track, and spoofing quite a bit of it.

Some obligatory annoying new characters have been introduced, though I’m likely not exploring the full potential of them or the various concepts, due to the sheer amount for limited space and attention span. I still need to at least semi-appreciate the process. The setting is more or less a world where the mundane and the inane coexist on ‘separate mental planes’, despite recurrent interactions, with neither widespread sentiment disturbances in the general public, nor official regulation (well, beyond the ESP unit, sort of), much like Takahashi’s original version. No, that doesn’t make sense and it was never supposed to. Come on, the manga had arcs about killer swimwear, and I’ve got activist-tomatoes in this thing.

I might be obliged to make a note about the concurrent thoughts and dialogue for The Veteran in his final scene, which also constituted the only direct glimpse into his mind. He’s fundamentally a walking blend of archetypes, all the darkest elements of the heroic myth wrapped into one, a manifestation of pure purpose. I.e. while he’s far more layered and advanced than any character, save for the goddesses and possibly Taikio, could possibly wrap their heads around, what you see is usually what you get for any specific given situation, unless he’s quietly mulling things over or planning a strategy by himself. Once his path is set, he’s so ridiculously experienced that anything is routine and nearly instinctive, with his thoughts and actions blended into a seamless unit.

Likewise, Taro’s behaviour, and occasionally cliched choices of expression, self-perspective, or inner dialogue are frequently, not so subtly, hinting that he’s mentally stuck in his own personal overkill action-movie.

In the English translation, when first introduced Peorth/Peosu was portrayed as fitting in various French words into sentences as a personal style of elegance, so I went with that, given that the original “Japanese with some English terms” would have been pretty hard to manage in the present format. Like with most western-derived language concepts, notions, and references in the story, it would probably be best to regard it as symbolic, replaced with an appropriate corresponding cultural fit if anyone ever feels up to translating it into Japanese. -

The assessments of character potentials are strictly thoroughly and rationally based on the source material. As are the portrayals, according to how the personas matured over time, since it would be ridiculous to base a continuation on their level of personal growth right in the beginning, but that obviously doesn’t mean I won’t perform mistakes, just that I’m actually making an effort.

I’ve taken some liberties with Ryuu, since he’s more of a blank slate, but from an angle that makes sense, and find Taro’s and Ryoga’s development rational given the circumstances. I’ve also had some fun by focusing on various characters I have a reasonably good grasp on, like Shampoo, Ukyo, Konatsu, and Tatewaki, though I slightly modified Kuno’s speech patterns. I’ve been told that he’s originally talking in semi-archaic formal Japanese, and twisted that into a silly but amusing exaggeration of the English voice actor interpretation, while keeping his mind as in-character as I could manage.

Nabiki remains compelling, nasty piece of work and reprehensible human being or not, and has some of the best lines. I’m actually beginning to feel sorry for her, even though she is handled in character. Excepting the accelerated pop-culture fads and gadgets, it’s truly a horrible, ‘corrupted and repressive in an institutionalised superficially refined and polished way’ country to grow up in for a free-spirited modern woman. She actually does have very ‘human’ reasons for being the way she is. To not let sentimentality take over, it’s worth keeping in mind that she would never spare a speck of sympathy for anyone else, quite the opposite. It explains but doesn’t remotely excuse her to borrow a phrase. Or she’s very ‘graspable’, but not ‘understandable’, to coin one. Then again, I have taken the one liberty of introducing the cliche of a few repressed emotions, rather than her truer “I know exactly who and what I am, and take care to thoroughly enjoy it. It’s not a case of being bitter” no mental weak spots whatsoever state. Of course, that’s strictly due to her being a bit unnerved from facing a more uncertain future, where things may not work as smoothly as they used to, and mainly Urd’s enforced modifications. It should be noted that I’ve finally got around to watching some of the TV episodes, and, while I didn’t really care for the series, in there I’d actually say that Nabiki generally seems like the most ‘normal’/sensible/balanced character, and one of the most sympathetic of the bunch. An enormous departure from her manga roots, where she seems intended as the ‘near pure evil and very modern’ antithesis of Kasumi’s ‘near pure good and very traditional’, so I’m beginning to get where some people are coming from.

Ranma is turning a bit dull, but I suppose he’s ok. Unexpectedly Ryuu instead sort of took over as the hero, or rather anti-hero, of the tale.

Sadly I had very limited ideas about entertaining non-standardised scenes with most of the Tendo household, and the cast would have turned even more unmanageable for so little space with so many notions. Sorry.

Akane also received far too limited screen time, due to that the set-up per definition would almost exclusively limit her to boring drama scenes. So I referred to but didn’t directly use her much. It’s also very hard to handle somebody who is chiefly a heroic, tough, forgiving, valiant, idealistic, self-sacrificing, protective, honourable, and helpful girl, but simultaneously a paranoid, violent, manic, and unreasonable spastic, to almost paraphrase Kasumi, with both sides just as genuine, even if the former is more prevalent. She’s been willing to risk her life for enemies that would gladly kill her, and actually consciously traded it to save Ranma’s at the drop of a hat. That takes a serious effort to rationalise away. It’s technically roughly in character for her to simply fume and be sad instead of lashing out so much when Ranma doesn’t actively barb and try to get in her face a lot, rather than avoid her. But there were probably at least a few “Akane whacks Ranma with a table” moments off-screen, and she released a lot of pent-up steam through her new serious sparring sessions, which are far more samurai weaponry- than straight hand-to-hand-related btw. It’s generally been shown as her greater forte.

Regardless, she’s recurrently switching between both extremes in the span of seconds. Take the “Pink & Link” story for example. She first heroically risks her life to save Ranma’s and Shampoo’s in a jungle of lethally poisonous plants, and is politely and obliviously asking the antagonists, Pink & Link, for the direction after burning/defeating them with her staff, but the moment she sees Shampoo about to kiss an unconscious Ranma, she immediately goes off the deep end, starts to laugh maniacally, and blasts them with fire. A second/frame later she is crying in sincere happiness that Ranma is all right since she was so worried about his safety, yet again oblivious that he is slightly scorched. None of which was play-acting in the slightest. She’s virtually incapable of any level of deception/near completely honest, as made an explicit point of in the Nabiki engagement story. I’m not sure if I could handle that properly from a psychological angle, and I’ve yet to see any story that remotely does, or even makes an effort. “Most bipolar character ever” to paraphrase a certain obese stereotype.

Speaking of which, someone talented could do a seriously funny story exploring a match-up of Akane & Ryoga. (After all, unlike most non-canon pairings, at least they both like each other, and are similar as well, so it’s not entirely implausible.) Both are nearly completely controlled by overwhelmingly strong emotions that quickly shift from moment to moment, which has serious possibilities, as interactions could potentially turn nearly completely contingent on whichever cycle each is in at the moment. Somehow they’re still each other’s ideal partners considering the alternatives. She can’t hurt him after all, he’s completely dedicated and appreciative, which she needs a lot of, and he’s one of the people that she’s consistently in her best mood/behaviour towards/who virtually never sets her off. They are also very similar in terms of straightforward, but highly erratic mindset, semi-naivete and gullibility, gallantry and anti-bully attitude, interest and vast talent in the martial arts, as well as intense dedication. Ryoga has an occasional semi-nasty edge that she lacks though, while her temper is more on the maniacal side, and she’s obviously more upbeat and idealistic. They also genuinely care for each other’s happiness. The big problems would be that Ryoga would recurrently get lost, leaving her alone for long periods, and could accidentally seriously injure Akane unless he learned to constantly rein himself in, but she’s still the potentially physically strongest girl in the series, so it’s a far more balanced fit than a ‘normal’ one like Akari.

Kodachi didn’t make her way into the story either. Odd that. I find the character amusing, but I suppose that the Ukyo & Shampoo show off segments were enough, and sufficiently out-there without having to trump it with the considerably loonier Kodachi, and she’s not nearly as observant, or even in the vicinity as much. She’s likely most suitable as an eventual ‘total blow-up’ trigger/joker. She doesn’t do intimidated or low profile and it would be a major challenge to come up with non-stop deranged craziness. (Yeah, yeah, make the obvious barb)

Hands-on help/examinations/ideas regarding improvements/style/timing/cut-outs of passages and scenes, word or sentence usage errors, and better replacements, tweaking of language style and structure, inaccurate references or serious plot-holes (but give me suggestions on how to solve them), introductions of additional events and character developments, or suggestions for story-beats are all highly appreciated. Just keep in mind that I’m still new at this, and there’s a far greater chance that I will be able to do something about it through supplied well-considered alternatives. I also don’t want to dumb the story down or try to be another author rather than play to my own strengths. If you are interested, please write me an email rather than a brief review and it will make the interaction considerably easier/have a bigger impact and more space.

I’m still not getting compensated for this, but hey donations are always good incentives, and if I’d get paid to incorporate my writing, and/or characters into some professional work that could definitely be interesting.

Ego stroking: Feed that sequoia with nutriments baby. -

Overzealous name definitions, and further character-notes:

All the names have been referenced through registers for existing options and translation engines. The full names of both Japan and China are, per definition, given in reverse order from that which western readers are accustomed, excepting titles, which are placed before the Chinese personal name. seems unable to display Japanese or Chinese characters, and, regrettably, automatically cuts them out.

Chinese:

Notes: It should be noted that virtually anything could become a Chinese given name, while there are only around a hundred static surnames, which limited the options in that regard. I (hopefully consistently) shifted between Chinese and ‘Japanese’ (or rather English) perspectives on the names, depending on whoever was the subject rather than object of the sentence. Alternately made the outward observation, but I kept the English translations, since they are too ingrained, state the original gag-intention, and “Shanpu”, “Musi”, “Rimu” etc just don’t ‘feel’ right in that context. Silly but true. Loh Zhi Wan also simply thought of himself as Loh Wan, and Hao Huang Bu was never referred to as personally using the Long/Dragon appellation in the manga itself. So Hao Li would likely not assume it under usual circumstances either, but it seemed appropriate as a formal title, so I nonetheless added it.

Mainstays:

Shan Pu/Shanpu/Shampoo (珊璞) – The kanji for Shan translate as “Coral”, but as an existent surname the pinyin makes “Mountain, Hill” Pu “Unpolished Gem” – “Unpolished gem Mountain; Hill” - “Unpolished Gem from the Mountains” works for a rough and tumble rural girl with hidden talents. Xian is an existent surname, but without listed significance, and unlike the alternative, not referred to in the kanji. Shan was also listed in a Shampoo’s village newspaper, while Xian was used for her wedding invitations. The total scale gives precedence for the former.

Hao Bu/Hao Long Huang Bu/Habu/Herb – Ha wasn’t found among the catalogued options, but Hao was allegedly a common appellation for emperors, however, although placed before the given name, it was apparently not a surname. Hao as a family name is “an ancient place name”, which made some sense for somebody steeped in archaic legacy. Huang/Wang “king” was recurrently assumed before the given name after ascending to the throne and provided a nice rhythm. Long means “dragon”, and “imperial” and Hao Long is the term for a mythic “dragon king”. Bu was “to declare; to march; to divine”, the first two of which made some sense. – For personal purposes, roughly “Dragon King Proclaimed Ancient Legacy“ – Then again besides being a mountain, Hua can be an abbreviation for China, while the surname Hua means magnificent; splendid; flowery. Perhaps I should have gone with that instead, but it would have messed up Hao Li/Holly. King Bu of Wa was a Chinese Emperor and Lu Bu was a military general and later minor warlord during the late Eastern Han Dynasty and Three Kingdoms era of China. There are probably more.

Mu Si/Mu Zhi/Musu/Mousse (沐絲, / ムース) – Mu is “bathe; cleanse; receive favours” in direct sign translation, but as an existing surname it’s “solemn”, which seemed fitting. Si is “silk; thread; trace”. Su is Japanese rather than Chinese translation of the sign but means “guileless, sincere; respectful; composed; alert, nimble or quick”, some of which fit. I took a liberty with using Zhi instead of Si, since it was listed as an extremely common Chinese personal name, and meant “will, intention, emotions” which was likewise fitting for an unerringly dedicated young man who takes himself a bit too seriously, so Si was scrapped. – “Intention/Will Solemn”, or “Solemn Will” to accommodate for our grammatical structure.

Li Me/Rimu/Lime – Li “black; plum; name of a river; chestnut; an ancient place name” Me “interrogative; assistant bishop” – “Assistant Black Bishop” works as Herb’s powerful personal bodyguard. Especially in chess terms, even if it’s unlikely that this reference is intended.

Min Te/Minte/Mint - Min “feel compassion for” Te “special, nervous, excessive, evil thought, male animal, terbium” – “Male Animal/Nervous Compassion” works in the former case, but in the second… possibly in terms of being overeager and nervous with women? “Concerned Male Animal” might, maybe, sort of, kind of, work.

Ke Lun/Koron/Cologne (可崘, / コロン) – Ke means “handle of axe, or respectful”, depending on the symbol. Lun “silk thread” –“Respectful Silk Thread” might be better for a polite venerated master of martial precision. Though it may refer to the Kunlun Mountains in Jiangsu.

ANCs:

Hao Li/Hao Long Li/Holly - Hao is “an ancient place name”, which follows the same family name as Herb. Li can be “bridal veil, or kerchief; wildcat; jasmine; clap of thunder; beautiful” depending on the sign used. It was cross-checked to simultaneously fit the “everyone from China sounds like a beauty product, except for the Musk who sound like herbs, and the Phoenix tribe who sound like spices” Takahashi pun-custom, and be a suitable designation. Long means (Dragon and Imperial) Li is technically one of the hundred last names when written in alternate symbols (see above for the available options), but given the variety of first ones there were several alternate translations available, depending on the symbol used.

It can be “Bridal Veil/Wildcat/Jasmine/Clap of Thunder/Beautiful ‘Ancient Legacy’ “, all of which work almost eerily well. The combined possibilities actually form a rather accurate description. - “Jasmine-Fragranced, Beautiful Bridal-veiled Imperial Dragon Wildcat of Ancient Legacy, with Will like a Clap of Thunder.” Now say that swiftly three times. - Preferably just “Fierce Elegant Ancient Imperial Dragon-Bride,” or simply “Elegant Imperial Dragon-Bride.” I considered Lin instead to simultaneously make a silly “Shaolin” pun, and since “Hao Lin” sounds catchier, but opted against it. It deviated too much from “Holly”.

Technically holly hiiragi in Japanese, which is the reference that should have been used (Habu, Minte, Rimu, etc), but I couldn’t access a list of Romaji herb names. Sorry. - (If you know of better options, i.e. Japanese herb names starting with Ha or Hao, send me a notice and I’ll fix it)

She’s deliberately played to fulfil various annoying, pushy, uber in a largely unsympathetic manner, and possibly ‘tragic’, new character attributes, which is commented on by various mainstays. But she turned out at least reasonably compelling, and technically you can categorise almost any type of non-bland semi-original creation in a disparaging manner if you set your mind to it. In the end you’re not allowed to craft any characters whatsoever, regardless how little you personally have in common with them. Regarding her age, the idea was that beyond being part dragon, the females of the clan, or just the type of dragon they’re descended from, have developed a trait to turn biologically ‘wired’ to have their ageing decelerated to an even slower crawl upon reaching adulthood. Until they give birth to a son, since it’s the only path to assure species survival. As for why any of them would ever want to have any babies under such circumstances, chalk it up to intense instinct, respectively severe indoctrination of ‘honour’ and ‘duty’. Her incredible refinement would potentially allow her to summarily beat up Ryoga if she managed to efficiently translate it to combat usage rather than cultivation and harmonisation, sufficiently disturbed his flows, and stayed far out of reach. A scalpel beats a hammer in the right hands. She’s a 450 years old dragon-hybrid. What did you expect? Then again, a single full force focused shot would kill her. Her aura-synchronisation talent is what enabled her to learn, and particularly impart, languages or other information in such a limited span of time.

Lo Wan/Loh Zhang Da Shi Wan/Rowan (羅蜿 / 羅長大師蜿) – Loh “snare”. Zhang “elder”, as I’ve understood it an official appellation of respect before the given name, but new information will lead to adjustments. Da Shi “grandmaster/master”, also an appellation of respect. Wan “to move as a snake”. – “Snare That Moves Like a Snake” or “Elderly Grandmaster Snare that Moves Like a Snake” seemed fitting enough, both in nature and pattern for a ancient grandmaster of the martial arts with reptile heritage. He’s actually ‘only’ a bit more than twice as old as Holly/a thousand years or so, but exaggerates to have a bit of fun every now and then. His thin dragon blood, somewhat strengthened from the snake heritage, and increasing chi mastery has gradually impeded his ageing as he grew older, so while he seemed about 50-55 when Hao Li was young, he currently looks 70 or so, which makes it uncertain what she believes. He’s pretty impressive, not as powerful as Happosai, but given his greater age and experience, even more skilled than either him or Cologne in the areas he’s mastered, although unlike the latter two, as a factotum/handyman/sage for the Musk emperors he’s focused more on non fighting-oriented applications. Like with Hao Li and Ryoga, the scalpel would win over the ‘sledgehammer’ if used methodically, but could also be smashed to pieces.

Japanese:

Mainstays:

These are easier to check up, since they are given in original Japanese, and then read into/speculate about. However, while the manga authors tend to choose for a reason, sometimes a name is just a name, so who knows?

Tendo Nabiki (天道 なびき) – Tendo is “way of Heaven; laws of Heaven and Nature”. A bit odd if it’s supposed to be symbolic for the entire family, but perhaps something like “different paths/perspectives to tackle life” could be made of it? Na is “vegetables; exorcism; name; reputation” Bi “beauty” Ki “chronicle/period/chest/deed/lean on” Biki “beautiful maiden”. Nabiku (なびく) means “to bend; to flutter; to yield”. – Bend can mean influence, twist or swerve, so I can buy that, but given that it more likely seems in line with the rest… well, she’s never been portrayed as humble/yielding, that’s Kasumi, but adaptable, yes very much so. “Reputed Beautiful Maiden” or “Reputation of Beauty and Action” sort of work, although “Deed” is more likely either in line with the other ‘legacy-connected stuff’, i.e. “Record/Legal Document”, which together with “lean on” fits for someone likely to use the technicalities of society to her advantage and security, but also to “Chest/Riches”. Nabiki was always presented as a modern and cynical counter/polar opposite to Kasumi’s traditionalism and consideration, and I even vaguely remember Takahashi referring to Nabiki as “a greedy girl with a tainted soul”, or something very similar, so period/era/zeitgeist also make sense. “Reputed Zeitgeist Beauty, of Riches and Legalities/Manipulation” kind of works, but finally I think “Flexible/Adaptable path of Heaven/Nature” is most spot-on and simple.

Saotome Ranma (早乙女 乱馬,) – Saotome “maiden” Ran “rebellion; tangled” Ma “horse; thread” – “Rebellious Horse Maiden.” Well, he’s rebellious, runs around free like a wild horse, and turns into a girl, but “tangled” would definitely work for his general lifestyle, so “Mixed-up Horse Maiden” is another alternative. Then again, “maiden” certainly doesn’t work on Genma…

Kumon Ryuu/Ryuu (リュウ at best gave the pronunciation, so I went with the Romaji. 苦悩竜 instead?) – Ku “long time; sky; nine”, Mon “a samurai emblem of feudal-lord affiliation” Kumon is ”anguish”, and apparently only has one Romaji translation. Ryuu/Ryuu is “dragon”, an existing name – “Anguish Dragon” seems to have been the intent, going by his introductory arc, although “Enduring Dutiful Dragon” would work better for this yarn.

Pansuto Taro (パンスト太郎) appears to be a direct Japanese name, despite his Chinese origins, but then again, Happosai baptised him. – Pansuto “pantyhose” Taro/Tarou “thick/big son” – “Thick/Big Son Pantyhose” almost works for a stubborn guy that turns into a thick-hided behemoth.

Regarding his attitude, I'm hardly some twisted homophobe, heck my own godfather is homosexual, but I can't stay away from the established manga character attitudes. There was a rather suspicious amount of “pervert” or similar terms and grimaces of either derision, shock, unease, or distaste being recurrently thrown around by everyone from Shampoo, to Mariko, to Akane, to Nabiki, to Nodoka, to Ranma himself, to Ukyo and the classmates, regarding the issue... Taro was particularly scornful, which was odd given all the make-up, bangs, and flamboyant earrings, but I allowed him to retain that attitude within this story. He's turned into a contract killer, and is not supposed to be pleasant. Then again the manga was a product of the early 90's, and Takahashi also consistently kept all of her characters straight (excepting the time Ranma got caught by a 'fishing rod of love'), possibly since she wanted the manga to be firmly rooted in light humour and action, rather than get entangled in gender-bending sexual relations interpretations. The closest she came were the occasions when Konatsu, respectively Tsubasa Kurenai, were each briefly suspected to be lesbians (the former treated with the customary shock at this 'revelation', while Ranma comically attempted to 'cure' the latter with his 'charm'), but both turned out to 'simply' be heterosexual cross-dressers.

Hibiki Ryoga (響良牙) – Ryo “good” Ga “fang” Hibiki “to echo” – “Echoing Good Fang” would cover that he’s always lost, has a noble side, and oversized canines.

Kuonji Ukyo (久遠寺 右京,) – Kuon “eternity” Ji “temple” Ukyo (Ukyo-ku is the western part of Kyoto, and she speaks with a Kansai accent) U “right” Kyou “capital” – “Eternal Temple from Kyoto?” – Well… initially perhaps an eternal hunt from Kansai, and she has part-timed as a shrine maiden… Nah.

Kuno Tatewaki (九能 帯刀) – Kuno “nine ability” Tatewaki “to bring a sword; obinata” - “Manifold-talented Swordsman”, or at least one with high opinion of himself?

Konatsu (Unknown characters. Romaji translations only) - Kona “flour; meal; powder” Tsu “steal” – “Meal/Flour Stealer” works for a poor, formerly starving, ninja who tended to get his food any way he could. I rather like the character, and if you pay attention Konatsu is easily one of the nicest characters portrayed here, but there was something that cracked me up about the entire scenario of him listening to Kuno's advice of “How to be a macho man in 10 easy steps”, and then watch the fallout, that I couldn't stay out of. Please don't shoot me.

Unryuu Akari (雲竜 あかり) – Un “cloud” Ryuu “dragon” Unryuu “a style of sumo wrestling” Akari “light, glimmer” – “Glimmering Sumo-managing Cloud Dragon,” “Inspiring beacon in the clouds,” or “Glimmering sumo-manager”? Well, an inspiring distant light in the sky for Ryoga I suppose. A dragon can be a symbol of life, prosperity and hope, and the sumo bit is self-evident.

Tendo Akane (天道 あかね) - Tendo means “way of Heaven/laws of Heaven and Nature”, and Akane “dark red; angrier” - “Wrath of Heaven” or “Wrathful path of Heaven/Nature”?

Happosai (八宝斎) – “Chop Suey,” or “Eight collected Treasures.”

ANCs:

Muramasa Taikio – Muramasa (The legendary sword smith) Mura (Village) Masa (Become) Taikio (Great Radiance Hero/Manly, tweaked from Taiki) – Preferably “Manly Great Radiance Hero Muramasa”, since Muramasa was selected due to convenience rather than suitability. “To Become a Village” doesn’t sound right in any context, but it’s possible that alternate translations were intended. He’s mostly righteous in the better ways. Genuinely inspiring in certain respects.

Takenaka Hayato – Takenaka (Dweller in the Middle of Bamboo) Hayato (Falcon Person) – “Falcon Person that Lives in the Middle of Bamboo” - Basically implying a disconnected theorist who can’t see the forest for the trees, although he developed beyond that into a rather amusing, if insane and completely amoral, character. Well, technically he’s more like a mixture of energetic madman/creative genius, and focused clever person/analytical genius, i.e. sort of a rational/very oddball mixture.

With the exception of The Veteran, and even a bit ahead of Taro and Nabiki, he’s probably the most unapologetically, genuinely hardcore malicious character I’m recurrently handling here. Basically several of the world’s least redeemable, and most out there, gleefully callous and psychotic types of Internet and gaming aficionados wrapped into one. Actively striving to be as hateful and obnoxious as he possibly can, as a personal badge of merit and attention-grabbing. Although he’s not a bondage gang-bang, drug, brainwash, dog collar, dehumanise, & break them in as gruesome manners as remotely imaginable, paedophile. He mostly gets his orgasms from ‘real-life’ ultra-violence instead. He’s also not a nutty, conceited, obsessive, and relentless political absolutist-activist, since he doesn’t consider that worth his prolonged time & attention, even if he’d fit right in. Additionally, he’s borrowing behavioural ticks from various particularly annoying people I’ve encountered in real life.

Apart from The Veteran he’s probably my favourite creation in this story. So irredeemably horrible that he turns entertaining/into someone you love to hate, and so painstakingly annoying that even a saint would eventually want him run over repetitively with a steamroller, or at least locked up in a soundproof cell on a deserted island, preferably on Mars. A twisted, sadistic monster of our time, even more symptomatic than Nabiki, but very atypically he is sort of on ‘our’ side per occasionally coinciding interests. Like her, an embodied testament to why pure evil tends to be so appealing. You don’t care at all, or at least not in a manner that has anything remotely to do with a semi-rational scale of decency rather than personal hatred, can easily mock anyone who does, frequently turn more ‘cheerful’ and easygoing, aren’t circumvented by any facts or loyalties beyond what’s momentarily convenient, and your intellectual flexibility gets a shortcut boost. He’s breaking his chains in some of the worst ways so to speak. See the “Thank you for smoking” movie for a partial example. Great film, whoever wrote it may or may not be a genuine bastard of the truest kind, depending on whether he emptied himself or various impressions, but great film.

In one sense Hayato also represents the essence of a very post-modern ideological landscape. No up or down, no centre, no sense, sanity, principles or point whatsoever, just a chaotic pointless jumble of snippets, loosely overheard in-your-face popular-culture adaptations, and out-there half-baked notions, stemming from non-stop sensory overload of 20th+ generation transmitted blends of extremes, turning increasingly distorted, incoherent, and content-free with time until it’s finally just a random dissonant collection of vocabulary, high-pitched noise, swift violent movements, sparkly colours, and regurgitated concepts trying to out-scream each other in a landscape where little is allowed time to sink in uninterrupted. He’s the natural culmination of weary, cynical, and hollow, aimless all-encompassing emptiness, hatred, or dissatisfaction. Frantically seeking any excuse for an outlet that it can find, as well as input kicks that are strong enough to drown out the rest, but being so blase and used to trivialising any viciousness, no matter how severe, that none has enough oomph to slake it. The scary thing here is that he’s not even an exaggeration. I’ve encountered numerous South Park+ generation gaming brats who really are nearly exactly like this, if obviously (thankfully thus far) far less competent, and I could definitely perceive the upcoming societies largely populated by people like himself, although I figure that he may partially shape up eventually, since he’s found some kind of structure, or at least balance, amidst the chaos. Still, he's the future of enraptured, absolutely sadistic and amoral, unbelievably offensive, desensitised pop-culture-obsessed thrill-hunters and trolls. Be afraid, be very... actually, be terrified.

Mitsumoto Kiyoko – Mitsumoto (Light Source, and tweaked) Kiyoko (Pure Child) – “Pure Child Light Source”, or radiant of hope. She’s pretty much a more motherly and somewhat less robust Belldandy. I needed someone who was just all-round good in the story as a minor balance, and to make Ryuu feel motivated to not flee from the madhouse after 30 minutes.

Tsukihisa Hitomi – Tsukihisa (Ancient Moon, to imply mystic leanings. Derived from Tsukino, Moon Field) Hitomi (Pupil of the Eye, or mental strength and precision) – “Focused pupil reflecting/displaying an ancient Moon.” It implies mental depth, force, precision, and ruthlessness, with a touch of the arcane. She’s kind of a righteous, efficient sociopath, who can glimpse hidden secrets from your mind, whereupon anyone should pray that he/she measures up to her standards. Basically a person who has turned partially evil for seeing too many horrors perpetrated on relative innocents, but channels it all to torture and butcher those considerably worse. However, unlike most of her kind she doesn’t act out of clothing, and getting an excuse to went, an extreme sadistic bent. She also doesn’t perceive feeling entitled to act general jury, judge, and executioner as somehow defining her as ‘good’, simply as someone who loves the ideal and is on the same side, regardless whether or not it wants her kind of help, carrying out necessary balance and saving future victims, as passivity would mean the death of any justice whatsoever.

She’s also not so far gone that she will, say, hunt down mentally ravaged drug-addicts to have them turned into beasts and eaten alive by pet wolves on the philosophical basis that they’re ‘lazy parasites who should be exterminated’. She’s not that type of particularly twisted and self-righteous extremist ideal of a 17th century puritan ‘moral’ values imprinted on a storybook enchantress. She’s all about proportional response, and is generally quite rational in her approach to ethics. She is capable of seeing the layers between horrible actions and truly evil people, circumstances where everyone involved are victims, or mental illness is involved, and is strictly going after those deeply philosophically motivated, gleefully desensitised, with no scruples whatsoever, in complete control of their actions, and thoroughly irredeemable from any perspective, when the law doesn’t seem able to either detain or convict them. Or at least that’s what she’d like to tell herself. She didn’t stop Hayato from killing off a few hundred Internet-scammers, who individually may or may not fulfil these requisites, and doesn’t currently do anything about him, since she, likely mistakenly, sees him as a useful asset and possible to contain as long as she keeps him under surveillance, so she’s certainly capable of double standards.

It might be interesting to explore the odd dichotomy of one foot in science, another in the occult, but I probably don’t have the right sensibilities or experience right now.

Fukui Ayumu – Fukui (Fortunate) Ayumo (Walk Dream/Vision) – “Vision-Walking in Fortune” - Or an intuitive causality adjuster. He’s a character that has a potential to turn very funny, but might be annoying in larger doses, given that I don’t know enough about his unpredictable/rational/irrational state of mind to handle him diversely.

Kurosawa Takehiko – Kurosawa (Black Swamp) Takehiko (Military Prince) – “Military Prince Black Swamp” - Calculating rotten warlord of misery, but as I’ve understood it he’s rather self-distanced for a ceremonial Oyabun, and wants a change of scene due to being bored of the routine. Although he never has any noble reasons for anything he does, so don’t read in an aching conscience. He simply considers himself far too talented for his current job, and wants to delegate it.

Brief mentions:

Tomiko “Child of Wealth”

Aiko “Affectionate Child”

Chouko “Butterfly Child”

Hanako “Flower Child”

Natsuko “Summer Child”

Miyako “Beautiful Night Child”

Yoshiko “Good Fragrance Joy Child”

Just a few (existing) random names Nabiki used to fit the situation or sound ‘easy ‘, amenable and attractive. I can’t believe how anyone would want to name his or her daughter the two last ones… Prostitution undertones? It must be your imagination good sir. Perhaps they have Geisha roots?

Other:

Abyssmic Abyss + Cosmic (+ Abysmal). Living embodiment of every utterly inane, dull, repetitive, pretentious, delusional, narcissistic, simplistic, nihilistic, utterly pointless and irrelevant ‘the author hereby announces the voice of god’, uber-tripping ‘cosmic’ babble cliche. Including the ‘indirect’/tweaked/mashed ‘scary awe-inspiring implications’ naming procedure, and hallucinogens-influenced design process.

Prymurdal Primordial + Murder (+ Homicidal);

Prymevyl Primeval + (Prime +) Evil;

Prymaul Primal + Maul;

Starblyte Star + Blight;

Starbain Star + Bane;

Zentropy Zen + Entropy;

Yambad I am bad… Sorry, I couldn’t resist;

Wellstayne Well + Stain;

Clustrot Cluster + Rot. Less amusing, and even less rational, which turned kind of useful;

Zensource Zen + Source + Censors. I like the implications of this one for some reason).