Ranma Wikipedia

Wikipedia is a decent enough source for information. Compared to other encyclopedia's like Britannica it is about as accurate (according to studies I've seen), though it does occasionally have worse grammatical structure and more spelling errors but that would be dependent on the article and contributor. No encyclopedia is perfect, all encyclopedias will have errors. For the Ranma entry, at least the English one, I do not find it to be the best source for basic information on Ranma. I find furinkan.com to be a better source for basic information on plot and characters. Of the languages I've looked at it in the English one is by far the longest (beating out even the Japanese one) and goes into a lot more detail, though in the past it had even more than it currently does (other ones such as the Japanese version have been reduced as well). Most languages only had one page giving the barest basics about Ranma ½.

I realize that I could if I wanted go to wikipedia and attempt to improve it. I'm not going to though. I would be tempted to alter too much. I would also reword quite a bit of it because I think some of the information could be presented better. One of the things I would probably do would be to split the articles into manga and anime. The reason I would do that is because there are differences in characterization of the characters and other differences (see my partial comparison here). I'd also put female form Ranma as separate from male form Ranma for physical abilities.

My view of Ranma likely differs from other peoples interpretation of Ranma ½. People who have read Ranma fanfiction are likely to view it through the lens of fanon. Depending on whether your primary source of Ranma information is based on Manga or Anime there would be differences. There are differences in translations. Many mentioned in earlier posts. Examples:

1. If your going by English Dub then Kuno quotes Shakespeare which he doesn't in the original Japanese.

2. If you watched the Hong Kong release of Ranma ½, Shampoo sounds much more intelligent than either the English or Japanese (though she sounds more intelligent in the Japanese then the English as well).

3. In Manga depending on your source there are differences. In general Ranma is and sounds smarter in the Japanese then he does in the English.

4. In English versions of manga there are differences as well. The fan-translation and VIZ's have differences, also differences between fan translations. Ranma and others use cuss words in the fan-translations (and original) that they do not in the VIZ.

Some jobs Ranma would be good at

I've seen people say that without the Tendo's Ranma would have no way of supporting himself. Leaving out the fact that Ranma has lived off of the land before and has actually taken jobs within the manga a few times (worked at a hot spring -right picture above-, as a waitress -left picture above- for both Ukyo and Cologne, and Genma asked Ranma once if he was working at a bath house). Here are some jobs Ranma has the skills for already. Also the Tendo's are not his only option he could stay with others like Ukyo (who he and the Tendo's lived with during the Gambler King story arc) and Kodachi (who he stayed with once in the anime and she had given him his own personal dojo) amongst others.

Magician - using techniques like how in his battle with Mousse he blew himself up, had a half dozen bunny rabbits, a dozen doves, flags, flowers, mini parachutes for all his stuff from his sleeves, his body switching technique to switch places with things(switched with a bear at Miss Hinako's, a log in battle with Herb, a statue to get away from Ryoga, etc.), Using his martial arts to do tricks that appear to be magic like standing/ walking on things that should not be able to support his weight (like Kuno's sword), lifting things that he shouldn't be able to lift (like all those multi-ton boulders he likes to pick up and throw), crawling/walking on the walls and ceilings (he does this very often in the manga), running up vertical objects (like the telephone pole he ran up chasing Cologne), etc.

Ventriloquist - one time he faked Akane's voice to mess with Ryoga, another time he faked Ryoga's voice to mess with Akane and Ryoga, another time faked Kuno's voice to have Kuno apologize to Kodachi.

Puppetry - He uses Kuno as a giant puppet a few times.

Thief - Ranma has attempted to steal stuff fairly often like the water proof soap, tried to steal the Shi Shi Hadoken scroll, wishing sword, etc. He stole food from Ryoga when Ryoga was turned into a kid, stole food from hot spring guy, stole the bowl of food that had the dragon whisker, ect...

Waitress - Done that a few times in the manga for both Cologne and Ukyo.

Cook - Is a very good cook in the manga.

Construction worker - Ranma has shown the ability to do repairs around the Tendo's house in the manga and with his massive physical strength and abilities this would be easy for him.

Professional Sports - Ranma's abilities and competitive attitude would make Ranma very good at sports.

Demolition work - He wouldn't even need equipment.

Model - Ranma's female form at least is shown to be very attractive and Ranma is proud enough in his looks and shameless enough to make a good model.

Circus Performer - high wire no problem, throwing knives no problem, juggling no problem

Protector - Bodyguard, Bouncer, etc.

Spy - Has abilities that would allow him into places he shouldn't be able to get into.

Lifeguard - Swam the Sea of Japan and has demonstrated knowing how to save a drowning person - Miss Hinako and Akane.

Seamstress - We see Ranma sewing in the manga and creating his disguises.

Housekeeper - Ranma is shown cleaning in the manga. Heck he can't stand a mess and starts cleaning it before he thinks about it as seen in Miss Hinako's house while going to steal her fighting fish and cleaning the dojo.

Stunt man - would be excellent at this

Delivery person - With his abilities he could deliver things much faster than conventional methods.

Masseur (when male)/Masseuse (when female) - Ranma has given massages in the manga to Akane to calm her down after he has angered her and offered Nabiki one to pay her back for the ticket he accidentally destroyed.

With his skills, abilities, and talents many other jobs could be done by him. Since he learns fast he could also acquire new skills/build on existing skills as well. For example, he has demonstrated some knowledge in medicine/human biology that could be built upon. Treats his own wounds, basic first aid, some herbal remedies, some pressure points (at least weak spots and most likely the sleep spot which he was going to use on Ryoga after seeing Happosai use it but didn't get the chance and likely knows more), CPR used on Miss Hinako, etc. and could learn more.

Avoiding assimilation by the Borg

A civilization knows that the Borg will assimilate them eventually. They know that the Borg's goal is to add their biological and technological distinctiveness to the Borg. They come up with a plan. Assemble a ship containing the latest technology. Put on that ship their most advanced computer containing all the collected knowledge they are able to including a complete digital version of their genetic data. Fill the ship with biological samples (blood samples, skin samples, etc..) of all species with in the civilization including a large collection of plant and animal life and make sure that the genetic material is from multiple different beings so that it contains a diverse and more accurate sampling of the genetics. Then send the ship to the Borg.

Would the Borg leave the civilization alone? The Borg were given exactly what they wanted the collected knowledge of the species as well as the biological data of the species which the Borg could be incorporated into the Borg.

Thinking on the Borg

Generally as things become more powerful they become more of a threat to others. The Borg though as they become more powerful will become less and less of a threat to other species, eventually they may reach a point in which they are not a threat to any species. The Borg's goal is perfection. In order to achieve perfection they assimilate other species technology and biology to add it to their own. If you are an inferior species they have no use for you and will leave you alone. Basically if you are not a threat to the Borg, and have nothing the Borg want, the Borg will ignore you. In Voyager it is stated that the Borg saw the Kazon as unworthy of assimilation and the were only interested in the Brunali when they saw technology they wanted. So civilizations that have nothing the Borg want either biologically or technologically are basically ignored by the Borg. What this means is as the Borg's technology advances and they get closer to perfection, more and more species will be ignored because they will have nothing to add to the Borg.

Ranma 1/2: Battle Renaissance

Ranma ½: Battle Renaissance is a fighting game for the Sony Playstation. I have not played the game in a while. It is in the same style fighting engine as Tekken 2 and it was an ok game to play. I'm not much of a fighting game player, preferring role playing games.

A translation of the text is here: http://www.gamefaqs.com/console/psx/file/573420/4572
A faq with moves listed is here: http://www.gamefaqs.com/console/psx/file/573420/9105
Can be downloaded here:
http://www.snesorama.us/board/showthread.php?t=3735

It can also be found via torrent search engines if you bother looking.

Hanko

A Hanko is a seal or stamp. In Japan instead of signing things they use a personal stamp. The personal stamp used for signing important documents is called an inkan. The seal is generally affixed at the end of one's written name when required. Usually each family has one registered seal called jitsuin and a few unregistered seals called mitomein. Occasionally a certificate has to be shown to prove that the seal is registered.

Ranma referenced on anime arcadia

The webcomic Anime Arcadia made a mention of Ranma. The comic was about a guy who drew a cat girl and it came to life. I liked the comic but it appears to have disappeared, which is why I have now taken to saving comics on my hard drive (it's to bad I started doing that after this one disappeared), and is no longer being updated. If I remember correctly it had three different people draw it.

Robots in Japan

The Japanese have more robots than any other country in the world. A full 40% of all robots in existence are in Japan. They have over 400,000 industrial robots. They have robot pets, robots security guards, taste testing robots, even robots that take care of the elderly. The Japanese are clearly the most advanced when it comes to robots. Some of their robots even run on fuel cells and therefor do not admit as many pollutants as others.

There are a few reasons as to why the Japanese have so many robots, one reason being the fact that Japan has some of the world's longest life expectancies and lowest birthrates - meaning there will be a shortage of workers. The Japanese are building robots to fill the gaps in industry and in caring for the elderly. A secondary reason as to why the Japanese are so accepting of robots is because the Japanese view robots as having souls. This stems from historical and religious beliefs. In Shinto particularly items that reach their 100th birthday are thought to, on occasion, come to life and be aware, these items are called Tsukumogami (in the Ranma manga Tsubasa dresses as a Karakasa, an umbrella that has come to life). A third reason for the acceptance of robots is the media. In the United States robots are not treated as being overly beneficial, Terminator movies and other movies in which robots go amuck are not uncommon. In Japan, there are many shows with beneficial robots or robots that are in fact better than people for example Astroboy.

I occasionally see Japanese robots in news stories and have decided to compile a partial list of Japanese robots I see in the news. New ones maybe added as I encounter them.

1. Hal 5 (Hybrid Assistant Limb)- Robotic exoskeleton manufactured by a company called Cyberdyne to aid the handicapped. It has already been used by a quadriplegic to climb a mountain.
2. Hello Kitty Robot babysitter - This is a Japanese robot designed to entertain children when parents are too busy to do so.
3. Hello Kitty Receptionist - an electronic receptionist shaped like Hello Kitty. This robot can recognize as many as 10 faces, ask visitors to speak their names, and tell them when the person they have come to see is ready. It has 20,000 stored conversation patterns, songs, and riddles.
4. HRP-4C - Female humanoid walking robot has 30 motors in its body that allow it to walk and move its arms as well as eight motors on its face to create expressions like anger and surprise. Is also pretty creepy looking.
5. Saya - a receptionist robot that is now being tested to see if it could be a teacher for students.
6. Asimo - Honda's robot and one of the most advanced ones on the planet.
7. Karakuri ningyō - mechanized puppets from Japan from the 18th century to 19th century used in theatre.
8. Zashiki karakuri - a tea-serving robot, which start moving forward when a cup of tea is placed on the plate in its hands. It moves in a straight line for a set distance, moving its feet as if walking, then bows its head. This signals that the tea is ready for drinking, the doll stops when the cup is removed. When cup is replaced, the robot raises its head, turns around and returns to where it came from. It is typically powered by a wound up spring made of whalebone, and the actions are controlled by a set of cams and levers.
9. The Japanese are now attempting to create thought controlled robots according to several sites. The above mentioned Asimo is one of them, it already, as of my writing this, can be given four commands via thoughts.
10. There is a large assortment of robotic dogs that do all types of things such as help around the house.
11. Gakutensoku - Name means learning from the laws of nature. This robot is considered to be Japan's first robot, built in Osaka, 1929, by biologist Makoto Nishimura. It could change its facial expression and moved its head and hands via an air pressure mechanism.
12. Robokiyu the Rescue Robot -A robot designed to locate those injured after an earthquake and to clear rubble. Mentioned on several sites as a corpse eating robot because Robokiyu grabs the bodies of those presumed dead and stuffs them inside of itself.
13. CB2 Child-robot with Biomimetic Body - a robot that acts like a human infant, which they hope may one day help scientists better understand the child development process.
14. Geminoids - Geminoid family of ultrarealistic androids each made to be a copy of a real person.
15. Simroid - Robot designed to assist dentists in training.
16. Actroid - An android that can mimic such lifelike functions as blinking, speaking, and breathing. Goes to a lot of Japanese science and robotics conventions.
17. WD-2 Face morphing robot - makes facial expressions and changes its facial expressions with nearly the minute detail of a human face.

Sound effects

VIZ alters the sound effects instead of leaving the original ones with notes at the end like Tokyopop does. I prefer that the sound effects aren't translated into English with notes. My reason for this is because we lose some of story occasionally when the sound effects change. Though personally I'd prefer it if the sound effects were both in English and Japanese on the same page, either next to the sound effect or a note on the bottom of the page.

For example, Laughter in Japanese depending on which way they decide to do it tells us more about the situation/person.

ahaha = laughter (see also ha ha ha for masculine laughter, and ho ho ho for refined feminine laughter)

bwahaha = evil laugh, same as fwahaha, gahaha, gwahaha

fu fu fu (hu hu hu) = a strange laugh. M.J.: "The evil chuckle in the back of the throat." (see also ku ku ku, pu pu pu)

he he he = heh heh heh (laugh)

Here is a page on Japanese sound effects and what they mean.

This Battle Angel Alita (Gunnm) Last order website can teach you enough of the basics of Japanese kana to understand some of the sound effects found in manga.

Ranma German Covers

Enjo kōsai

Enjo kōsai is school girls going on dates with older guys for monetary benefits. Commonly thought of as amateur prostitution though in most cases no sexual activity is involved. They just do it as an easy way of making money. In the live action drama Great Teacher Onizuka Miyabi, pictured above, convinces her friends to go on paid dates for cash.

This does show up in Ranma ½ to varying degrees. Nabiki Tendo accepts date offers and invitations from classmates whom she then fleeces for all they're worth during the date. When she gets bored of being with them she proceeds to blackmail them with their own love letters to her.

The other character that does this is Ranma himself. Unlike Nabiki, Ranma is not really interested in money but he/she has went on dates to be compensated in someway for example his date with Shampoo to get the memory restoring shampoo or another date with her to get a potential cure for his curse.

More on this can be found at:
http://www.dawncenter.or.jp/english/publication/edawn/9911/mean.html

Megumi Hayashibara (Autobiographical Comic)

Ranma's female voice in the anime is done by Megumi Hayashibara who is (probably) the most famous voice actress in Japan. She has done voices for many other characters in other series as well for example she was Lina Inverse in Slayers and Rei Ayanami of Neon Genesis Evangelion amongst many others. In her autobiographical comic she mentions Ranma as seen in the above strip taken from her manga.

Paypal Phishing

I don't know about you but the number of scam emails I've been getting lately has increased many fold. The thing is the email addresses that are getting them are not the ones I have easily found like the one in my profile. Most of those addresses don't even have a paypal account linked to them.

I rarely use paypal and don't really like it but haven't really looked into the alternatives. I know that there are problems with paypal like it not accessible to several countries, them closing/locking your account if someone complains or you sell something they consider offensive or someone makes a purchase with a stolen credit card. If I were to need a service like paypal on a regular basis I'd look into the alternatives because I don't think that paypal is the best, but I could be wrong.

Below is one of the scam emails I got. Most are caught by my spam blocker but this one managed to get through. I suspected it was an attempt to steal from me immediately but wasn't one hundred percent sure until I noticed that the link did not go to paypal.com (was only 95% sure prior to that). I didn't even click the link I checked the properties of the link and it went to some other site. I forwarded the email to paypals spoof mail and they sent me an email confirming what I already knew. I wonder how many people actually fall for these mails, some people have to else the people wouldn't bother sending them.

We recently noticed one or more attempts to log in to your PayPal account from a foreign IP address.

If you recently accessed your account while traveling, the unusual log in attempts may have been initiated by you. However if you are the rightful holder of the account,click on the link below to log into the account and follow the instructions.

address removed

If you choose not to complete the request, you give us no choice but to suspend your account temporary.

It takes at least 72 hours for the investigation in this case and we strongly recommend you to verify your account at that time.

If you received this notice and you are not the authorized account holder, please be aware that it is in violation of PayPal policy to represent oneself as an other PayPal user.Such action may also be in violation of local, national, and/or international law. PayPal is committed to assist law enforcement with any inquires related attempts to missapropriate personal information with the intent to commit fraud or theft. Information will be provided at the request or law enforcement agencies to ensure that perpetrators are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

Thanks for your patience as we work together to protect your account.

PayPal Account Review Department.

Seijin No Hi - Coming of Age

The Second Monday of January is a national holiday where 20 year old men and women celebrate coming of age (adulthood). The age of 20 is also when people are legally allowed to vote, drink, and smoke.

Women celebrate the day by wearing furisode kimono and men generally wear suits though occasionally tey will wear dark colored kimino's.

A furisode (Japanese: 振袖, furisode) is the most formal style of kimono worn by unmarried women in Japan. They are made of brightly colored silk and have long sleeves generally between 39-42 inches in length. By wearing a furisode, a young woman signifies that she is both single and a legal adult, and thus available for marriage. Furisode are generally very expensive (around $10,000) so most women rent them rather than buy them. The average girl generally doesn't even know how to properly put one on and go to kimono kitsuke to have them put on.

Ranma in Spanish

This site http://www.elportalfic.com/ranma/manga.htm has volumes 1,8,21,23-26,29,36-38 of the Ranma manga in Spanish. It is not that great a translation since it appears to be a translation of VIZ/online fanscan and not from the original source material. Considering that the Spanish language has more gender specific words than the English language does this could have been more like the original (Japanese have a lot of gender specific terms and Shampoo, Cologne, Ranma female side -most of the time Ranma does use the female forms some times like when disguised-, etc., uses the male forms not the female forms). It also has an image gallery, some fan art, some Ranma fanfiction in Spanish, and a doujinshi (only one was on site at the time I wrote this and it is non-hentai which are much rarer and in my opinion preferable to the hentai ones easily found online).

Calpis

The Japanese drink Calpis is pronounced like cow piss so it was renamed Calpico when sold in the United States. The beverage tastes somewhat like plain or vanilla-flavored yogurt. Its ingredients include water, nonfat dry milk and lactic acid. I don't like it's taste (it is available at local Chinese grocers).

A similar product that was released in Japan on October 21, 2008 is pepsi white a cola yogurt drink. The Japanese release a lot of limited release flavors of Pepsi that are not released anywhere else like Pepsi Cucumber Ice (Cucumber flavor) and Pepsi Blue Hawaii (pineapple lemon mix). Cucumber Ice sounds terrible since I don't like Cucumbers but Blue Hawaii, judging by the flavor, seems like it would taste good.

Books I read

I spend a considerable amount of my free time reading. I also read while doing other things like waiting in lines and while eating frequently. I probably spend too much time reading, at least that is what most of the people I know say. When I made a list of the movies I read in 2007, I also made a very incomplete list of the books I had read. The books I read list is far more incomplete than the other list is. It does not include any of the nonfiction books I read, fan fiction, magazines, many of the manga I read in computer format, did not list most of the graphic novels, and I couldn't remember if some of the books were read this year or the year before. I'm not really happy with the books I read last year.

I consider much of what I read to be completely frivolous. I think I will attempt to read more nonfiction. In the past I had read less fiction and more serious books but last year I guess I just didn't feel like it. Not to say I hadn't read some non-fiction because I did. I read time magazine, national geographic, informative websites, and some history and science books but not as many as I would have liked. I find reading is a form of escapism. While I'm reading I don't think about my own problems and the problems of the world around me.

At least I read. According to a National Endowment for the Arts report most Americans are reading a lot less. According to the report the an increasing number of adult Americans don't even read one book a year. It saddens me that 72% of US high school graduates are considered deficient in reading. Personally I don't see how that is possible. With people the number of people on the Internet where most of the sites have lots of text and role playing video games which require a lot of reading. It is nearly unbelievable that such a large percentage of people have trouble reading.

The article also went on how test scores are dropping and that book sales have gone down across the board except for in teen books. The article mentioned that this is partly do to the Harry Potter books, adults purchasing teen books, and a relatively small group of people purchasing a large number of books (like me).

Part of the reason that it is so sad that people aren't reading is because people who read are statistically more active than those who don't. This may seem odd since many people consider reading a passive activity but people who read books are more likely to keep up with current events, visit museums, vote, and do volunteer work. I wonder why that is. The Internet and Television do have educational content and do have shows and sites devoted to culturally enhancing people. What it is it about books that promote those types of things that other mediums do not, or at least not as much? I can't figure it out.

Daruma dolls

Daruma - A (generally) red, rounded doll with no limbs. The doll represents Bodhidharma wrapped in his priests clothes. Bodhidharma was a Buddhist priest from India who went to China in the 6th century and founded Zen Buddhism. A daruma doll is a charm for achievement. They are often sold without the eyes painted in or one eye painted in. A person about to start a difficult task would paint in one eye and then when they achieved their objective they would paint in the other eye. One particular type called is a tumbling daruma doll one that is weighted at the bottom, so that when it is knocked over it swings back upright. The tumbling type are considered good luck because despite being knocked down it will get back up hence success will eventually come. Many of the dolls are purchased at the beginning of the year in hopes of a new year of happiness and prosperity. There are even Daruma fairs held throughout Japan in January, particularly in the Kanto district. Pictured Below is one seen in the Ranma manga.

Ranma referenced in Hayate no Gotoku!

Hayate no Gotoku! also known as Hayate the Combat Butler has many references to other anime and parodies other anime. There are a couple of references to Ranma in the show. In episode 6, 17 minutes in, there is a Ranma statue and in episode 20, 5 minutes in, one of the books in the library is Ranma ½.