2005-04-25
Posted in Fanfiction
at 22:37
As I mentioned earlier, I tend to read a lot more fanfiction than I review. As such, I’ve decided to make this post. (You should bookmark it because I will edit it) This is where I will post quick links to fanfics that I may take a while to review, usually because they’re 3/6 or 4/6 and I’m feeling too lazy to write up a full review. To be honest, the hardest part is usually boiling the entire review down into that little number.
Anyway, without further ado, here is my list of “semi-reviewed” stuff:
* Goliath by Neil Gaiman. (Amazing! This gets the 6.5/6 award for fics from it’s source-series. It’s a matrix fanfic that would be guaranteed a place on bookshelf stores if it were 100% original.)
* The Legacy (Lupin III – 3 Chapters when I reviewed it. Plot has potential but the writing isn’t good enough to exploit it. 3/6 so far.)
* The house of mysteries (Lupin III – 17 Chapters when I reviewed it. The story could do with some paragraph breaks and proofreading but it’s good enough to keep me interested anyway. 4/6 or 4.5/6 so far.)
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2005-04-24
Posted in Fanfiction
at 16:05
Title: Akane
URL: Fanfiction.net
Author: Kirinin
Source: Ranma 1/2
Rating: 5.5/6
Type: Continuation, Dark but not the kind I mind
Length: 14 Chapters (Complete)
Hmm. Akane seems to have forgotten something (or someone) from the last year of her life. What happened? (Sorry I couldn’t do a better summary.)
At the beginning, grammar is ok and there are some spelling mistakes, but they go away as you read further. To be honest, it feels as if Kirinin is an extremely creative person who took a few chapters to properly get into the characters. The story builds suspense very well though and it does seem original enough. If the first chapters annoy you and yet keep you hooked at the same time, don’t worry. It’s fixed in the later chapters.
Starting Impression: 3.5/6
Averaged Grammar Score: 4.5/6
Plot: 5/6
Overall Creativity: 5.5/6
There are two fairly minor cases where it diverges from what is known to be true in Canon but, considering what those apparently purposeful oversights allow, I see no problem with them. Especially since so many Ranma fans will probably never even notice them.
Update: Coming back and looking at this review, I don’t know why I wrote it this way. Here’s a correction: “This story has one of the most convoluted ‘what the heck really happened?’ plots I’ve ever seen in a non-professional work. I love it!”
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Posted in Fanfiction
at 14:52
Well, I finally admitted to myself that I probably won’t be able to review every fanfic I’ve ever read. As such, I’ve decided to start listing the stuff I probably won’t review and why. (I still read them out of pure curiosity)
- Ah! Ranma-sama by Richard Beaubien (Interesting concept but, even if you ignore the fact that it’s in script form, the writing isn’t very good, it looks like it was never proofread very seriously, and it uses too many clichés.)
- Hurricane of the Mind (Oneshot. The writing is dry and I think I saw a few glaring plot holes but, since I’m not very good at reading the facial expressions of non-humans, they could have just as easily been laughing at me.)
Note: I don’t mind clichés themselves, only the “falling into them” part. (A good author can use a cliche and still make it interesting.)
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Posted in Fanfiction
at 13:57
Title: Cast A Second Line Into The Sea
URL: Author’s Site (Direct Link)
Author: Sinom Bre
Source: Ranma 1/2
Rating: 6/6
Type: Continuation
Length: One-shot
Let’s take a look at one possible future. What if Akane has been dead for seven years and Ranma has been left with four daughters? This fic starts when Ryoga, clear-headed for the first time, and having been gone since before Akane’s death, returns to town. What follows is an amazingly well-written and completely believable story which I would recommend to anyone but my brother. (He hates fanfiction because it isn’t a perfect imitation of the original’s mood and plot. In other words, he hates fanfiction.)
Having read this either twice or three times now (I may have a good memory but it’s not perfect), I feel no hesitation in giving this a full 6/6 rating. Enjoy.
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2005-04-22
Posted in Fanfiction
at 19:16
Title: The Mazoku Factor
URL: 1-7 at Studio Asynjor, 1-7 at NabikiAndRanma.com, 1-6 at Megspace, 1-6 at Bob Lobster’s Page
Author: Carrot Glace
Source: Ranma 1/2
Rating: 5/6
Type: Pseudo-crossover
Length: 7 Parts (Unfinished)
What if, while he was waiting for Genma to come steal him back after one of the many betrothal trades, Ranma watched the Slayers anime and decided to be like Xellos?
Definitely an original concept and quite well written at that. I would probably have enjoyed it more if I could also find a fic where Ranma merely acted like Xellos (he did manage to pick up some magical powers somewhere) but it’s still very good. The game of “Kuno Pong” between Nabiki and Ranma is kinda funny too. Even if just to see someone successfully mocking Nabiki, you should read this.
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2005-04-21
Posted in Fanfiction
at 18:16
Title: The Three Saotomes
URL: RAAC Mirror, archived at megspace, on Fanfiction.net, at Studio Asynjor, and hosted by Phu.
Author: Carrot Glace
Source: Ranma 1/2
Rating: 5/6
Type: Self-Insert
Length: 32 Parts (18 in RAAC Archive)(Unfinished)
What if Ranma wasn’t Ranma. What if the real Ranma was Genryu Saotome, Ranma’s little brother, and Ranma was a self-insert? I know what you’re thinking but this story is amazingly good. You’d barely even think it’s a self-insert. It’s also very original with it’s plot elements. Especially the hilarious “Kuno vs. The Paperwork” part. It gets bonus points for managing to keep almost the entire original plot and characters without it being stale and boring. Heck, regardless of how original it is, it feels more original than anything I’ve read in a long time.
I’ll also give the author a nod for making sure it’s available through multiple channels although I wish the whole thing was available on the RAAC archive rather than just over half of it. It’s nice to see that others share the desire to keep it available too. I’ve seen cases where people who run archives and simply forgot to ask permission have received severe tongue lashings from antisocial authors. In my opinion, such people are [censored to protect the spineless].
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