Stephan Sokolow's Blog

True Hyuuga Genius by Nightblade888

Length: 13 chapters, ongoing
Sources: Naruto
Rating: 4.5/5

The Plot: Namikaze Minato (the fourth Hokage) had no newborn son and Uzumaki Naruto is really Hyuuga Haran, Hinata’s twin brother, under a seal which changes his appearance. Hyuuga Hiashi gave Haran to Minato under the condition that he be given a new identity so that he could be spared the caged bird seal.

It may sound cheap and cliché at first, but this is one of those cases where the author seems to have done it because they wanted a challenge worthy of their skills.

From dodging “How could a village of shinobi not see through the disguise” by using a seal crafted by the fourth himself and later, using hair-dye and coloured contact lenses, to avoiding mediocrity by deviating just the right amount from canon events, this is a very nicely done alternate universe.

Haku does die in an anti-climactic manner, so if you’re a rabid Haku fan, this isn’t the fic for you, but if you’re willing to look past it, you’ll probably agree with me that it was a necessary evil.

While this story isn’t meant to be a comedy and you won’t laugh out loud, it does have it’s moments and, unlike some stories which are obviously trying too hard, the light sprinkling of humor in this story is a paragon of originality. Have you ever seen Aburame Shino sing “Pretty Fly For A White Guy” before?

Finally, I should warn Sasuke fans that this story doesn’t cast Sasuke in a very good light. Of course, the original Naruto story doesn’t either.

Culture Shock by Ruskbyte

Length: 2 Chapters, Ongoing
Sources: Harry Potter, Culture by I. M. Bank
Rating: 5/5 so far

In this case, I think the author’s summary says it best:

Harry Potter has just received his Hogwarts letter, but really doesn’t want to go. After all, who would want to live on a planet of all things? Especially one where the inhabitants still think nuclear energy is an advanced technology. And let’s not forget the 42,000 light year commute.

In my eyes, what gives this story such potential is that it’s the only one I can think of where the sci-fi series being crossed is neither Star Wars nor some other science fiction story incorporating a magic analogue. This is a true crossover between sci-fi and fantasy and that shows both enormous originality and enormous potential.

From what I’ve read so far, I’m greatly looking forward to how Harry and his companions will react to wizarding culture. “The Culture” is just so technologically and socially advanced that wizarding Britain is alien to Harry in the truest sense.

Of course, it was also amusing to watch Dumbledore utterly befuddled by how the various tracking charms react when their target is 42,000 light years away.

Relatively Absent by Togashi Gaijin

Length: 11 Chapters, 2 Sidestories, and a Prologue
Sources: Ranma ½, Sailor Moon
Rating: 5/5 (6/6 if I were still using my old rating system)

Ok, now a quick break from the short and silly stuff. Let’s take a look at something longer and a little bit more serious which I’ve mentioned before, but didn’t spend much time on. Those who know about “fukufics” most likely already know about this one, so this review is for newcomers. In short, a fukufic is a story in which Ranma Saotome of Ranma ½ ends up as a Sailor Moon-style magical girl.

As someone who has read a great many fukufics, I find that having Ranma forced into the role against his will starts to get old after a while. Unfortunately, with Ranma already feeling his masculinity threatened by his curse, it’s difficult to make a believable case for Ranma to accept the job willingly. One year ago today, I took the time to make quick mention of several stories which do this and do it nicely… but only as a build-up to reviewing another fic. Today, I will finally be focusing on Relatively Absent.

The story diverges from manga canon at the Mt. Horai battle with Prince Herb. This time, Ranma doesn’t get his curse unlocked, Herb and his men get buried in the collapsing mountain, and if it weren’t for an offer of aid, Ranma would die the same way. The offer just has one catch… the gates of time can only channel power to one who is their guardian. (For those readers who are Sailor Moon fans, this takes place after Setsuna sacrifices herself but before she can come back and reclaim the gates.)

However, don’t assume that the pseudo-coercion of a choice between death an a fuku is all I’m applauding. If that were all there was to it, Ranma would still be just as resistant, and I would be just as bored.

Not only does Ranma not know about the fuku at first, but by the time he finds out, he’s already been told that, with enough skill, he will be able to circumvent the lock on his curse. Add in some very useful magical abilities like teleportation and effortless storage of spare clothes in a pocket universe, and accepting the job is very reasonable… even for Ranma. Besides, it’s always an ego boost to know that you’re the only person on Earth that meets the minimum requirements for the job.

Throw in a nicely done “Ranma meets the family which disowned Nodoka for marrying Genma” subplot, and the spell is complete. On it’s own, the plot would earn this fic 5 out of 5 on my scale, but it doesn’t stop there. The general writing quality and style are excellent, with a great mix of seriousness and humor characteristic of cream-of-the-crop fanfiction.