Someday I'll be able to talk about Ranma 1/2 without writing a novel. Today is not that day.

[terajk]

rb asked me:

[D]id you start into the manga...because you heard it had [gender and disability stuff] in it or just because it was shiny and available?

Both, actually! Late last year/early this year I'd learned how to walk to the local library by myself--a good thing, as it's a fun place to go that doesn't cost any money, so I could go every day. Our local library has a lot of programs/events for teens and young adults, and also has a lot of manga. I saw Ranma 1/2 there, and was like: "Hey! It's that manga about a boy who changes into a girl that I've heard so much about!" (Once was during a podcast, where a trans woman mentioned it as important to her.) Even though I'm very new to manga and anime, I knew that Ranma 1/2 was "kind of important" and that I probably should read it.

Although I'd heard about how the series looks at gender, (and not just with Ranma--other characters dress as the opposite sex,) I wasn't aware of the disability stuff at all--and certainly didn't think there'd be an accurate representation of mine. Hilariously, not long before I was wondering if a fictional protagonist could have my navigational impairment and decided it would be really hard, as I don't leave the house much which sort of puts a damper on things like having adventures. It turns out that I haven't seen any fictional portrayals of my navigational impairment because I'm looking in the wrong place. There are many characters with "no sense of direction" in Japanese media--I read about one recently in a dating sim called Princess Debut--partly because of Ranma 1/2's influence. Ryoga is still my favorite so far, because his artist knows how his perception works and I recognize a lot of his thinking in myself or friends. (While reading Ranma 1/2, I learned that one of my friends who has a similar navigational impairment cosplayed as Ryoga once :D)

So, here I am reading Ranma 1/2. Actually, I'm reading the jacket blurb of the second volume, as the first wasn't in and I wanted to catch up on the story. And they mentioned Ryoga as "eternally lost" and I thought: "Oh, no, they can't mean literally. It must be symbolic or something." But I hoped...and I was so fabulously wrong it took all my effort not to squeal in the library right there.

But I don't think artist Rumiko Takahashi set out to Say Something about disability specifically, or even gender. (She's said that she only writes to entertain, which may be a clever and elaborate lie--speaking of subversiveness :D) But she's also said she thinks perfect people are boring.

I guess the thing I love about Ranma 1/2 is how it explores the crossing of boundaries--whether literally, in Ryoga's case (he got to Moscow once!) or figuratively. (Several charcters cross from being human to another type of animal, for one thing.) Take Ranma, for instance. Not only does he turn into a girl physically, but even though he always says he's a guy and his goal is to "be a man" in multiple senses of the phrase, he has no problem whatsoever with turning into a girl (and flirting with guys) to get what he wants. As melannen said, all he needs is the thinnest excuse to don his girl form. Also, Ranma has a strong belief in helping people and in keeping his word as a martial artist (he promises Ryoga that he'll keep his pig-form a secret from Akane, and he does), but he also loves to manipulate the people around him. (One of his catch-phrases is: "An opening!") And YET, as much fun as he has messing with Ryoga, exploiting his impairment is one line Ranma doesn't cross. (In fact, I have to consciously remember this when I write them, because it totally seems like something he would do.)

There's also Mousse, who has "the worst eyesight in the world" and glasses he doesn't wear very often. All the other characters (and, sadly, possibly the artist) think he's just vain and stupid. But I love this about him, because his glasses are his assistive device and he should use them however he wants. So when I write him it's lots of fun to think about what his glasses do and what they don't. Does he get migraines from wearing them too long? Are there things that are easier to do with them off? (Canonically, he can do lots of cool aerial martial arts without wearing them--in his first appearance, he catches a cinderblock in midair, does a somersault, and takes a bowl of ramen out of his coat and eats it.) Are there things about his perception that he likes? (I had fun looking at this for kink_bingo) Partly because Mousse seems to have a really good sense of space (see: he did an awesome somersault without spilling his ramen) I would love to see him and Ryoga together more than they are in the manga. I have a HUGE narrative kink for characters with disabilities being all interdependent and badass together.

And there's even some exploration of how disability and gender presentation interact! There's literally martial arts everything (martial arts tea ceremonies, martial arts fine dining...), including martial arts gymnastics. All the people doing martial arts gymnastics are biologically female (including Ranma), except Ryoga, who gives Ranma all-night Training from Hell. (Although it's not explicitly stated how he learned martial arts gymnastics, Ryoga tends to learn new things from random people he meets wandering around Japan.)

So, basically, Ranma 1/2 is full of all kinds of delicous things for me to chew on...and also, lots of cuddling-disguised-as-fisticuffs. (I LIKE CUDDLING, OKAY?)