Genma's Daughter

This is a piece of fan-art I found that really summarizes some of the events in this series by showing Ranma-chan with her violin.

This is a very long series and it's sequel, Equal Halves, is equally long, yet both are series that you will want to read over and over.

The two series start from the premise that Ranma was really born female, but ended up being cursed into turning into boy-type. The stories are incredibly well done, the characters being realistic, the psychological problems examined well, and the events make sense.

One of the strongest parts, to me, is in chapter 3 where Ranma (boy type) is taking a shower and then is turned into Ranma-chan when the boys turn the cold water on. The reaction of Ranma-chan, her screaming and the realization that she was really and truly female and that her body was really hers and not just a "part-time" curse-type body, stands out incredibly strongly and is, to me, a turning point in the series.

Another major turning point is in chapter 8 when Ranma-chan gets her first period. This results in the red-bean-and-rice celebration, something other fanfics have also covered and which physically cements Ranma-chan's womanhood.

It's also interesting to me how in this story, and most of the other high-quality Ranma-chan/Ranko fanfics, that once Ranma boy-type becomes a girl permanently it ends up that the girls who used to fight over him and were sometimes nasty to him end up supporting her and become her best friends, again supporting the idea that once the "real" Ranma-chan appears, a lot of things in her life will improve tremendously.

In my opinion, for whatever it's worth, this series is probably the single best Ranko series every written. A friend of mine who is transgendered has read the series and said to me that she agrees with me totally (she's also a Ranma/Ranma-chan/Ranko fan). She's told me that,when she reads the chapters, especially the first half of the series, she has to stop a number of times because the sheer emotionalism of the story causes her to start crying, and she has to stop reading until she calms down. Such is the strength of this author's writing.

chapter 1

Nodoka is at the Tendo Dojo. Ranma in girl form appears and she calls her Ranko. She tells Ranko that Ranko is her daughter, not her son. Nodoka also recognizes Akane.

Ranko meets Noriko, a young mother with her baby, in the park. Ranma then meets Nodoka in his boy form. Happousai appears and calls Ranma Ranko and reveals that he was the one that turned Ranko into boy-type Ranma by magic.

Nodoka leaves, Ranma still saying he is a male and not her daughter.

The next day Akane takes Ranma to see Nodoka. Once inside her home the find the evidence that proves that Ranma is really Ranko. Akane and Ranko have a conversation and Ranko reveals she has always had a rough time being a guy. Ranko also reveals that the curse made her feel like she wanted to be a girl. She admits she was more comfortable when in her girl form.

chapter 2

Akane and Ranko go to Shampoo's cafeteria to talk to Cologne. They show some documents and other items to Cologne that they had brought with them from Nodoka's home. Ranko reveals that all engagements have been cancelled by his mother, causing Shampoo to start crying.

Cologne offers any help she can give Ranko and Akane.

They next go to Dr. Tofu. Dr. Tofu asks Ranma if he wants to become Ranko again. Ranma has to work against Genma's anti-female indoctrination about how stupid and weak girls are. Akane asks Ranma if he is happy being a boy.

Ranma is scared that if he becomes Ranko people will make fun of her and she won't have any friends.

Dr. Tofu points out that summer break is coming up and Ranma could spend that four weeks as Ranko to see how she likes it. Dr. Tofu also suggests that Ranma try to overcome the anti-female propaganda his father drilled into him during his training.

Akane and Ranma reveal to Nabiki and Kasumi what they found out at Nodoka's, Cologne's and Dr. Tofu's.

"She felt that in acknowledging her feelings about her gender, she had opened Pandora's box, and things would never be the same. A part of her was screaming to fight this, to hide her feelings, but...but she didn't really want to, and she simply couldn't. Not any more."

chapter 3

Ranma and Akane go to school for the first time after Ranma's realization that she is really Ranko. Ranma and Akane tell Ukyo. Ukyo agrees to be Ranko's friend.

Several other female students join Akane, Ranma and Ukyo for lunch. They say there is a new music class starting and Ranma says he thinks he might like music.

In P.E. Ranma goes into the shower room and gets splashed with cold water. Instead of hitting the guys Ranko breaks down and screams. Akane and Ukyo rescue her.

Ranma and Akane go home and tell Nabiki and Kasumi what happened. Ranma makes the decision to become and stay Ranko for the summer. Ranko says she will need to go shopping the next day for clothes and Akane suggests that they ask Nodoka go join them.

chapter 4

Akane and Ranma go to Nadoka's the next day.

They buy a lot of clothing and other items.

Ranma needs to find a way of staying female since hot water seems to be a growing problem.

Nodoka invites Akane and Ranko to stay with her over the summer break.

They go to talk to Cologne to see if she has some way to help Ranko say in girl-form to counter the hot water. Cologne has something but there is a chance it will cause Ranko to stay female permanently even if used only once. She uses it anyhow.

Ranko is getting some things from her room, preparing to move to Nodoka's, when she finds a brochure about Jusenkyo which turns out to be written in Japanese.

Some other girls from school are following them to find out what is really going on. They finally confront Akane and Ranko and are very sad about what Genma did to Ranko. The four girls have a great time shopping.

Shampoo comes to Nodoka's house and Ranko, Akane and Shampoo go to Tokyo Disneyland and have a great time. Shampoo is beginning to come to terms with Ranko's really being a girl.

Nodoka helps Ranko to learn how to cook and Ranko has talent at cooking.

Nodoka says she is going to take a trip to a hot springs to meet a former schoolmate of hers and she invites Ranko and Akane along. Ranko is terrified at first of being in the women's side of the hot springs with the other women being nude.

Ranko faints due to the heat in the hot springs.

Ranko and Akane make two new girl friends and have a lot of fun.

chapter 5

Akane and Ranko practice their martial arts but Ranko is not sure she really wants to put much effort into her marital arts.

Nodoka wants to go to the beach and Ranko wants to bring alone some friends. Ranko and his four female friends go with Nodoka and go swimming. Ranko is having a wonderful time and is very, very happy.

Until Ryoga comes along. Akane and Ukyo rescue her. Even Nodoka ends up confronting Ryoga.

For the first time a boy asks Ranko out.

"I feel...like I was a puzzle put together the wrong way, and now I'm slowly being put together the right way."

chapter 6

They return from the vacation and Nodoka suggests they invite Kasumi and Nabiki over for dinner the next night with Ranko and Akane doing the cooking.

Later Ranko takes a bath and starts to change sex but the transformation process doesn't seem to be going normally. Ranko stays in male form for part of a day but other students make fun of her and she decides she wants to stay female.

Ranko again changes into a boy and again the transformation process does not work properly. Ranko and Akane go to Cologne.

Cologne realizes that Happosai's spell changing Ranko into a male form was what the spring's curse actually affected and Cologne's use of other stuff to keep Ranko in girl form for a few weeks complicated matters.

Cologne tells Ranko that the curse and changing into a boy will only last about another week and then Ranko will return to being a girl for the rest of her life.

After the curse ends Ranko then has to deal with starting school as a girl full-time. Nodoka goes to the school with Ranko to get the school records corrected. Genma had stolen all the birth certificate records but Nodoka has hers so things get corrected. Ranko will attend school as a girl, take the girl's curriculum and wear the girl's uniform.

Ranko will speak to her homeroom class at the start of school. (It's actually the middle of Ranko's junior year). Ranko will have to move back in with the Tendous, though.

Ranko gives her speech, crying, and it turns out the class is very supportive of her.

chapter 7

Ranko finds she is being accepted by the other girls at the school. Shampoo enrolls and starts to attend the school also.

Ranko also lists on a form that she is interested in music.

Her day goes fairly well although one boy tries to cause some trouble. Akane and Ranko return home to the Tendo dojo and Ranko's room has been redecorated to look like a girl's room.

Kasumi serves red-beans-and-rice for Ranko's big change in her life.

Later after another school day Ranko is under a bridge crying and Ryoga comes along and comforts her.

The next day Akane and Ranko run into Kuno. They quickly knock him unconscious. Later Kuno talks to Nabiki and gets the impression that Ranma is actually dead.

Ranko shows up for music class. Ranko tries a violin and manages to hit a perfect note on her second try. Ranko finds out that the violin resonates with her soul. Ranko has a talent for violent and the teacher wants to tutor her for an extra hour on Fridays.

On the way home Ranko is attacked by Kodachi but is saved by Shampoo.

The teacher gives Ranko a violin to use to practice with at home.

chapter 8

Ranko starts to get her first period.

Genma returns. It turns out Soun was to take Akane to the master to be changed also. Ranko and Genma get into a major argument.

At dinner, Kasumi serves red-beans-and-rice and reveals it's due to Ranko's first period.

Ranko finally begins to talk things over with her father.

The next day at school a girl sees Ranko taking a panty liner or similar thing from her purse and the word got around the school, helping the other girls accept Ranko even more.

Genma comes to see Ranko practice violin at the school but Shampoo and Ukyo attack him. Ranko saves him, though, and the girls decide to direct their vengeance against Happosai.

Genma and Ranko arrive home but Nodoka is there with her sword and points it right at Genma.

chapter 9

Nodoka reveals that Ranko never really was as interested in marital arts as Akane was.

Nodoka tells Genma that from now on he can't make any decisions about how things will go on in Ranko's life. She warns Genma that she will have him arrested and sent to prison if he interferes.

She also says they will stay married for appearance's sake, but he is not welcome in her home.

Genma and Ranko spar and Genma hits Ranko and hurts her. He thinks she still fights an all-out manner but she just likes to spar in a less violent way. She never really liked to fight.

Akane teachers Ranko how to materialize a mallet. On Monday at school Kuno appears again and this time they both hit him will mallets.

Kodachi apparently has someone else she is interested in and leaves Ranko alone.

Ranko notes that her life has been pretty peaceful lately so they go visit Cologne to find out if she has any idea why. She gets a reference book and finds the spell Happosai used which is a pretty lousy spell. One side affect was all the chaos in her life.

In music class the teacher announces that a recital will be held as part of the annual school talent show. She gets Ranko to agree to participate.

In her after-school session with her teacher she meets a music professor at Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music. He listens to her and says she has a great gift for the violin and he wants her to practice more complicated pieces. He even says he would like Ranko to come to the university to complete her studies after high school.

chapter 10

Ranko is sitting under the bridge thinking and Ryoga appears again. She leads him to the Tendo Dojo.

Ranko plays her violin in front of everyone at the dojo and it is evident that Ryoga is developing strong feelings for her.

Ranko takes Ryoga to the park for a talk about Akane. She tries to coach him on how to express his feeling for Akane to Akane in person.

Ryoga ends up asking Ranko to go out with him. He even tells her that he loves her. Ranko agrees to go out on a date with him. It starts raining, though, and turns Ryoga into P-chan.

Ranko takes P-chan back to the dojo to change. After P-chan changes back to Ryoga, Nabiki wants a conference with Ryoga, Ranko and her so they go to the dojo.

Nabiki is upset and wants to protect her sister Ranko. Ryoga swears to stop sleeping with Akane in his pig form. Nabiki says she will try to think of how to solve the Akane/P-chan problem.

Ranko tells her mother she's going on a date with Ryoga. Ranko is terrified of actually going on a date, though.

Ryoga takes her to a fancy restaurant. They have a nice talk and hold hands on the table. They kiss when they get back to the dojo.

Ranko is not sure she will be able to learn the complicated new violin piece she is trying to learn for the recital.

Ranko accidentally bumps into Noriko and her baby Miki. Ranko likes holding the baby and talking to it.

chapter 11

Akane and Nabiki realize that Ranko still thinks girls can't really accomplish much, so they replace the posters of men in Ranko's room with posters of strong women role models.

Ranko was ready to quite trying to learn a new violin piece but decided she really did want to try to learn it.

Ranko and Akane go to visit Norkio and her Miki. They take Miki to a park. They run across Ryoga and he goes with them when they return to the dojo.

It turns out that Ryoga managed to get his curse changed and now he turns into a girl when hit with cold water.

chapter 12

Ranko and Ryoga (in girl form) go to babysit Miki but don't end up needing to. Ryoga reveals that he has plans to marry Ranko. This upsets Ranko. As she and Ryoga are walking home they start to get into an argument.

Ranko asks Nabiki if she knows of any way to keep Ryoga from getting lost all the time.

Ranko and Akane go to Sayuri's for her birthday.

Ranko still is unsure whether or not she wants to marry Ryoga.

Nabiki gets Ryoga a satellite positioner device.

Ranko finally admits to Ryoga that he is her boyfriend.

Ryoga ends up enrolling at the high school.

chapter 13

Ranko performs for her teacher and other sensei. She also demonstrates her martial arts abilities. Afterwards they all go out for some ice cream.

Ranko invites Cologne to the music recital.

Ranko and Genma have a talk and things get somewhat better between them.

Ranko is going to lead Ryoga to his own home. They fall into a river and Ryoga changes into a girl. They meet his parents and explain everything that has happened.

Ranko becomes ill and Ryoga's mother has her lay down in his room. Ranko has a nightmare while she's sleeping.

Ranko's feeling the pressure from everyone expecting her and Ryoga to marry and she tells Ryoga that they should take time off from each other and date other people.

chapter 14

Ranko is very, very upset about her breakup with Ryoga. She runs into Ryoga at school the next day and breaks down into tears.

Ranko and Kasumi talk in the kitchen over tea.

Ranko talks to her mother and then quickly leaves to go to Ryoga. She tells him that she loves him.

The college sensei is at the recital and sits next to a music critic. Ryoga has not yet arrived at the recital.

Akane plays Juliet and Shampoo plays Romeo in one section of the talent show.

Ryoga gets there almost at the last minute. Ranko plays her violin and the crowd loves her performance.