samvara

Ranma was fun!

It's silly and cute and pretty and devoted to the kind of schoolgirls that the Japanese do so well.

Oh those big eyes and cute little giggles.

Before you vomit, Ranma is a guy.. well most of the time, in a tragic training accident in China he fell into the Spring of Drowned Girl. When Ranma is splashed with cold water he turns into a very pretty girl and it takes hot water to turn him back. This upsets him almost as much as it does his finance, (the marriage was arranged by their parents) a tough but very cute martial arts tomboy who thinks Ranma is a pervert and doesn't like boys anyway.

It has heaps of martial arts, ridiculous fights, teenaged romance, boy germs and pretty pictures.

Reindeer Moon by Elizabeth Marshall Thomas

Was dead boring, was hoping to enjoy the companion novel The Animal Wife but am now planning on recycling - it's the only merciful thing to do. The cover says For everyone who loved the Clan of the Cave Bear and sadly does not go on to say 'avoid this even less interesting alternative'.

My gripes are as follows: Yanan the lead is young and stupid and clearly dies young and stupid, the only strong female character is perfect and somewhat lacking in depth, all male characters are thick and shallow. The segues into natural history and the habits of the local fauna did not make up for waiting for Yanan to die. Worse, even after death she was annoying, young and stupid.