Title:  Those Who Hunt Ninjas
Fandom:  Ranma 1/2
Pairings:  gen, with the usual Ranma UST and some suggested LesYay
Categories:  humor, crack, parody, action
Length:  Long [~32,500 words]
Warnings:  comedy violence


Author on LJ:  n/a
Website:  The Lost Library of Florestica

Review:  A museum asks the Nerima Wrecking Crew to come guard its collection - they've been informed that Three Sexy Ninjas are coming to steal priceless artifacts!  Ranma knows he just shouldn't have even gotten out of bed that day... because it's shaping up to be yet another Wacky Adventure.

For anyone who missed this old-school anime/manga when the fandom was popular on the 'net (which was the '90s and early Aughts), Ranma 1/2 is about a young aquatranssexual martial artist and his horde of a) fiancees, b) family and c) rivals/enemies.  The genderswitch is caused by a cursed spring, and other characters have curses corresponding to the spring they fell into (Drowned Cat, for example).  "Hijinks Ensue" is pretty much the underlying theme of the series.  So, a story that parodies the over-the-top mania whilst simultaneously delivering on jokes and action?  In this fandom, such stories are far and few between, and those I find get bookmarked immediately.

D. B. Sommer keeps the atmosphere of the canon intact, but he's able to cross a few lines with characterization without losing our willful suspension of disbelief.  For example, characters' thoughts often break the fourth wall in this fic, such as when Konatsu appreciates his inclusion in the group as a usually underutilized side character.  These little touches could've felt out of place, but this author does it right, and so they only add to the quality of the parody.

Those Who Hunt Ninjas