Thats what Akane is. And I think also that she was the one who made this manga a real success because shes the one who cause, towards the fans, the most of empathy. Indeed, she was the first heroine of Rumiko Takahashi to really show her emotions, and to be, behind her strong temper, so sensitive in the background, and like you said Blackdude, to have a complexe personnality. She talk to the reader (of spectator). We didnt have this kind of empathy with Lum or with Kyoko, because the first was the heroin of a comic manga which was suppose to make you laught all along your reading, and Lum was a cool character with a no soucy attitude ; and Kyoko was like the very desired women who can all do, and who didnt have real weakness (that was mostly the role of Godai). Akane is the adolescent who discover herself and who learn to build herself. She has the emotions of a 16 years old girl : behind her strong personnality, shes not so self-confident and doubt of herself, there is a lot of things she cant do (but that dont mean she will not be able to do them later. Anyway, I dont know a lot of 16 years old girls who can cook properly, youre generally clumsy at this age), she has problem with boys, is shy in love and need to be rassured, like all women, towards the feelings of her (supposed to be) lover. Thats right that Ukyo, Shampoo and Kodachi dont mind about Ranmas real feelings, and thats why these relations are so funny. They just think about themselves. But Akane is all the contrary and really want, all along the manga, that Ranma admitts his real feelings.
What made the big success of Akane is that she can transmit all sort of emotions, she can be funny, stupid, serious, clumsy, mad, nice, violent, soft, sad, happy, she can win but she can also lost, she can succeed or fail, etc, etc... In fact, shes generally suppose to have the reaction or the thoughts of the reader. I think also that Rumiko Takahashi transmit her real emotions throught her, not always, but the most of the time.
In the anime, shes the one (in the original japanese version) who present the title of the episod and say the resume of the next one. Like if the serie was hers.
All the exageations of Akanes actions are typically manga humour. We find again all the features of a typical Takahashis heroine (beauty, jealousy, strong personality, etc) but with this time a lot of weakness, in the character and in what shes able to do. Thats what is make her the closest thing to real life in the manga.
So someone who dont like her means hes not realy able to understand all the atmosphere of the manga (or anime). Akane is too important.


