Rantings By: LLK
First of all, I think that Kuno is probably one of the most misunderstood characters on Ranma 1/2. Everyone thinks Kuno is a moron. Granted, he does seem like one most of the time. But consider, as the maintainer of this page said, he memorizes and makes up a great deal of poetry. That requires some intelligence and in order to memorize that much, he must read a lot, which is always good. I don't think I've ever seen Ranma pick up a book that didn't carry the secret of some new martial arts technique, but I haven't seen that much Ranma 1/2 so I don't know. And before all you Ranma lovers start throwing things at me, bear in mind that I have not said that I dislike Ranma, far from it. But this isn't about Ranma.
Back to our beloved kendoist, ok, one of the most frequent questions is why in all the cursed springs, does he not get that Ranma and his pigtailed girl are the same person? Well, come on, how many people do YOU know who routinely change from boy to girl with a splash of cold water? Also, to move on to another point, how many people do you know who eat Kodachi's cooking?
We all know Kodachi does not cook normal food. She adds interesting ingredients. And her ingredients are enough to addle anyone's brain. Add to that the Kuno family in general. Let's start with Principal Kuno, the haircutting maniac. A good parent? Role model? Noooo! How about Sasuke? No, no, no. He's devoted, sure, but come on . . . Kuno has to pretty much rely on himself. And if I had to pick whether Kodachi or Kuno was saner, you can bet I'd go with Kuno.
Also, we never really know precisely what happened to Kuno's mother, but from what I've read, the general consensus seems to be that she's dead. Which leaves us with how did she die? I've heard many theories expressed; she was murdered, she committed suicide, she fell down a flight of stairs. All of those can definitely contribute to some mental instability. And we don't necessarily know what Kuno's mother was like either. Because that also could have a profound effect on Kuno. Essentially, what you have is a basically orphaned pair of siblings with one constantly poisoning the other so it's no wonder Kuno appears not to have any common sense.
As for Kuno's prowess as a martial artist, I grant you that Kuno is not as good as Ranma but then NO ONE is as good as Ranma but that does not automatically mean that Kuno is a bad martial artist. I was reading up on Kendo and rankings because I was trying to decide on a martial art myself and I discovered that those who wear blue hakamas have reached the highest level. I'm sure you can connect the dots from here.
