The Ranma remake and all it entails

So now we know that not only is Ranma coming back, but that it's only a few months away. On October 5th we'll have our first new Ranma animation in decades readily available on Netflix. As someone who fell in love with anime through this series at the age of 13, this is absolutely fantastic news and I really couldn't be happier.

Back in the early 90's, Ranma was pretty big in Italy but had never made it to the UK in anime form. The comics, released American style, were being translated by Viz, and during a period when my Mum was in hospital I found the first volume of series 2 - my life trajectory completely changed as I discovered a love of Japan, the culture and its comics. It's the nexus point that led to the creation of the UK Anime Network, working in the industry, meeting the amazing creatives behind the scenes and informing my love of all things pop culture. Without Ranma, this site doesn't exist, a number of series don't get released in the UK and the people who have written for this site don't get to move on into the industry either. 

So yes, for me Ranma is a seminal series that changed everything. Not bad for a comedy about getting wet and changing form.

I love how sharp these designs look - more proof that Takahashi's work is timeless.

Eventually the UK would see the release of the Ranma movies and OVA's, which was something at least. Despite the popularity of the show globally, there has been precious little merchandise - S.H. Figuarts released the core cast (of which I have both Ranma's and Shampoo), gashapon toys, stationary and other small items make regular appearances, and the cast saw digital success on the SNES and PC Engine, but really it's been incredibly quiet for anything of real quality. I was fortunate to visit a pop-up cafe for the show on a trip to Japan, where I picked up a beautiful serving plate based on a panel from the manga, but in terms of statues, toys and other collectables, it sees relatively little of interest, especially compared to Takahashi's later work, Inuyasha. The only figure I have of Shampoo in her battle outfit is a noodle topper figure I found on Ebay!

The Ranma Cafe serving plate

I'm hopeful that this all changes with a modern show. It'll probably start with Goodsmile releasing some Nendoroids (Q-Posket had some SD Ranma statues in their collection) but what I'd really love are some Max Factory/Kotobukiya grade statues of the main cast, maybe some Tencil or Pop Up Parade figures to keep things manageable. In terms of specifics, for me the grails would be Shampoo in her battle uniform from her first appearance, Kodachi in her martial arts gymnastics uniform, Ukyo serving up some food and some male/female Ranma statues showing the duality of the central character. I can dream. Honestly I'd settle for reissues of Akane and Ryoga from S.H. Figuarts so I can buy them at a decent price.

The S.H. Figuarts figures. Akane and Ryoga go for insane prices on the aftermarket. 

In terms of the new show, the usual rumbling is occurring online regarding censorship (we've seen one short trailer!) but in fact what we've seen is more faithful to the original manga than the 90's anime. The original anime will always exist so it's hardly an issue so far as I'm concerned, this is clearly being aimed at a wider market. Some of the original voice cast are returning, including the legend that is Megumi Hayashibara, but given how little if the original anime was available, this doesn't excite me massively, but I am very pleased to see the voice actors getting work and being welcomed back wholeheartedly by the community. 

The modern distribution system also means we're getting this simulcast on Netflix. I sometimes picture trying to explain to myself as a 13 year old that in the future, you wouldn't be buying anime 2 episodes at a time on VHS, but instead the internet (at the time we had a 28.8k modem) would be able to beam the entire series to your TV directly as it aired in Japan. 

Mind. Blown.

We're incredibly fortunate. My only regret is that we won't be able to buy cels from the show. My solitary cel of Shampoo, complete with her background, remains the one piece of the anime I've been able to call my own, just a sliver of the magic that has captivated audiences worldwide. At least what we've seen looks incredibly sharp, with dynamic animation and crisp line work. 

Just one piece of the show, framed and loved.

I am somewhat hopeful that the manga will get a re-release too, something grand and ideally hardback to go on the shelf. A whole new generation of fans is about to experience the show, and while the market is more saturated than ever, I'm hopeful that a new generation of fans will be inspired, as I was, to go on a creative journey of their own. Who knows what treasures await?