Every successful anime/manga series out there seems to spawn a whole bunch of hot-selling merchandise and items, and Ranma 1/2 is no different. From the necessities of manga Graphic Novels and Anime tapes to the extras like the Memorial Book and P-chan Keychain, Ranma 1/2's success has caused a lot of extraneous and interesting merchandise to be created and marketed, both when the series was in Japan and now, as it is being released and translated all over the world.

This page exists to tell you about all the different types of merchandise available in Ranma 1/2, and possible places to order and acquire them. It's divided into two sections. The first section describes various online and offline vendors who carry Ranma 1/2 paraphrenalia, and the second section is a (still growing) list of all Ranma 1/2 Merchandise in existence, with possible estimated price ranges. It's most likely I've forgotten an item or two, so feel free to email me with any more merchandise and/or price range corrections. You are also free to mail me if you are a public (legal) vendor of Ranma 1/2 merchandise and would like a listing here.

(NOTE: All merchandise is copyright of respective companies (Viz, Shogakukan/Kitty, etc.). All price ranges are estimated, according to author's money spending and research. All items are priced in American dollars. I am _not_ a vendor of said merchandise - I am merely providing information on where to get said Ranma merchandise and items. This page is in no way affiliated with the companies/vendors mentioned on the page.)

Viz Communications - Why not go to the source first for all your Ranma 1/2 needs? I have to poke a little bit at the webmaster for Viz's page (6 frames? And a background MIDI? O_o), but since they're the people who put out Ranma 1/2 translated, they're the ones to look for in terms of new releases being dubbed (and soon after, subbed as well). Their ordering response time is a little streaky and inconsistent, but otherwise not too bad. An obvious pro is that they have the "official" info on the release dates - at the same time, though, and obvious "con" is that they aren't giving many details about stuff that's been sitting untranslated (like the later manga stories, for example).

UCI Anime Bookstore - Located in California, the UCI Anime bookstore is very good about stocking their merchandise and placing orders. Their system of grabbing things is a little easier to follow than most other online stores, and they have a variety of things to order (I envy those anime people who attend the University of California at Irvine ^_-). Typing in 'Ranma 1/2' as a query brings up plenty of merchandise to order, and about 85% of the time you can bet that they're stocking it. The only con on this list is that they take a while to process your order - about a week's time can pass before they even begin to process an order. Still, they're very reliable, and veyr popular, which probably explains their ordering delays.
Additional Info: The UCI Anime Bookstore
phone - 714-824-2430
fax - 714-824-8545
email - anime@uci.edu
www - http://www.book.uci.edu/anime.html

AnimeNation - AnimeNation seems to be a decent vendor - they have fairly quick response time, a fair amount of Ranma merchandise (not always guaranteed to be in, but mostly stocked well). They're apt to have sales on certain items too, which can actually save you a few bucks on the already expensive things like the Ranma 1/2 CD's.

Ken Cranes - From what I hear, this is the place to purchase LaserDiscs and the few DVD's that are out. Response time is usually very reliable (within 24 hours), and most of the retail, including all the Ranma stuff, is sold at 20% off marked prices.

Anime Plus - An ok vendor, mostly concentrating on the accessory part of anime fandom, other than the tapes or the manga. A unique feature appears to be that if they have a LaserDisc version of something and not a VHS version, that they will convert it to VHS for free or a price. I don't know if they still offer this, though.

The Place - Yet another vendor, though they seem to be very fast and efficient to those outside of the USA. They also may be selling stuff at inexpensive, possibly reduced prices.

Nikaku Animart - A very good place to get merchandise,a nd well known in the business of selling anime odds and ends. Reliable and secure, I've never found anything out of stock with Nikaku, probably mostly since they're based in San Jose, which has a sort of area that has plenty of anime stores, including this one.

Amazon.com - They've only recently entered the anime merchandising business, and don't have much beyond what Viz has been releaseing so far. Still, with one of the biggest Online bookstores entering the fray, I wouldn't be surprised if the site got a lot more stuff by the time you read this.

For those of you in Chicago..a bonus - some of my personal picks. Perhaps I'll see you at one of these places. I'll probably be wandering about the Ranma tapes. ^_-

Suncoast Video: These are all over America. They're always on top of the newest anime release, and are the best places to find that latest release. Here in Chicago, there are several, and I've picked up countless new releases for my synopses here. Most notable is the one in Lincolnwood Town Center, whcih has plenty of anime videos for your viewing pleasure, and most of the Ranma tapes, as well.

Tower Records and Video: This place on Clark and Belden rents Anime videos at .99 cents a pop. Too bad their Ranma 1/2 collection is seriously crippled and underupdated. Still, there are some latest releases for purchase here, not just for Ranma 1/2, but other titles as well.

Chicago Comics: Though they're a little understocked as far as new releases go (boy do those disappear fast) this place on Clark and Belmont is _very_ reliable with the manga and individual stories - tucked away in the back of the store, the anime/manga section has the latest issues, released with nice little "New This Week" sliders underneath. The Graphic Novels are things they are especially punctual with, and there may be even a few tankoubons in there somewhere.

Stars Our Destination: Primarily a Science Fiction/Fantasy bookstore, this store on Belmont, west of the "El" train stop, carries limited manga and anime. They're a little spotty with reliability, especially with the manga, but are still fair when it comes to pricing and stockage.

('Price range' denotes possible set range of prices for said item).

Ranma 1/2 Anime Series: The original anime, released by Viz - you have the dubs coming out first and then subs follow later. See the Anime synopses page for info on content. Price Range: Labeled Rate on regular tapes - $24.95 dub, $29.95 sub. LD's, DVD's priced at around $32-$35. Note: OAV's and Movies may cost more, possibly in the $28-$35 price range.

Ranma 1/2 CD BGM Soundtrack, Vol. 1: Around 35 tracks of background music from the series. Price Range: $19-$25.

Ranma 1/2 CD Closing Soundtrack: All the Closing Themes of the series, beginning with "Let's Be Platonic". About 7 tracks. Price Range: $25-$35.

Ranma 1/2 CD DoCo First: The first release of the singing group DoCo made up of some of Ranma 1/2's best female Japanese seiyuu. Contains about 6 or 7 tracks, all in original Japanese. Tracks include such songs as "Us After This" and "Liar". Price Range: $19-$35.

Ranma 1/2 CD DoCo Second: The second release of the singing group DoCo. In this author's opinion, the better of the two CD's, with "Love Vanished Once (Regrettably)" and "Complex Two Thoughts", among other sings, on it. Price Range: $19-$35.

Ranma 1/2 CD Fighting Karuta: A large group of short songs, sung by all of your favorite Ranma characters. 43 tracks - though some tracks have songs with just one verse or are remizes. Still a good bang for your buck. Price Range: $25-$35.

Ranma 1/2 CD Hot Song Contest: Vocals from some of the Ranma 1/2 Japanese seiyuu, including some humourous ones by Kappei Yamaguchi and Megumi Hayashibara. "Akane's Lullaby", sung by Noriko Hidaka, is a personal favorite of mine. Price Range: $25-$35.

Ranma 1/2 CD Movie 1 Soundtrack: BGM and the "It's Love" song from the first Ranma 1/2 Movie. Price Range: $25-$35.

Ranma 1/2 CD Movie 2 Soundtrack: BGM and the "Piece of Love" song from the second Ranma 1/2 Movie. Price Range: $25-$35.

Ranma 1/2 CD Opening Themes Soundtrack: All the Opening themes from the series, beginning right with "Don't Make me Wild Like You", or more affectionately known as the "Ya-pa-pa" song. About 7 tracks. Price Range: $25-$35.

Ranma 1/2 CD OAV/Movie 3 Soundtrack: BGM from the OAV tapes as well as the 30-minute 3rd movie release. Price Range: $19-$25.

Ranma 1/2 CD Single - "Koida! Panikuu!" (Love Panic): A CD single containing the Love Panic song in Japanese. Price Range: Approx. $8-$10.

Ranma 1/2 CD Song Calendar (1995): A bunch of vocal songs from the various Japanese seiyuu. Price Range: $25-$35 Ranma 1/2 Graphic Novels: The original manga, translated by Viz. What mroe could you ask for? The graphic novels happen to compile, at the moment, ten or eleven individual issues into one book. They come in different colors, and some are larger than others. Price Range: Labeled Rate of $15.95, with early GN's possibly in the $20-$25 range. See the Manga Synopses page for info on content.

Ranma 1/2 Hanging Cards: Ten different designs - mini decals which can be placed anywhere. Price Range: .50-$1.

Ranma 1/2 Memorial Book: A compilation of art from Rumiko Takahashi, featuring scenes from the manga (all 38 volumes of it) as well as a foldout poster and an exclusive interview. Definitely worth the money to put out. Of course, it's all in Japanese, but it's in mostly hiragana - fairly easy for the average student of the Japanese language. Price Range: $25-$35.

Ranma 1/2 Mugs: Coffee mugs with Ranma characters placed on them. So far a P-chan as well as a Ranma type coffee mug are available for sale. Price Range: $20-$25.

Ranma 1/2 Boy-type Ranma Keychain: Small version of boy-type Ranma, on a keychain. Price Range: $2-$5.

Ranma 1/2 Boy Type T-shirt: White t-shirt with Ranma (male) on the front. Price Range: $15-$20.

Ranma 1/2 Girl Type T-shirt: White t-shirt with Ranma (female) on the front. Price Range: $15-$25.

Ranma 1/2 Panda and Girl T-shirt: A white t-shirt featuring Genma-panda and Ranma (noth forms) on the front, along with the Ranma 1/2 logo. Price Range: $15-$20.

Ranma 1/2 P-chan Keychain: A cute little P-chan keychain, so that you can carry P-chan with you whenever you go out. Price Range: $2-$5.

Ranma 1/2 P-chan T-shirt: Black cotton t-shirt, displaying everyone's favorite little black pig onthe front, and the Ranma 1/2 logo below it. Price Range: $15-$23.

Ranma 1/2 Playing Cards: A 52-card deck of playing cards, with Ranma characters on them instead of your usual "faces" and "numbers" to be found on regular playing cards. Price Range: $10-$20.

Ranma 1/2 Screen Saver: Released by Software Sculptors, this screen saver features clips of the first movie, and some of these clips at as screen savers for your computer. Seriously outdated. Price Range: $25-$35.

Ranma 1/2 Tankoubons: These are the original manga, "in the raw" to speak. In other words, these are the "graphic novels" of Japanese, complete with original Japanese text and in the "flipped" style (reading right to left). Price Range: $6-$20 (depends on issue)

Ranma 1/2 Three Girls T-shirt: A white t-shirt, featuring on it Shampoo, Akane, and Onna-Ranma, all in fighting stances and dressed in Chinese style clothes. Price Range: $15-$20.

Ranma 1/2 Video Jukebox: This 30 minute tape contains all of the opening and closing themes, uncut and unsubtitled, for all the Ranma 1/2 anime seasons as they happened in Japan. There are about 12 "tracks", of videos, including those which aren't even released in the US yet. Price Range: $12-$15.

Ranma 1/2 Wall Scrolls: These large, hangable pieces of cloth roll out, depicting various Ranma 1/2 artwork printed therein. The only two I have seen as of now are one with Onna-Ranma and Akane, and another one featuring a group shot of Ukyou, Akane, Shampoo, Mousse, Ryouga, and Ranma (both forms). Price Range: $15-$25.

Ranma 1/2 Watch: Either boy or girl-type Ranma on the face. A watch featuring everyone's favorite cursed martial artist. Price Range: $19-$25.

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Nodoka Saotome says:

"That's funny..I could have sworn I saw my son around here somewhere on this page, but all I've found is Mr. Panda and Ranko. Perhaps you've seen them? I need to talk to them about a certain...promise..they made to me ten years ago. I've already clicked left to go to the Ranma 1/2 Library Voice Actors page and also clicked on the right to go to the Ranma 1/2 Library Picture Archive. I've even retraced my steps to the Ranma 1/2 Library Main page. Oh well. Perhaps I can look for them later - if you see them, make sure Ranma's acting manly enough...ok?"