Now that I well beyond the point of being able to deny that I am, in fact, quite old, I’ve given up on acquiring frivolous collectibles and toys. I have no more space for them, no more budget for them, and ultimately no more desire for them. But every once in a while, an exception to the rule comes along, and when this bright chunk of molded plastic went up for preorder, my nostalgia (and the current dollar-to-yen exchange rate) got the better of me:

The fact that someone decided it would be a good idea to sell a premium-format super-poseable figure based on a 30-year-old manga series was just too unlikely, and too appealing, to pass up. I feel like I need to own some acknowledgement of Rumiko Takahashi’s work after all the entertainment she’s provided for me over the years, and this figure blends into the office background more easily than the Lum figma from a few years back would have. Truth be told, I like Lum as both a character and a series more than Ranma, but it’s generally best to minimize the number of bikini-clad anime figurines in our lives in this day and age. Internet subcultures sure have stripped the innocence from those, boy howdy.

(Speaking of Lum, that reminds me: Who do I need to rough up in order to get the rest of the Urusei Yatsura manga translated into English?)

Between this and the teeny-tiny Golgo 13 hanging off our living room TV, I’m pretty well set for my personal, essential manga memorabilia. I guess I’d pick up an Ukyo figurine if they ever added one to this series, since she starred in the first episode Ranma 1/2 I ever watched, but I think that’s about it.  Oh, I guess I still need something from Battle Angel Alita, even if the Last Order series was a terrible, terrible train wreck.

Upon consideration, this rule seems to have a great many exceptions.