Ranma 1/2 Shampoo Original Figure

I first Discovered Ranma 1/2 when it was sold in US comic format by VIZ Media at the age of 13. It quite literally changed the course of my life, leading to a fascination with Japanese culture and ultimately the creation of the UK Anime Network itself 30 years ago (after a couple of paper fanzines called "Oriental Express").

One of the most striking characters from Ranma was Shampoo, the Chinese Amazon who was bested in combat by Ranma in his female form while he was travelling. Hell bent on regaining her honour by killing the outsider, Shampoo travels to Japan where she promptly tries to kill female Ranma while also falling in love with his true male form as he accidentally defeats her in this form too. It was beautifully depicted, mythical in its themes and of course, highly amusing under Takahashi's skilled art and writing. The desperately torn and heartbroken image of Shampoo as she realises the two adversaries are one and the same still moves me whenever I read it.

Of course, as a teenager faced with such a beauty, I wanted a figure of the character, but alas this was the early 90's and a model kit was the best I could get. I did buy a resin kit, I even tried to build it, but lacked the skill to make it to a standard I was happy with. Shy of the SH Figuarts figure (which of course I picked up!) we've had precious little outside of gashapons to slake our thirst for our gorgeous Amazon warrior.

Fast forward to 2025 and we have a successful animated remake combined with modern computer-aided anime figure design, and we're now spoiled for choice. Whether it's the excellent Relax Time figure that seems a bargain at around £20, the Ichiban Kuji figure that goes for amoral sums or the number of prize figures released and pending, we have plenty of choice for Shampoo in her short Chinese dress. Thankfully the upcoming Glitter & Glamours figure sculpts her in the debut battle outfit that never gets the attention it deserves, so it seems that the options are also expanding. But so far, so cheap. 

Until, that is, Proof announced their Shampoo figure, replete in long Chinese dress and sitting on a Sakura tree growing from a pool of water, we'd had nothing that felt premium. Now we have a figure that comes with multiple accessories, a detailed stand and a sculpt inspired by the manga rather than the TV series, which as much as I love the style, is a little pastel in tone for my liking at times. 

So, having arrived (amongst a large selection of figures I've been building up at HLJ), how does she fare?

Let's start with the sculpt - it's a lovely pose, our heroine relaxing waterside with a parasol supported by both hands. The red dress has a nice tampographed pattern, gold detailing around the collar and a teal lining. It flows naturally around her breasts and thighs, some light folds visible but not too sharp, indicating a thickness of material that's opulent. The gold detailing is carried over to her hair decorations and armlet on her left upper-arm, both of which contain red jewels.

The metalwork of the lantern and umbrella are striking, while the casual nature of the fingers also helps to bring the sculpt to life!

The sculpting of her fingers and toes is nicely detailed - each finger is detailed and looks natural curled loosely around the parasol handle, rather than just uniformly gripping the item tightly. Her left foot has the toes pointed, while in contrast those on the right are curled back as she reclines. Shampoo's long hair flairs behind her simulating a breeze and overall it's a relaxed and alluring position. 

I can see some shiny elements dotted around, where it looks like glue has seeped out or the matte gloss has missed spots, mostly in the hair. It's not distracting as a whole, but you can't unsee the spots that have those little shiny bits on them. I might add a layer of matt gloss of my own if it bothers me long term.

The sculpting on the base is smart, with a clear base augmented by a second layer of sculpted semi-transparent water, the ripples flowing around the tree base with fallen cherry blossom adding detail, as well as a splash indicating that Shampoo has kicked the water with the tip of her toes. I love how this has come together, it's a nice combination of classy clear base and sculpted detail that maintains the fluid aspect and ensuring that the figure is sturdy.

The tree trunk and branches are sculpted well, but the cherry blossoms lack definition and look clunky - it's honestly the only truly disappointing element of the figure, though I appreciate that sculpting cherry blossoms at this scale and on this budget was always going to be an ambitious enterprise. It's doesn't ruin the overall look, but it's not a highlight.

Then we have the parasol, which has a separately sculpted spokes where it opens internally, and a larger disk that incorporates the metal prongs with the parasol material. One of the nice touches here is that, while the top looks flat at a glance, it's actually sculpted to show the each segment individually - you can see it when the light hits it just right. This is a great approach and it looks fantastic in-hand. 

Finally, there's a Chinese lantern with a metal chain that can be hooked over a tree branch. The "glass" is opaque which lends an element of realism to the piece, while the braid underneath is sculpted - if they could have made this from actual material I think it would have looked a lot better, but it's fine as is and represents the budget.

The obvious connection line in the tree is a shame, but she's all hair and feet from this angle anyway...

A sculpt is no good without the paint to bring it all together (an issue with the model kit I attempted over 30 years ago) and I'm pleased to say that it's mostly stellar. Certainly Shampoo herself is superb - wash has been applied to her skin to add warmth and realism - it's most notable on her wrists, fingers and toes, though there does appear to be a little added under her chin too, providing an element of shading. The dress has wash along the crease-lines, making them a little more accentuated, in fact the only spot they seem to have missed is the lining in the dress, which is completely flat and could have done with a little attention in my opinion. The hair has a black wash over dark purple giving an inky effect which I like. Metallic paint on the parasol spokes and lantern are all well placed, the wash on the braid and the cherry blossoms being a bit more functional, but still appreciated. Probably the weakest paint job is the tree itself, which has plenty of wash but looks too smooth overall making it look quite fake - the sort of plastic tree you'd find at an amusement park. It's not a deal-breaker, but it does let the overall figure down somewhat to the point where I'd almost have preferred they had just used a stump or rock for her to sit on.

So was the (very) long wait for a premium sculpted Shampoo worth it? Yes, as much as water in a desert is mana for a thirsty traveller, but it's not perfect. I do love that this is a manga representation of the character and more accurately reflects Takahashi's work than the recent anime-based efforts, I think certain elements absolutely sing, such as the main figure and her accessories, though we can't ignore the aforementioned flaws.

I think at £120 (likely to be higher outside of Japanese retailers and shipping needs to be taken into account for her large box) the figure represents its budget well - clearly the artist working on her knew where to put the bulk of the money, and in this sense it works very well - the Amazonian princess has always been an elegant and refined character when illustrated outside of her battles and this figure has that in spades. 

If I sound hyper-critical, it's because the character is a large part of my attachment to the medium, the time taken to finally own such a figure obviously has me willing it to be perfect, but I can't in clear conscience allow it to blind me in a review. Even with the minor flaws I'd want this figure, just as I have the Ichiban Kuji figure that's so over-priced. This is "classic" Shampoo and feels like she was intended for older collectors like me. The minor niggles are well within my tolerance for a figure with this budget so as value for money, it's a winner. If you're a fan of the new series, I'd recommend the Ichiban Kuji figure over this if you can find it at a good price, otherwise this is the superior Shampoo for your shelf.

Shampoo was purchased from HLJ.com - treat yourself (and us) with our affiliate link :)