I forgot to tell my husband that a Funimation bundle of goodies was on its way, so when I called him to help bring some boxes in, his first question was “What did you buy?” Which, in fairness, isn’t a completely unreasonable inquiry, though in the case of this particular box, I could truthfully answer, “Nothing, I swear!” (Thank you to the folks at Funimation for his palpable relief.)

Thank you to them as well for the huge smile on his face as he went through the box. This is a guy who lives life pretty much in neutral – to the extent that I rarely buy him gifts because the effort isn’t worth the minimal feedback and lukewarm responses, even when I know somewhere deep, deep, deep down, he really loves whatever it is.

But when he found that 25th anniversary chrome Funko POP! Natsu from Fairytail, one of his current favorite shows? It was toddler-on-the-first-night-of-Chanukah levels of excitement. I love to see it. And chrome POP!s are particularly nice to have in a collection (he has a small army of favorite characters at work) because they stand out as special and are great conversation starters for those who know the characters – and irresistible shinies that attract those who haven’t yet experienced the glory of anime. (We also got Ken Kaneki, who will be going home with a friend where he can be properly appreciated – bonus joy all around.)

And then the kids finished school.

My Hero Academia is one of their absolute favorite things. They’ve watched the anime. They’ve read both the main storyline manga and Vigilantes. They use the Minecraft skins. The 8-year-old recently discovered fan fiction is a thing you can create, and they’re very busy penning crossovers between MHA and their other favorite universes: Miraculous and Avatar: The Last Airbender. There are even maps and charts.

If the two of them could have morphed into chibi versions of themselves with big diamond eyes and sparkles, they would have.

The younger child has Deku and Bakugo in school uniforms from the Kawaii Titans set, and we’ve been on the hunt for more since we found those (to no avail), so they were absolutely ecstatic to find the eight pack of ornaments. These tiny cuties are lightweight so they won’t weigh your plant life down, and they’re vinyl so they won’t sustain any major damage if a little one or pet knocks them off your tree.

The set is a good mixture of heroes and villains so there’s someone for each member of the family. Our four-person unit is Jewish so, obviously, we don’t have a tree. What we’ve decided to do instead is get a few new plants and hang the ornaments there to enjoy all year. The 8-year-old is also a huge fan of the Gnerd Gnome Deku, which which is ridiculously cute and, far from being relegated to outside has already gained pride of place in her room. Alas, he probably would have enjoyed the feral rabbit visitors.

My son has absorbed Dragon Ball Z by osmosis and was thrilled by both the T-shirt and Bandai Dragon Ball Super: Blood of the Saiyans Special IV figurine. Which was great because then I didn’t feel bad saying, “Me!” when asked who was taking the Bakugo Age of Heroes figure. As with the ornaments, both figurines are vinyl, which is a direction I’m digging for this sort of collectible because it 1) makes them more affordable and 2) means they survive children and thrown objects and moves and pets with far more alacrity and assurance.

If this box of goodies is any indication, the Funimation shop – which has more than 200 new items for the holidays – should be your first stop if you’re looking for anime- and manga-related gifts this holiday season.

Speaking of gifts, a subscription to Funimation is always in good taste. You can currently get a free trial MONTH (before paying a mere $7.99/month), and subscribers get a free Dragon Ball 25th anniversary Funko Young Goku on Nimbus Cloud (Silver-Chrome) with a $50 shop purchase on Black Friday!

The range of properties, types of products, and price points they have give you tons of choice, and I’m sure you’ll be able to find something for the weebs on your list.

Or for yourself.

I mean, after the disaster that has been 2020, don’t we all deserve a little something?