At Dragon*Con, a new view of 'Akira' (cel article)

[iwakuralain16]

I saw this article and thought I would share it with everyone. The guy is holding up a background from Akira and also has some cels in the bg of the pic. Also talks about cels....

"Peacock is at Dragon*Con in Atlanta this weekend to show off his collection of more than 12,000 original production cels, backgrounds and layouts from "Akira." "

That is insanely awesome!

http://www.cnn.com/2010/SHOWBIZ/09/05/d ... index.html

enjoy!

[iceman57]

This guy seriously needs a rehab !

[cutiebunny]

(gets fussy)And this serious collector in the picture isn't using cotton gloves (or any gloves, for that matter) while holding the background?

>_<

I don't collect Akira artwork, and maybe the cels behind aren't the best ones in his collection, but, I'd rather have a few hundred really awesome cels from any anime than 12,000 cels just to state that I have more than anyone else.

So, if the 12,000 cels that Peacock owns are mostly dollar bin specials, then, I'd probably pass visiting his collection.

Though, I have to say that I am impressed that he has Akira tattoos all over his body.


Though, depending on where he was tattooed, in about 40 years, Akira might look like he's hanging on for dear life.

[sensei]

http://www.cnn.com/2010/SHOWBIZ/09/05/d ... me/?hpt=C2

I could not get the original link to open, so here's an alternative one.

One may fuss about some of the details: after all, I probably have close to 12,000 individual anime art objects (many of them dougas of miscellaneous body parts). Certainly the presence of the story in a feature titled "Geek Out!" implies that the author has used a somewhat disparaging edge to writing (and choosing graphics) for the story.

Might the background be in a polypro bag, as Peacock is holding it at an odd angle, perhaps so reflections aren't visible in the photo? Or perhaps the photographer asked him to take it out for a second, and he's being very careful to hold it on the edges, a little awkwardly?

And I don't know that Akira "saved" anime, as there were upward trajectories already present in the industry that were there for audiences to notice. Might Miyazaki's Nausicaa in the Valley of the Wind (released 4 years earlier) have a better claim to showing the direction in which the genre was going? Still, the claim gives the reporter an edge to use that suggests that what the displayers are doing is not much ado about trivia.

That said, there's plenty in what the curators say that I could agree with, particularly the paragraph:

"When you see the film, your jaw drops. It's beautiful; it's an astounding feat. But you miss so much because there's fantastic art on top of fantastic art on top of fantastic art. When it's pulled apart and each layer is presented to you individually, you have a chance to fully appreciate the magnitude of the artistic effort that went into this. To look at one cel gives you an idea of how much work went into each and every cel.

Indeed. And I'd add being able to see an important scene put together, detail by detail, helps you appreciate just how many artistic choices had to be made before even a single layer could be put into viewable form. I'd say ganbatte Peacock and Wos (whose "Toonseum" is new to me) in raising consciousness all around for a serious look at Japanese anime art.

[iceman57]

So, if the 12,000 cels that Peacock owns are mostly dollar bin specials, then, I'd probably pass visiting his collection.

A 12.000 cels sequence

Though, I have to say that I am impressed that he has Akira tattoos all over his body.

This guy needs detox and a laser beam to remove all of them...

[cutiebunny]

... Wos (whose "Toonseum" is new to me) in raising consciousness all around for a serious look at Japanese anime art.

I was curious about this 'Toonseum' when I read the article, but I was very dissapointed to find that the website (I think it's www.toonseum.org) is nothing more than an ad-generating placeholder.

[iceman57]

"I asked my father to drive 2 hours to Athens GA"

Don't tell me that this guy was in the Carmike Cinema in Athens GA, the very first cinema experience I had in the USA almost a decade ago... yeeeekkk I need an exorcist, I'm cursed.

[Noriko010884]

I sold a number of cels to Peacock. He's a genuinely nice guy with a real passion for this film. He's bringing the expo to the UK but sadly it's at the opposite end of the country from me.

[iceman57]

I sold a number of cels to Peacock. He's a genuinely nice guy with a real passion for this film. He's bringing the expo to the UK but sadly it's at the opposite end of the country from me.

I admit that sharing his collection is a warm attention, but, there is always a limit between genious and madness... From the reported facts in article and especially tattoos from his fav' movie, this maybe is more the way of the dark side than a real desire of animation art culture sharing.

Having a collection is a good point, but promote it is definitively a different job, especially vehiculating clichees attached to manga industry and fan service (stuck people in a box marked "geek" and not "art" on it). I apologies but this does not deserve an exhibition, simply turn it to a Barnum circus with a monster's fair...

[Shampoo]

I don't collect Akira artwork, and maybe the cels behind aren't the best ones in his collection, but, I'd rather have a few hundred really awesome cels from any anime than 12,000 cels just to state that I have more than anyone else.

So, if the 12,000 cels that Peacock owns are mostly dollar bin specials, then, I'd probably pass visiting his collection.

Wow this sounded awfully bitter and somewhat
green coming from a cel collector.
I'm disappointed to read this statement.

I say more power to him if this is his favorite film he
is passionate about. Anytime a fellow/gal brings a subculture
topic out into the light and shares knowledge to mainstream
audience is a cool cucumber in my book.
I'd love to say I own 12k cels from my favorite anime.
There are plenty of low grade cels scattered in everyone's galleries
(no exceptions) but that wouldn't make me pass up from
visiting because I love learning about new series and what
drives the curator to collect/or buy the particular shot.

P.S. And all this coming from someone who HATES the Akira
movie.

[cutiebunny]

Wow this sounded awfully bitter and somewhat
green coming from a cel collector.
I'm disappointed to read this statement.

It's not bitter at all. It doesn't bother me, in the slightest, that he has has 11,000 more items in his collection than I do. I do not need a CNN article for me to feel satisfied with my collection.

There are plenty of people around, including 'seasoned' collectors, that visit other collections solely because they either like the artwork displayed and/or the featured titles. Does that preference make them shallow? I don't think so. People tend to view what they like. If they don't like your collection, for whatever reason, there's a good chance they won't revisit your collection. It's like restaurants - if you've had a bad experience with a restaurant, you don't return.

That being said, I don't personally know Peacock. I don't have any idea as to what type of person he is. All I can go on is this CNN article, which may not be doing any justice. That's where the issue of having 12,000 cels came into play. From the way the article is written, it makes it seem as if Peacock is obsessed to the point that Akira is *his*. And if that's the case, then his collection could be less of a labor of love and more of a tribute to the Akira stuff he owns. Then, an effort to showcase his collection might be more about the attention and less about educating others about anime artwork.

So, as I said, it depends on the type of person that Peacock is. If he's showing off his items to educate the world, more power to him. I'd want to see that type of collection. But if he's a "I have more Akira cels than yooo-ooouu!" type person, then, I'd have no desire to view his items.

[Gonzai]

There are plenty of low grade cels scattered in everyone's galleries
(no exceptions)

HA! Not in my gallery Missy!!

So, as I said, it depends on the type of person that Peacock is. If he's showing off his items to educate the world, more power to him. I'd want to see that type of collection. But if he's a "I have more Akira cels than yooo-ooouu!" type person, then, I'd have no desire to view his items.

Frankly, I live for this kind of attitude. I think I can safely
say that I have more Sai sets and more Kyuuzo than anyone..
nah, nah, nah, nah, nah............

Sorry, couldn't help myself. Yah, I'm a bitch I know, but that
is just how I am.

[benten]

The article caused me to look into museums that display cartoon / comic / anime / manga art. I thought I would summarize what I found.

Cartoon Art Museum, 655 Mission St., San Francisco, CA 94105
http://cartoonart.org/
The exhibits change. I visited last year and was impressed with an exhibit on web-based comic art and an exceptional display of Disney art.

Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art, 594 Broadway, Suite 401 (btwn. Houston & Prince), New York, NY 10012
http://www.moccany.org/

Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum, The Ohio State University Libraries, 27 West 17th Avenue Mall, Columbus, OH 43210-1393
http://www.moccany.org/
The collection of the defunct International Museum of Cartoon Art (see some history at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Cartoon_Museum ), founded by Mort Walker, was donated to this museum. This is relatively close to me. I have got to go visit.

Toonseum, 945 Liberty Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15222
http://www.toonseum.org/
The website isn't an ad placeholder. If you do get such, try
http://www.toonseum.org/about_us.html
There is also info at:
http://toonseum.blogspot.com/
Recent article mentioned closing of the Ticonderoga Cartoon Museum (http://www.ticonderogacartoonmuseum.com/ ) and gift of its collection to the Toonseum.

On the international side, I ran across:
The Cartoon Museum, 35 Little Russell Street, London, England WC1A 2HH
http://www.cartoonmuseum.org/
A brief description also appears at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cartoon_Museum

Belgian Comics Strip Center, Rue des Sables Center, 1000 Brussels, Belgium
http://www.comicscenter.net/en/home

Also, something else I ran across. The Oakland Museum of California, 1000 Oak St., Oakland, CA 94607
is having an exhibit of Pixar animation from July 32 to January 9, 2011
http://museumca.org/exhibit/pixar-25-years-animation

[iceman57]

I beg your pardon but there are private galleries and not formal "museums" attached to a country/ministry of culture

[Drac of the Sharp Smiles]

I say more power to him if this is his favorite film he
is passionate about.

This was kind of my thought.... Also "so now we know where all the Akira cels went." ^_^ I can't throw stones in this particular glass house because I checked in the Psychic Force OVA once... you can't go more than 3min without seeing one of my cels, and that's at the longest. On the other hand, I think I'm one of about three people who care about Psychic Force at all. LOL

I admit, I would be interested to see this collection.... however, I really HATE to see Akira presented AGAIN as the poster child for anime. I detest Akira and know a lot of other people who also dislike it. Among other reasons, I found it pointlessly violent in many scenes, which I do NOT think is an overall fair assessment of "most" anime and which I think is something that might **drive some people away from investigating more anime**.

But every show has it's rabid followers and here is Akira's. ^_^ In that he has found extreme enjoyment in a particular anime, I can relate to him. ^_^

There are plenty of low grade cels scattered in everyone's galleries (no exceptions)

It's funny you mention this, which I think is also true. I have more than several low grade cels that I would never resell. (At least not for anything someone else would pay. LOL) I find it fabulously interesting to hear why some collectors love the low grade cels in their collection. When I go through a gallery that has lots of gorgeous high-end cels and run into that one "low grade" one, I always want to hear why that one is there. ^_^

Many Sharp Smiles,
--Drac