Revised Draft of AB Ethnography Now Available

[sensei]

After some weeks of writing and rewriting, the second draft has now gone to my editor. (The first draft was way too messy to share with anyone else.) You can access a .pdf version of it at this Sendspace link.


CAUTION! FUSSY NOTES!!
(Also annoying blinky ads [at the download site, not in the pdf, thankfully] ... gomen ... but it's a free service.)

The short version:

Introduction: Anime-Beta, an online forum for anime art collectors, was created in April 2002 and continues as a well-visited and cohesive virtual community. Made up of a wide range of members, mostly in their later 20s and 30s with professional careers, the Betarians represent a lively group, passionate about their hobby but generally polite and respectful to each other and to newcomers.

Yet the things they collect are not just rare, but unique, and so anime art becomes, I will argue, a type of fetish in both an imaginative and a social sense. Ownership means absolute possession of a specific emotionally significant event in the narrative the object was used to create, and possessing such an object invests the owners with equivalent social power among those sharing the same reverence for that narrative.

No wonder competition among collectors is intense; yet the community, with a few important exceptions, has remained stable over time. What distinctive social customs account for this paradoxical camaraderie among highly competitive individuals, deadly enemies as an auction’s close time approaches, but mutually cooperative fellows otherwise?

I will argue that the two instincts—competition and cooperation—are in fact not mutually exclusive, but inextricably linked in a way common to many dynamics in folklore. The factor that relates them, which I will term “restitution,â€

[Joost]

can't wait to read ^__^

[iceman57]

Excellent work !
____
p.6 "Indeed, Anime Beta proved uniquely durable":
> Maybe interesting to detail (if agreed) that the board continues to live as wrote on homepage in memory of one of its co-founder ? Can explain the maturity and structure level of this Animation board. Additionnaly driven by Magician, a non cel collector.
____

p.16 "Key member, beatrush (M 27),[...] She mentioned a specific bidder on an online auction that has literally a bottomless wallet":
> M 27 / She ? (Maybe repeat "Nene" nickname to not cross quotes)
> About bottomless wallet, what about Maslow pyramid model where people at the top of the pyramid simply no more consider money as a necessity to pay/buy, but as a simple tool like a screwdriver in a garage.
____

p.17 "In such a case, restitution is attempted, but the books don‘t balance.":
> Fall in love for an art exists in any kind of collectible, aesthetic drives the wallet while the heart press the "bid" button
____

p.18 "communities: extremely competitive in the quest for the most desirable items":
> When all balances on 100 JPY, let's say approx $1, a George Washington buck... can't we simply say that this win/loss quest balance with almost nothing.
____

p.20 "buying an incomplete jigsaw puzzle that led the owner both to appreciate the beauty of the individual pieces but also wonder how they fit together into the whole".:
> See our discussion about Saint Seiya for reference, single stay classic bookend, paired you own a pair of bookend generating a wide 26" cel with all central characters together.
____

p.20 "golden era":
> Continental Europe "golden era" (broadcast audience) brings us to end 1980, while according to p.4, Northern America "golden era" is more mid-90's.
____

p.34 "literally, 1999, a decade in the future when the series was created":
> Original authors refers to 199X, see for reference 1st series opening prologue : (0:00 - 0:40) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJPPe8wbcBc

[graymouser]

That was very interesting to read. Thanks for letting us see the results of all your hard work.

[Nene]

p.16 "Key member, beatrush (M 27),[...] She mentioned a specific bidder on an online auction that has literally a bottomless wallet":
> M 27 / She ? (Maybe repeat "Nene" nickname to not cross quotes)
> About bottomless wallet, what about Maslow pyramid model where people at the top of the pyramid simply no more consider money as a necessity to pay/buy, but as a simple tool like a screwdriver in a garage.

I don't know the context of this as I haven't read it yet but "bottomless wallet" is not a phrase I have ever used (correct me if I'm wrong but that honestly doesn't sound like me as I find it rather derogatory to speak about people like that). Just slightly confused by what you're trying to say...

[Keropi]

Very nice Sensei! Lots of interesting information there including some of the not so good things that have occurred here over the years.

Although I think you might want to change that early sentence about "In America, the market for cels began in the late 1990s..." to "grew". Because even in Feb 1997 there were a number of sellers of anime cels and I think at least two or three of them were selling cels a ways before that. So the market was already rolling in the mid 1990s.

I think the anime cel market primarily grew because of the growth in the interest in anime and because of the internet. It wasn't easy buying anime cels before people had internet access except for those who went to Japan or attended anime conventions where sellers might be. Buying anime cels through mail, phone and fax couldn't have been too exciting. That's how I had to buy autographs back in the day. You had to call the seller by phone and the item was often already sold because someone had picked up their mail earlier than you.



At least with e-mail you didn't have long distance phone charges.

[sensei]

I don't know the context of this as I haven't read it yet but "bottomless wallet" is not a phrase I have ever used (correct me if I'm wrong but that honestly doesn't sound like me as I find it rather derogatory to speak about people like that). Just slightly confused by what you're trying to say...

You did not use the term. It's quoted from a "Pet Peeve" post by beatrush about whether or not there are collectors who can be justifiably termed "hoarders." The essay makes it clear that it's a contested concept, and that several other members, including you, challenged its appropriateness. Here's the passage:

A similar derogatory term, “hoarder,â€

[sensei]

Although I think you might want to change that early sentence about "In America, the market for cels began in the late 1990s..." to "grew". Because even in Feb 1997 there were a number of sellers of anime cels and I think at least two or three of them were selling cels a ways before that. So the market was already rolling in the mid 1990s.

Thank you! I stand corrected and enlightened.

Ignorance, thankfully, is curable.

[star-phoenix]

I have not had the chance to read it, but I agree with Keropi on possibly changing that part of the text to "grew" and possibly emphasizing ANIME cels rather than just plain "cels". In reference for American cels (ie Disney, Warner Bros), cel collecting in America as a form of art actually began in the late 1930's thanks to the Corvoisier company who saved the cels from Disney and sell them as "art" back then, which became very popular. Then, during the 50's/60's, you had the Disney art corner store opening shop selling Disney art, which basically made cel collecting even more popular (popular enough for Warner Brothers to begin selling their art a bit later on, not sure of the time frame with them since I do not collect Warner Bros yet).

Even though I have not yet read the article, I am ASSUMING you are referring to "ANIME" cel collecting in the 1990s, right? (in reference to the quote Kenopi posted) So, it may be better to emphasize on that.

[GuyvarIII]

Although I think you might want to change that early sentence about "In America, the market for cels began in the late 1990s..." to "grew". Because even in Feb 1997 there were a number of sellers of anime cels and I think at least two or three of them were selling cels a ways before that. So the market was already rolling in the mid 1990s.

Thank you! I stand corrected and enlightened.

Ignorance, thankfully, is curable.

I think your history of cel collecting needs Carl Macek. Before “Sailor Moonâ€

[sensei]

Even though I have not yet read the article, I am ASSUMING you are referring to "ANIME" cel collecting in the 1990s, right? (in reference to the quote Kenopi posted) So, it may be better to emphasize on that.

Yes, that's right. I mention the market in Disney and other studio products, then focus more specifically on Japanese anime artwork. It is "Love and War and Anime Art" rather than "Love and War and Animation Art."

Thanks all for suggestions, which will be happily copied and used when possible with due credit given for the help.

[iceman57]

[quote="sensei"]

[quote]A similar derogatory term, “hoarder,â€

[sensei]

It's a dumb typo. Sorry. There are lots of these to clean out of the draft, and they don't signify anything other than that I got blurry-eyed at times while working on the draft. Apologies to any shemale I called "he" and to any hemale I called "she."

[iceman57]

I do understand that this is an academic work, but by any luck do you plan to add one or two graphics (i.e. demography) ?

[Massacrist Manslayer]

Had a nice read to page 25, now have a headache from reading to much.
Bit like eating to much ice-cream & getting the dreaded brain freeze but I'll be back to finish it off