Where did we all go?

[RalphVboy]

I'm still vaguely around. I'm a people-person, so the lack of conversations on this forum has caused me to drop my visitation down to infrequently. I've also got many other things on my mind (including other hobbies), so cel collecting isn't in the forefront any longer. It also doesn't help that good cels from the series I collect are becoming more rare, and thus, more expensive.

I love my current collection to bits, but I've got other priorities right now.

Couldn't have said it better myself, right there with ya.

- Ralphvboy

[Matt]

I"m still around. In fact I thought about posting a similar topic, so thanks for starting this I remember checking all the cel sites up to five times a day but over this last year or so there has been nothing (in my opinion) worth going after. The cels have dried up and as I am one that CANNOT STAND CG animaton I don't go for the sketches. I too have noticed a tremendous drop in activity not only on cel sites but forums as well, it sure gets lonely sitting in the RS chat room now. So I have moved on to collecting original comic art and boy o, I thought cels were expensive It sure would be nice to catch up with everyone again. I remember when in the RS chat there would be so many people chatting away you could harldy keep up with any of the conversations. I remember cel collectors commenting positive thoughts about others updates. When I think about it it almost seems like another lifetime. I really miss how fun this hobby used to be.

- Matt
aka Cel Addict

[90sKid]

So I have moved on to collecting original comic art and boy o, I thought cels were expensive

...sorry to butt in to the convo (since I was a newbie earlier this year so can't really add anything to the main point), but I just wanted to say oh my gosh yes to this! I had to force myself to put a hold on that hobby for a while! Comic art can get ridiculously expensive! I managed to get a few nice pieces but then had to bail out lol. Some modern artists want like $400 per page from a general comic book. (Meaning the art wasn't from a big special release or first appearance, or something else of importance etc. Just a standard page from a standard issue.) I ironically did the reverse and switched over from comic art to cels. =P At least if I was going to pay $400 for something, in the cel world it would come from an episode of huge importance. xP

[majinuub]

I'm basically a hoarder/lurker now. I still buy, I just don't bother to update due to laziness and the new rubberslug format. I'm also considering making my own website. On another note, competition, especially for some of the series I collect from, has grown and the crappy exchange rate makes it even harder to buy. I swear the exchange rate can be a gift or a curse as it has lowered my impulse purchases but raised the prices on items I really want. I had to pay $500+ on a dream cel of mine because of the exchange rate .

[D123]

I haven’t left and still try to be active here, it’s the only forum I really like I will collect I hope forever but it’s true there is no artwork out there anymore and what does come out is often high priced and as others have mentioned the exchanged rate doesn't make it any better I miss how active beta use to be it’s just so dead now

for me there’s just no thrill/enjoyment like collecting animation artwork from your favorite shows/movies I don’t care if it cels or sketches, artwork just can’t compare to any doll, toy, etc or “merchandise” out there

[JuniorMintKiss]

Still here, still lurking. So far this year, I've only bought two pieces. That is pathetic, but what can one do? Cost of living keeps going up; my husband took a pay cut at work and they've done away with PFP bonuses; that was $200 every three months. And cost of insurance is more every year we re-enroll. Anywho, we are pinching our pennies tighter than ever before. That's too bad, because I am seeing nice cels going for pretty cheap (the shows I collect from anyway) and there's not much I can do. I hope to acquire much more next year, because certain things will be turning around for us.

[Cordelia]

I am lurking around. Nothing on the threads that make me want to post. But I check the forum almost everyday. It's my solace at the end of a tiring work day

Haven't bought much this year, the selection on the market is less but I wouldn't go as far as saying there's completely nothing I want. Which is not such a bad thing since I get to save more. Maybe it's just a lull period, I still see people updating on RS everyday. It's definitely a buyer's market now.

[GuyvarIII]

I’m not leaving.
But, just like everyone else, I wish shipping was cheaper and that the exchange rate was more in my favor.

I think many older collectors are feeling frustrated, because they entered the hobby collecting from series like: “Sailor Moon”, “Dragonball“, “Card Captor Sakura”, “Inuyasha” and “Rurouni Kenshin”, and other shows shown on American TV. For quite awhile, series like these had tons of available cels at all price levels. Now that cels from these series have entered the hands of many different people, collectors are not seeing the selection, quantity and/or quality, that they used to.

While this is true for many, this isn’t really true for me. I’ve always collected from a large variety of anime, and have bought, mainly, from shows that never had a large cel collector following, or least not compared to the aforementioned series. I started collecting cels after I had watched a bunch of 1980s-90s OVAs, and odd episodes of 1970s, 80s, and 90s TV series. Within my first year of collecting, I had contacted and asked dealers if they were selling any cels from anime like: the first six episodes of “The Guyver”, the “VOTOMs” TV series, “Wicked City”, “Rumic World: Laughing Target”, and “Guy” … and most of them thought I was joking. After a year of finding nothing from “Guy”, I even posted on Animanga asking for cels (http://www.animanga.com/db/celsarchive/ ... 9338705069'). It took five years after I had started looking before I found one cel from that anime, and seven years before I got my first “Laughing Target” cel.

Some series are easy to find and others are hard to get, but a large selection of good cels is available…if not always affordable . As I wait to find cels from one show, I see all kinds of other shows. By looking for “Guy” and “Guyver” , I found “Jushin Liger” and “Metal Jack”. Watching Anime, and collecting cels and sketches, is interconnected for me. One hobby has “fed” the other, and I’m still finding great stuff! And I know I’m not alone, since I frequently have to fight for these cels with other bidders (Today, I was fortunate to get just one of the three classic Tatsunoko cels on which I was bidding)

Here are some other recent auction wins:

[frozentime]

I wish I could find more time to keep up with the site, but my schedule only allows me to check in every couple of weeks. Even then, it seems like the traffic is low enough that I can catch up pretty quickly, though most of the conversations are old enough I almost feel too embarrassed to jump in at that point. ^_^;

As far as collecting, I'm still at it, though I'm not finding as much that interests me, and the exchange rate is bad enough that I'll let thing go by I might otherwise have jumped on. My updates have slipped to no more than one every 6 months, because of schedule and lower regularity of purchases. I did have a pretty big update recently, but didn't post about it because it was so spread out and I never really completed it.... it just kind of tailed off. If people keep posting though, I'll keep checking in, and maybe have some occasional input.

[Kata]

I still look here on AB once in while. My life changed dramatically in this past year and I really haven't had time and money to look around to buy things. If things turn around in near future I will return and collect again, but for now I'm basically "on hold" with all. I still got my collection and it wont go anywhere and still love every piece I own.

Peace!!!

Kata

[kageneko]

I am still hoarding my prizes and prepping to retire next year. I haven't really been active online due to the wonderful Fairbanks job market. The retirement I mentioned is the hubby leaving the military so we are busy saving to find a home after 23 years of miitary housing. On a plus side I will finally be returning to my beloved Tx and family. I have not stopped looking but I rarely buy nowadays. I do have some stuff I need to scan and post one of these days. Oh well I will be more indoors here as the first snow has begin and daylight is less than 12 hours and less each day.

Miss reading about everyone as this was the my steady companions due to the number and distances of our military moves.

[Startyde]

Switched to videogames a while back, god help me. Plus to me, anime never got better then cowboy bebop, outlaw star, golden boy and big o. I chase the past now and again but quality stuff from those are near impossible. Do miss many of the faces though, and that period of life in general. They were good, innocent times. Sodaaaaa!!!

[animejewell]

I'm still here Gonzai, so if you need anything just call. I've enjoyed reading these posts. Many of the posts reflect my feelings too. I'm still collecting also, but have cut back because of the economy and the need to spend money elsewhere. I have some cels that I want still but they are from my favorite series and are my "ultimate wish scenes". I think they are in collections right now because in my 10 years of collecting I haven't seen them surface.

I'm primarily collecting sketches now, but if a wish cel passed me by, I would definitely try to buy it. I'm really bad about updating my gallery, especially scanning sketches.

The other reason I'm not collecting as much is that many of the newer series that I would have loved to purchase sketches from are not available. The sketches are being destroyed, sniff (right Gonzai).

It's nice to read these posts and see that collectors have not completely moved away from anime and their love for this art form.

Best Wishes for the upcoming holidays,
Anime Jewell