Year in Review Quirky Tour

[sensei]

In the sixth iteration of this gallery tradition, I've put up my annual Year in Review tour, including the series that I named "Gallery of the Year" as the one that was most enhanced in 2011. As noted in another thread, it was a very difficult decision, and I found myself physically inspecting the new items side-by-side for the two series that slugged it out for the top spot. But now that the tour is up, I think I made the right call.

For reference, the "Gallery of the Year" went to the following series in previous retrospectives:

2006: Cardcaptor Sakura
2007: Magic Knight Rayearth
2008: Cardcaptor Sakura
2009: Tenshi ni Narumon
2010: Rozen Maiden

All five of these were in the running in 2011, along with some perennial contenders and feisty newcomers. Stop by and see if you agree with the final decision. Happily, all the series are winners, as is the happy curator, and once again it proves that "All the good cels/sketches are NOT! past and gone," so you are a winner too.

[Promethium]

I blacked out my comments so your tour remains a surprise for others.

I love your Rozen Maiden pieces, so I have to agree with your choice. You have some STUNNING PIECES that gives me major cel/sketch envy even tho I don't collect those series. For me your Pippi would be a very close second. Even tho they're not cels, they're incredible finds. Blue Bird would be third. Kitaro would be fourth as that Yumeko/Kitaro cel is really special (fyi - I want your Medama Oyaji cel! I'd also love to own that iconic image of him bathing in a rice bowl with a towel on his, um, head?)

I could never put something like this together in my gallery so hats off to your iron will, Sensei. If it were me, I'd probably faint half way though the process when I realize how much money I've spent.

btw - I busted out laughing when I saw the photoshopped curtains on Noelle's goods well done lol

[D123]

I can see how you could have had a hard time, you had some awesome art this year . I myself looking at it all couldn’t even place what I thought was best in my mind. I also have to say that Rozen Maiden sketch is definitely without a doubt stunning. I have seen artwork from this series and am always in awe how they do it, the art is so detailed and beautiful it borders on unreal. It is definitely on the list of animes I want to one day see.

[teggacat]

as always Sensei gets a smile outa me after a long hard day
you're year end review is excellent, very enjoyable to wander around and get off
my feet for a few minutes
and yes, it was undoubtably a hard choice but that #1 for 2011 is perfect, simply lovely

[tex-chan]

Congrats, Sensei, on yet another spectacular and memorable year collecting! As always, I love going through your year in review section and reading your thoughts and in-depth comments on every gallery and piece. Your collection has grown in some amazing and extremely meaningful ways this year, and I've enjoyed being able to go along for the ride through your updates during 2011. Here's hoping you have an equally wonderful collecting year for 2012!!

(Happy Holidays to you and your family!)

[sensei]

I blacked out my comments so your tour remains a surprise for others.

So will I ...

Kitaro would be fourth as that Yumeko/Kitaro cel is really special. I'm happy that you think so. It's hard to justify my ranking, but it's a mix of beauty, importance, and uniqueness, and maybe if I could contextualize this set-up I'd rank it higher. Anyhow, it was a browse-stopper when I saw it, and it definitely has the "Moxie" that I like to see in things I collect, even from obscure series.

I'd probably faint half way though the process when I realize how much money I've spent.

The time to faint is when the invoice comes in. If you live through that (and I pretty much stuck to budget), then a thing of beauty is a joy regardless of how much you spent for it.

I have seen artwork from [Rozen Maiden] and am always in awe how they do it, the art is so detailed and beautiful it borders on unreal. It is definitely on the list of animes I want to one day see..

Oh, it's a crazy good series, at least the first season anyhow. And the animation work often shows what I call "largesse," i.e., building detail into the sketches that will never be seen or appreciated. I heard one animation director explain that the goal is to make an episode 300% perfect, because the production process will compromise the original vision on every level. But if you begin with scenes that are 300% perfect, even after the studio has its way with them, there's just a chance that the final product will still be 100% perfect. This actually happens in several moments of RM.

as always Sensei gets a smile outa me after a long hard day.

Thanks, tegga. A good goal for a gallery, RL as well as OL, is to be easy to get into and hard to find one's way back out. I like Stephen Millhauser's sketch "The Barnum Museum" (in the same collection as the original short story that the movie "The Illusionist" was based on) as a model for a good gallery.

Your collection has grown in some amazing and extremely meaningful ways this year, and I've enjoyed being able to go along for the ride through your updates during 2011.

Thanks for your constant interest and support, tex. I do think that one big shift has been my growing interest in pre-90s anime. Many of us came to the hobby during the flush years of the later 90s when there were amazing numbers of cel-based anime series being introduced to Western audiences. But increasingly I'm becoming aware that this spate of exciting productions was built on a foundation of equally interesting and innovative productions in the 70s and 80s. It's pretty clear that you can watch for more additions from "Golden Age" anime in 2012.

[benten]

A wonderful, entertaining tour. The Pippi Longstocking photos caused me to go back and reread your whole presentation on Pippi Longstocking, which is so interesting. As a big Rumiko Takahashi fan, I admit to also buying one of the series of Inuyasha cels with Shippo & Kirara that appeared on YJ. They were just too cute to pass up. And, yes, your sketches from your #1 choice are magnificent.

[sensei]

The Pippi Longstocking photos caused me to go back and reread your whole presentation on Pippi Longstocking, which is so interesting.

I think one big reason I enjoy this hobby is that there is so much to find out, and really intriguing stories practically around each corner. It is a shame that the Pippi project came to nothing, but if that series had been made after all, we might not have gotten Totoro. (The character design for Mei was based on ideas Miyazaki had previously tried out in his Pippi sketches).

As a big Rumiko Takahashi fan, I admit to also buying one of the series of Inuyasha cels with Shippo & Kirara that appeared on YJ. They were just too cute to pass up.

Heh. I'm not as devoted a Rumikon as you, but I have to agree with that set-up. I look at Inuyasha auctions often, but it takes something really special to pull me to a stop and really consider bidding. Getting the original layout was, in this case, the topper.

[Yupa]

That really is a great list full of wonderful cels and sketches. My favorites are Rozen Maiden, CCS, TnN, Asatte no Houkou, Inuyasha and many of the honorable mentions as well.
Your gallery certainly is one of the most interesting to visit - not only because of the magnificent artwork but also because of the detailed information.

I think I'll add Rozen Maiden to my Christmas holiday watchlist.

[AerynAerie]

oh wow!!! What a gorgeous collection and what a fun idea! ^__^
Your number 1 choice is definitely worthy of it! So many gorgeous sketches from

Rozen Maiden

! ^____^

[sensei]

That really is a great list full of wonderful cels and sketches. My favorites are Rozen Maiden, CCS, TnN, Asatte no Houkou, Inuyasha and many of the honorable mentions as well. Your gallery certainly is one of the most interesting to visit - not only because of the magnificent artwork but also because of the detailed information.

Heh. You and some other collectors (notably Macron One and Angelic Lair) get credit for some "Honorable mention" CGI buys. Among other things, Rubberslug and the Anime-Beta threads are incredibly valuable as searchable databases of information on anime series and technical issues. I'm happy to be able to add new information to both as opportunity arises.

I think I'll add Rozen Maiden to my Christmas holiday watchlist.

You'll enjoy it. Watch for a moment when poor seaweed-limp Nori, the arrogant loner kid's subservient sister, does something you'd never expect that she had the guts to do. And if you (or anyone reading this) haven't watched Asatte no Houkou/"Living for the Day after Tomorrow," that's another enjoyable use of five hours' time over a holiday.

oh wow!!! What a gorgeous collection and what a fun idea! ^__^

Thank you! And also for agreeing with the top pick. The idea was originally a reaction to my watching the "Most Popular Items" page in Rubberslug and noticing that, five years ago, every single item on the "top 50 list" came from Cardcaptor Sakura. True, it's a great series, and increasingly recognized now as a "classic," and I still watch the CCS offerings on Yahoo Japan very closely. But at the same time I began to diversify my collecting, and by 2006 I wanted to use my "Gallery Tours" to get visitors to look at some of the other eyeworthy series that I'd found out there. I'm happy to see from the comments that people are starting to look again at underappreciated series like Maeterlinck's Blue Bird. But visitors are still pretty stubborn: at last count 44 of the top 50 are still CCS.

Thanks all for stopping by! And may Santa bring you anime goodies and 2012 at least a few of your wishlists!

[star-phoenix]

Here is my pick!

Rozen Maiden!

Such a lovely gallery right there. Definitely would be my #1 pick. If I was not collecting such expensive "stuff", I would have totally bought many arts from that series. Hubby just gave me the "go ahead" to buy another art piece, and I already know exactly which one I am gonna get . . .. and it most likely will NOT be Disney this time!

[sensei]

Hubby just gave me the "go ahead" to buy another art piece, and I already know exactly which one I am gonna get . . .. and it most likely will NOT be Disney this time!

Good luck! If it is the piece that I think it might be, you may have to fight off some very determined sharks. But every time I came out of such a feeding frenzy with the much-coveted item in my hands, I've considered the trouble a small price to pay for something well worth the fight.