One Whole Year

[KuroiTsubasa4]

Well, it's been a whole year now since I've started collecting and I must say, the warning fellow A-B member bran-chan gave me seems to be true: "Don't start collecting, it's super addictive." (paraphrasing XD) And yeah...she was right...

It's a year late, but I'd like to introduce myself. I've been participating in the forums, but I only just realized I never formally said hello. So...Hi! I'm Kuro. I live in the US of A but I'm currently working in Japan (it's been about a year and a half now). The move to Japan was what pushed me to start collecting, because I could handle a lot of the YAJ bidding on my own. The only downside is that the poor cels have to stay with me in my little apartment that is freezing in winter and sweltering in summer. I've made at least one trip back to the states, so at least half of my collection is now located in a house with a steady temp. As for what I collect, I grew up in the 90s so shows like Cardcaptor Sakura and Yu Yu Hakusho are my absolute favorites. I'm surprised at how quickly my CCS collection has grown 0_0 So many wishes granted! I started collecting at a time when the supply had supposedly dried up, so I'd love to see how it was ten years ago! But, considering I already have my eye on a cel every week or so I don't think I could handle a larger supply ^_^;

Also, I love looking for sequence mates for my cels and when I find one, I provide a link to that person's gallery. So if you notice you have a cel in the same sequence as mine, please let me know I find it interesting to see the minute changes from cel to cel, and it also gives fellow collectors an idea of how many sequence mates there might be in case they hope to snatch one up someday. I also like to detail why I like each cel/scene, so beware of spoilers

So, nice to meet everyone! I've really enjoyed my time here on A-B and collecting has been an exciting, albeit fund-draining experience. A big thank you to sensei and all the other members that have helped me this first year I'm slowly getting the hang of things though I'll still need a lot of your help in the future!

[sensei]

Congratulations, KT4, on your first year. Your contributions to Anime-Beta have been welcome and interesting, and it's been enjoyable watching your collection take shape. I've been watching CCS for over ten years, and while there have been some spectacular releases of super-high-end material in the past, in truth the quantity and quality of material on the market has remained pretty stable over time. I think increasingly really good material will move from collection to collection, as some of my best pieces have done so, but it's always enjoyable to look at the new lots that come up on Monday morning and think, "If I were just starting out, I'd grab that one in a flash."

You're right in looking at the budget side. It can be a serious drain of funds and, as a collection grows, it starts to demand space and attention.Sensei looks nervously over at the stack of items demanding celotape removal, backing boards, proper cataloging, and/or new bags. So I've learned to think several times before taking the next step and joining the battle to own one more CCS cel or sketch. That's an attitude that develops over time, and I think you'll begin to sense when you're coming close to having the anime art collection you really wanted.

My only advice is to enjoy what you have, and cultivate an attitude in which you appreciate an item you've owned for some time as much or more than one that you've just obtained. This is where I think the social side of Anime-Beta and Rubberslug are helpful in combatting the "Gotta own 'em all" instinct that can take over a solitary collector. There are lots of ways to call attention to something you already have, over the usual "update thread." That's good, because when the getting becomes more enjoyable than the having, then collecting starts to become a self-indulgent habit. (No worse, IMHO, than buying a bunch of new clothes at the mall to cheer yourself up on a rainy day, but still...)

That said, the getting and the having are both sources of pleasure, and when they balance (and so does your household budget), then it's a fine way to gain a deeper appreciation of a complex and influential art form. I hope to see you around for many years to come, even if we end up bidding against each other on occasion.

[KuroiTsubasa4]

Thanks for the advice sensei I have a system in place to help limit myself so although I've snatched up a lot this year, I'm already slowing down. I don't let myself bid on anything unless I can identify it. Also, if the scene isn't overly significant, I talk myself out if it XD It's honestly the only reason I haven't gotten a Sanosuke cel yet (from Kenshin), he always wears the same darn outfit, I can't identify any of his cels... But CCS has just had a lot of cels show up that I loved and they're super easy to identify. I think after I leave Japan I will cut waaaaaaay down on cels, so this year and next are my biggest chance to expand my collection. I'm already very happy with what I have though :3 It's been a good year. As for calling attention to something I already have, I'm on the lookout for BGs for my cels, but nothing's struck my fancy as of yet. Thanks again sensei And I don't think we've had any bid wars as of yet, heh. I can usually identify a "sensei" cel and I'm sure my tastes aren't too hard to pinpoint, XD