My First Acquisition

[Pixel]

Well, it's a few days late but the genga I bought is finally here.

Anybody who's kept up with me has a pretty good idea of what it is generally. I picked it out based on how it looked, more than any particular significance of the scene. It seemed to recommend itself to me actually. Have you ever had one do that?
___________________________________________________________________________________________________

Azumanga Daioh: The Animation
Season 1, Episode 6 ("Sports Fest"), Cut 13 - Middle, Right, Left (Osaka, Kaorin, Yomi [Ayumu, Kaori, Koyomi] - Tokyo Sports Fest vs Osaka)

The Genga

azu_genga_e6_c13.jpg (68.36 KiB) Viewed 4712 times

Production Frame Candidate #1

azu_e6_c13_o1.jpg (152.42 KiB) Viewed 4712 times

Production Frame Candidate #2

azu_e6_c13_o2.jpg (150.88 KiB) Viewed 4712 times

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

It came in a clear plastic sleeve, and I didn't notice at first, but the genga is torn clean across the top. I don't see where the seller mentioned that on the eBay page, but you can barely see it in the scan. It's not really a dealbreaker, I kind of think is must have been torn during production, hence the tape. It would have been nice to have been informed of it, though. This could complicate framing it. For the moment, I'm keeping it in the clear plastic sleeve. It has a couple of creases in it, one of them goes right through Yomi. I have no idea where they came from, nor can they be seen in the scan. I was really hoping it'd be perfect, but I'd rather have it battle-scarred than not have it.

This is from the same seller as the other two. I would like some opinions on if it's real. I'll say this though- If somehow it's not real, it ought to be.

I don't know who did it, exactly. It's on white paper, so I'm guessing it was a key animator. Frankly it was to my eye the best looking genga of the show on eBay.

The scan doesn't do it justice-there is actually shading on the genga that you cannot see on that scan.

The scene is Osaka discussing with Kaorin and Yomi how she's looking forward to a Tokyo sports fest, and she is asked about how they are done in Osaka. First Osaka speaks, then Kaorin, then Yomi, then back to Osaka.

As to each character, Osaka is the star in center frame so we'll start with her. She is an absolute doll in this genga. This is quite possibly the most visually pleasing drawing of her I have ever seen. Her head is nice and round, her hair in front follows a lovely contour. Her eyes are big and beautiful, and her nose and mouth seem to be almost in just the right spot to maximize her cuteness, without overloading the expression. I love the detail on the collar pull strings. You can see the collar border decoration, too. I just love the expression, particularly her smile. I don't normally care too much for Osaka's look myself, but the animator just dialled in all the right settings on this one.

Now to the right we have Kaorin. I would have preferred maybe Tomo to be there, but nonetheless Kaorin is also drawn very well. Her body is drawn on a roughly three quarters perspective, with the back of her left shoulder to the camera. She has a strange hair cut, which is not fully detailed, but still looks good. In the genga, her collar and it's border are probably the roughest parts overall. Maybe the animator got in a hurry? I don't know. It's not horrible or anything though. All three girls have the upper highlight on their hair. Kaorin's mouth is formed, versus the simple in show style mouth, does this have any importance?

I don't have a lot to say about Kaorin, the perspective doesn't give you a good look. What is there is nicely drawn. I will point out her expression seems to be less neutral in the genga than the production shot.

Finally, over to the left. The vast majority of the multi-character Azumanga Daioh genga on eBay seem to have Yomi in them somewhere. In all but one other, her glasses are drawn to glare. I'd heap rather have her without it.

This isn't just any drawing of Yomi, however. As pretty as Osaka is in the middle, Yomi is who really seals the deal on this one. Her head and hair are positively fantastic. The top of her head is nice and round, and it looks like there might be some consideration for the different clumps of hair, too. In the production shot, you can see the top of her head is smooth and flattened out. Not only does she have a formed mouth like Kaorin, The detail on her ear is phenomenal. I'm stunned that the key animator went to that kind of trouble, knowing such detail would very likely not make it to final production. They even remembered her hair coming out of the scalp below her ear, deep under the hair mass so you can't see much of it. The visible eye is excellent, and it isn't even possible for any glare on the glasses to have an effect.

Her collar has the faint border decoration too. I noticed two curved lines, meeting at a corner, in the middle of the collar near her collarbones, that's the modesty panel incorporated into the shirt.

I was surprised when I could not see the pull strings on Yomi's collar in the genga though. At first I thought the key animator had forgotten them. Then after thinking about it for a moment, it became rather obvious to me why I couldn't see the strings.

In the production drawing, the top of the pull strings are visible. I still don't think the key animator necessarily made a mistake, just a different interpretation of what was going on.

There's even detail on the sleeve, actually the sleeves on all three girls, that wasn't even attempted in the final animation, I don't think. So they were just going to throw this away??

I can't tell for sure which of the two production frame candidates above was made from the genga. The panning directive suggest Candidate 1, as it is closer to the panning effect. To me, Osaka's expression more closely matches Candidate 2. Which one does it look like to you?

I've said nothing about the background. There is so much the scanner didn't pick up, I bet if I looked the genga over really well, I could go on and on. I will say the background is nice here.

In any event, even with the awful tear, I'm very glad this drawing survived the years, and it's voyage halfway around the world. It is obvious that whoever drew this enjoys what they do. You can see it all over the page. I only wish I could draw this well. While you can see the line art isn't perfect, it is more obvious on the original. I don't care. It's still a fantastic drawing, in my opinion.

This is NOT just a production piece. It is a work of art.

On to something a bit more technical. What does all of the annotation mean? There's a curved line to Osaka's left with little hatch marks on it, is that an eyeline/head movement directive? I think I can make out Osaka in the kanji, but other than that, I don't know. It has some extra printed lines on the paper itself. Is this a proper genga, or more of a layout? There is still a piece of tape on the torn upper section. I think it's a different tape from what held the drawing together. I'm afraid to try to remove it, considering the hits this drawing has already taken. There's nothing I can do about the tear, is there?

Thank you for sticking with me through all that.

[jiangdc]

Haha, I am a Chinese. I can answer your kanji question. 壁 is "wall", 黑板 is "blackboard"，修is "modification". In the bottom right there is a 教something, I can not see it clearly but I guess it is "classroom:.
I am not sure about anything below:
The red pencil mark is the instruction make everything lower a little bit in the real anime. The yellow mark I guess is some sort of colouring indication. The curve line with little hatch marks on it is the indication line of movement, it works for animators to draw in between frames. That line its self (I guess) means that slow at first and then faster. You can go back to the anime and see what actually happens.
For the tape, yes, just don't remove it.

[Pixel]

I appreciate the information, but you didn't tell me your opinion of the genga itself. Did I do okay for a first acquisition? I mean, I know I went overboard a bit in describing it - I wasn't really trying to brag, I was just so relieved to finally get it. It was supposed to come last Monday, according to the Postal Service. It didn't show up till Wednesday. When you're dealing in one-of-a-kind production material, it's not fun when the Post plays "who's got the parcel?"

Now that I look at it, I see a couple of things that make me wonder about it after all. The animator missed the high, wide part in Yomi's bangs, and her visible eye is roughly equal in size to Kaorin's and Osaka's. That's not how her eyes work.

[earl]

Hello Pixel! Congrats on your first piece of animation art! I can tell you from experience that it will not be your last.

It looks legitimate to me. This looks like a "layout" sketch. Layout sketches are done to show how characters should fit into a frame and may not (usually won't) perfectly match the final animation. In the final animation, all three characters will (probably) each be on their own cel layer (assuming all three have some kind of movement). This generally means that they would also have their own separate final sketches. Also, the background is in it... which is a telltale sign that it is a layout drawing.

Personally, I love layout drawings. There are often little tidbits or artistic choices in them that never make it into the episode. It gives you a nice little peek into the thought process of the animator or animation team. I think you made a good choice for your first acquisition.

[Jadeduo]

Also as an FYI depending on the studio Layouts are either drawn by a specific Layout Animator/Background Artist or the Key Animator in charge of the cut. A nice piece, I've got some layouts where the characters amount to stick figures ^_^;;

[Pixel]

Hello Pixel! Congrats on your first piece of animation art! I can tell you from experience that it will not be your last.

Thank you. It looks legitimate to me. This looks like a "layout" sketch. Layout sketches are done to show how characters should fit into a frame and may not (usually won't) perfectly match the final animation. In the final animation, all three characters will (probably) each be on their own cel layer (assuming all three have some kind of movement). This generally means that they would also have their own separate final sketches. Also, the background is in it... which is a telltale sign that it is a layout drawing.

Personally, I love layout drawings. There are often little tidbits or artistic choices in them that never make it into the episode. It gives you a nice little peek into the thought process of the animator or animation team. I think you made a good choice for your first acquisition.

I suspected it was a layout, but I didn't know for sure. I was ultimately sold on it by the scan, but I was stunned when I got it to find it was (I think fully) shaded in faint blue. The seller's scanner didn't pick it up. I'd like to get a cell phone and take some close-up pics, but the two pieces make me afraid to handle it too much.

I think I understand the reason behind the tear across the top. At some point, it was handled so much that the registration holes began to tear out. To fix it, someone at the studio tore the top off of this original. The did the same with a new blank piece of paper with good registration holes, then taped the original on top of the new piece so it could still be hanged if need be. I notice that, probably later on after Azu, the studio switched to paper with reinforced registration holes. Is this likely the case?

I can even see a faint trace of the pre-printed information studio name, place for episode and cut information, peeking through the scan.

Also as an FYI depending on the studio Layouts are either drawn by a specific Layout Animator/Background Artist or the Key Animator in charge of the cut. A nice piece, I've got some layouts where the characters amount to stick figures ^_^;;

I looked, and I didn't find a dedicated Layout Animator for Azumanga Daioh in the anime encyclopedia. IMO, whoever drew it is a heck of an artist, though.

Every time I look at just the scan, it makes me feel happy, I'm not sure why. Maybe it's the tranquillity of the scene, I don't know. It's hard to believe so much work goes into something without regard for what will eventually become of it. When it was drawn 16 some-odd years ago in Japan, I'd never even heard of the manga.

Which of the two production candidates more closely matches the layout?

[Jadeduo]

So then likely it was a key animator, ultimately layouts are meant to represent the entirety of Cut there is only one layout for each cut, sometimes copies are made that are paired when the productions backgrounds are sometimes sold separately. But ultimately there is one layout made for every scene, and that lays out how both the scene is supposed to look and how it is laid out against the BG I also see some camera instructions that show the camera is supposed to pan down while they are talking.

[jiangdc]

I appreciate the information, but you didn't tell me your opinion of the genga itself. Did I do okay for a first acquisition? I mean, I know I went overboard a bit in describing it - I wasn't really trying to brag, I was just so relieved to finally get it. It was supposed to come last Monday, according to the Postal Service. It didn't show up till Wednesday. When you're dealing in one-of-a-kind production material, it's not fun when the Post plays "who's got the parcel?"

Now that I look at it, I see a couple of things that make me wonder about it after all. The animator missed the high, wide part in Yomi's bangs, and her visible eye is roughly equal in size to Kaorin's and Osaka's. That's not how her eyes work.

According to my own opinion, a good "first acquisition" should be something meaningful to you. What is to say, several years later, when you come back to this post, you would figure out that you really like what you have done as a collector and as a fan of anime. All the experience you shared with us and the scene description you wrote reflects your passion and dedication. I believe you do well on your first time.

[Pixel]

So then likely it was a key animator, ultimately layouts are meant to represent the entirety of Cut there is only one layout for each cut, sometimes copies are made that are paired when the productions backgrounds are sometimes sold separately. But ultimately there is one layout made for every scene, and that lays out how both the scene is supposed to look and how it is laid out against the BG I also see some camera instructions that show the camera is supposed to pan down while they are talking.

Great information! Looking over the encyclopedia, it could be any of a number of key animators. Speaking more in general, do they ever collaborate? Do key animators every actually work on the final product directly? I have a strange feeling I've seen this animator's influence in some of the finished scenes.

The final production scene eventually brings Tomo into the mix, between Osaka and Yomi. Their positions do not change much, at least at first. Would this be considered as needing a separate layout, to plan Tomo's entrance in the scene?

Personally, I love layout drawings. There are often little tidbits or artistic choices in them that never make it into the episode. It gives you a nice little peek into the thought process of the animator or animation team. I think you made a good choice for your first acquisition.

Thank you. Now that you've said that, I'm wondering if these three characters as drawn quite possibly represent this animator's vision of them, versus the "official" production versions. I guess there's no rule requiring them to strictly adhere to the show's established conventions, since it's not final production anyway.

According to my own opinion, a good "first acquisition" should be something meaningful to you. What is to say, several years later, when you come back to this post, you would figure out that you really like what you have done as a collector and as a fan of anime. All the experience you shared with us and the scene description you wrote reflects your passion and dedication. I believe you do well on your first time.

Thank you. I actually didn't think too much about this exact scene until I'd seen this genga. I've always enjoyed studying line and form. The underpinnings of animation are as fascinating as the end result. Sometimes, even more so. I'm already looking forward to another acquisition, though it may well be awhile yet. I don't expect to be blown away by every drawing or cel that might eventually come my way, and that's fine.

I'm not even sure what I would pick. In the mean time, I'm trying to figure out how best to maintain and display this one.

[sensei]

I agree with other that it is likely a layout rather than a genga. If the characters move independently, then the gengas would tend to show only one or maybe two of the three characters, and so it would be a less satisfying image. As far as the "tear," I would say that was probably done during the production process. Many layouts that I've gotten have had the image repositioned in the frame, and the usual way to do this is to tear off the top with the original registration holes and then tape a new set on with the new orientation. As the layout is used to create all the following sketches (rough, genga, correction, douga), major changes like this get done at this stage.

So it looks like the studio stuck on the new registration holes with three pieces of cheap celotape. That starts to go bad right away (the adhesive is high-acid and burns the paper slowly). Sometimes dealers will see where this strip is coming loose as the tape deteriorates and reinforce it with a new piece of tape. Or possibly the sketch was attached to the painted background (which was a normal practice for studios) for reference. The extra piece of tape could have come from that step.

My recommendation (and that of the Library of Congress) is to get all the tape off for the long-term health of the sketch. There is a detailed description on how to do this here:

viewtopic.php?f=61&t=24693

(And yeah I need to update this somewhat as I finally took the plunge and tried it on a cheap cel, and the cel did not melt or go blank as I predicted in this post. But it doesn't remove adhesive tape from cels and it does remove the trace lines and sequence number so my warning holds.)

I tack these strips together with a special librarian's paper tape called filmoplast P. It is expensive, but I've used the same roll for ten years, using a teeny strip at a time, and the roll hasn't deminished in size so I expect my daughter to inherit it with my collection. That preserves the orientation of the image to the registration holes, which is a bit of knowledge that IMHO should be preserved. (Or maybe i'm just obsessive.) Anyhow, once you get the tape off and the strip tacked together, cut a backing board slightly larger than the layout, store it in a good-quality acid-free bag (for sketches the material doesn't matter) and, if you want the final conservator's touch, put a sheet of Microchamber paper in behind the sketch. Now it will last out the ages in fine condition.

As for the artist: that's something of a mystery. Some sources say it is done as a first step by the episode's animation director. Others say by the storyboard artist (which makes more sense to me). I think studios may have had a variety of practices. In any case, I have seen cases in which the original layout proved unsatisfactory, and so a second one (or "layout correction") was made. That looks like what you have. In that case, the sakkan (Japanese nickname for episode animation director) is a good guess. But without a body of work from Azu, including a rough or correction that is more likely by the sakkan to compare it with, there's no way to say for sure or even for likely. But it is genuine, and it is a key piece of art in creating the scene you've capped, and so you're right in seeing it as significant.

[Pixel]

I agree with other that it is likely a layout rather than a genga. If the characters move independently, then the gengas would tend to show only one or maybe two of the three characters, and so it would be a less satisfying image. As far as the "tear," I would say that was probably done during the production process. Many layouts that I've gotten have had the image repositioned in the frame, and the usual way to do this is to tear off the top with the original registration holes and then tape a new set on with the new orientation. As the layout is used to create all the following sketches (rough, genga, correction, douga), major changes like this get done at this stage.

So it looks like the studio stuck on the new registration holes with three pieces of cheap celotape. That starts to go bad right away (the adhesive is high-acid and burns the paper slowly). Sometimes dealers will see where this strip is coming loose as the tape deteriorates and reinforce it with a new piece of tape. Or possibly the sketch was attached to the painted background (which was a normal practice for studios) for reference. The extra piece of tape could have come from that step.

My recommendation (and that of the Library of Congress) is to get all the tape off for the long-term health of the sketch. There is a detailed description on how to do this here:

viewtopic.php?f=61&t=24693

(And yeah I need to update this somewhat as I finally took the plunge and tried it on a cheap cel, and the cel did not melt or go blank as I predicted in this post. But it doesn't remove adhesive tape from cels and it does remove the trace lines and sequence number so my warning holds.)

I tack these strips together with a special librarian's paper tape called filmoplast P. It is expensive, but I've used the same roll for ten years, using a teeny strip at a time, and the roll hasn't deminished in size so I expect my daughter to inherit it with my collection. That preserves the orientation of the image to the registration holes, which is a bit of knowledge that IMHO should be preserved. (Or maybe i'm just obsessive.) Anyhow, once you get the tape off and the strip tacked together, cut a backing board slightly larger than the layout, store it in a good-quality acid-free bag (for sketches the material doesn't matter) and, if you want the final conservator's touch, put a sheet of Microchamber paper in behind the sketch. Now it will last out the ages in fine condition.

As for the artist: that's something of a mystery. Some sources say it is done as a first step by the episode's animation director. Others say by the storyboard artist (which makes more sense to me). I think studios may have had a variety of practices. In any case, I have seen cases in which the original layout proved unsatisfactory, and so a second one (or "layout correction") was made. That looks like what you have. In that case, the sakkan (Japanese nickname for episode animation director) is a good guess. But without a body of work from Azu, including a rough or correction that is more likely by the sakkan to compare it with, there's no way to say for sure or even for likely. But it is genuine, and it is a key piece of art in creating the scene you've capped, and so you're right in seeing it as significant.

I think there may be one piece of tape left on the upper piece. I'll have to look at it again and see. Most of what you see in the scan is the left over adhesive. The seller, or someone along the way, seems to have had an awareness of the tape issue, as most of it is gone. Should I try to remove the bare adhesive as well?

That process sounds rather nerve-wracking, for paper conservation. As an update to your original post sensei, the USPS started stamping "Priority Mail" in blue all over the inside of those cardboard boxes a few years ago, probably to keep people from turning them inside out to use with non-Priority Mail (or even non-USPS) shipping methods-It is actually a federal crime to do so. Our tax dollars at work. That blue stamping, or printing, might cause an issue I don't know. I think I have blue pencil in the sketch, so I'd have to be very careful with the oil.

I don't actually know for sure if the orientation of the scene relative to registration is correct. I handled it a little bit less carefully than I probably should have at the start. It looks like it should still be largely correct, as the tear and tape marks lines up fairly well.

While I initially picked it mostly for the look, the sense that it might just be a layout was a point of consideration, IIRC.

If this is a correction, I wonder where the original layout went, and what was different? We may never know the answer to that one. I still can't believe these things come from so far away. Mass production is one thing, but this is something else.

[sensei]

I think there may be one piece of tape left on the upper piece. I'll have to look at it again and see. Most of what you see in the scan is the left over adhesive. The seller, or someone along the way, seems to have had an awareness of the tape issue, as most of it is gone. Should I try to remove the bare adhesive as well?

No, usually after this much time the tape deteriorates to the point that it dries up and falls off. So long as the tape burn isn't over part of the image, I'd let it go. Eucalyptus oil can be gotten in small quantities at aromatherapy outlets at malls, though it's cheaper per ounce in big jugs. You do need to keep in mind that it is poisonous to kids and pets, so if you do get a jug, lock it up when it's not in use. (I kept the aromatherapy bottle and refill it with an eyedropper.)

That process sounds rather nerve-wracking, for paper conservation.

It can be, with a sketch that you paid a lot for and care a lot about, like my Rozen Maiden Shinku in the patchwork house in Jun's dream world. (Sorry -- suffice it to say that this is a scene of enormous importance to hard-bitten fans of this series.) But the celotape was used to join two genga sheets and was going bad right behind the character's lower back. I felt like a neurology surgeon getting that nasty long strip of tape off, but off it came and the sketch wasn't too badly damaged by that and won't be further damaged as time wears on.

As an update to your original post sensei, the USPS started stamping "Priority Mail" in blue all over the inside of those cardboard boxes a few years ago, probably to keep people from turning them inside out to use with non-Priority Mail (or even non-USPS) shipping methods-It is actually a federal crime to do so. Our tax dollars at work. That blue stamping, or printing, might cause an issue I don't know.

So long as you don't have the box in the bag or frame with the sketch, I don't think there will be an issue. If your collection grows, you might spring for an archival box, and that will be certified to provide a healthy environment.

I think I have blue pencil in the sketch, so I'd have to be very careful with the oil.

The eucalyptus oil doesn't spread out far, so as long as you don't put it on the spot with the colored pencil, you're fine. Actually, I have not seem many issues with colored pencil. More often something photocopied will react with the solvent.

If this is a correction, I wonder where the original layout went, and what was different? We may never know the answer to that one.

True. You can get a sense from sketch sets that survived more-or-less intact. As one of a few devoted fans of the series Asatte no Houko ( Ikuko Itou-saaaammmaaaaa! ) I've seen some unbroken sketch sets that included the first-stage layout and the layout revision. Here's an interesting case, in which the issue that needed correcting was fairly obvious.

http://sensei.rubberslug.com/gallery/in ... mID=314795

The thumbnails to this item

http://sensei.rubberslug.com/gallery/in ... mID=385913

show another really awful layout and a correction.

In other cases, it might just be that the director or animation director wanted to emphasize one character over another, or include a pan, something more like a visual tweak. As you say, it might not be possible to reconstruct that. One geeky reason why I like to include these "first thoughts" in my gallery so people can see that the anime didn't jump fully developed out of an animator's brain.

[Pixel]

*shameless plug* To all reading the thread and who might be curious, please feel free to stop by the FanArt forum to have a look at my "Scene Recreation #1", and leave a comment if you wish to. *end shameless plug*

I'm just so afraid to touch the paper. It's 16 years old, and seems like it would be very fragile. I'll have had it a week tomorrow, and I've only looked at it once. The rest of the time I kept it in its plastic and card board shipping container. I'm not sure what sort of clear plastic the seller used, but he knew enough to take most of the tape off, so maybe it's okay. I don't live close enough to a hobby/art store to just go and get what I need to fix it up like I'd want.

EDIT: I see the seriesthose genga you posted the series is by J.C Staff. I think I've heard of that studio before. Man, I completely ruined that joke.

Also, it's a bit later than Azu, as they switched to widescreen passepartout (is that the word? the visible borders representing the camera).

It has become clear to me over time that animation is not always perfectly synced in terms of the different parts of production. Many years ago, I used to notice on the old Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon, sometimes there were color errors with the arm bands, and at times a turtle would speak with the wrong voice. Or maybe it was the right voice, and just the arm and headbands were colored wrong. I've seen things that suggest perhaps not all of the animation people were always on the same page, though it is possible, even likely that some "errors" are actually intentional.

I also noticed color errors in the old Super Mario Bros/Super Mario World cartoons of the very early 90's. Particularly when it come to Mario's shirt and overalls. It can be hard to keep the pattern straight, as a huge Mario fan, sometimes I forget whether his overalls or shirt are red or blue just from memory.

Is uncut acid-free photo matting okay for backerboard? If I separate the two pieces of the sketch to remove the tape from the top, I'll lose whatever registration align there is now. It should be possible to re-align it with those old tape marks though, shouldn't it?

[sensei]

I'm just so afraid to touch the paper. It's 16 years old, and seems like it would be very fragile. I'll have had it a week tomorrow, and I've only looked at it once. The rest of the time I kept it in its plastic and card board shipping container. I'm not sure what sort of clear plastic the seller used, but he knew enough to take most of the tape off, so maybe it's okay. I don't live close enough to a hobby/art store to just go and get what I need to fix it up like I'd want. Is uncut acid-free photo matting okay for backerboard? If I separate the two pieces of the sketch to remove the tape from the top, I'll lose whatever registration align there is now. It should be possible to re-align it with those old tape marks though, shouldn't it?

Don't worry: paper is actually a very stable guardian of information. With even basic care (i.e, not leaving it outside in the sun and rain) it will handily outlive your average cel (which is made of material that is chemically unstable) and certainly will be around when Anime-Beta is kaput, a distant memory of what we used to do in the twenty-tweeny years. I did some serious archival work in my post-doc years, proofreading a critical edition of Nathaniel Hawthorne's letters against the original manuscripts in various library collections in New York and DC. Those sheets of paper, even the random ones on which the Great Man jotted quick notes to his wife or to a friend, were yellowed with age but perfectly legible and ready for their next 150 years of existence.

I understand about a hobby store not being nearby. But the basic stuff (bags, boards, microchamber paper, acid-free tape) is readily available online. I'd say start simply -- I'll admit that I tend to give library-grade advice because my collection really has become a library, and I do want it to rival the Hawthorne collections in durability, as I think animation is likely to be recognized as a major art form in due time. But if you understand the issues and handle a new acquisition properly, then you need not worry about it but instead make it an object of pride to bring out regularly, look at it, and show to others who share (or at least indulge) your happiness.

[Pixel]

Don't worry: paper is actually a very stable guardian of information. With even basic care (i.e, not leaving it outside in the sun and rain) it will handily outlive your average cel (which is made of material that is chemically unstable) and certainly will be around when Anime-Beta is kaput, a distant memory of what we used to do in the twenty-tweeny years. I did some serious archival work in my post-doc years, proofreading a critical edition of Nathaniel Hawthorne's letters against the original manuscripts in various library collections in New York and DC. Those sheets of paper, even the random ones on which the Great Man jotted quick notes to his wife or to a friend, were yellowed with age but perfectly legible and ready for their next 150 years of existence.

I understand about a hobby store not being nearby. But the basic stuff (bags, boards, microchamber paper, acid-free tape) is readily available online. I'd say start simply -- I'll admit that I tend to give library-grade advice because my collection really has become a library, and I do want it to rival the Hawthorne collections in durability, as I think animation is likely to be recognized as a major art form in due time. But if you understand the issues and handle a new acquisition properly, then you need not worry about it but instead make it an object of pride to bring out regularly, look at it, and show to others who share (or at least indulge) your happiness.

I've read Hawthorne before - the Scarlet Letter, for a book report. Very interesting book. It's been a long time, but I seem to remember a sense of foreboding, a heavy cloud that hanged (is it hung? people say not to use that word) over most of the book. I once brought home what I think was a 1909 Edition of Louisa May Alcott's Little Men: Life at Plumfield with Jo's Boys, still in a well worn dust jacket, from the library for another book report. Some years later, I went back in the library to see if I could find it, actually toying with the idea of asking them if they could sell it to me. I don't think they have it any more. It wasn't of course her most famous work, but it would still have been cool to have.

Back to the genga. BTW, is there a Japanese technical term for layouts in the industry?

Anyway, I'm getting that I should remove whatever tape is left, see if I can re-tape the pieces properly with filmoplast, then protect it in an archival/acid-free bag with acid-free backerboar, I'm thinking matboard would do it. With microchamber paper as a finishing touch. I really hope I can get it stable enough for display. I don't intend to show off every single one I might get, but the first one is kinda special. Right now, I seriously doubt I'll find a better one of this particular subject that I can buy (the show in general, not so much these three girls). Never know though.

I finally grabbed some close-ups like I wanted. Maybe I can get them to post.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Osaka (Ayumu)

Loaded with charm, the artist really nailed her facial expression. Notice the faint blue lines for shading, etc. The collar border stripe is a bit rough, but I'm impressed that it is there, and in it's own color.

147_osaka_close1.jpg (344.91 KiB) Viewed 4615 times

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Kaorin (Kaori)

Hair is a bit simple compared to the other two, but still gives the correct impression of the style. Her hair is shaded, too. The artist remembered the back side collar stripe. They even roughed in her right shoulder.

149_kaorin_close1.jpg (341.99 KiB) Viewed 4615 times

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Yomi (Koyomi)

In a word, surreal. Yomi pretty much speaks for herself here. I actually like her look better without the exaggerated part in her bangs. I can't get over her ear. Extra lines, in a project that was at points likely pressed for time,
and those extra lines never saw final production. Maybe I'm wrong, but I don't even see them as neccessary-Azu characters all have a very simplified ear structure in the final animation.

150_yomi_close1.jpg (344.13 KiB) Viewed 4615 times

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

I noticed from the close ups that they seemed to be aligned vertically in a particular way in front of the background. Not only is this artist very talented, they are very clever, too.

I've never had a piece of production art before, so you can imagine my desire to analyze it and break it down.