I was a bargain shopper (junk & bargain-bin cels;
hey, they were enough to make me happy) during my
first 2 years of collecting; even with more
expensive cels now in my possession, I'm not sure
if I'm really any happier than I was before.
I think that a big part of what I've been missing
these days is that great love of the anime... not
collecting cels but actually watching and
enjoying the animation. I've been so busy and
bombarded by life's curve balls lately... that I
can't even remember the last time I sat down and
watched an anime with that sheer excitement and
joy of a young anime fan.
I don't know about other collectors, but the
reason why I ever began collecting cels in the
first place was NOT (1) the detailed artwork; (2)
trying to impress others with my high-quality
cels; (3) owning rare collectibles that have
great monetary value ... none of that. I
collected cels because I was owning an actual
piece of the anime that I loved to watch so
much; with that mentality I was thoroughly
happy with even lower "quality" cels.
So I think that you should take some time out and
watch your favorite anime titles (and maybe also
new titles that friends think that you would
enjoy a lot). If you happen to own or borrow
anime that contain cels that you currently
possess, that might enhance your appreciation for
them. On top of all that, though, you might
connect with what makes cels special to us anime
fans in the first place.
If you still have a little money, try collecting
DVD's of the anime you love. You may be
pleasantly surprised when you re-visit your
favorite titles when they are presented in DVD-
quality format.
Another (less note-worthy) suggestion is to
collect hand-painted backgrounds to enhance the
look of your cels. Although this is something I
rarely do, it is an economical way to really
boost their attractiveness. And I have seen non-
matching backgrounds really improving the look of
an average cel to a very pretty one.
Well, that's about it for me. Now time for me to
hit the booze once again... |
