Poom poom
One thing I forgot to mention: Anime Boston 2003 finally gave me the impetus I needed to start collecting anime cels, for framing and display in the house.
These days, most of the art produced by Japanese animation houses is done on computers. Cheaper and easier to do than by hand, CG actually opens up new production and direction techniques traditional animators would be hard pressed to do, but it's also going to damage a collector's market that's been going strong now for years.
There are dealers who trade in these production cels after the animation companies are done filming them. These cels -- transparent cellophane sheets the artists ink pencil sketches from -- are then photographed onto background mattes in the final production process. They used to get thrown away by the dumpster-full. Now they're a treasure-trove for collectors who want to hold on to a piece of the series they love.
The switch to digital production means there's a finite and dwindling supply of anime cels available on the market. It won't run out tomorrow or the day after, but there will come a time when most of what's worth owning is already bought and paid for.
But I'm not interested in the value end of it, specifically. I learned a long time ago you should buy art you like simply because you like it. For the most part, unless you're really lucky, wealthy as hell and tremendously knowledgeable, art is a fucking miserable investment.
I just want art that I can hang on the walls, look at and say, "Yeah, that's from a series I really liked -- that's a genuine production cel from something that touched me, or entertained me, or horrified me, or held my attention long enough to make an impression.
I've actually been talking about doing this for a couple of years, but haven't really gotten up the courage to make it happen before now.
At the show there was one particular dealer who was selling a whole shitload of stuff, and had probably two or three dozen books filled with cels from every conceivable series. He had a few dynamite Miyazaki pieces from Totoro and Kiki's Delivery Service that were selling for upwards of $2000 - $6500 each, but most of his stuff was anywhere from $30 to $200, depending on quality, composition, and popularity of the series.
He had a few really awesome pieces from Revolutionary Girl Utena and Magic Users Club I would have been proud to own, but couldn't afford. So, on a lark, I asked if he had any Boogiepop Phantom. Boogiepop Phantom isn't my favorite anime, although it is definitely one of Bonnie's, but it did tweak my curiosity because of its David Lynchian plot twists and general weirdness. The dealer dug out an oversized portfolio he hadn't laid out on the table and showed a piece to me that I ended up buying.
It's a cel that shows Poom Poom -- a character from the latter half of the series who is a young boy dressed in a Robin Hood-style outfit. Rendered in a more or less isometric perspective, this picture shows Poom Poom's face and upper body as he's handing other children red balloons, one by one. It's a simple image, beautifully rendered, and quite innocent looking.
But within the context of the series, there's absolutely nothing innocent about it. Poom Poom is a manifestation of lost innocence, of abandoned childhood that unhappy people who feel trapped in their adult lives are desperate to regain any way they can. If they take the balloon, those lost souls will regain that innocence and that happiness, for a time -- ultimately paying for it with their sanity, at the very least, and often their lives. And what makes him so intriguing is that Poom Poom himself is unaware of his destructive nature -- only of the joy he wants to bring. Like so much of what's in Boogiepop Phantom, Poom Poom is a jumble of contradictions that very seductively pulls the viewer into deep introspection.
Anyone who says that animation is just for kids is ignorant.
So anyway. That's my first real anime cel. I have a couple of others but they're not "real;" just cheap throwaways mass-produced as promotional items. This one will get a proper framing and a place on the wall where I can enjoy it.
Comments
I love anime conventions... Those women dress up all purty and I get to buy cheap Transformers. I believe there is a big one at the Marriot MArquis this year in Times Square...
Be there or BE square...
Posted by: tokey | April 22, 2003 03:52 AM
If you're really interested in cel collecting, talk to my friend Ling at powerpuffgrldc@hotmail.com and pick her brains.
Chris
Posted by: Chris Barylick | April 22, 2003 04:08 PM
You stole my name. Find Me in Midland,Michigan and take a picture of me and post it on your website
oh yeah i live in the USA
Posted by: Poom Hang | September 18, 2004 09:42 PM