ANother thing, how many dealers have DIRECT
connections to studios such as: AIC, TOMEI,
GAINEX, PIONEER, KITTY or GHILBI to obtain cels
for sale? Few if any do. I know of at least one
dealer in the U.S. and most of you ought to be
able to also tell if you recalled AX 2000, since
he had exclusive licensed artprints and
lithographs by Studio Pierrot, who had the AX
guest of honor in the U.S.. And yet dealers do
end up obtaining cels how do you think they do
it? They go to their sources usually IN Japan who
happen to be stores or dealers themselves AND
then the dealers in the U.S. bring back the cels
for resale to us in the U.S.. But how do you
think the dealers and sellers in Japan obtain
their inventory? Its not as if they can walk up
to Ghilbi or any other studio any offer to buy
some cels, there is ALOT of under the table (ie
stolen) cels that are transferred.
No anime cels were intended by the company that
owns the licensing for resale nor redistribution
OUTSIDE OF JAPAN that is why it is illegal.
Studios don't bother to hunt people down on an
individual basis b/c they own 1-500 cels b/c its
not worth the companies time. Do any of you
really think AIC would both to hunt down
collectors of BGC OVAs? Its not worth the effort
or the monies to bring the matter to court. And
quite frankly companies such as Gainax in the 80s
actually have opened up their doors to deep-
pocketed collectors ie Allen Hastings and sold
cels directly to individuals such as him. But do
any us have millions invested in their company or
do we work with an overseas animation studio on a
large account? No we don't.
Thus the point is people many of you just do not
realize how under the table or cut-throat the
anime cel collecting and resale market truly is.
Cels made in Japan were meant to stay WITHIN the
boarders of Japan, that is another reason why if
and when anime studios do have public sales they
do not open up their cels to people outside of
Japan NOR will they sell it to you if you are
someone who might take it out of the country.
And yes they DO ask, especially if you don't seem
like a native ie your Japanese is broken or you
don't even look Japanese. Did you know that? Ask
some of the older dealers who've existed prior to
1989 who actually have direct contacts with the
studios in Japan and they will verify this
information.
Believe me or don't your choice but my source for
this information is a dealer who DID have direct
contacts with anime studios and the heads of
various companies. All the information I've
shared is from his over 15 years of experience.
Think about it, the anime cel resale market and
the industry itself is far from sparkling clean,
its just many if not most people don't know what
goes on behind the scenes before the cels you buy
get to you. |