...but I've never forced you to listen to ALL the 
reasons I love it.  >:D  Though I just got in a 
Spike that I love more than I thought I could 
ever love a Spike, this one still takes the cake 
for me.

I must admit, though my tastes in cels have 
improved, I still have a soft spot in my heart 
for DBZ.  What Sailor Moon is to most girl my 
age, DBZ is to me--that is to say, the anime that 
convinced me that anime could appeal to me.  I'd 
given the medium a shot before (watched all of 
the Ah My Goddess! OVA, and a couple of really 
hideous episodes of Sailor Moon [Sailor Moon 
says, Brush your teeth!]), but until I caught DBZ 
in the Ginyu episodes on the Cartoon Network in 
the fall of 1998, I was convinced anime would be 
like Star Trek--one of those things that I just 
didn't get.

Then, I saw the punching.  And Furiiza's 
ambiguous gender.  And the inexplicable digital 
painting.  Damn, I loved that dub.

Once I learned there was more to DBZ than the 
first 2 seasons, I tracked it down at the local 
comic bookery/animery/geekery, and rented a few 
subbed tapes.  I got some of the specials, some 
of the movies, and some random episodes from the 
Cell saga that I wanted to see because I saw how 
cute the little blue Cell Jr. things were on a 
fansite, and I have a weakness for cute little 
anythings.

Suffice it to say, after I saw those episodes, I 
really, REALLY wanted a cel of Kuririn (my 
favorite character, because I have a fondness for 
second bananas and a real admiration for his VA, 
Mayumi Tanaka) fighting one of those little 
things.  So when this cel was listed in a set on 
YJ back in the spring of 2000--back when we all 
discovered it, really--I was floored.  I never, 
ever expected to see one of the Cell Jrs. that I 
would like, let alone one of him actually 
fighting with Kuririn.  I managed to talk 
Saiyanwolf into letting me partner with her, 
rather than with someone else, and despite the 
sniping that had gone on at the time, we got the 
set.  

I paid $17 for this.  That includes the 
shipping.  >:D

This thing is one of the reasons I got into cel 
collecting, and one of the few ultimate wishlist 
cels that I've ever managed to track down (though 
I do have a Lost Universe cel coming in that also 
bears that title).  The lines are flawless, 
without even a hint of fading, and the paint was 
flawless too until I was a tiny bit careless with 
removing the rice paper. There's a pinprick of 
paint missing from it now, but if you can't see 
it I'm not going to tell you where it is >:D.  
The details are marvelous, despite the scan--the 
symbol on Kuririn's gi is distinct, and you can 
even see the laces on his boots.  And the Cell 
Jr.'s spots are just remarkable, crisp and 
gorgeous.

I loved it so much that I actually bought a 
background to put with it (the only cel I've ever 
done that for), and it goes better with the cel 
than I'd ever imagined.  When it's lined up 
right, which it's not quite in the scan, the blue 
lines streak perfectly off the Cell Jr's arms and 
wings, as well as off Kuririn's body.  I was 
going to have it framed someday, but I don't want 
to risk damaging it--I know DBZ cels don't frame 
well at all, despite the care you might put into 
preserving them.  It's also got a gorgeous, 
slightly oversized sketch that proves that I'm 
romanizing Kuririn's name correctly ^-^.

The scene itself is remarkable; despite what most 
people think, Kuririn is actually a very 
competent fighter, and this cel is the only one 
I've got that proves he can conceivably hold his 
own.  His Cell Jr., the only one that talks, has 
taunted him into attacking it, and he takes the 
challenge.  If I remember correctly, this 
sequence is the only one where he's on equal 
ground with the little monster--he was doing 
pretty well for himself...until 3 of them ganged 
up on him and started pounding.  ^^>  This cel is 
the key end of the sequence, almost perfectly 
centered, and has the best expression on a Cell 
Jr. of any cel of them that I've seen.  Don't you 
just want to wipe the smirk off that little 
jerk's face (or, depending on your mindset, glomp 
him)?  Though the images are a little small, I 
don't care--I love full-body shots--and they more 
than make up for it with the level of detail.  
I've never seen a DBZ cel that has this much 
delicate detailing on it, not to mention the 
actually-nice art.  Thank God they changed art 
styles for the Cell episodes; they're much better-
drawn than most of the stuff from the Cyborg saga.

In short, it's my favorite cel even though I have 
plenty of "better" ones--the one that I'll never, 
ever sell or trade, even if I was offered the 
rest of my wishlist for it.  I'm just too 
attached to it; I know I'd regret parting with it 
as soon as I sealed up the package to send it 
away.

So...does that make you feel any WAFier?