...  I read part of a thread on how cel 
collecting has gotten impersonal on the dealer's 
side, but I saw firsthand the rudeness of a cel 
collector to a dealer.  When I was in Japan 
having a nice conversation with a really awesome 
cel dealer who had brought out stuff from the 
back that I asked about... Another American cel 
collector walked in.  Not only did she not ask or 
say hello to the dealer, but she started roughly 
flipping through books in the cel shelves instead 
of asking where the stuff she was looking for 
were.  Then, I decided I might as well help her 
out.  I asked her (in English) if I could help 
her find something, but I had to literally raise 
my voice at her to get her attention.  I then 
demonstrated to her how to ask the cel dealer (in 
my chickenscratch japanese learned through my 2 
previous semi-anime-related trips to Japan).  Of 
course, this same collector.. just kinda acts 
like.. "whatever" ... and so I ask her again what 
she is looking for.. because the way she flips 
through the cels in that rough manner... hurts 
me.  They may not be cels she wants.. but someone 
else probably wants them.  

I just find it rude that this person ... who has 
gone to Japan FIVE times... has never even spared 
a thought to looking at any culture of Japan... 
has not even bothered to learn any japanese.. and 
worst of all.. has never bothered to even say hi 
to a japanese cel dealer.  

I mean.. e-mail is excusable because the internet 
itself is somewhat impersonal and sometimes ppl 
are busy or something can be taken the wrong 
way... but seriously .. when someone is right 
there in front of you .. and you completely 
ignore them... that doesn't really gain you 
anything.

alielle

PS  and if you know me IRL.. you know how bad my 
Japanese in.  I literally had to communicate by 
drawing pictures on paper.