Since I became an anime fan over a decade ago, I’ve been buying all sorts of anime products ranging from DVDs to artbooks and keychains. However, as I discussed in a previous post about how the US anime industry, and the media world in general, has changed over the years, my ways of buying anime couldn’t help but change as well…

The first anime series I ever bought was the first VHS volume of the subtitled version of Cardcaptor Sakura, released by Pioneer (the now deceased Geneon’s former name) sometime in 2000 or 2001. I bought it from a little privately-owned anime store in my neighborhood called Anime Plus. Considering I live in a very suburban valley of southern California, I was really lucky to have a store like that in the area. They had a great selection of anime DVDs and manga, as well as a ton of character goods like CDs, wall scrolls, plushies, and bags. I even remember buying my first anime CDs there, which were some random Japanese Pokemon CDs on sale for $5 each! Anime Plus continued to be a favorite place of mine well into high school, and I even interviewed the store owner for a project I had to do in Economics class.

As I got more into anime in my high school years, I also started buying the majority of my anime on DVD from a Suncoast (anyone remember that store?) in my local mall. For those who don’t know, Suncoast was a fun little chain of media stores that sold a variety of TV series and movies on DVD, as well as related goodies. Like Anime Plus, they also had a great selection of anime DVDs and extra goods like posters and T-shirts. My DVDs of Evangelion, Inuyasha, Fruits Basket, and Tenchi came from Suncoast, as well as some of my anime T-shirts.

Though I bought most of my anime stuff from Anime Plus and Suncoast at the time, and occasionally Best Buy and Borders, I actually started ordering some things online as soon as I got my first computer with Internet. The first thing I ever ordered online was the soundtrack of the fourth Pokemon movie from CD Japan in 2001. Another online store I discovered early on was AnimeNation, a Florida-based anime store that specializes in anime DVDs, but also sells a variety of other products such as T-shirts, bags, and plushies. Back then I usually preferred to buy my anime DVDs in person, and would only order from AnimeNation if stores didn’t have what I was looking for (which happened sometimes).

It was around the later 2000s that my anime buying habits started to change. Practically every Suncoast store was closed down in 2006, including the one I frequented, Best Buy cut down on a lot of its anime releases in 2009, and the anime selection at Borders was constantly shrinking before the whole chain closed down about a year ago. And Anime Plus, the store where I first started my anime buying over a decade ago, sadly closed down last year. But at the same time, with the advent of streaming videos and torrents, I was getting into more anime than ever before in the late 2000s, and discovering new online stores offering a better variety of products at better prices. Nowadays, just about all my anime purchases are done online or once a year when I go to Anime Expo. My favorite anime buying sites are now…

- AnimeNation: Over a decade after I first started ordering from them, I’m pleasantly surprised that AnimeNation has managed to stay in business for so long. Despite competition from RightStuf, I hope they can keep on keeping on!

- Hobby Search: Like AmiAmi, this is a great site for anime character goods, with an emphasis on figures.

- CD Japan: Like AnimeNation, over ten years after I first ordered from them, CD Japan is still going strong. Since I lost interest in buying CDs, in recent years I mostly use them to get my annual imported anime calendars.

- YesAsia: YesAsia has a good variety of imported Asian products, including anime, electronics, games, and collectibles. So far I’ve only used them to buy Japanese versions of Pokemon games.

And besides, the above mentioned sites, general stores like Amazon are great places to buy anime. I’d only recommend eBay if you’re looking for something really specific that’s hard to find elsewhere.

Compared to the beginning of my fandom, I don’t buy much anime in person anymore. Besides my quick once-a-year buying spree at Anime Expo, the most I’ll do is browse around what remains of the anime section at Best Buy and occasionally buy something. But for the past few years, my anime buying has increasingly become an online-only thing. The bad economy, media stores becoming obsolete, our society becoming more and more technology-based, wanting to save money and have a better variety of products to choose from – these reasons and more are why my anime buying habits have changed over the years. I do miss the old days when I would go in person to stores that had a great selection of anime. But as long as I can keep getting my anime stuff, whether in person or online, I’ll be happy =)

Feel free to share your history with buying anime and/or mention good places to buy from, in the comments below.

*Announcement*: After five months of unemployment, I finally started a new job a couple of weeks ago =D I’m going to be an office receptionist/assistant for a mobile veterinary clinic. I’m still in the training phase but it’s going well. I’m not going to be working everyday, but unfortunately I’ll still have to cut down my blogging time a bit. For the past few months I’ve had a new post roughly every three days, so that’s going to change to one new post a week. As for what day each week, that will constantly change depending on my schedule. So I’ll be back with a new post next week either Wed. or Sun., not sure which yet. And as always, you can follow me on Twitter to see when a new post goes up or if there’s any delays. See you soon~

Every year since 2008 I’ve taken photos of my room, which is covered in anime, and posted them here on the blog. Even though I’ve lived in the same house all these years, I get new anime stuff every year and the design of my room changes accordingly. So here’s the 2012 version…

(I apologize if there’s an obvious glare in some of the photos. The flash wasn’t cooperating)

We’ll start with the area where I spend most of my time; in front of my 40″ HDTV that’s also hooked up to my computer.

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Here’s a closer look at the shelves under the TV where I keep my Blu-ray player and a bunch of DVDs/BDs. Starting from left to right on the top shelf is my Wolf’s Rain and Trigun box sets, then my Harry Potter and Lion King BD box sets, followed by a few other random movies. The bottom shelf has my Inuyasha and Cardcaptor Sakura DVDs, as well as all my GameCube and Wii games.

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My TV is connected to my computer/Internet, cable, Wii, and BD player, so I basically use it for everything :3 On either side of the TV you can see my Bose speakers, which give great audio for all these devices. On the shelf directly below the TV is the cable box and Wii.

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Next to the TV is my old computer desk that I now use as a place to hold and display things. The top part is now home to figures, plushies, and remotes, while the bottom is where I keep my computer and bass for the speakers (they’re behind the Pokemon puzzle).

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A closer look at the figures and plushies on the desk. The top shelf is my “Haruhi shrine” and right below it is the “Chopper shrine,” so I’ll always be able to see my two favorite characters ^_^ More figures on the left and plushies of Chi and Chibiterasu are sitting on the printer.

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Moving on to the wall next to the desk. That tall poster is one I printed of Harry Potter drawn anime-style. A Pokemon reji-sheet I bought while in Japan covers the window (it only goes up to 492 pokemon), and below that are more random posters, mostly Cardcaptor Sakura and Death Note.

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Next to that is the area above my bed. Pictures from various anime and my old Fushigi Yuugi wall scroll that’s now been hanging there for eight years. To the left of the scroll are my badges from non-AX conventions I’ve been. I have that pink pillow case covering my air conditioner during the winter when I don’t use it. Can you spot the two Nana keychains hanging from the blinds next to it?

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And here’s the actual bed, with my Inuyasha throw on it. That turquoise pillow in the back is actually a folding Pokemon pillow of Oshawott. And in the way back is my big Pikachu plush that I’ve been sleeping with since middle school.

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The wall above my bed is now the Madoka wall, with two fan art pieces and a printed poster I put together. Below those is the Haruhi 2012 calendar poster. And hanging to the left are badges from the now five Anime Expos I’ve been to. Hanging on the other side are two keychains of Niche, my favorite character from Tegami Bachi.

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To the right of my bed is the pink desk I’ve had since I was in elementary school. The chair that went with it broke a few years ago so I keep my Haruhi jigsaw puzzle in its place and bring in a chair from another room if I need to sit there. Lots of Pokemon figures and plushies on the desk, as well as the Japanese learning books I’m currently using for studying.

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The wall above the desk, with more posters, including my large Haruhi poster that I got signed by the English VAs at AX 2007. The tall black shelf is where I keep the rest of my anime DVD/BD collection.

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A closer look at the anime DVDs/BDs inside the shelf.

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The first closet door with more posters – Shana, Inuyasha, and a really old Yu-Gi-Oh! poster. The kanji picture on the bottom left is calligraphy I did while in Japan (it’s the kanji for “yume (dream)”) Hanging above are various tassels from the two colleges I graduated from.

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And the next closet door, which is mostly covered by a custom-made poster I put together of 646 pokemon. The two posters below it are covers of the two oldest Pokemon calendars I have, the 2000 calendars (one’s the Japanese version, the other’s the English version). Oh, and the top right cabinet has an AnoHana art piece I got from AX 2011.

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The wall above my bookshelf. This year I have the Pokemon 2012 calendar (last year I had Angel Beats!) Evangelion and Kannagi pictures are around it, and a row of plushies are sitting on the top of the bookshelf.

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The books inside my bookshelf. From left to right, the top shelf has some manga and other related books, mostly in Japanese, the English versions of the Haruhi novels that have been released thus far, and some Japan books. The second shelf has random literature books, animal books, and a bunch of novels by Japanese authors I read in college. And the bottom shelf has a few more Japanese lit books, Calvin & Hobbes collections, anime artbooks, Japanese learning books, and some anime magazines.

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And the last wall of my room, with the door closed. More posters, mostly of Code Geass and the Haruhi movie poster I got when I went to see it in theaters.

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That same area with the door open this time.

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Here’s the chair that faces the TV, where I spend most of my time. The Kyubey plushie keeps watch over me while I work :3

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And one last shot of my room, taken from the doorway.

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My cat, Toki…she approves of this room.

Hope you all enjoyed the tour~ I’ll be back with a regular post in a few days =)

Being the major anime fan that I am, it’s hard for me to imagine not owning any piece of anime apparel. I realize that it’s not always appropriate to advertise anime on your person, but for the most part, I feel more like myself when carrying something anime on me, whether it’s the shirt on my back, a bag holding my belongings, or a keychain for my car keys. So what exactly are the appeals of advertising your anime fandom when out in real life…

Despite my anime passion beginning with Pokemon when I was in middle school, I was reluctant to advertise it much. This was because I went to a private and snobby school where nobody else in my age group liked Pokemon and my classmates would always mock me whenever I brought it up. We had to wear uniforms at that school anyway, but I remember wanting to decorate my notebook with Pokemon pictures were it not for the fear of being made fun of. I owned a few Pokemon T-shirts back then, which I only wore on non-school days, especially at the trading card game leagues I used to attend. Unfortunately they only made Pokemon shirts in kid sizes, so I outgrew them quickly =/

My anime fandom truly took off in high school, as did my resolution to no longer hide my passion. I remember making the bold decision to completely cover my new school notebook in anime pictures before walking into my first day of high school. Thankfully, because I was going to a public school now with a larger student population and better variety of interests, I managed to make a lot of friends there that liked anime. And the only reason I was able to find them is because one of us had something anime-related on us! I never would have even noticed one of my good friends that I still see today if she didn’t have a Pokemon folder in her notebook. I wouldn’t have started talking with two of my other friends (whom I eventually borrowed lots of anime from) if they didn’t notice all the anime pictures on my notebook. And another good friend that I still see today wouldn’t have become a friend if I didn’t notice her drawing anime characters. As my years in high school went by, I frequently changed the anime pictures on my notebook depending on which series I was into at the time, and finally started getting into anime T-shirts. If it wasn’t for anime on my person, I doubt I would have made any good friends in high school.

Some anime T-shirts I own

I continued that trend through the rest of my schooling years in college, always making sure to have anime pictures on my school notebook and wearing anime shirts occasionally. I eventually moved up to other things like having anime cell phone straps and an anime bookbag (I used this one bag with Shippo from Inuyasha on it for just about all five of my college years). And once again, thanks to my anime apparel, I was able to make new friends in college (though compared to high school it wasn’t as hard since I was taking Japanese classes and going to anime club XD) I share a car with my mom, so I haven’t reached the point of decorating my car in anime, but it’s certainly a possibility when I get my own! My web site has always been great with helping me make new friends online, but having something anime on me is what really brought me friendship in real life.

The little bag that bore so many of my college books

The current straps on my cell phone

Since anime apparel has been so good to me, it puzzles me when I meet other fans who never have anything anime on their person, especially at places like clubs, cons, or other fan gatherings. But I understand that advertising their fandom isn’t something that everyone wants to do, or they’d rather use the money spent on apparel for something else. Perhaps some fans have their own style that they like to dress in wherever they are, and anime shirts and bags just don’t go with that.

Since I’ve started working with kids back in late ’09, despite doing a Japanese/anime enrichment class with them for my first nine months of work, I try not to have anything anime-related on me (we have to wear uniforms but I mean other things). One reason is because I know my coworkers either have a distorted view about anime or no clue at all, and two because I know the kids would ask me nonstop questions about any anime apparel I have and it would be awkward having to explain it to them (especially if it’s not a very kid-friendly series). I had a similar situation at my first part-time job, not wanting to advertise anime on my person because my coworkers would tease me (which they did anyway, thinking all anime is hentai!) But I think even if I didn’t have such a situation, I still wouldn’t wear anime apparel in the workplace. Little things like phone straps and keychains are fine, but something serious and professional like where you work should be separated from advertising what you fangasm over.

The bag I use for non-work days =P

So currently, advertising anime on my person is limited to non-work days and special occasions. I have a plain little backpack I use for work and my anime bag for other times. I’ll definitely wear anime shirts at any fan gatherings I attend, as well as occasionally when I’m out casually running errands or something. Despite appearing “nerdy” to some people, I stand by the claim that wearing anime shirts or advertising your fandom in some way is a great way to make friends who share your passion, especially in a school setting. Holding anime with me all the time has brought me friendship and self-esteem =D

If you’re someone who never likes wearing anime apparel or similar things, any particular reason why? And for those who do, how often do you? Only on special occasions? Whenever you feel like it?

If you’ve been an anime consumer for any length of time, I’m sure you know that there’s a ton of bootleg anime products out there. From biggies like DVDs and figures to minute things like posters and pins, bootleg products can be found in stores, online, and anywhere anime is sold. I wouldn’t say I’m obsessive when it comes to buying only guaranteed official products, but with few exceptions I’ve recently been making a conscious effort to avoid bootlegs…

The first bootleg anime products I unknowingly bought were a few small Pokemon figures and a couple little trinkets for Cardcaptor Sakura and Sailor Moon. I was a new fan and only about 14-15 years old at the time, so I didn’t have a clue about bootlegs and wouldn’t discover that these products were illegitimate until years later.

Bootleg Pokemon figures

My bootleg Pokemon figures came from some tiny little store in my neighborhood that I don’t even remember. The paint job and overall quality of the figures are noticeably inferior to official ones. But these particular bootlegs aren’t that bad compared to the even poorer ones out there that don’t even use the correct colors for the characters.

Bootleg Cardcaptor “Cherry” (Sakura) notepad

I later learned that “Engrish” is another way to spot potential bootlegs after buying the above Korean bootleg Cardcaptor Sakura notepad. It translates her name as “Cherry” and has a few Engrish lines on the back followed by some words in Korean.

Buying a few cheap, harmless bootleg character goods is one thing, but I didn’t become fully aware of bootlegs until the early 2000s when Inuyasha was my big anime obsession. After watching episodes of the dub that friends had recorded for me from Adult Swim (I didn’t have cable TV back then) I loved it and wanted to buy the DVDs. I went to the little privately owned anime store near my house and was surprised that they had multiple box sets of Inuyasha episodes with English and Chinese subtitles, most of which hadn’t even aired on Adult Swim yet. Not only that, but they were a great price, only about $40 for 30+ episodes. As you’ve probably guessed, they were indeed some of the infamous Hong Kong bootleg DVDs.

Bootleg Inuyasha DVDs

I had bought a few of these Inuyasha sets before I finally realized that this is not how they’re supposed to be. As with most HK bootlegs that make their own subtitles rather than copying from fansubs or official releases, the subtitle quality on these DVDs is horrendous. With the exception of a few random episodes, the majority are Babel Fish-like translations with tons of spelling, grammar, and translation errors. In my naivety back then, I didn’t give it much thought until some time later when I learned about Viz’s official DVDs. Despite feeling ripped off now, these Inuyasha bootlegs helped me learn how to avoid bootleg anime DVDs.

The back cover of a Viz Inuyasha DVD (left) next to a bootleg (right)

One of the best ways to distinguish HK bootlegs is that you won’t see the official logo for the American company that’s supposedly distributing the title, and you usually won’t see any English summaries on the DVD cases despite them having “English” subtitles. There’s no sign of Viz, the American company that licensed Inuyasha, on my bootleg DVDs and they’re devoid of any English on their covers. However, some bootleggers can be really sneaky and sell near exact replicas of official releases complete with the official subtitles and dub for an enticingly cheap price. For unlicensed series, they often make DVDs of the fansubs and sell them, which is why fansubbers sometimes put warnings on their releases such as “Not for sale or rent” or “This is a free fansub, if you bought it you were ripped off!”

The bootleg Inuyasha DVDs I bought helped me learn how to void bootleg anime DVDs. But when I started collecting figures in 2007, I had to learn once again. I was Haruhi-crazed at Anime Expo that year and bought a Haruhi figure for $50 at one of the booths in the Exhibit Hall. After the convention, I posted a picture of it on the blog and someone informed me that it looked like a fake. I perused official photos of the figure online and realized that it certainly was.

Bootleg Haruhi figure. Compare to its official equivalent here

Official figures are made with finely crafted PVC while fake figures like this Haruhi one are made with this cheap, shiny plastic, and like my early Pokemon bootlegs, the paint quality is noticeably sloppy. After regretting that my $50 went to a product that I was later displeased with, I became much more cautious of where I buy my figures and what to look for when I do buy them. Besides scrutinizing the overall look of the figure, another way to distinguish the official ones is to look at the box. Often the official companies will put a shiny sticker on it to show their logo (this is true for other kinds of anime products too).

Bootleg Haruhi plushie

My last bootleg purchase that I later regretted was the above Haruhi plushie that I bought for $25 at a small con in 2008. The coloring is off and the tag says her name in hiragana instead of how it’s usually written, with Banpresto’s logo on it (do they even release Haruhi products?) Looking at it now, it’s so obviously fake that I really don’t know what possessed me to buy it. It was after this purchase that I decided to thoroughly examine every anime product I buy so I won’t have any regrets.

Through my experiences with bootlegs I’ve learned that the best way to avoid them is to only purchase anime from large, accredited stores and company web sites. Conventions and small, non-chain shops tend to have bootleg products so look over them closely before buying and check sources to see what the official product should look like. But as I stated at the beginning of this post, I’m personally not totally obsessive when it comes to buying only official products. What I mean is that I’m still willing to buy some kinds of anime products, whether they’re official or not. I won’t ever buy bootleg DVDs or figures again, but if I see things like posters, keychains, playing cards, pins, pencil boards, etc., that look nice but are probably not legit, I might still buy them because there’s usually no official equivalent. I’ve bought many small, cheap products over the years that I’m satisfied with even though they may be bootleg. But for larger, expensive products that do have official equivalents, I definitely want my purchase to be legit! =)

In past posts, I’ve taken photos of my anime-covered room and highlighted the gems of my anime collection. But I haven’t yet talked about my actual collection of anime DVDs. Despite being into anime for eleven years now, I haven’t accumulated all that many series on DVD, mostly due to lack of funds for many years and only wanting to buy titles I especially like. Since a list of my anime video library isn’t too long for a post, and since a lot of my DVDs have a story behind them, I felt like giving them some attention…

Note that my list does not include bootlegs, fansubs, anime I intend to sell/give away, anime in Japanese with no subs, and the many random Pokemon videos I have =P I’m not going to update this list since it’s only for the sake of this blog post. However, I may make a new Page for this list that will be updated.

VHS

-Jubei-chan complete series (13 episodes dubbed on 4 videos)
This was the first full anime series I bought on video and the first anime I watched that wasn’t aimed at kids. I haven’t watched it in years…I think last time I checked the videos’ audio was starting to go out.

-Princess Mononoke (dubbed)
Since Mononoke is my favorite Ghibli movie, I really should replace my VHS copy (at this point I should wait for a Blu-ray release).

-Sailor Moon movie 1 (subbed)
-Sailor Moon movie 2 (subbed)
Gosh, I used to love the second Sailor Moon movie (mostly because Luna is the star!) I don’t know why I never bought the third movie.

-Slayers complete series (26 episodes dubbed on 2 box sets with 4 videos each)
I still have these two Slayers VHS sets up in my closet somewhere. Even though a friend of mine burned them onto DVDs for me, I haven’t watched them in many years. If I ever feel a Slayers revival come on, I should buy the real DVDs so I can finally see season 1 in Japanese.

DVD

- Azumanga Daioh complete thin-pack box set (26 episodes dubbed/subbed on 5 discs)
Such an easy series to rewatch. I’ve done so at least five times XD

- Cardcaptor Sakura complete series (70 episodes subbed on 18 discs)
- Cardcaptor Sakura movie 1 (dubbed/subbed)
- Cardcaptor Sakura movie 2 (dubbed/subbed)
I started collecting CCS on VHS first before I got a DVD player (I then gave my VHS copies to a friend). My complete CCS DVD collection was a lucky buy at $75 for 18 brand new discs! After the bastardization that is Nelvana’s CCS dub, I never wanted to watch the movies dubbed even though they’re a supposedly better dub by Geneon.

- Evangelion complete box set (26 episodes dubbed/subbed on 8 discs)
- The End of Evangelion (dubbed/subbed)
Evangelion is the only anime I bought without having watched the series elsewhere first. I wasn’t sorry of course ;) I later replaced the last two discs in the set with the Director’s Cut editions of episodes 21-26. I used to have the Death & Rebirth movie too, but since it’s basically a recap movie with only a little new footage, I decided to sell it.

- Fruits Basket complete series (26 episodes dubbed/subbed on 4 discs)
I bought the four DVDs of Fruits Basket as a high school graduation present to myself.

-Fullmetal Alchemist movie: The Conqueror of Shamballa (dubbed/subbed)
I don’t even like the movie that much but I wanted to buy something FMA since I couldn’t afford the entire series =/

- Gunslinger Girl complete box set (13 episodes dubbed/subbed on 3 discs)
I never would have bought Gunslinger Girl if it wasn’t the only decent anime set at the only store I was able to use a gift card that a friend gave me.

- Haibane Renmei complete series (13 episodes dubbed/subbed on 4 discs)
A friend gave me these DVDs since he didn’t like the series. Hooray for free anime!

-Inuyasha movie 2 (dubbed/subbed)
-Inuyasha movie 3 (dubbed/subbed)
-Inuyasha movie 4 (dubbed/subbed)
I accidentally bought a bootleg of movie 1 but I never got around to replacing it.

- Mushishi complete box set (26 episodes dubbed/subbed on 4 discs)
When Best Buy was shrinking their anime section a few years ago, I bought all of Mushishi for just $25!

- Noir complete thin-pack box set (26 episodes dubbed/subbed on 8 discs)
Bought this straight from ADV’s booth at AX ’07. Another series I could continually rewatch.

- Shakugan no Shana complete box set (24 episodes dubbed/subbed on 8 discs)
Like Mushishi, I got the Shana box set for just $25 during Best Buy’s anime sale.

- Slayers Next complete box set (26 episodes dubbed/subbed on 4 discs)
- Slayers Try complete box set (26 episodes dubbed/subbed on 4 discs)
Friends have borrowed these Slayers DVDs so many times over years. Surprisingly they still work fine though someone lost the case for disc 3 of Slayers Next XP

- Tactics complete box set (25 episodes dubbed/subbed on 5 discs)
A series I never would have bought if I didn’t get it as a birthday gift.

- Tenchi Muyo! OVA complete box set (13 episodes dubbed/subbed on 3 discs)
- Tenchi Muyo! Mihoshi/Pretty Sammy OVA (4 episodes dubbed/subbed)
I used to have the complete collection of Tenchi Universe and Tenchi in Tokyo too, but I eventually sold them since the OVA is what I really liked. Boy did I watch those 13 episodes a million times back in high school.

- The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya complete box set (14 episodes dubbed/subbed on 4 discs)
- The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya season 2 complete box set (14 episodes dubbed/subbed on 4 discs)
I got the first series limited edition box set at AX ’07 that came with a pencil board, Hare Hare Yukai CD, and Haruhi’s ribbon.

- Toradora! complete box set 1 (13 episodes subbed on 2 discs)
- Toradora! complete box set 2 (13 episodes subbed on 2 discs)
Both sets come with a nice hardcover guide book and I got a poster with set 1 since I bought it at NISA’s booth at AX ’10.

- Trigun complete box set (26 episodes dubbed/subbed on 8 discs)
Good old Trigun. Really should watch it again.

- Wolf’s Rain complete box set (30 episodes dubbed/subbed on 8 discs)
The 4-episode OVA is included in the set. I got the special edition box that came with a Kiba plush and the OST 1 CD. Yet another series I could rewatch many times.

Blu-ray

- Evangelion 1.11 (dubbed/subbed)
- Evangelion 2.22 (dubbed/subbed)
2.22 is the first anime I watched on Blu-ray!

- Summer Wars (dubbed/subbed)
Haven’t even watched it yet!

Incomplete series

- Inuyasha volumes 9-16, 19-21 (episodes 25-48, 55-63 dubbed/subbed)
Back when I was obsessed with Inuyasha I wanted to buy the entire series on DVD, but obviously it didn’t happen. I bought many episodes on bootleg discs before realizing my mistake, but it just got too expensive to replace them all. And by the time my favorite season came out in a box set, I had pretty much lost interest.

- Saikano volumes 1-2 (episodes 1-7 dubbed/subbed)
One of the first series I bought after seeing the trailer. I guess I never completed it because I was a new fan at the time and there were tons of other anime I wanted to buy.

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My anime buying habits are kind of random – I buy whenever I can afford it and if it’s something I really want at that time. Thus, I still haven’t bought the box sets of Lucky Star, Death Note, Kannagi, Code Geass, and many of my other favorites. But I plan to get them one day if I find a good deal or if I have extra money to spend. The way I think of it, I have my whole life to collect all the anime I would like to own. If I can’t buy one now, I have another to watch until I can, and so on. With so much anime out there, both to watch for the first time and to rewatch, I never have to worry about getting bored =D

This past Saturday I purchased my first Blu-ray player. I know Blu-ray has been around for a while now but I was a bit skeptical about getting into it. Firstly, I didn’t have enough money to even get my first HD TV until this past summer, but even then I suppose I was waiting for the price of Blu-rays to go down and for anime to start being released more steadily on BD here in the U.S. But now I feel the time is finally right for me to move up as far as my anime/movie viewing experience…

Besides seeing bits of movies on Blu-ray being played at electronic stores like Best Buy, I haven’t watched any full-length feature on BD before this past weekend. I know many people who don’t even have a Blu-ray player can watch anime BDs via torrents online. However, I’ve never been able to do that because my now 6-year old computer can’t handle such large media files. I was originally going to purchase a PS3 instead of a Blu-ray player (since it can play BDs too) but I decided against it. The reason being is that I didn’t want to spend that much, but mostly because having a PS3 will make me want to buy games for it and I really don’t want anything else eating up my extra time and money.

To get me started, I purchased two BDs along with my player. As some of you may know, I’m also a big fan of Disney/Pixar animated movies. Unfortunately most of my old favorites haven’t yet been released on BD. I actually haven’t even bought DVDs to replace all the old Disney movies I have on VHS – perhaps I knew even back then that I should just save my money for the eventual BDs XD But one of my old favorites, Beauty and the Beast, recently had a BD release so I picked up a copy. Thus, Beauty and the Beast became the first full-length feature I’ve watched on Blu-ray.

Beauty and the Beast on Blu-ray

So how was my first BD experience? As expected, it looked stunning and was almost like seeing the movie for the first time. One thing I noticed in the Beauty and the Beast BD is that you can see the distinct outline of the characters against the background because the picture is so clear and pristine. I feel like I’m seeing the movie “raw” rather than “filtered,” if that makes any sense. I don’t know much about animation techniques but it could be because Beauty and the Beast is an older movie that still used cel animation in which cels of moving characters and objects are placed over the already painted backgrounds, which is why the BD quality makes it easier to see the distinction. I didn’t have a problem with it or anything, it just looks very unique.

The second BD I purchased was Funimation’s release of Evangelion 2.22, making it the first anime I’ve watched fully in Blu-ray. Once again, it looked gorgeous and incredibly realistic, especially in the scenes that would pan out and focus on the detailed settings. Of course, the Angel and Eva battles looked great as well. Unlike the Beauty and the Beast BD, the characters and backgrounds in Eva 2.22 looked more blended and “on the same plane,” which again I believe is because the latter is digitally animated while the former used cel animation.

Evangelion 2.22 on Blu-ray

So now, where will I go from here as far as BD purchases? Since it hasn’t even been a year since I got my HD TV, I’m still enjoying just watching even regular DVDs on a big HD screen. Since I’m still having fun with upscaled DVDs, I don’t need to buy a ton of BDs right away, nor can I afford to since I’m currently saving up for AX ’11 (and possibly a new computer). So I’ll have to build up my collection gradually. A few of my favorite Disney movies such as The Lion King and Aladdin will be having their BD releases this year so I’ll certainly be getting those. Disney has a bad habit of re-releasing their old movies in new sets and giving them fancy names like “diamond” or “platinum” edition and including all these extras that you don’t want (like a regular DVD of the movie in a BD set) so they can rack up the price and scare you that they’ll be putting the movie “back in the vault” after a certain amount of time so you’d better buy it now. They certainly know how to make people give them their money.

Anime-wise, currently there’s only a few U.S. anime BD releases I’m interested in buying sooner rather than later (Evangelion 1.11 and Summer Wars being two of them). The upcoming releases I’m looking forward to the most are of course Bandai’s BD of the Haruhi movie (which is supposed to be spring ’11 but spring’s almost over ~_^) and Sentai’s eventual BD set of Angel Beats!. LOL, their official synopsis of the series is kind of funny – the sarcastic tone is a bit annoying but tolerable, however they mention “high-caliber action” and “locked-and-loaded comedy” but fail to mention “heart-wrenching drama that only Visual Art’s/Key/Jun Maeda can deliver!” From the look of what anime is currently available, it looks like the U.S. anime BD market is still starting slow and hasn’t fully taken off, which is fine with me since I want to build my collection gradually anyway XD

I was there when DVDs were just coming out and everything would get dually released on VHS and DVD, then eventually just DVD, currently DVD and Blu-ray, and soon it will be just Blu-ray. But now I’m prepared for that time whenever it may come. What will be next? From what I’ve been seeing at Best Buy, apparently fully 3D movies are the next big thing. Personally I’d rather have clear and pristine than popping out…but who knows if I’ll feel the same way several years from now. Oh the wonders and frustrations of technology.

It’s now been a year and four months since I last posted photos of my room, which is covered in anime posters and goodies. My room actually got featured in ANN’s Shelf Life back in Sept. 2009 when I submitted the photos. A lot has changed since then, so I decided it’s once again time to take out the camera and share the 2011 version of my anime-covered room with everyone…

We’ll start things off with the area around my bed. On the bed is my Inuyasha throw blanket, which has kept me warm many nights :3 You can also see my big Pikachu plush among other stuffed animals (gosh, he must be ten years old now!) On the left wall are random anime pictures, among them a Toradora! and Eden of the East poster that I got from promotions at AX 2010. Hanging by the window are my badges from all the anime conventions I’ve been to (six so far). And of course, my Fushigi Yuugi scroll that’s been hanging in that same place for the past eight years. I used to have a big Haruhi scroll hanging directly above the bed, but I took it down so I have room for the 2011 Haruhi calendar ^_^ Below the calendar is a K-ON! fan art and a small pencil board, above the calendar is my favorite old-school Pokemon poster, and to the left of that is an End of Evangelion fan art I purchased a long time ago.

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Next is the wall to the left of the bed. Hanging on the window is the Pokemon reji sheet I bought at the Pokemon Center in Tokyo (now outdated with only 493 pokemon XD) Under the window are more anime pictures, including an old Pokemon jigsaw puzzle and a random page from the Cardcaptor Sakura 2000 calendar. Next to that are a wildlife calendar and poster (yes, there are a few other things I’m interested in besides anime =P) Oh, and don’t forget to spot my two Nana keychains hanging from the blinds.

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Moving on to the next corner, you can see the desk where I used to have my computer monitor before I got my HD TV (which I’ll get to later). Besides using the desk to display many of my anime figures and plushies, I also use it for my printer (on the top), my desktop computer (on the bottom), and game controllers and remotes. I still have my monitor out behind my “Chopper shrine” on the desk just in case I need it (have it covered in a pillow case so it doesn’t get dusty). And lastly, my 1,000 piece Haruhi jigsaw puzzle on the bottom there.

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A closer photo of the computer desk. Obviously I have the most figures/plushies of Haruhi and Chopper since they’re my favorites (and come April, she’ll be joining my small but growing figure collection).

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The biggest change in my room since last year is the edition of a 40″ HD TV which is now my TV and computer monitor (currently with my favorite Okami wallpaper). I’m always a few years behind the times – I just moved up to HD while everyone else is on Blu-ray already. But I’ll catch up eventually :3 Right now I’m just enjoying watching anime, playing games, and surfing the web on such a big screen. Behind the TV is my signed Lucky Star poster and the Haruhi movie poster I got during its U.S. premiere. On the shelves under the TV are my DVD/VHS combo player (yes, I still have a lot of things on VHS), my karaoke machine, my Wii and games, and my Cardcaptor Sakura and Inuyasha DVDs, among others, on the bottom. And in addition to a plush of Teito (the little fox squirrel from Nausicaa), that anteater plush is there because it’s the mascot of my university. And lastly (if you can spot it), directly under the TV is a figure of my favorite pokemon, Vaporeon. My laptop is in that black case in the lower right corner (does anybody know if laptops need to be plugged in even when they’re shut down?)

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Here’s the rest of the wall behind the TV as well as the back of the door. More anime posters, mostly Bleach and Okami. Also, my sighed Code Geass poster on the left, another Code Geass poster that came inserted in an art book I bought, an Eureka 7 fan art to the right of that, and a Naruto jigsaw puzzle below.

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Here’s the other side of the door – Fullmetal Alchemist, Sailor Moon, and Ouran. Heh, I’ve had that little Pikachu sticker for like, twelve years XD

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Here’s the other wall next to the door. To the left is one of my closet doors covered in three big Pokemon posters. To the right is my bookshelf, with some manga, Japanese lit and language books, and anime art books among other things. On top of the shelf are more anime goods, mostly Kannagi and Lucky Star. Each year I hang a different anime calendar on this wall, and this year it’s Angel Beats!. You can see a Macross Frontier pencil board next to it and a couple of Evangelion posters under that.

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Here’s both of my closet doors – Pokemon on the right and Shana, Inuyasha, and Yu-Gi-Oh! on the left.

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The next corner – on top is a huge Haruhi poster signed by the English voice actors. Below that are more anime posters (the pretty cover of my Angel Beats! calendar among them) and the shelf where I keep most of my anime DVD collections (really need to get a bigger one). The DVDs I have are Slayers, Shana, Evangelion, Mushishi, Trigun, Fushigi Yuugi, Tenchi Muyo!, Azumanga Daioh, Haibane Renmei, Wolf’s Rain, Tactics, Fruits Basket, Haruhi, Noir, and Gunslinger Girl. Under the pink desk on the left is a very old Cardcaptor Sakura poster I have no room for, and my Angel Beats! tote bag with Yuri on it~

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I’ve had this pink desk since elementary school and I still haven’t found a reason to get rid of it XD More pictures above the desk, including a Spice and Wolf pencil board I got in Japan. Figures and other goodies on the desk – to the left are my old Pokemon figures, the first figures I ever bought. On the desk are some Japanese study books and my black DSi (with a Pokemon cover on it :3), cell phone, and car keys. My desk is usually not this neat XD

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And lastly, an overall shot of my room. Sitting on that blue chair is how I spend the majority of my free time online, playing games, or watching TV/movies/anime. Investing in a wireless keyboard and mouse certainly made my set up more comfortable =)

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So that’s my room. To some, my collection is huge, to others, it’s not. But I’m certainly grateful for having my own little anime haven and being able to purchase so many nice things for myself over the years =D I’ve lived in this house for over twenty years but I know one day I’ll have to move. Transferring this anime room to a new location will not be easy! But I don’t think I’ll be going anywhere for a while ^_^a

After 10+ years of collecting anime goods, I feel it’s time for me to pick out the handful of products that are the pride and joy of my collection…

My favorite anime goods are the ones that I love the most for whatever reason, usually because they’re also hard to find and I would miss them dearly if I lost them. I’ve come up with eight, numbered below, with #1 being my favorite. Many of these anime goods are Japanese products, while a few are rare quality ones I found here in the U.S.

8. K-ON! mousepad

While visiting Akihabara during my trip to Japan in the summer of 2009, K-ON! was all over the stores. I believe this mousepad was one of Kyoto Animation’s exclusive goods that can usually only be bought from their store. However, they were selling it at Animate at the time. I know anime mousepads aren’t particularly hard to find, but this one is just so cute. It’s made for lazar mice rather than ball ones since its surface is scratchy rather than soft. Its only flaw is that Azusa isn’t on it =P

7. Haruhi deskmat

I bought this deskmat about four years ago at a small, local anime convention. It was the first Haruhi product I bought before I even became a fan of the series. I guess the reason I like it so much is because it’s a good likeness of the SOS Brigade and it’s oozing nostalgia of the original 2006 series. I have a few other anime deskmats (not really sure how to use them actually ~_^), but I prefer to use them as posters.

6. Inuyasha throw blanket

About three years ago, a local Hot Topic store was selling a bunch of anime stuff, including throw blankets like this from different series. Since Inuyasha is my favorite among the ones they were selling, I grabbed this one as soon as I saw it. And I’m glad I did since the store soon stopped selling them, and nowadays they have little to no anime stuff at all. I’ve never seen anime throw blankets again, even in Japan, so this one certainly was a good buy =) I use it all the time whenever I need a little extra warmth on me. I know time will eventually cause it to become too worn out to use (it’s already lost some of its original color and softness), but until then I’ll keep making good use of it.

5. Pokemon reji sheet

I bought this huge Pokemon reji sheet (what is a reji sheet anyway?) about a year and a half ago from the Pokemon Center in Tokyo. It’s a great buy for any fan of the franchise – it’s larger than most posters, features original pictures of 492 pokemon in their Poke-dex order, including extra images if they have different forms, as well as all their names in katakana. Unfortunately, with the recent release of the 156 new pokemon for Black & White, this sheet is now out of date. But I still love it ^^ I couldn’t find any room for it on my walls, so I’ve been using it as a curtain. It looks pretty when the sunlight shines through behind it.

4. Pokemon jacket

This was another lucky find at Hot Topic a couple of years ago. Not only does it feature the most famous old-school pokemon, it’s also quite comfortable and not too warm nor too cool. I wish I got a dollar for every compliment I’ve gotten about this jacket – I’ve worn it many places and almost always I get a nice comment or two about it. It’s only fault is that I can’t put it in the dryer because it’ll shrink (I already did that by accident when I first bought it). Like the Inuyasha blanket, I know it too will eventually get worn down with time, but until then I’ll get my $56 worth from it XD

3. Kagami plushie

Another great find at Akihabara, how could I resist this adorable plushie of one of my most favorite anime characters? Though it’s hard to tell from the picture, the plushie itself is excellent quality, much better than the ones you can find at U.S. anime conventions. She even has the official Kadokawa shiny sticker of approval on her tag, so I know she’s authentic XD I didn’t buy her during my first trip to Akihabara, but I regretted it later so I made sure to go back and get her the second time I went a week later. I love having her on display on my bookshelf, but I really should put her somewhere so she won’t get dusty =/

2. Cardcaptor Sakura DVD collection

I haven’t put any other anime DVDs on this list because character goods are my favorite things to buy and DVDs are relatively easy to find and replace. But my collection of Cardcaptor Sakura DVDs is special to me not only because it’s one of my most favorite anime of all and the first anime I ever watched in Japanese, but because the price I got them for was a once in a lifetime steal. Four years ago, AnimeNation was selling all the DVDs – 70 episodes on 18 discs – for only $75! With most U.S. anime DVD collections ranging from about $50-$75 for only 13 episodes, this was a deal that was too good to pass up. Not only was it a great deal price-wise, but now that Geneon, the U.S. company that released the uncut version of Cardcaptor Sakura, no longer exists, I’d imagine these DVDs are getting harder to find even at their regular price (I later bought the movie DVDs to go with them of course). So yes, out of all my anime DVDs, my CCS ones are the most precious!

1. Haruhi artbooks

Since there are three artbooks here, I know they should technically count as three items, but I decided to group them together. These artbooks are absolute must-haves for any Haruhi fan like me – two of them feature literally all of the Haruhi promo art from various magazines, CD and DVD covers, etc., from 2006 to 2010 (organized by season), and the third one features all of Noizi Itou’s illustrations for the novels up to the fourth volume (I’m currently waiting for a sequel to this book that covers the rest of the novels). For all three books, there are at least 50 full-page, high quality images each, as well as indexes in the back that tell when each image was made and what it was for. I suppose if I ever lose interest in Haruhi, these books will cease to be my favorite items in my collection. But for now, they say Haruhi love more than anything else XD

Feel free to share the pride and joy of your anime collection in the comments below.

Coverage and photos of my 2-day stay at AX ’10 have finally been posted! Massive descriptions and cosplay galore after the jump…

Day 2 – Fri. July 2nd

Getting started: I arrived at the LACC around 10:30am on Day 2 of AX ’10. The preregistration line to get your badge looked intimidating at first, stretching way around the building, but luckily it moved very fast. The new badge system that AX has used since they started at the LACC in ’08, where they have a bunch of computers set up in a room for each attendee to individually print their own badge, seems to be working well.

Crazy AX crowds!

I heard the badge lines on Day 0 and 1 were bad, so I guess there’s one advantage to coming on Day 2 XD The hotel I stayed at for the night, the newly built J.W. Marriot, was gorgeous and the closest hotel to just about every part of the LACC.

Megumi Nakajima/May’n concert: I had pre-ordered my ticket for this concert along with my badge around the end of May. Strangely I still didn’t get such a good seat (are they randomly assigned?) Thinking this would be the most popular concert of this year’s con, I arrived at the Nokia Theater two hours early. To my surprise, only a few other people were waiting there that early, and the rest of the crowd didn’t start to arrive until an hour before the concert was to start at 1:30pm. As soon as the Nokia Theater opened its doors at 12:30pm, I was one of the first to go in, get my bag checked, and take my seat.

Despite starting a half hour late, to say this concert was spectacular would be an understatement. First, May’n sang a bunch of solo songs (with two very talented dancers with her on the stage). After a while of just May’n songs, it seemed like Megumi wouldn’t get a chance to shine, but that wasn’t the case. She came onto the stage as they broke into a duet of “What ’bout my Star” before she got a chance to sing her solos. The girls mostly sang Macross Frontier songs, both from the TV series and movie. They also each sang one non-Macross anime song. May’n sang the Shangri-la opening, “Kimi Shinitamou Koto Nakare,” which is a well liked song despite the anime not being very popular. Megumi sang the first Kobato ending, “Jellyfish no Kokuhaku,” which is okay, but I like her other Kobato ending song, “Watashi ni Dekiru Koto,” better.

When this concert was announced way before AX started, a “special guest” was said to also be appearing. Some speculated it would be another Macross F seiyuu while others thought it would be Yoko Kanno, who writes the music for Macross (and many other anime), since she was a special guest at another concert the girls did in Japan. I noticed a piano on the stage while the girls were performing, and sure enough we found out why – the special guest was indeed the legendary Yoko Kanno, who’s been writing brilliant music for anime since before I became a fan! You can imagine the uproar from the audience when Kanno came on stage. She even did a little dance along with Megumi before taking her seat at the piano. After a concert full of electronic music, hearing Kanno work her magic on the keyboard while May’n and Megumi sang beautiful renditions of “Aimo” and “Ai Oboete Imasu Ka” brought tears to my eyes (Kanno sang along a bit too). Finally, after thinking to myself throughout the concert “what about the Macross F openings?” the girls wrapped things up with awesome duets of “Lion” and “Triangular.”

Other things that made the concert great was audience interactions. In between songs or during instrumental parts, the girls would say a few things to the audience and ask us to interact with them, such as introducing themselves in English (the best they could) and shouting “I love LA!” Megumi even had us sing the famous “KIRA!” part of “Seikan Hikou” with her, along with the hand motion XD She also added some English lines just for us when she sang “Ninjin Loves you yeah!” The audience stood up for most of their songs and sat down for the gentler ones. Unfortunately I didn’t have a glow stick with me like I did for Halko Mamoi’s concert in ’07, so I just used my hands and body to move along with the music (I also sang along with songs if I knew the words).

The design of the Nokia Theater was great. The colorful lights and glowing background shining through the stage during the concert made it much more intense. There were also two huge video screens on each side of the theater that provided great close-ups of May’n, Megumi, and Kanno as they performed, so those of us farthest from the stage wouldn’t miss out (I had binoculars with me though XD)

All in all, it was an extraordinary concert – the girls, dressed in cute outfits of course, sang every song a fan could want them to sing, and Yoko Kanno’s surprise performance was the icing on the cake.

Photos and more details about the concert can be found here via Japanator.

After the concert… I was planning to go to the ANN panel after the concert, but I ended up meeting some friends from my university’s anime club whom I hadn’t seen since graduation a year ago, so instead I hung out with them and we ate together.

After that, I did my preliminary inspection of the Exhibit Hall (was planning to do my thorough shopping spree there tomorrow) before heading off to the Haruhi and Lucky Star cosplay gathering.

Couldn’t resist buying her on my first visit to the Exhibit Hall ^^

Haruhi and Lucky Star cosplay gathering: This is the first cosplay gathering I’ve gone to actually. I’ve never cosplayed myself, but I love taking pictures.

Some Kyons

Unfortunately not as many cosplayers showed up for this gathering as I’d hoped. There were only three Lucky Star cosplayers (Tsukasa, Akira, and Patricia) and not much of a variety of Haruhi cosplayers – a lot of Haruhis, Mikurus, Yukis, and Kyons (and one Itsuki!) but I was hoping for something a little different, like Alt. Haruhi from “The Disappearance” or minor characters like Tsuruya and Kyon’s sister. But it was still fun nonetheless. They did a variety of poses, both as individual characters and in groups. They also did the dances for “Motteke! Sailor Fuku” and “Hare Hare Yukai.”

Anime blogger and Twitter meet-up: The cosplay gathering only lasted about a half hour so I had time to go with my friend Jan to the blogger/Twitter meet-up organized by Debi Aoki. Quite a lot of people showed – nearly twenty I think, and we had dinner together outside a Japanese restaurant called Katsuya near the LA Live stage. Since I already had my meal for the day (and Katsuya is kind of pricey), myself and a few others excused ourselves from the bill and bought our own drinks XD I didn’t know very many people at this meet-up and I only got to talk to a few, but it was fun. It was awesome meeting wintermuted and Kylaran in person among others. Our group occupied Katsuya’s outside eating area for hours and we talked about many things, including how anime has changed over the years and how the future of all media may become inescapably digitized (topics I’ve discussed in some way on my blog actually). The atmosphere of the LA Live area, with its music, lights, and large video screens, made that evening quite energetic.

Day 3 – Sat. July 3rd

Toradora! US premiere and panel: I got up bright and early on Day 3 to go to the Toradora! panel at 10am. Like with the concert, I was one of the first people there, but this time a crowd started gathering outside early on. It wasn’t long before a huge line formed, wrapping around the building and the opposite wall. Luckily I was near the beginning of the line and got a seat in the front row once the doors opened.

The panel started with a showing of episode 9 of Toradora! using NIS America’s newly released subbed version. This episode was more comedy-centered than drama-centered like the majority of the series, so naturally there was much roaring laughter from the audience.

Two of the voice actresses from Toradora!, Eri Kitamura (Ami) and Yui Horie (Minori), were guests at this year’s AX and had their own focus panels and autograph sessions. I didn’t go to their other panels, so I was pleasantly surprised that they were both the focus of this panel! After the episode finished, the two of them along with the Toradora! producer (forgot his name!) came up to the stage (each with their own interpreter). After some introductions, there was a Q&A session where they answered questions that fans had submitted earlier. Some of the questions were more of amusing requests, asking them to have a conversation in their characters’ voices or do the voice of another Toradora! character. They both did impressions of Inko-chan, which was absolutely hilarious XD It was equally funny when the interpreters would have to interpret whatever hyperbolic acting or singing they did. One of the questions that stuck out to me was when they were asked what seiyuu they would like to work with, and Kitamura said Megumi Hayashibara, one of my favorite singers and seiyuu! =D

Exhibit Hall and Artist Alley: After the Toradora! panel, I did my throughout perusal of the Exhibit Hall and Artist Alley, literally going to every single booth for both sections.

Freebies from Funimation! An Eden of the East poster and some picture cards

There actually wasn’t as much stuff I was dying to buy compared to previous cons, but regardless I ended up spending more than I should have XP I was looking for Angel Beats! stuff in particular, but there was literally nothing for that series available to buy. Guess it’s just too new and I’ll have to try again at AX ’11. I was also thinking of buying another Haruhi jigsaw puzzle like I did in ’08, but I couldn’t find those this time either.

Amazing K-ON! fan art poster I bought from Artist Alley

Last minute I ended up buying NIS America’s premium collection of the first half of Toradora!. As a company that’s done only games, this is their first anime release, and I think they’re doing a good job.

All this for $50 was a great deal!

Their special AX offer was the first 13 episodes subbed on two DVDs, a full-color, hardcover episode guide book for those episodes, a poster, and a Disgaea plushie all for just $50! Since Toradora! is definitely an anime I’d like to watch again, how could I refuse such a great offer? I heard that some people were experiencing technical trouble with the DVDs, but upon purchase they told people that they would replace their discs if they reported any problems on their web site.

Anime bloggers meet-up: After dropping off my loot at my hotel room, I went back to the LACC for another, smaller bloggers meet-up organized by Shinmaru. Jan could only stay briefly at the meet-up, so I ended up being the only girl there XD We waited around for about an hour for people to show before heading off to the food court a few blocks away from the LACC. Unfortunately I couldn’t stay until the end of the meet-up because my mom was coming to pick me up, so I missed out on meeting omo who came later. But it was great meeting Shinmaru, zzeroparticle, CCY, and Mystlord in person, as well as the staff of Anime Diet.

Cosplay Photos

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To sum things up, this was a great AX – a fantastic guest list (though no one I personally was dying to meet), great cosplay, and all the events seemed to go smoothly. As usual, I got to hang out with friends new and old, and buy some cool stuff. Hopefully I can make the full 4-day con for AX ’11 next year!

Despite the complexity of anime fandom, it always amazes me how it’s a hobby one can be fully involved in and yet never have to spend any money on it. I’m not going to get into the whole debate about fansubs vs official viewing. Rather, I’m just thinking about what compels some fans to spend a good amount of money on their hobby, while others spend little to nothing, yet both are equally interested in anime…

I’ll illustrate with a few examples. When I have extra money to spend on anime (which isn’t very often), I mostly buy character goods – posters, figures, pencil boards, artbooks, or basically anything that isn’t a CD, DVD, or manga. I never buy CDs and I’ll only buy DVDs of series that I’ve seen before and especially like, almost always in box sets rather than individual discs. Over the years, I’ve met fans with a variety of other buying preferences including – 1) only buying figures and games, 2) only buying official DVDs and rarely character goods, 3) only spending money on conventions and cosplay, 4) buying character goods once in a while but never DVDs, 5) buying all manner of products but only for series they really like, 6) spending little to no money on any anime stuff but watching it all the time for free online, and 7) buying the original manga or novels but watching the anime for free online.

As much as I think it’s good that fans spend money on anime products if they can, many of the fans I’ve met rarely buy anime DVDs (which I believe is the bulk of an anime’s profit), CDs, or much of anything else besides occasional character goods. Some would say that you’re not a true fan unless you financially support the series you like, but after spending time with such fans, I can’t deny that their passion is real even if they choose not to buy the anime they like. It really is a dilemma since anime is a fandom one can take full advantage of without having to spend a penny – an endless amount of anime episodes, manga, games, image scans, and music is available for free online if you know where to look. I believe this is one of the reasons why fans in recent years, at least here in the U.S., are getting more enamored with anime while spending less money on it than ever before.

So why is it that Fan A, who doesn’t make very much money yet will spend lots of money each year on anime, while Fan B, who makes more than Fan A, spends close to nothing on anime, yet both watch just as much anime and are equally involved in the fandom? Is it right to call Fan B cheap and less passionate or is he/she simply acting on a personal preference not to buy, but can still love anime just as much?

I believe the idea is different with Japanese fans in that buying products shows great support for a series even if it’s not completely worth it for the buyer. Then you have fans like the one who spent nearly $4,000 on a single film strip of the recent Haruhi movie when they could have spent that money on a ton of other, better Haruhi products to support the series. I often wonder if people like this are really that rich, and a few thousand dollars is no big deal to them, or if their priorities are out of whack and they won’t eat for months after buying this XD

Putting one’s financial situation aside, perhaps there’s a certain level of passion that drives some fans to buy anime products, DVDs or otherwise, while other fans are on another level where, while they indulge in anime as much as the former, don’t have that drive to spend their money on it when they don’t need to. I personally couldn’t satisfy my passion without buying products for my favorite series and characters as much as my budget permits. But I know there are others whose passion is satisfied without needing to open their wallet, perhaps by simply drawing, writing about, or discussing anime. Like many other things in this fandom, buying preferences are just as varied as the fans and anime stories themselves.