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So if you want a company to come to Fanime, just so they can bring an artist(they only brought one artist you realize, and her team of shaders/colorers/inkers/etc.).

That's not quite true.  They had nine artists(Takano, Fuyura, Fujimaru, Katakura, Miyata, Himukai, Watanabe, Kuuchuu & Fumio).  Some of them, like Akio Watanabe, were well known.  He was character designer for "Nurse Witch Komugi-chan", "Bakemonogatari" and worked on some other projects(like the Sailormoon SuperS movie & Kiki's Delivery Service).  Others, like Shinjii Katakura, I had never heard of(though, I thought his artwork was the most impressive of the 7 that I purchased shikishi from).

The artists that attended worked for three different companies, so I can't see where it is "one artist and her team of shaders/colorers/inkers".  Also, Miyata's coloring job was poor.  There are 10 year olds that can color better.

Considering the amount of work the artists did(about 20 shikishi/day) and at $30-$60 a pop(black/white versions were cheaper), I thought they did fantastic.

Regardless of your opinion of MangaGamer's localization abilities, the artists, themselves, deserve credit.  It's not easy being in that industry - long hours and crummy pay.  Personally, I'd rather support the artists directly than buy the game, and, if I'm lucky, $1 might go back into the artist's pocket.  Sure, MG probably took a cut of what the artists earned, but, hopefully, they were able to keep a good portion of the price each person paid per shikishi. 

Most AX & MangaGamer booth attendees felt that, without the artists that MG brought, their AX experience would have been completely ruined.  And I agree.  AX was incredibly poor this year.  Had it not been for MG, I would have walked out on the first day.

More Japanese anime artists & mangaka please.  This is why I attend conventions, and why I also chose to attend Fanime this year.

I could care less about the American dub voicers, but, I understand that that's one of the things that brings in a lot of the younger fanbase.

Also, I'd like to see MangaGamer(they localize H-games) at Fanime in 2011.  They brought along 8 great Japanese artists, and I would absolutely love to meet & purchase shikishi from whatever artists they might bring to Fanime.

To get a legit Ghibli item, just check for the Miyazaki copy right.  If it is there along with the other stickers, it should be good.  Once again, research plays a huge role.

Cells, are extremely hard to make sure of.  I have been told legit cells have the following:

1. Good cells usually are drawn rougher.  Remember, they work fast, their work won't be perfect.

2. It comes with a sketch of the cell to prove the cell came from the same artist.

3. It has a Letter of authenticity.

But for cells, this still is not guarantee you a legit item.  Just exercise caution, do your research, and make sure you buy from those with excellent reputations.

dealerjason

::)

First of all, it's 'cels'.  C-E-L-S.

If you're out to buy cels, there are two key components to look for - registration holes and sequence numbers.  Registration holes are important; they were used to keep the cel in place while the camera took the picture.  They should be uniformly cut with two elongated spheres on either side & one circle hole in the middle.  They will all be uniformly lined up.  Generally, registration holes appear on the top of the cel, but, ocassionally, they will appear on the bottom.  Also, there are situations where a cel has been trimmed(either by the studio or a previous owner).  

Sequence numbers typically appear on the right hand side of the registration.  It generally includes a number and a letter, like, A-1.  Sometimes, there are words along with it, such as 'END' and 'TOME'.  These mean different things, and it's probably best that you head to a cel forum(like Anime-Beta) for more info.

Sketches are a whole different matter.  Most of the sketches that come with cels are not rough sketches.  They are exact matches to what you see on the cel.  That's because these sketches, known commonly as douga, were those that were used to make the xerox lines for the cel.  Occasionally, you'll find cels that also come with the roughs, known as genga.      


"Good cels" will never appear rough.  Remember, this cel appeared in anime.  Minus lighting and special effectts & this picture should appear exactly as it did on TV/DVD.  Also, the chances of you knowing the name of the person who drew the sketch(the cel was painted by another person, sometimes in another country) is slim.  That's because most artists never marked their work.  Each anime consisted of several key animators & lots of in-betweeners. 

Most anime cels do NOT have authenticity letters.  Nor are they stamped by the studio; Studio Pierrot & AIC are the only ones I know of that stamped cels.  So, you'll occasionally see some Tenchi Muyo & Tenshi ni  Narumon cels with stamps.  Most cels are just by themselves, sometimes with a douga, and sometimes with a background(and most of the time, they aren't matching backgrounds).  Authenticity letters are more frequent with US animation items.

There are other things to look for, such as line fading with Toei cels, but, that does take quite a bit more experience.  Once again, if you're looking to buy cels, head to a place where people collect cels.  Familiarize yourself with the common features before you buy.

I don't recall seeing anyone selling fancels in the dealers' hall this year.

(looks at post above) I guess I'm in the same boat.

Kudos to all the work at Fanime this year.  Having also attended AX this year, I was extremely displeased with my experience.  The lines at AX were horrible and poorly run.  I was almost trampled upon due to AX's 15 minute rule.

Anyways, I really enjoyed the artists this past year.  Please, bring some more Japanese artists back for 2011. 


Also, if possible, could you please contract with MangaGamer to come to Fanime in 2011?  They brought over 8 fantastic artists to AX this year and you could commission them to draw you one of their characters on a shikishi board.  I was really impressed with the level of artwork of these artists, and would love to see either these 8 or another group of artists at Fanime 2011.

I would love to have Yone Kazuki at Fanime 2011.  She(?) did the character design for one of my favorite recent anime, Hakuouki.

I'd also love to meet Naoko Takeuchi(Sailormoon creator) but, since it's an old anime, it's probably a pipe dream.

Also - can we have MangaGamer at Fanime, too?  They brought about 8 artists with them to AX this year and the work these artists did(you could commission them to draw you one of the characters that they originally designed) for patrons was fantastic.  I was really happy with all the shikishi I bought from them.

I'd also like to say that, in comparison to AX 2010, Fanime was far better.  Thanks for an awesome convention, Fanime workers!