Sensei's 2015.04 Update: Just in time for Thanksgiving

[sensei]

It seemed to be cel kismet that I'd find this one, as the close-up of Papa and Noelle in the next cut was already this month's "Featured Cel." A wonderful moment ... which sets off a properly contrahegemonic reconsideration of what is truly important about "family" in contemporary society.

Gomen ... I've been doing catch-up reading in cultural studies theory to prepare for my brony panel, which likewise takes a revisionist perspective on "Papa knows best."

[sugarcels]

Beautiful cel! I've always wanted to find something from that sequence! Now I can see it in your gallery.

[sensei]

After a properly long wait (for my SMJ goodies, delayed by an inconveniently large pan cel, and for two EMS shipments from Japan), Sensei's Anime Gallery is back in business. New this time:

From Golden Age Series (my most recent passion):

Andersen Monogatari (1971): a landmark Mushi production that started the anime fad for "World Masterpiece" series.
- The Steadfast Tin Soldier.

Microid S (1973): an interesting "Amazing Shrinking Anime Stereotypes" series based on a Tezuka manga.
- heroic (if teensy) Yanma,
- properly apprehensive and teensy Ageha and
- just plain teensy Mamezo meeting a new friend.

Syrius no Densetsu/The Sea Prince and the Fire Child (1981): a handsomely produced Sanrio anime movie with a powerful "Romeo x Juliet" plot.
- Syrius (he way too sexy for his fins!) seducing Malta and
- Glaucus, monarch of the seas, playing the deus ex machina role at the end of the film

Gegege no Kitaro (1980s version, I think): a classic folklore-based series that has until recently been too esoteric for Westerners but now is attracting fans.
- a nice hankenesque pan image of Kitaro's yokai companions, with its shadow layer (damaged but still effective)

From Classic Cel-based Series:

Hyper Police (Note: the descriptions include some small spoilers):
- The "H" (actually a hirigana "Ha") from the OP title sequence (yeah, yeah, but I had to have it).
- Natsuki meeting Peau in disguise (outrageously funny plot twist)
- Human policewoman Fonne confronting Natsuki (central, intense moment from the final crisis)
- Natsuki in the Catbird Seat (about to bring the series plot to resolution)
- Natsuki where she wants and chooses to be (closing scene of the last episode).

Tenshi ni Narumon (As before, some spoilers are included in descriptions):
- OP sequence cel of Eros
- Eros meets his death (spoiler!)
- Muse faces up to Silky (ditto!)
- Noelle gets abducted by tiny aliens (oh, heck, no one has any idea what this episode is all about anyhow)

From Contemporary CGI-based Series:

- NEW GALLERY! Sasami: Mahou Shoujo Club Rough Settei (These are probably by character designer/chief animation director Shoji Hara and range from polished designs for the central characters Tsukasa and Anri, to a whole series of early and rejected designs for the magical being Amitav, to a mysterious Sailor-Moon-style magical girl who was evidently written out of the show at a later stage)

and -- for some people doubtless the highlight of the update --

- Rozen Maiden: Shinku in total shock at the end of the great Ep. 12 "Scene" where Jun declares his feelings. Featured is a drop-dead pretty rough, likely by Assistant Animation Director Masaru Kitao (CCS, Death Note) with a partial but in its way even lovelier "shuusei no shuusei," probably by chief AD Kumi Ishi, in the thumbnail.

Enjoy!

[Quacker]

Congratulations on your latest batch Sensei, it is quite the ecclectic treasure chest with each set containing its own unique beauty.

From your Golden Age section - All of the "Microid S" cels are a real standout & easily compliment your existing collection. The Yanma & Ageha cels certainly look heroic; almost stately in their portrayal of these two characters.

Moving through to the Classic Cel-based section - starting with "Hyper Police":
"where she wants and chooses to be" - is a quietly beautiful piece bringing a fitting finale to the series, with the tiny smile sneaking across Natsuki's face, depicting a character who has basically 'found' where & who she wants to be.
The cel of Natsuki in "Catbird Seat" (is that Suit?) looks to be from a suitably action-packed sequence, given the dramatic pose & colouring.
(Who is the Character Designer for this series, as the designs & style are really striking - especially for the two cels of "Natsuki entering the 'What if......' Fantasy sequence' & "Haven't you ever loved someone"?)

"Tenshi ni Narumon" is quickly becoming a firm favourite with its colourful & quirky designs.
The new cel depicting 'Muse' is my favourite amongst this batch; I like the raw emotion the cel is able to convey with Muse finally confronting & standing up against Silky while still clutching her precious Eros.
While the Noelle/Alien cel is a like a detour into the weirdly wonderful!

Moving into the CGI-based series section, the 'Sasami: Mahou Shoujo club' rough settei is a fantastic find, allowing visitors to have a sneek peak of the talented Hara-San's creative work at the very early stages of the production.

Finally, the 'Rozen Maiden' is deservedly the "highlight" for me (of course). The genga portrays a beautiful yet clearly vunerable Shinku and is a really fantastic addition to your outstanding 'Episode 12' collection. The 'emotion' Kitao-San is able to capture in this single sketch is a testament to his talent.

Thank-you for taking the time to research & write-up each description to go along side the new items, I always enjoy a new patented "Sensei check!".

[sensei]

Congratulations on your latest batch Sensei, it is quite the ecclectic treasure chest with each set containing its own unique beauty.

Thank you for visiting and taking the time to sample the wide variety of additions. As time goes on, one of the enjoyable challenges is to try to honor the whole spectrum of the industry's achievement, from the "just getting started" phase of the 70s to the new-tech era of the 2000s.

"Hyper Police": The cel of Natsuki in "Catbird Seat" (is that Suit?) looks to be from a suitably action-packed sequence, given the dramatic pose & colouring.

Yes, this is a crucial cut, which is used at the start and finish of this insert "what if" interlude. "Catbird seat" is an expression of the American South, my homeland, and means "in a position of power or control." Catbirds (they really do mew like cats) look for the highest spot in the neighborhood to perch and do their dominance display bits. James Thurber used it as the title for a famous short story, but he got the phrase from the baseball radio announcer Red Barber, who was famous for lacing his game descriptions with Southernisms.

(Who is the Character Designer for this series, as the designs & style are really striking

It's Keiji Gotoh, who was character designer/chief animation director for Martian Successor Nadeshiko, one of your favorites.

While the Noelle/Alien cel is a like a detour into the weirdly wonderful!

Most of the first story arc of Tennimon is this way. It's remarkable that a series can begin so randomly and end so strongly. Part of that seems to have been a shake-up of staff: second half definately had more talent, with Kyoto Animation doing 3 episodes, Michiko Yokote coming in to do scripts, etc. The first half is still enjoyable, though, if you watch it with a healthy supply of weed or craft beer.

'Rozen Maiden' is deservedly the "highlight" for me (of course). The genga portrays a beautiful yet clearly vunerable Shinku and is a really fantastic addition to your outstanding 'Episode 12' collection. The 'emotion' Kitao-San is able to capture in this single sketch is a testament to his talent.

I agree: but don't let Ishii's "shuusei no shuusei" go past without a look. It's partial, but it shows how a darn good sketch can still be improved by a crazy good animator.

Thank-you for taking the time to research & write-up each description to go along side the new items, I always enjoy a new patented "Sensei check!".

You're welcome. I don't do the writing all at once, but by fits and starts between winning pieces and getting them to hand (which can be up to 90 days). That gives me time both to tighten up things that need to be concise and also toss random things in at the end which don't really need to be said or read (that's what the "Sensei Check!" graphic warns you!) But it's good to find someone who likes to see and read it all. Thanks for doing that.

[sensei]

The final upgrade of the year is now up, all cels this time, with an emphasis on less familiar series from the pre

Mainstreamers on this forum will probably be most interested in my couple of Cardcaptor Sakura additions. The splashiest is this dramatic cel of The Windy making her very last appearance in the saga, toward the end of the Second Movie.

But for me a more satisfying addition was the top cel layer in this combination from the confrontation with The Snowy. Visitors to my gallery know the bottom (Sakura) layer as the first cel I ever acquired, back in July 2000. But it's always irked me that it had been separated from the top (Syaoran) layer for sale. I figured that if I kept watching and waiting ... eventually ... perhaps thirteen years and four months later ...

Golden Age (pre-1990) anime, as usual, gets several nice additions, the most gratifying being a batch of four cels from Fushigi na Koala Blinky (Blinky, the Mysterious Koala), better known to North American viewers who watched Nick Toons during the late 80s and early 90s as "Noozles." This series, which has been on my trap line for several years, now has its own little gallery.

Another interesting anime from the same period is Nirusu no Fushigi na Tabi, properly "Nils's Marvelous Journey," but more familiar under its usual English title, "The Wonderful Adventures of Nils." A 52-episode adaptation of a children's book by Selma Lagerlöf (first female Nobel laureate for literature), it was the premiere offering of the newly founded animation works Studio Pierrot in 1980. It proved successful enough, both in Japan and in international syndication (notably in its Farsi, Arabic, and Turkish dubs) that Pierrot gave the same team the go-ahead to do another project, which turned out to be The Mysterious Cities of Gold, which confirmed the concern as one of the major players in anime.

My cels are relatively minor, but they were sold in short series, which made simple reanimations possible. One is already familiar to Betarians as my new avatar, an iconic image of Nils flying over Sweden on the neck of his companion Mårten Goose. You can see a larger version of this animation, and a couple of others in this new gallery.

And also a charming image of a young boy and a fledgling from Mushi's classic Andersen Monogatari and two cels from the 80s Gegege no Kitarō showing Yōsei Nix and her companion Kobold, German sprites trying to fit into Mizuki's Japanese yōkai universe.

But probably the biggest event was the arrival of a whole flood of fine cels, many with original matching backgrounds, from the 1991 OVA Condition Green. I'd obtained an original storyboard from this obscure series in 2006 and found its over-the-top approach to the Terra vs. Aliens plot irresistible. Cels, until recently, have been very hard to locate. But recently theultimatebrucelee offered to share with me some of the cels from a big batch he'd acquired, and soon after a primo set of lots appeared in YHJ. Between the two sources, I've more than tripled my holdings, splitting my CG cel gallery into two.

One features Bad Girl (Liza? Raiza?) and the other infandous baddies of the series (Yes, even Moby Dick makes an appearance here!). The other may lack the pizzazz of the baddie troop, but the rest of the cast contains many visual pleasures, from the hunky "Commander Phillip Emmett" through the mischievous Barney Page, to an arrestingly pretty nun or spiritual advisor.

This big addition, you'll agree, makes the traditional "Gallery of the Year" contest (to be aired later this month) a very interesting event. Safe to say, failing something sudden and unexpected, Maeterlinck's Blue Bird (the 2012 winner) will not repeat.

Meantime, explore and enjoy!

[theultimatebrucelee]

*tumbleweed blows by*enjoystheultimatebadgrilportrait*tumbleweed blows away*

[sensei]

crickets go chirp chirp chirpThank you t.u.bruce.lee. I'll make sure Santa gets you on the "nice" listcrickets start hibernating for winter.

a snowflake blows byThere's also some nice CCS and Golden Age stuff up this timemore snowflakes blow by

[teggacat]

as usual Sensei has come up with quite an interesting update
I really enjoyed your new cels from Nils Adventures,
as always Thanks for sharing and keeping the posts flowing!

[sensei]

Thank you, Tegga. "Nils Holgersson" is really an engaging anime series. There is no English dub or sub, but lots and lots of episodes uploaded onto YouTube in various European dubs (German, Greek, even Hungarian). Here's Ep. 1, part 1 in the German dub, which is easy enough to follow. A decent translation of Lagerlof's book is also easy to find online via Project Gutenberg.

[Quacker]

*Brushing away the gathered tumbleweeds*

Another fantastic and eclectic update Sensei.

Congratulations on acquiring & marrying-up those two once separated cels of Sakura & Syaoran, completing the scene as it was originally shown, must have been a huge thrill.

The "Fushigi na Koala Blinky" ('Noozles') is interesting, notably because as any True-Blue 'Aussie' could tell you, there is a well-loved storybook staring a Koala Bear character called "Blinky Bill". The characters & books first appeared in the early 1930s, 1933 if memory serves correctly, with many iterations of TV series & movies being released since the initial publication.

The cels from "Condition Green" are all true gems, with this being my favorite amongst all of your newbies:

http://sensei.rubberslug.com/gallery/in ... mID=371105

Of course, your other cels from "Andersen Monogatari", "Gegege no Kitano" & "Nirusu no Fushigi na Tabi" are each beautiful in their own right and distinctly showing the art and unique style of their era.

My (totally unbiased) vote for your "Gallery of the Year" would go to 'Rozen Maiden: episode 12'.

[sensei]

Another fantastic and eclectic update Sensei.

Thank you, James! It continues to surprise me how diverse anime has been over the years and how many opportunities there are for collecting, even with inventory of the 1995-2005 "high point" visibly drying up.

Congratulations on acquiring & marrying-up those two once separated cels of Sakura & Syaoran

That's been a quiet goal I've had ever since I tracked the cel to its screen cap. I figured that, sooner or later, some cel from that moment would show up in a grab-bag. Luckily the one that finally did was the key that corresponds to the Sakura-layer key.

as any True-Blue 'Aussie' could tell you, there is a well-loved storybook staring a Koala Bear character called "Blinky Bill"

Thanks for the tip, James. I don't know how much connection there is between the Aussie storybook and the Japanese anime, beyond the name. But it's worth checking up on.

The cels from "Condition Green" are all true gems

Yes, and it's worth thanking theultimatebrucelee for sharing the one that you call out. "Hoh-hoh-hoh! Now see how much good your Swiss Army knife will do!

My (totally unbiased) vote for your "Gallery of the Year" would go to 'Rozen Maiden: episode 12'.

I will keep your vote in mind. As usual, I have not made up my mind, though the probable front-runners are clear to see.

Thanks for visiting and giving a lot of obscure series a chance!

[sensei]

As part of my annual tradition, I've put up my Quirky 2013 in Review retrospective, with the much-anticipated "Gallery of the Year" announcement. It has been a much more modest year of updates than usual, but with some nice surprises and a passel of new galleries, especially in the "Golden Age" area. And so there were some newcomers to the "Final Four."

Thanks to all my supporters this year and best wishes to all for a productive 2014, now that the yen has dropped under 100/dollar!

[Quacker]

Geez how did I miss this - did not think I have been that busy!?

Yeh!

"Rozen Maiden"

came in first!!

Always believed that it would, or at least get near the top, as most of the items you managed to pick up throughout the past year were all individually quite memorable & complemented your already strong, established R-M section - specifically the Genga sets from, as you have dubbed it "The Scene", stick out for me.

"Card Captor Sakura"

coming in a close second too also agree with as again, certain cels stick out for both complementing your existing Gallery as well for your own personal reasons; lonely bottom layer finally meeting long-lost top layer partner.

Overall, exploring & wandering through your Review, you certainly picked-up a treasure trove of cels & sketches, enhancing your existing collection as well opening new sections to entertain & teach.

[sensei]

Thanks, Quacker. I did take your opinion into consideration, but also some of the principles I've used in the past (major series over minor ones, quality over quantity, etc.) Otherwise Condition Green would have walked away with the title this year, with Gegege no Kitaro a close second. (GGGnK is a major series, but the cels I added are just a grab-bag of secondary characters and fun situations.)

Thanks for visiting. I've enjoyed this little tradition for several years, as it give me a chance to reflect on what turn my collecting has taken. It's true that my tight budget prevents me from making really splashy updates like the ones of a decade ago. And that, plus the overall quieting of the cel-collecting chatter, has made the tours less and less interesting to the present Beta audience. But I still think it's a good time to be collecting, and I'll continue to do so until I stop having fun.

Next update in a month, probably. More "Golden Age" pieces already in the running and at least a few CGI items too.