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INTEREST: Anime Designer Akemi Takada Warns of Forged Sketches




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JohnnySake



Joined: 22 May 2008
Posts: 582
Location: Auburn Hills, MI
PostPosted: Sun Sep 11, 2011 8:55 am Reply with quote
You know, that's kind of a concern I have whenever I go looking for anime cels or genga sketches on ebay. There's a couple of sellers that I've been following for awhile, so I have a certain amount of trust with them. But what's to stop someone doing a pencil sketch and then calling it an official genga from a given anime series?
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Haterater



Joined: 30 Apr 2006
Posts: 1727
PostPosted: Sun Sep 11, 2011 9:18 am Reply with quote
That's the risk you take with ebay and similar sites. And that goes for many things as well like DVDs, games, autographs, etc. They will always have some risk, even from innocent sellers who didn't know.
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Apollo-kun



Joined: 11 Feb 2010
Posts: 1213
Location: City 7, Macross 7
PostPosted: Sun Sep 11, 2011 9:24 am Reply with quote
Ugh, this brings back bad memories of buying Viz's "Ranma 1/2" movie box set, only for it to come and be one of those bootlegs from Chinese company F/X. I was a kid when I bought it, so I was pretty dumb when it came to figuring out how I would actually go about returning such a thing. So now the counterfeit "Ranma 1/2" movies sit on my shelf, the crowning shame of my collection.

All personal experiences aside, this is a serious issue, and not just with cels/sketches. As an avid collector, I've experienced more counterfeiting and bootlegging of merchandise in the anime industry than in many others, primarily because anime goods are generally very expensive. Nothing feels worse than blowing your money on a fake. That's why I generally only trust Amazon and RACS with all of my anime needs, and only buy figurines from Ebay if the user provides sufficient photographs.

My heart goes out (I know it sounds dramatic, but whatever) to the people who blew their hard-earned money on forged merch.
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ZilvinasJuraska



Joined: 11 Sep 2011
Posts: 1
PostPosted: Sun Sep 11, 2011 11:34 am Reply with quote
Yeah, sellers on eBay don't care too much. As Apollo, I more prefer Amazon.
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Cutiebunny



Joined: 18 Apr 2010
Posts: 1746
PostPosted: Sun Sep 11, 2011 2:38 pm Reply with quote
Buying sketches on E-bay, Yahoo Japan, Mandarake and any other site that sells autographs and sketches can be tricky. With Mandarake, though, there's not as much risk because they do their research and gurantee you a legitimate product, but the prices are typically higher there due to that premium. With the other auction sites, there is no guarantee, but there are lower prices.

However, if you're looking to buy original artwork from someone super famous like Miyazaki, just stick with Mandarake. You might end up paying several thousand dollars, but, at least it's the geniune article.

As with all things, do you research. Google images on that person's signature and compare it to the product for auction.

For example, I got a board signed when Takada came to AX in 2008 - http://cutiebunny.rubberslug.com/gallery/inv_info.asp?ItemID=281968

To me, the signature in the photos looks a bit off.

Another thing to look for is documentation. Is there a photo of the person signing the item? How about stationery regarding the item? It's also something to keep in mind when you go to a convention and have a person sign/draw something. If possible, take a photo of that person in the process of signing, or once they've finished their sketch. While many Japanese guests do not allow photos at their sessions, just having a few photos of other guests doing just that at their autograph sessions helps to legitimize your collection.


With cels and sketches, unless you're hunting for Miyazaki stuff, there's much less risk of buying counterfeit items. With cels, it's important to look for production sequence numbers and prepunched holes that are usually found at the top of the acetate. There should also be a couple of inches of the image that are not reflected in the final, animated version. Same thing with sketches. Both require a lot more work to put together than a simple signature on a shikishi board.
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reanimator





PostPosted: Mon Sep 12, 2011 8:06 pm Reply with quote
Maybe we could use an "Antique Roadshow" type curator for anime?

That forged Takada looks so amateurish. It sure ain't fooled my eyes.
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