Forum - View topicCollector's adventures.
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EireformContinent
 Posts: 977 Location: Łódź/Poland (The Promised Land) |
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As I read about collections described here I'm really impressed. It seems that lots of ANN's users have larger collections that mine will ever be. Do you just go and buy it or you had any strange or funny accidents with it.
I remember that once I put my stuff on the school exhibition one of the students who I hadn't known before told me that years ago he used to collect Dr. Slump's and Dragon Ball's volumes, but after years he didn't find them interesting and if I want I could take it. I wanted to pay him (over 50 volumes! I couldn't ever afford to buy them at once in a shop), but he didn't want- at least I made a huge apple pie for him:) Second adventure wasn't so funny- after long preparations I bought Utena Movie on DVD and friend of mine lend it- her father sat on it:(. She bought me a new one (it was hardly to get it) and the second DVD was somehow was broken by DVD player (it had never happened before and after that). Now I bought third one and I don't even unpack it:) |
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dtm42
Posts: 14084 Location: currently stalking my waifu |
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Not that many adventures for me, unfortunately.
Almost my entire collection of The Vision of Escaflowne DVDs suffered "DVD rot", meaning that parts of them are nigh-unwatchable. And I took good care of them too. I bought Zeta Gundam from Robert's Anime Corner Store for NZ$250 (huge effing waste of money that was; that show is crap), and one of the DVDs was missing. Had to E-mail them for a (free) replacement, but I sweated buckets trying to word my E-mail in the nicest possible way and in such a way as to show them that I wasn't scamming them. I bought Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children on the same day as my dad did, which was funny once I stopped being annoyed about the waste of money. Lent my prized boxset of RahXephon (my most favourite show ever) to some friends. It came back within a week, all DVDs present and accounted for and none of them damaged. Psyche. You probably thought something bad had happened to them. I tried to collect Eureka seveN, but only four DVDs were released in well over a year (the first two were at a convention, so it's really two released in a year). Every week I'd go into my local shop and every week I'd be disappointed; no Eureka seveN. In the end I did get a few more, only to be annoyed at how the show wasn't getting any better. In the end I just flagged the whole thing. Not a good experience. And of course, then there are all those times where I collected the first few volumes of a series and then the boxset was released and so I ended up with doubles. I usually gave the extras away to friends to try and get them hooked; mixed success there. |
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Salrog
 Posts: 6 |
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I'm not sure if anime companies work the same way but I know a fair amount of gaming and film companies that will replace a broken CD or DVD for a fairly low cost if you can prove to them that you own the license and are willing to mail them the broken disc.
Have any of you tried to call or contact the company or manfacurer when you have a problem with your discs that are broken, scratched, or other wise unreadable. I my experience most companies are quite forgiving and will provide you a new DVD for around 5$. Again I haven't had any problems with my discs as of yet but it couldn't hurt to call and ask if they have a policy that protects the license holder. |
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FaytLein
 Posts: 1260 Location: Williamsburg, VA |
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Back before I turned to online shopping for my anime fix, I used to troll the malls and Best Buy, searching for deals, and harder to find stuff, I didn't really have some awesome discoveries or anything like that, but I did encounter 2 people on opposite ends of the spectrum.
First, was a nice older gentleman, looking perplexed about the shelves of anime at the BB. He spotted me, the only other guy there, and started asking me questions about what anime was, what the popular shows were, which was the best deal, etc. At the time, I was in customer service, so I launched into my sales mode, not really enthusiasticly, but pointed out several shows and after a few minutes of nice back and forth, we parted ways. I still wonder if he took anything I said to heart about what to get from his grandson, (HAH! likely story!) My other experience was with THAT type of fan. You know the one I'm talking about, the shifty, socially awkward type that is earnest enough in what he likes, but lacks the ability to say the right thing at the right time. I was glancing over the shelves, and I noticed him out the corner of my eye. Now, where I live, anime fans are either super discreet, or nonexistant, so when I saw him, I knew exactly who and what he was. Not in a bad way or anything, but he just.....had a presence that made you think...."This won't be good" He notices me looking, and turns his attention to me and blurts out: "You like anime?" I said sure. "OH MAN, CHECK OUT MAHOROMATIC! THIS GIRL HERE GETS AN UPGRADE AND CAN FIRE BOOB MISSILES!!" "...." I left quietly after that. |
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PaniPoni61
Posts: 128 |
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What Salrog said about places offering replacements, for the most part, that is very true. Especially places online that actually seem to care a little about that lost part of business practices-customer service. Via everyone's fav online auction site, the trick is ask first. I have asked sellers about items listed-usually wrong-and the ones who, if they reply say anything like "well, i didn't list it. We're a huge company, i just enter things as told"....walk away. However, if they give you a close to satisfactory response, even if they seemed peeved (if they're stupid enough to be that way), if they have the answer, you're safe. I've had dvds arrive scratched and occasionally missing. That's the problem with buying dvds new, a lot of the actual dvds get undone from the center spindle. My copy of Haruhi disc 4 showed up like that. i contacted the seller, told them about it, let them know it was okay, not scratched but still loose, and they gave me a nice discount on my next purchase (Excel Saga soundtrack, dont'cha know..).
As far as an "adventure"-never had one really. i remember i got a series from somewhere in Malaysia, and the seller emailed me saying that his account got suspended, but not to worry, it was still going to be sent. That was a very nice thing of the seller to do. Wasn't necessary, the dvd set arrived a day before he emailed. A mis-adventure? probably the worst purchase i made, while in a bit of a cold-medicine haze (don't worry, i wasn't driving) i went to a place i didn't know and had a lot of pre-owned dvds......and for some misbegotten reason....i bought the "To Heart" boxset. don't drive buzzed, don't buy dvds buzzed either. |
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Mushi-Man
 Posts: 1537 Location: KCMO |
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On my endless journey I have had a few hiccups along the way.
One of my most painful stories comes from my attempt to buy one of my favorite anime ever, Mushi-shi. I was walking through Best Buy one day (searching through the anime section of course) when I spotted the art box for Mushi-shi at a great price, i couldn't help myself so I picked it up right away. I figured that I would come back and pick up each consecutive volume every once and a while so eventually I would have the full set. But I had forgotten that Funi had discontinued the volume releases of the series because they had just released the box set. But I waited thinking I would have plenty of time to buy the backlog volumes in time. But I was wrong, next thing I knew Best Buy had gotten rid of their stock and some how right stuff had already run out of volumes 2 and 5! Now I'm stuck searching the internet looking for good prices on the volumes. And to add insult to injury Funimation just released that new cheaper box set of Mushi-shi. I should have just bought the box set and been content with that. Another adventure of mine is my ongoing quest to find an original (legit) VHS copy of Robot Carnival. After hearing about this I was amazed by the concept, and a few segments sold me on the anime. But when i went out and tried to buy it I found that it would not be that easy. Either people wanted outrageous prices for it or they would be selling it a bit to cheap (indicating that they are most likely bootlegs). So I was at a loss for what I should do to solve this problem. But then last year of a convention I found a booth that sold exclusively vintage anime vhs and memorabilia. My hopes were lifted in the thought that I may be able to find my long awaited treasure. So i went up to the guy running the booth and asked him if he happened to have a copy of Robot Carnival. He looked at me, laughed a bit, and then said "good luck finding that one, I haven't seen a legit copy of that being sold in a long time. My might just want to give up and get a bootleg." And so my dreams were crushed again. But I still search for the rare legal, and modestly priced, vhs. |
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DuelLadyS
 Posts: 1705 Location: WA state |
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I think my fiance's the only one who's had any good adventures hunting for anime... several years back, he was looking for the Vandread boxset (obviously before the Funi re-release). He found it at a local con for a few hundred, but passed to find a better price. He didn't see it again until 2 years later. I found it at Best Buy for $200 about 30 seconds after he dropped his savings into a new computer.
 I figured I'd keep my eyes open, since I did most od his online shopping anyway. About 6 months later, I was checking my email for the latest item in TRSI's 12 days of Christmas sale... Vandread boxset, $75 (well under hald of what we'd seen up to that point.) My next email was a forward of the same TRSI message, but with a full paragraph of "PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE" from my fiance above it. I laughed at him for that later- I was going to order it regardless of whether or not he told me to.
All of my good hunting adventures invloved decoding old Amazon pages for anime VHS... since they are not always accurate anymore. For example- my copy of Eat-man VHS 1 was listed as 'Haunted Junction starring Eat Man'. On DVD, by the way. I kid you not. |
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the Rancorous
 Posts: 2249 Location: Sac, Ca USA |
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I also have a story that involves Vandread. I was also looking to buy the series, but saw that its singles were pretty... scattered(?) I guess. No one place had them all. Then, I found out about the upcoming (and all too short-lived) Geneon "Classics Collections" and Vandread was one of the titles at the helm. I was pretty much a daily visitor at Rightstuf and the moment it was available for pre-order, I hopped on it for right around $70. Its price kept rising though, and by the time the release came around it was around $100, but I still paid only the original price my pre-order was tagged at. WIN.
Another one was with Tenchi Muyo's Ultimate Edition set. You know, the one that can get as high $120. Well, I found it in a FYE during one of their sales for $60, half off. As I was paying for it, I overheard two of the employees saying "Dammit, I was so gonna get that after my shift!" 
And here's one that involves a group of "That Guy"'s. I was in Best Buy, debating with myself about which of two DVDs I should get. And then... the group of "That Guy"'s came down the aisle, talking obnoxiously about things I don't care to recall. As they scuffled down the aisle, being loud and unfunny about every title they browsed through, I thought 'aww boy, I hope they don't talk to me.' Well, they didn't, but they did assault my senses of both hearing and smelling as they really stunk! Now, I've worked hard-labor before out in the sun for 9-13 hours a day, I know what a 'hard day's work' smells like; these guys just smelled like they haven't been bathing for several days. My solution to the problem: just buy both DVDs, quickest way out! |
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IncompetentOverlord
 Posts: 139 |
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As an extremely new collector, I don't really have the really awesome stories that some of the others have around here(My entire anime DVD library consists of Giant Robo, Jojo's Bizarre Adventure, Most of Speed Racer, the first set of Bleach, Some DBZ, and what I'm about to talk about). However I found my absolute favorite anime comedy of all time Special Duty Combat Unit Shinesman for like 50 cents in the bargain bin at a dollar general, next to a Korean Transformers ripoff and a collection of 300 classic cartoons. Luckily I listened to the Anime World Order podcast, so I knew that this was worth something.
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Innotech
Posts: 234 Location: Louisiana |
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I got several boxsets and things from clearance sales online. Youd be amazed the deal you can get on legitimate anime if you look at the right time.
I remember back when I was on an anime buying rampage, I used to stare up at the Card Captor Sakura discs on the top shelf, knowing that if I was going to see the whole thing, Id have to 1. watch Cardcaptors dubbed, which is like death, or 2. spend an ungodly amount of money to buy the whole thing, which wasnt even completely in stock at the time. I was pretty upset about not being able to afford it all, but much later I went to one of my favorite online stores and there was a clearance sale for some holiday. I looked down the list and saw Card Captor Sakura subbed Pioneer set for 80$!! No $%^& way I thought. Maybe it was a bootleg. But no, this is a legitimate site that only sells licensed anime. Sure enough, it shipped to me complete and unblemished. All 18 beautiful DVDs wrapped in plastic together like mana from Heaven. Oh what a glorious day that was. The Clow book collections cost almost 200$, and I spent just $80 and got the entire series subbed by Pioneer with all the individual cases and artwork. Best deal I've ever found. Before that though, I used to go into Suncoast while it still existed, and preorder pretty much everything I was interested in. I cant imagine how much I spent on all that but buying volume by volume back when anime cost 30$ per volume was pretty crazy in retrospect. I got a lot of beautiful complete box sets this way though. I remember looking forward to each month getting a new volume of different series and setting aside time to enjoy it, and then, much as if I was watching it on TV, having to wait a month or more to see what happens next. It kept me coming back. Also, I remember the glory days when anime companies could afford to bundle extras instead of just a piece of paper and the disc. I got figurines, a ton of pencil boards, small artbooks, postcards, gorgeous sturdy boxes...Man I can see why these companies went out of business! I've also won a few discs in anime convention contests and in one case at an anime club meeting on college campus when we played anime jeapordy. Naturally I knew a lot of stuff about a lot of shows at that point. Enough to win anyway. For shows like Fate Stay Night, Rozen Maiden, and Higurashi, I remember FRANTICALLY searching for them for months after Geneon went out of business, and pretty much coming up short. I was really upset. I generally cant stand the thought of wanting to watch something licensed, not being able to find it, and not even being able to find a sub because it was yanked after licensing. What are people supposed to do? How are they going to legally watch this stuff? SOmetimes its out of print in Japan even. then you are really just stuck. Then one marvelous day Funimation went and bought up most of what I had wanted to get and I was ecstatic. So for several months I pretty much went on a Geneon buying binge, completing old series I hadnt finished and buying every boxset that intrigued me, whether I knew if I liked it or not. So far I haven't really been disappointed. Funimation is now my favorite company. Not to mention its one of the few left in business. |
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Zalis116
Moderator
 Posts: 6921 Location: Kazune City |
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One minor little misadventure:
One night at anime club, probably in the fall of 2008 or the spring of 2009, we watched some episodes of Genshiken via my DVD copy. Since I'm often in and out of the club room, I can usually trust the club officers to return DVDs to their cases after viewing. Well, when I got home that night, Genshiken Vol. 1 was not in its case. We checked all around the club room, Lost & Found, and elsewhere to no avail. I didn't view it as a huge loss, since I'd already seen the show on fansubs and DVD. (If I really wanted to, I could've grabbed R1-rips to compensate.) Then in October 2009, I started rewatching A Little Snow Fairy Sugar. Lo and behold, tucked inside the folded inserts in Sugar Vol. 1 was the missing Genshiken Vol. 1 DVD!  Looking back, we must've watched some of Sugar as that week's randomly-chosen anime, and someone threw the Genshiken disc into the Sugar case because they couldn't find the actual case.
So, my Genshiken S1 collection is complete again. Too bad I can't say the same for my Grenadier collection, which had disc 3 missing from its case before I ever opened the shrink wrap. I did wind up getting DVD-rips to finish rewatching that show. |
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zrdb
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I went to a Hollywood video store that was closing a while ago and found complete sets of Sailor Moon S And Super S-I got them for all 30 bucks-some of the discs were scratched but played. I had to buy new cases and remove the $#@*&*$@!! stickers on the case inserts.but what a deal.
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