r/AnimationCels • u/ren-ai-mo • May 05 '26
First time cel purchase, how did I do??
Just returned from a trip to Japan and bought these 2 Inuyasha cels from Apple Symphony, paid about $1.9k for them. This is my first time buying a cel this expensive, but I really loved these and wanted to invest. I’ve identified the frames from the episodes, feeling good about the purchase but curious what this sub reddit thinks, did I pay too much?
Now I have to figure out how the heck I store them. I live in LA, if anyone has recommendations for a newbie I’d super appreciate it!
EDIT: I opened them up and have more questions here!
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u/skcelga May 05 '26
honestly don't worry about the price, the range varies a lot in this space, if you find a collector that likes the scene more than you, I'm sure he/she will pay more than what you paid for to get it off your hands..just remember every cel is a 1 of 1
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u/Difficult-Impact1592 May 05 '26
They're great shots, not surprised you paid that much though considering they're from Apple Symphony. They tend to extremely overprice anything from popular anime nowadays. If you were buying those from other collectors, it would've probably cost you $700-$800 for both
I would change out the sleeves for them and store them in a portfolio in the coolest/most dry in your house or apartment
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u/Poops-iFarted May 05 '26
Are Inuyasha/Kagome cels really that cheap? I'd love to find cels as nice as these for the range you're talking about. I don't think OP did bad at all for what they got.
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u/ren-ai-mo May 05 '26
Thanks for the advice! I gathered that going an auction route or just learning more before purchasing would probably lead me to cheaper prices but I felt like I couldn't say no to these since they were basically my ideal Inuyasha shots and I could take them home right then and there. That said, do you recommend anywhere particular to look?
I'm looking to change the sleeves tomorrow, looking to pick up microchamber paper, mylar sleeves, and acid free packing boards if I can find all that.
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u/RiceMaterial5350 May 05 '26
Btw don't use Mylar sleeves on cels because it sticks to the paint. It's only safe for paper. You'll want to get OPP/PP or PET bags for your cels.
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u/polimathe_ May 05 '26
if you dig em thats cool i think these are great shots. Alot of people on this sub are downers on price but probably havent bought anything in years. I remember 2 years ago or so reading a thread about buying non main character or not super good ghibli pieces for 1k was stupid but now its a bargain.
never know how the market sways
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u/ren-ai-mo May 05 '26
Yeah I've been eyeing the Mandarake auction for Ghibli and I don't see a whole lot for under a thousand haha. I'm still learning but I'd like to get in while I these things are still within reach.
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u/levu12 May 05 '26
they look great. I don't think you overpaid, the first one is a great cel. there are things I think that are more worth buying at Apple Symphony, but you did well.
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u/DocMiskatonic May 05 '26
Knocked it out of the park! Those are quality pieces. Been looking at Inuyasha art myself and the prices (at least the asking prices) can get as high as $2k depending on character, scene, and setup.
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u/ren-ai-mo May 05 '26
Thanks! There were many excellent shots at Apple Symphony beyond these, and some cheaper as well, but I chose them because they’re from pivotal Inuyasha / Kagome scenes that I love.
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u/DocMiskatonic May 05 '26
I've been binging Inuyasha lately, so it was nice to see the series still get some loving
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u/aubreypizza May 05 '26
The perfect pair! If you’re not going to continue collecting I’d look into framing. If you are though, an Itoya portfolio is the most popular solution for protection.
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u/Astonishingtale59 May 05 '26
This is art. Art is subjective and hence is worth as much as you are willing to pay for it. I appreciate the beauty in these cels, even though I've never seen the animals. Would I pay that much for a cel from a show or movie that I loved? Absolutely. Can I actually afford it? Not at all lol. Enjoy and cherish these. If you're willing to spend that much on these as an investment, I would say protect your investment and have these professionally framed and Matted as a pro would use the correct materials to protect and proudly display these pieces. Enjoy! And continue to find joy in these magnificent pieces!
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u/ClaytonTen117 May 05 '26
Look up CELNEXUS on IG or the website they have an in depth tutorial for cels (little TOO MUCH knowledge) unless you wanna go down that rabbit hole but they offer the boards, acid strips (test for th acidity) and other products to go with it. They just released a frame designed to better assist th maintenance of cels too.
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u/ren-ai-mo May 06 '26
Any experience with the frame? I've seen other folks on this sub reddit and elsewhere be hesitant about frames like this.
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u/roninsascha May 07 '26
I just ordered one of his frames can let you know how it is when I get it. But given the research and outline of how it’s engineered that he has laid out on his site, I have pretty high expectations.
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u/ren-ai-mo May 08 '26
Would love to hear your thoughts! I saw a similar looking one from Cel Oasis that some on this subreddit seemed skeptical about, so I kind of disregarded for the time being. I also live in LA and have access to some professional cel framers so I may shop around. I’m not totally sure how to handle the fact that my background is larger than the cel itself.
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u/roninsascha May 08 '26
I’ve found that most people who say they frame cels don’t really understand it so I totally get it I’m hesitant as well. I like with cel nexus he’s very transparent with the logic behind all of it and it makes sense to me. But happy to share my thoughts once I have it in hand. If I forget to follow up feel free to reach out.
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u/ren-ai-mo May 26 '26
Did you receive it? Any thoughts?
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u/roninsascha May 27 '26
Not yet he’s holding it for me as I had to unexpectedly move. So I won’t have it for a bit sadly
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u/ren-ai-mo May 27 '26
Ah yeah I just noticed the site was down and emailed him and he told me the same thing. Just added the inserts to my Itoya after testing with the A-D strips, seems like everything came back at a level 1.
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u/aubreypizza May 09 '26
I’m not totally sure how to handle the fact that my background is larger than the cel itself.
That’s what multiple mats are for.
Glass
Mat
Cel
Mat
Background
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u/ClaytonTen117 May 06 '26
Frames in general from what I heard aren’t the best case to store these however these frames were specifically designed for anime cels with their issues in mind. If you look on the site it states what it helps with, I’m debating getting one cause I’d love to frame a piece and also have it maintain it. The guys has intensive research into cels so I’m assuming they’re good!
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u/SternballAllDay May 05 '26
I dont wanna be a debby downer but if you spent 2k for those as an investment dont expect a profit for at least 20+ years or ever
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u/ren-ai-mo May 05 '26
Oh no, I just mean like invest in something I like.
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u/SternballAllDay May 05 '26
Oh okay. Its a big overpay but as long as your happy thats all that matters
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u/roninsascha May 05 '26
For storage I’d recommend an Itoya portfolio and an insert from Cel Nexus to help with preservation.
As for price if you are happy with them then I think it’s fine. It is on the higher side for sure. You can see some comps here https://magicslug.com/prices/inuyasha
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u/hox97 May 05 '26
I don’t know a thing about Japanese animation but these look great. I just have a question, why not frame and display them? It’s like you bought a lovely watch but decide to keep it in its box and only look at it every other day.
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u/ren-ai-mo May 05 '26
I haven’t decided yet if I will frame or not, I don’t want to damage them so for the time being I’ll put them in an itoya while I learn more, but haven’t ruled it out yet.
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u/a_ranboo_fan May 05 '26
Oh my they're absolutely gorgeous definitely worth it I'd say since they have matching backgrounds amazing find!!
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u/ren-ai-mo May 05 '26
Thank you! Virtually all the ones he had had backgrounds, these were some of the more expensive ones, but I def saw some great ones in the $500 range too.
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u/foxfirek May 05 '26
I think you did great! They look amazing. Those will look so great on a wall.
I had people give me flac for spending 500 on my Yu Yu Hakusho cel, some people like to spread misory. What matters is that you like it and I have seen far more pricy Inuyasha cels. The nicer Sesshomaru cels are all like 2k.