telling the difference

[quote]I managed to scan it; would you like to view it and make a judgement? May I send you an email?[/quote]

Go ahead. ^_^

I agree that someone might have trimmed it. But, if the registration holes are still there, the sequence numbers probably weren't trimmed off.

I have, however, seen Toei cels with tape around the sequence numbers. I personally have destroyed sequence numbers in order to peel tape off. After all, it's better to not have the sequence number on the cel than for the cel to be destroyed by acidic tape. ;_; So maybe something similar happened to this cel?

Like vapalla said, it's best to see if you can make a screencap of the cel (it has to be your exact cel, not just a pic from the sequence). That way, you can compare the minute details, and check to see if the paint on your cel extends beyond what you see on the screen.

hey there!

thanks for your help. ^_^

Vapalla--i am trying to get my dvd to work right now...wish me luck and send me good dvd kharma!

[It's scratched to Hades b/c I am clumsy and lazy after taking screenshots^^. lol]

Lisa and Klet--I've sent you each an email. ^_^ I uploaded the original scan and sent a link ^_^;; I hope it works.

Even if it is authentic or not, I still want to keep it. It is very nice. ^_^

May the cel gods be with me! :D j/k

Best wishes,
Ginga123

In the case of Sailormoon cels, I would look for evidence of line fading. Toei produced cels are notorious for this feature and older ones should have at least some minimal fading(rarely will a Toei cel be in such pristine condition that it has no line fading). Most fancels are hand-inked with permanent markers or something similiar, so the line quality is important.

How does the paint quality look? If it was put on in several layers, similiar to most Toei cels with production numbers, then that's a good sign. Most of the reproduction cels that I've seen have been rather skimpy on the paint.

Another thing - Who bid on the item when you were going for it? If the majority of those bidders were higher-end Japanese collectors, then that would weigh in favor of it being a 'test cel'.

I noticed that there is a similiar cel on YJ now that appears to be an exact match for the one you recently purchased. I'm rather skeptical that Toei would make duplicate test cels, but, considering that I have yet to find any documentation concerning Toei's animation practices and what they did and did not do, anything is possible.

Either way, the most important question is...Do you enjoy that cel? If the answer is yes, then, even if you never get a solid answer regarding that cel, you'll still enjoy it.

Cutiebunny wrote:

[quote]I noticed that there is a similiar cel on YJ now that appears to be an exact match for the one you recently purchased.[/quote]

It's also possible it is a close sequence mate,though. I've seen some look the same until they were compared side-by-side. Good luck, I hope you find it on your DVD.

The particular scene in question comes from the final seconds of Episode 124 as Mistress 9 informs Sailormoon that Pharoah 90 is on his way.

For Mistress 9 fans, it's this final sequence of this episode that is in high demand. It's one of the best cels or her as it perfectly captures her sensual being.

Vapalla's idea of merging both images was a wise suggestion and you might want to consider doing that.