Saw a real anime merch store in Osaka and the layout made me rethink my whole collection

So I was in Osaka last month for a trip and stumbled into this tiny shop near Den Den Town that sold nothing but vintage anime cel art and old school figures. Not the usual modern stuff, I mean stuff from the 80s and 90s. What caught my eye was how they organized everything. They grouped things by series, sure, but also by the year the anime aired. So Gundam from 1979 sat next to stuff from 1985 and 1999, not all lumped together. It made me realize I've been storing my own collection wrong for like 5 years. I just shove everything on shelves by height or whatever looks neat. Seeing it arranged by release date actually told a story, like you could see how the art style evolved over time. Has anyone else tried sorting their merch or DVDs by airing year instead of alphabetically or by franchise? I'm curious if it changes how you appreciate what you own.

2 comments

2 Comments

jennifer_fisher28d ago

Honestly, that layout sounds way cooler than what I got, but does seeing the older stuff next to the newer stuff make you want to sell off the pieces that don’t fit the timeline, or does it just make you love them more?

gonzalez.phoenix28d ago

Wait, would you actually sell something just because it breaks the timeline? Cause I've got a few pieces that are totally out of order with the rest of my collection, and honestly they're the ones I reach for the most. The mismatch kinda gives them character, you know? Like they tell a different story than everything else on the shelf. Does the perfect timeline matter more to you than the individual story each piece has? Or is it more about keeping a certain vibe going in the room, and the out-of-place stuff just throws that off for you?