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For everyone who enjoys anime culture: what you should know about the buying and selling of animation cels and key animation drawings.
What Does "Authentic" Mean? — Notes on Anime Cel Trading
Introduction
In recent years, animation cels and key animation drawings have been attracting attention as "art." Reports of items selling at overseas auctions for millions of yen — sometimes tens of millions — have become common. Materials that were once discarded after serving their purpose on the production floor are now spoken of as investment vehicles.
"I'd like to buy a cel." "I want to have an original key drawing in my hands." — I can well understand why fans feel this way. It is an expression of love for the work, and there is nothing wrong with that in itself.
However, this market involves complexities that are not widely known to the general public. The Association of Japanese Animations (AJA) issued a public advisory in 2021【1】, but the structural problems behind it were difficult to convey in a brief statement. In this article, I would like to share what I have seen and heard from the perspective of someone who supplies art materials to anime production studios, for those who are considering trading in animation cels or key animation drawings.
Chapter 1: Commonly Cited Risks — And What Lies Beyond
If you research purchasing animation cels, you will typically find the following risks mentioned:
- The possibility of acquiring a forgery
- Unclear provenance (origin)
- The existence of fraudulent dealers
- Uncertainty about the condition of preservation
These are certainly important points to note. However, the problems in the cel market go beyond these "individual risks." The very distinction between "authentic" and "fake" is, in the case of animation cels, extremely ambiguous.
Before asking "Can you spot a fake?", we need to consider "What does authentic mean?"
Chapter 2: How Cels Were Made and Where They Went
To define "authentic," we first need to understand how animation cels were made.
Overview of the Production Process
Cel animation production from the 1970s through the 1990s generally followed these steps:
- Layout and key animation: Key animators drew the key poses — the essential moments of movement — on paper.
- In-between animation: In-between animators drew the frames that interpolate between key poses (including clean-up).
- Tracing: The lines from the in-between drawings were transferred onto cels (transparent acetate sheets).
- Finishing (painting): The reverse side of the traced cel was painted with pigments.
- Photography: Cels were layered over backgrounds and photographed frame by frame.
The stage to focus on here is the tracing step. Tracing is the process of transferring the lines drawn on paper onto a cel. At the time, dedicated transfer machines were the primary method, though manual tracing was also sometimes used.
The crucial point is that, given a single in-between drawing as the source, it was theoretically possible to produce any number of cels. This fact is deeply connected to the "authenticity" problem discussed later.
After Photography Was Complete
So, what happened to animation cels after photography was finished?
Animation cels were treated as intermediate production materials — essentially "byproducts of production." Once photography was complete, they had served their purpose, and their subsequent handling varied from company to company and from project to project.
Some were kept in storage. However, it was physically impossible to store all of them. A single 30-minute TV anime episode generates thousands of cels; a theatrical film can produce tens of thousands. After years of continuous production, warehouses quickly fill up.
As a result, cels left production studios through various channels.
Channels of Outflow
How did the animation cels currently traded on the market end up outside production studios? Let me organize the main patterns.
One channel was authorized release by production studios. Cels were sometimes distributed at official sales events, or handed out to staff in their cut bags after photography was completed — as commemorative items, or simply to pass on materials that could no longer be stored.
Another was outflow from disposal. When studios reorganized their warehouses or relocated, cels from older productions were sometimes disposed of in bulk. It is said that these sometimes reached the market through waste collection companies, or were removed from disposal sites.
Another was dispersal. Due to production company bankruptcies, business transfers, or simply inadequate management, the whereabouts of cels sometimes became unknown. Such materials would occasionally surface on the market without explanation.
Another was theft. There have been reported cases of cels being stolen from production sites — not only after photography, but even before it. This is clearly a criminal act.
And finally, there was removal by staff. I will touch on this in more detail.
What Happened at the Finishing Stage
Many of the finishing (painting) staff at the time were paid on a per-piece basis. Compensation was determined by a unit price — so much per cel. That unit price was far from generous.
In such an environment, it has been reported that at some studios and among some staff, there were cases where "visually appealing cuts" — close-ups of lead characters, or striking scenes with animation director corrections — were painted as extras beyond the work assignment and taken home. As mentioned earlier, it was technically possible to produce multiple cels from the same in-between drawing.
In the busy production environment, there was presumably no capacity to conduct inspections for unauthorized removal. The fact that staff were not being paid adequately may also have been a factor.
It is also worth noting that many finishing staff were not counted as "animators" and it was not uncommon for their names to be absent from a production's credits. Despite carrying out a vital process that breathed life into the work, their contributions have a history of going unrecognized.
Provenance Cannot Be Determined
As we have seen, the channels through which cels reach the market are diverse.
And the critical point is that it is impossible to determine from external appearance alone which channel a currently circulating cel came through. Those officially distributed, those recovered from disposal, those potentially leaked through improper means, and those produced as extras — in most cases, they are outwardly indistinguishable.
What Does "Authenticity" Mean?
Let us now consider the word "authenticity."
Is an extra-painted cel a fake?
Same traced lines, same paint, same staff painting through the same process. The only difference is "whether or not it was used in photography."
However, there is fundamentally no way to prove whether a given cel was used in photography. It might sometimes be possible to verify this by cross-referencing with the time sheets that recorded which cels were used during photography, but it is rare for time sheets to survive, and even if they do exist, they are virtually never made publicly available.
In other words, distinguishing between a "photography-used cel" and one that was not, based on appearance alone, is normally very difficult.
The Limits of the Concept of Authenticity
As you can now appreciate, the concept of "authenticity" for animation cels is fundamentally different from that of paintings or antiques.
For a painting, the criterion of authenticity is "whether it was painted by the artist themselves." For an antique, the question is "whether it is a genuine article made in that era."
But in the case of animation cels, there can exist "a cel made by the staff of the time, with the materials of the time, through the processes of the time, that was never used in photography." Should this be called a fake? Or should it be called authentic?
Chapter 3: What Does a Certificate of Authenticity Prove?
In the sale of animation cels, you may sometimes encounter the selling point "comes with a certificate of authenticity." So what does this certificate actually prove?
The Position of The Association of Japanese Animations
In August 2021, The Association of Japanese Animations (AJA) issued the following advisory【1】:
Although many cases are observed where certificates of authenticity are attached for trading, except when the copyright holder themselves is selling, the copyright holder does not guarantee that the anime cels, key animation drawings, or other materials being traded are genuine articles.
In other words, certificates issued by third parties do not carry the endorsement of the rights holders.
Who Determines the Appraisal Criteria?
So, on what basis are third-party appraisals conducted?
As discussed in the previous chapter, there is normally no means to confirm "whether it was used in photography." So what are appraisers looking at?
- The composition and aging of the paint?
- The material of the cel?
- Characteristics of the artwork?
While these might allow one to judge that "it is likely to have been made at that time," they do not constitute proof that "it is an authentic item used in photography."
When appraisal criteria are not publicly disclosed, it is not easy for buyers to understand exactly what the appraisal guarantees.
Chapter 4: What Is Happening in the Market?
Basics of Art Market Trading
Before getting to the main topic, let me briefly touch on how the art market works.
Art trading has primary (first-time distribution) and secondary (resale) markets. Primary means purchasing directly from the artist or their representing gallery. Secondary means a work that has already been in someone's possession is bought and sold again. Trading at auction is a typical secondary market activity.
In the secondary market, "provenance" — the history of ownership and custody — greatly affects a work's value. Who owned it, and through what circumstances did it come to be in its current owner's possession? The clearer this history, the higher the work's credibility. Conversely, works with unclear provenance are valued lower, even if they are genuine.
Furthermore, reputable dealers and auction houses conduct provenance research on the works they handle to confirm they are neither stolen nor forged. This forms the foundation of trust in art trading.
So how does the cel market compare?
As discussed in the previous chapter, tracing the provenance of animation cels is extremely difficult. Whether they were officially released, recovered from disposal, or stolen — this cannot be determined from external appearance. The premise of "clear provenance" that is taken for granted in the art market is inherently difficult to establish.
Increase in New Market Entrants
Despite these unique circumstances, the soaring prices of animation cels have drawn new galleries and dealers from the art market. Many of them have experience dealing in contemporary art or fine art, but lack knowledge of the practical realities of animation production.
As a result — not necessarily with malicious intent — the explanations given at the point of sale can diverge from the realities of the production floor.
Sales Pitches That Warrant Caution
If you encounter the following types of claims, I recommend considering them with an understanding of the underlying circumstances.
"A one-of-a-kind, unique piece"
As discussed in the previous chapter, multiple cels from the same cut may exist. There is normally no way to prove whether something is truly "one of a kind."
"A rare item that will never be produced again"
It is true that new cel animation production has declined dramatically. However, the total number of existing animation cels is enormous. Whether something is rare varies greatly by production and by cut, and cannot be stated as a blanket truth.
"Obtained directly from a production insider"
This may not be a lie. However, "obtained from a production insider" and "officially released" are not necessarily the same thing. Recall the circumstances described in the previous chapter.
Chapter 5: Who Owns the Rights?
In the buying and selling of animation cels and key animation drawings, there is a frequently overlooked issue: to whom do the rights to these materials actually belong?
Employment Practices in the Anime Industry
Many of the staff involved in animation production are not company employees but freelance sole proprietors. Even for roles such as key animator, in-between animator, and animation director, it is not uncommon for contracts with production companies to be structured as outsourced work.
Ownership of Work Products
Under a standard employment relationship (a typical salaried position), the rights to works created in the course of duty belong to the company (work made for hire). However, in the case of freelancers, the situation becomes more complex.
If the contract explicitly specifies the attribution of rights, there is no problem. But in the past, the reality was that contracts often did not exist at all, or were extremely minimal.
The Problem of Unknown Rights Holders
As a result, the following situations have arisen:
- When production companies are contacted, they respond, "We are not sure whether the rights belong to us."
- When animators from that era are contacted, they say, "I assumed it belonged to the company."
- When an animator is deceased, the bereaved family does not know the details either.
In other words, there are quite a few cases where identifying the legitimate rights holder at a reasonable cost is extremely difficult.
Why Official Distribution Has Not Progressed
In such circumstances, even if a production company wishes to officially sell cels, there is the risk that "former staff might later assert their rights."
As a result, many production companies are unable to sort out the rights situation and leave their cels sitting in warehouses. Even though they may wish to distribute them through proper channels, they cannot take on the legal risk.
The Feelings of Those Involved
Separate from the legal and economic issues, I would also like to touch on the psychological dimension.
Animation cels and key drawings from works you contributed to are being listed at auction without your knowledge. News of high-price sales flows through social media. Yet you receive no notification, and naturally, not a single cent — the feelings of creators facing such a situation are more than one can easily imagine.
I have heard that among animators who were active at the time, there are those who view the market's excitement with mixed emotions.
In the case of deceased creators, there are instances where bereaved families discover the creator's work for the first time when they find it online. If the work were being treated with respect, that might be one thing — but what if it is spoken of purely in speculative terms, with nothing but its price being discussed?
Such psychological burdens do not appear in the numbers. Yet I believe they are an aspect that must not be forgotten when considering cel trading.
Chapter 6: The Difficulties Facing Production Studios
Cels as Assets
When cel prices soar on the market, production studios are affected in unexpected ways.
From an accounting perspective, items held by a company may need to be recorded as "assets." If market prices rise, the assessed value for taxation may also increase.
This means that "even if there is no intention to sell, simply holding them can increase the tax burden."
The Dilemma
For small and medium-sized animation studios, this is a serious problem.
- Selling them means production materials flow into an opaque market.
- Continuing to hold them may increase the tax burden as asset valuations rise.
- Donating them still requires tax treatment corresponding to the assessed value.
Ideally, studios would like to preserve cels as their own archives, exhibit them at exhibitions, digitize them for posterity, or make use of them in ways that give back to fans.
However, soaring market prices are creating a situation where cultural assets are being treated as financial assets.
The Worst-Case Scenario
It is not inconceivable that studios might begin destroying cels to avoid tax burdens and potential troubles.
If they never existed in the first place, there are no taxes, no theft, and no leaks to worry about — one cannot say with certainty that the day will never come when such a decision is made.
Chapter 7: Impact on National Archive Initiatives
Animation Materials as Cultural Heritage
In recent years, the Japanese government has come to recognize domestically produced animation as an important cultural asset and has been working toward its preservation and transmission. The Agency for Cultural Affairs and national institutions have been considering the collection and preservation of production materials, including animation cels and key animation drawings.
Setting aside the merits of this initiative, the soaring market prices are casting a shadow here as well.
Disconnect from Budgets
National initiatives are funded by taxes. It is financially difficult to acquire cels that trade at several million yen per sheet on the market at a "fair price."
On the other hand, if a price significantly below the assessed value is offered, the owners will simply sell to private collectors instead.
Overseas Outflow
A large number of valuable animation cels have already passed into the hands of overseas collectors. Attempting to buy them back within Japan means facing prices many times what they originally sold for.
This is the same path traveled by cultural treasures of the past, such as ukiyo-e prints and Buddhist sculptures.
The Barrier of Rights Processing
Even if the budget issue could be resolved, the rights-related problems discussed in the previous chapter still stand in the way.
Not knowing whom to seek permission from — until this problem is resolved, national initiatives will continue to face difficulty in moving forward.
Chapter 8: For Those Considering a Purchase
Up to this point, I have described the structural problems of the cel market. So, if you still wish to consider a purchase, what should you be aware of?
Minimum Points to Verify
Always verify the actual item in person
The explanation "physical inspection is not possible in order to preserve the item" may sound plausible at first glance. However, something that cannot be shown to you is indistinguishable from something that does not exist. And be sure to also inspect the painted side on the reverse.
Ask specific questions about provenance
"Obtained from a production insider" alone is insufficient. Verify to the greatest extent possible through what circumstances, when, and from whom it was obtained. If only vague answers are given, exercise caution in your judgment.
Verify the appraisal criteria
If a certificate of authenticity is included, clarify exactly what the appraisal guarantees. "Made with materials from that era" and "used in photography" are two different things.
Pay attention to payment methods
Be especially cautious if you are asked to pay in cryptocurrency (virtual currency). Because transactions are difficult to trace, resolving any problems becomes extremely difficult.
Patterns to Avoid
If even one of the following conditions applies, the situation calls for especially careful judgment:
- Physical inspection is not possible
- Provenance is vague
- Cryptocurrency payment
- Overseas dealer
- Claims of NFT linkage
Conclusion: Passing the Legacy of Cel Animation to the Next Generation
In this article, I have covered various problems related to the buying and selling of animation cels and key animation drawings. The reading may have been heavy.
Many of the problems stem from the fact that legitimate distribution channels have not been established. Conversely, if rights can be sorted out and a framework created in which production studios can utilize cels with confidence, the situation should be capable of changing.
Production studios officially managing and making their archives public, with the revenue being returned to creators — to realize such a future requires not only efforts within the industry, but also the understanding and cooperation of fans.
And there is one more thing I would like to convey.
Animation cels have not become entirely a thing of the past. Even today, when digital production is the mainstream, works deliberately made using cels continue to be produced, albeit in small numbers. New animation cels are being created even at this very moment.
As the sole manufacturer of cel animation art materials, I continue to deliver paints and cels to these production sites. Even on a small scale, as long as there are people striving to carry on the techniques of hand-drawn animation, I intend to keep that flame alive.
If the values of cherishing animation cels not as "objects of speculation" but as "testaments to animation culture" were to spread, the market might also move toward healthier practices.
It is precisely for this reason that I wrote this article, hoping to bring this issue to the attention of as many people as possible.
I would be grateful if this article can serve as an aid for all who love animation culture to make better-informed decisions.
This article is not intended to uniformly condemn the trading of animation cels and key animation drawings. Its purpose is to encourage informed decision-making based on accurate information. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.
References
- The Association of Japanese Animations (AJA), "Advisory: Please Be Aware of Websites That Buy and Sell Anime Cels and Other Materials Without the Permission of Copyright Holders" (August 2021)
