Graviton City

Collectors

Collecting memorabilia is an important part of fandom for many anime lovers, and the Project A-ko fanbase is no exception. The task is made more difficult by the fact that Project A-ko is a relatively old series which has not been resurrected (unlike many other titles of the same period). Project A-ko is all but forgotten in Japan; luckily the A-ko community in the West is sufficient to keep the flame alive.

While acquiring a significant hoard of original A-ko collectibles is difficult, it's not impossible. There are two major types of merchadise to consider:

American products - these are collectibles or items distributed in the US for English-speaking audiences. Examples include the Role-Playing Game, the Hyperguide, the Screensaver, the Malibu/CPM comic books and the Animayhem cards. The American products are considered by some purists to be inferior, as they are not "original" Japanese material from the producers of the anime. There is still some great stuff to be found in this category though. Most American A-ko merchandise is still relatively easy to find.

Japanese products - this includes such items as artbooks, doujinshi manga, pencil boards, animation cels and soundtrack CDs. Virtually nothing A-ko-related has been created in Japan since the mid-to-late 80s, which means Japanese goods tend to be around fifteen years old, and often show their age. Even inside Japan, these products are quite rare and can fetch incredible prices at auction. Most hardcore A-ko fans will agree that the cost is worthwhile, however, because owning this kind of collectible can feel magical.

Due to the scarcity of A-ko collectibles, the question of where to find such things is not simple. Few online stores will stock anything beyond the recent US DVDs. The best place to go is auction sites, the most prominent of which is www.ebay.com. At any given time, eBay will almost certainly have a dozen or more A-ko DVDs and videos for auction. If you check eBay regularly, you will also see occasional gems, such as cels (which are relatively common, although the quality varies), CDs and artbooks or doujinshi. Patience is required, but you will probably find what you're looking for eventually. Whether or not you can afford it by the end of the auction is a different matter, because rare or popular items can become very expensive!

Graviton City has a Collector's Forum where fans can meet to discuss their lucky finds or ask questions of experienced collectors. Significant eBay auctions are often posted here to make sure that everyone knows when there's something special around. Also, several of the rarer A-ko collectibles are available in digitised form in Graviton City's galleries.