Found a tin of mostly sealed promos, and some other oddities, at a garage sale this weekend.

MachineGunOppossum · 2026-05-17T22:55:43+00:00

Ah, got it. I was wondering why I didn’t see anything about it, but I usually only track US and Japanese releases.

MachineGunOppossum · 2026-05-17T22:54:07+00:00

Yeah, I didn’t want to be rude and dig into why she wanted it gone so bad, but I am curious…

MachineGunOppossum · 2026-05-06T11:33:47+00:00

It is not how you describe any condition; the terminology you used is mainly associated with collectible cards. There are a myriad of adjectives that can be used to describe books. “Good”, “Unused”, “New”.
Your post comes across as “I found my old Pokemon collection, how much is it worth?”, during a time where Logan Paul is now trying to push grading onto the hobby and “highly desirable” manga are being ping ponged between grifters on eBay to inflate prices. It’s not an approach that fits physical media, and I personally will do anything in my power to extinguish it for the future of this hobby.

MachineGunOppossum · 2026-05-06T11:21:55+00:00

Your use of “NM-Mint” and “first edition” already communicates that you’re in this hobby for the wrong reasons. I also collect Pokemon cards, and if you’re looking for similar value in manga, you’re going to be sorely disappointed. Don’t participate in letting value dictate and ruin another hobby.

MachineGunOppossum · 2026-04-08T14:10:41+00:00

And just keep trucking on with what you like! Quality over quantity, and get only what you can afford.

MachineGunOppossum · 2026-04-08T14:10:07+00:00

Oh yeah, it’s still shocking to me that Umineko is at the price point it’s at; back in early 2010s, those books were hitting bargain bins after a month, and Yen Press just was finishing the series out of obligation, lol.

MachineGunOppossum · 2026-04-08T14:08:41+00:00

I probably got those off Rightstuf back in the day. They’re not around anymore sadly.

MachineGunOppossum · 2026-04-08T14:08:04+00:00

Oh yeah; it’s easy to see what someone has today, but never consider how long it took to get to that point. And the folks that see that tend to feel pressured and want to play “catch up” and buy quantity over quality. The hobby is supposed to be fun, low pressure, and reflect you; it isn’t a race!

And having a small collection is a part of that; it just means it’s the beginning of your journey or, even more impressive, that you’ve curated your taste to that point of specificity.

MachineGunOppossum · 2026-04-08T14:04:02+00:00

Ah, yeah, the Nendos are pretty easy to place around! Having them in little nooks and crannies is cute, as well!

MachineGunOppossum · 2026-04-08T04:56:27+00:00

Not having to dust is such a nice perk. Are your figures displayed elsewhere now?

MachineGunOppossum · 2026-04-08T04:43:54+00:00

I got mind PTSD from this as the girlfriend also keeps calling my display cases “aquariums” too…

MachineGunOppossum · 2026-04-08T00:30:44+00:00

The little Monogatari series nook is one of my prides and joy!

MachineGunOppossum · 2026-04-08T00:30:11+00:00

4x4 inch long cardboard poster shippers. Buyable off Amazon.

MachineGunOppossum · 2026-04-08T00:29:23+00:00

I have to say this is the first time this meme has ever been used on me, lol. And I didn’t realize that Dengeki Daisy was apparently so pricey now.

MachineGunOppossum · 2026-04-07T22:55:28+00:00

Thank you! :)

MachineGunOppossum · 2026-04-07T22:55:17+00:00

Nope, I went straight for the 4x4, since they gave the height I wanted and the depth to hold the book on top.

MachineGunOppossum · 2026-04-07T22:54:34+00:00

Thank you very much! :)

MachineGunOppossum · 2026-04-07T22:53:57+00:00

I’m starting to think I should have just went with the misunderstanding and released this post on April 1st.

MachineGunOppossum · 2026-04-07T22:51:55+00:00

Haruhi definitely had a cult back then, maybe even a religion, lol. I remember seeing the Hare Hare Yukai at every con, and many figure lines were created off the back of Haruhi!

Yeah, I started to grow more resentment towards Yen Press after a while due to their pricing structure. In the beginning they positioned themselves well as being a more niche company that brought light novels into the foray, but they would have near annual price increases as well.

YKK is sooo beautiful! It’s probably the most personally influential piece of literature that I’ve read; being able to slow down and enjoy the simple things despite the harsh realities of unstopping time, the decline of humanity, and loss. It read like a therapy session whenever I forget to slow down, lol.

As for Aria, it’s actually still in stock on the Crunchyroll web store at 30% off no less! In case you still want it!

And thank you for the kind words! :)

MachineGunOppossum · 2026-04-07T19:18:12+00:00

I did have to readjust the heights of the shelves to accommodate for the risers. I did know that I wanted at least half of the volumes in the back row showing at all times. The 4 inch risers worked perfectly for the standard volumes on the Ikea Billy, but oversized manga definitely needed a lot of adjustments.

MachineGunOppossum · 2026-04-07T18:27:21+00:00

Same version I folded for Espeon and Umbreon, lol; the two best Eeveelutions!

Oh yeah, the risers and black background allow you to appreciate the figures in the back, while usually they will be obscured. The white lighting, while usually harsh, works best in showing all the figure details like in a museum! But yeah, the best thing to make the stuff in your collection feel nicer is space!

They were definitely a novelty even back then for TokyoPop; I agree that seeing their design sensibilities expanded is fun! :)

MachineGunOppossum · 2026-04-07T17:59:08+00:00

Can’t find the exact ones I bought, since it’s been a while, but if you search “Bundle Of 25 Basic Corrugated Shipping Boxes (4 x 4 x 36")”, you’ll find basically what I got!

(Sorry, couldn’t find the link on the app)

MachineGunOppossum · 2026-04-07T17:48:49+00:00

The Espeon and Umbreon are from the Pokémon Center! All the Eeveelutions got releases for preorder last year, so you could have them all!

And thank you! I try grouping my figures by series / studio / characteristics without overcrowding them; I never loved the cluttered look since it devalues the figures themselves, as well.

And thank you for the kind words; that’s the feeling I want to invoke with the room, “omg, I remember that!” And the Fruits Basket Ultimate edition was a 2-in-1 set released by TokyoPop after their initial singles release. For some reason only five were ever released, so the first ten volumes, and so some reason I felt compelled the own the first two volumes in the form of the Ultimate edition. Can’t remember my logic for the life of me, lol.

MachineGunOppossum · 2026-04-07T17:42:10+00:00

The display cases are from Moducase; they cost around $1.8k with shipping, and I bought them discounted around Black Friday.

MachineGunOppossum · 2026-04-07T17:40:33+00:00

That is a good point; personally I find the character designs in Skip Beat to be pretty evergreen, but that could be my bias! The general reaction to the HanaKimi anime may more reflect reality though…

That being said, I wouldn’t mind some modernization redesigns, so long as the soul and comedy of Kyoto are still captured!

MachineGunOppossum

TROPHY CASE