Sentimental clutter are those things you hold onto for no reason other than a memory. You do not have a use for the item. In fact, the item may not even bring you joy. But there is some emotional attachment to the item that is making it difficult to part ways.
I don’t care what kind of fan you are - if you love to collect anime and manga, there comes a point where you can’t store every single DVD/volume inside your home. I have thought about selling some old manga and video games due to a lack of space and a desire for some extra cash. Maybe I’m just starting to get the gist of what it means to have sentimental clutter.
About selling manga, it might be a worthless venture. Prolific anime YouTuber, Code Provider, said the point of buying manga is to have it as something to be read. Manga is not meant to be a collectible in terms of it gaining value over time like a 32-page American comic book would. While most of today’s comic books may not appreciate all that much compared to the really old stuff (1930s’-1960s’), I agree that manga is technically disposable. It’s just like Japan envisioned way back when publishers used cheap paper for all of their manga publications.
At the same time, I still see people selling manga for decent prices and there’s some guidance on how to sell it online. I want to give it a shot and I may have to start with the Gintama collection above.
I wish the Gintama manga was still ongoing in the U.S. so I would be a happy camper, but it probably never got a chance as the jokes kept getting more culturally obscure. I have wondered what if the Gintama manga debuted around the same time Crunchyroll, which shows its anime adaptation, became a legit serious entity instead of during a time when fansubs still ruled the scene. But by then, the series would have been at 30 volumes in Japan and it might have not been licensed at all. Maybe Gintama in manga form shouldn’t have come to America in the first place.
It sucks being a fan sometimes, but you have to let it past and perhaps let it go entirely. Having those 23 volumes represented how much I was willing to love Gintama. The VIZ translations weren’t perfect, but I didn’t care as long as I got to laugh at the dumb jokes. They were a part of me because Gintama, as many of you know, has been a big part of my mid-20s’ to now ‘30s. Its themes reflected the uncertainty my generation has been through. I would cry if I gave my collection away because I had a slight belief VIZ would bring it back.
Now I feel indifferent. I feel that I can get out of that shell because other manga have taken Gintama’s place. What’s funny is that I have been nostalgic for a few retro games from the PlayStation/PlayStation 2 eras. I still have my PlayStation 2 and have not gotten rid of it. My age has gotten me to think about the good old days even though I do like some of the new stuff out there. Those old games provided emotional experiences I don’t want to forget. There are a few I will keep because I consider them to be essentials in delivering them.
That’s why I want to ask people that have huge manga collections. What would it take to make you give some of it up? How many of those titles have delivered the experiences you wanted? How many do you reread? What compels you to buy certain titles? What moments in those titles have gotten you to grow attached to them? How does manga play into your self-identity?
I sold all volumes from three of my personal favorite manga series - Dragon Ball Z, Rurouni Kenshin and Great Teacher Onizuka - once upon a time ago. It stung, but perhaps I should look at it differently in that I hoped they provided joy to new readers as much as they did for me.
Though it’s true what they say - love hurts, even if it’s of the precious item kind. It hurts as much as getting stabbed by a powerful major antagonist in shonen fashion.
For further reading, check out “The psychology of stuff and things” by the British Psychological Society.
If anyone wants to buy my Gintama collection or know someone who’s interested, message me.
