All caught up?

[Dagger]

Do you feel like you've gotten to the point at which you own pretty much all of the older releases that you want to? If so, how long did it take you to get there? For me, it was just a couple of years, mainly because I went on quite a few buying frenzies. I used to be of the mindset that there was this endless pool of R1-released anime that I would never finish exploring, but now the only stuff I'm really interested in are future releases, unlicensed stuff and the DVDs that remain in my backlog. I guess I started to notice something was different when my only orders during TRSI studio sales ended up being pre-orders...

[Lego]

Do you feel like you've gotten to the point at which you own pretty much all of the older releases that you want to? I used to be of the mindset that there was this endless pool of R1-released anime that I would never finish exploring, but now the only stuff I'm really interested in are future releases, unlicensed stuff and the DVDs that remain in my backlog.

Theres not a lot of most companies back catalouges that I need anymore. I went on a spending spree with AMG/OMG this week so I'm pretty caught up. For me there are little things that I want to get like Trigun, Tenchi(the rest of it), and something like El Hazard. Still though I usually focus on things coming out now unless I see a massive sale on some items like the old Rightstuf Geneon disc sale.

It does make sense though that after a while there isn't anything to go to the well for, so you look for new stuff.

[super rats]

Yeah, I got caught up about a year ago. There's still one or two things I'm sure I'd want if the name pops up reminding me of it. There's a couple of series that are being released that I'm waiting on boxsets for, but I'm almost all pre-order/current releases now. I've been buying dvds for almost seven years now, so I guess it took me six years to get caught up, but it's probably on about two years, since I didn't really start buying back catalogue stuff until about three years ago.

[HitokiriShadow]

Thanks to the TRSI Geneon sale, its going to be a while before I'm caught up with my backlog.

[something]

Do you feel like you've gotten to the point at which you own pretty much all of the older releases that you want to?
Yep, I've been saying that around the forums a lot lately. Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of older shows I'd still be happy to see if you gave them to me. But I've bought probably 85+% of the ones I'm going to see.

I still want Mahoro and Twelve Kingdoms and all that, but I can't think of many already released shows that are available at the necessary price point. That's the key. If money were no object, I'd try to own pretty much everything. I mean, why not? But what I "want" also includes the realities of pricing.

If so, how long did it take you to get there?]
I guess I've been into anime for six or seven years, and the last time I really bit into existing releases was TRSI's uber Geneon sale.

I guess I started to notice something was different when my only orders during TRSI studio sales ended up being pre-orders...
Yep. When sites have awesome sales that only apply to in-stock items, and suddenly you aren't splurging like you used to, you know that your buying has switched over to primarily new releases.

New repackagings and repricings of older titles obviously change the dynamic. Things I thought I'd never own can make their way into my collection thanks to an Economy collection or a Thinpak boxset or an Anime Legends release. They have many times before, and will again in the future. So I guess I can't call it "all caught up" exactly, because I'll still be buying "older" shows from here on out, but in terms of existing discs on the market, caught up sounds about right. For example, I will one day own Twelve Kingdoms, but not in any form that exists today, barring highly unnatural sale prices.

But for all intents and purposes, I'm right there with you. In a way it's both good and bad, but considering how spot-on the R1 companies have been in their licensing decisions lately, I think it's more good than bad. I've got a lot of upcoming series to follow.

[something]

Thanks to the TRSI Geneon sale, its going to be a while before I'm caught up with my backlog.
I think she just means caught up buying releases, not watching them. If it were backlog, I wouldn't be caught up at all, but I don't really want to be caught up on my backlog. I like having a million options when I look at my shelf and decide what to watch.

[HitokiriShadow]

Yeah, after I read your post I realized I misunderstood the question.

There are only a few shows that are currently out in their entirety that I am concerned with getting. I'm currently collecting most of them. I'm currently working on finishing Princess Tutu, Macross, Bottle Fairies, and Ultra Maniac. The only series I'm really interested in getting that I haven't even started yet is Aura Battler Dunbine. There are a few other series I may pick up someday but I'm not too concerned with them.

[The Great Bear]

Yeah, I've pretty much come to the point where I am only buying new releases, and waiting for the occasional recent series to be released in a boxset to finally pick up. The last really old title I bought was the first Voltron set, which I bought purely out of nostalgia and not for any other reason. I can't really think of any older shows that I really want to pick. The only exceptions might be a couple of "ancient" Streamline releases, which later appeared from other companies, but which I've not bothered to get (like Wicked City, Doomed Megalopolis or Golgo 13:The Professional), which would only be for nostalgia again (to remind of when I got into anime before dropping it, only to come back this millennium).

I'm currently not buying anything older than what's being released now.

[ADC]

There are still a few titles for which I'm waiting on Studio Sales or Bargain Bins or what have you (HanaDan, Urusei Yatsura), but for the most part I'm caught up at retail. The backlog's where the action is.

[Kellory]

I'd say I'm at about 90% really. I find myself going through TRSI Studio Sales and realizing that I already own almost everything they have these days.

Of course, since I rarely buy as a series releases there is almost always something for me to get. I just picked up all of Get Backers the other day for example. And I agree, discounted boxsets have changed things. For me it means that the singles will quickly end up in the Bargin Bin and I can get it for cheap. For example I paid 13 dollars more for all of Get Backers in their singles with the artboxes than I would have for the 2 thinpack sets. I consider that a bargin.

But even in the Bargin Bin, I've got almost everything in there now as well. I guess there is an upward limit to how much money Shawne can take from me. Of course, I"ve been doing this since DVD's came out pretty much.

[Ty]

These days yes actually. That never used to be the case but by forcing myself to pass on certain things in the last couple of years it showed me how obsessive I was being about my collecting habits. I honestly think my days of buying cheap sets are over too because of this. I buy singles for what I know I really want and don't deviate from my planned purchasing schedule anymore.

[Suwako Moriya]

While I have on occasion made progress with older titles, I can't consider myself caught up. Simply because I'm sure I will have a series that I'm considering collecting in the future that I keep putting off. Still regardless it's not something I'll be heavily worried about. It's best for me to take it one step at a time and accept fate.

[Lumberjack]

There are still a few series I'm dragging my feet on picking up for one reason or another.

I'm watching Nadesico right now. The other series I haven't picked up yet that interest me at Slayers (waiting for the Funi sets), Utena, and Princess Tutu (waiting for the thinpak) and Twelve Kingdoms. I may pick up more depending on deals, etc, but that's all I really have my eye on now.

[Collectonian]

Do you feel like you've gotten to the point at which you own pretty much all of the older releases that you want to?

Nope, I can think of several off the top of my head that I haven't gotten yet, either because they are too expensive (such as the Tsukihime and Haibane sets, or X: TV) or I'm waiting for a box set (might still be considered new, but Princess Tutu!). Also have a few that I just keep dragging my feet on because I want them, but not to the point that they don't get dropped if I can't fit it into my DDD sale budgets (like Phantom the Animation and Koi Kaze).

I also find more I want through my Netflix rentals, which are mostly of older releases versus the brand new. If I like it after renting enough that I feel sure I'll rewatch it, I'll pick it up. Most recent one acquired because of that was Gungrave (which still took me months to get, waiting for a good deal).

[jolieve]

I'm pretty well caught up also. I've done most of my catching up in the last year. It's been lucky for me that most of what was in my backlog was available through the TRSI studio sales. The last one I added to my collection was Trigun because I bought Trigun Remix, so I had to wait for volume 6 to come out. I still haven't picked up the Ghost in the Shell movie, but that's mostly because I keep forgetting to grab the thing when I'm perusing the anime section. That's the last thing though.

Now I'm down to buying things that are releasing as they come out. When I first started buying anime I spent a ridiculous amount of money one month (400$). Between my husband saying something and my dvd rack collapsing under the weight of all of the discs, I realized it was getting out of hand and cut back my spending. Now I buy a max of four series at any one time, and only impulse buy anime during the rare months when I have no planned spending on my habit.

I do still have storage problems, but I think that's another thread entirely.

J.

[XenoCrisis0153]

the only catching up I need to do is replacing all my mistakeningly-purchased bootlegs with authentic releases. I need a pure collection. Aside from that, I'm a few volumes short on the couple series I'm collecting now, but not too far behind.

[Mateo_home]

I'd say I can never be caught up because sometimes there might be a title I overlooked and want to go back and check it out (like Otogi Zoshi). However, for me it's not that easy because I'm either working through a current backlog of anime or just want to wait for a cheap thinpack. Yeah, I don't like to buy things and leave them untouched for too long because then I don't want check it out later. :P

[Raye]

Pft. There's no way I'm ever going to be caught up with all of my desired purchases. I have a bunch of series that I still want to buy. Get Backers, Berserk, Hajime no Ippo, just to name a few. I usually wait until they get dirt cheap or come bundled in the form of a box or thinpak set. (Or if I'm lucky, found in TRSI's Bargain Bin.) I refuse to buy singles from certain companies nowadays because I know that they're going to release them as a box set sooner than later. The only thing that will compel me to buy singles is if it's an LE. Otherwise, I simply wait. It's not like I don't have enough anime to watch anyway.

[jaylee]

I think all I have left for older titles is Ranma 1/2. And with the length and current prices for the boxed sets, it'll be a while before I ever finally get them.

[Captain Impulse]

I WAS caught up on back catalogue titles and such about 7 months ago, and was to the point where it was just a matter of keeping up on the series that were coming out currently.

Then I got married.

Now I'm about 7 months behind. Just starting to get back in the groove again and pick up all the titles I've been missing. Fortunately my wife is as into anime as I am, so it not hard to convince her to pick up a series here and there.

[Shsway]

Not yet. There are still enough holes in my collection and things in TRSI's bargain bin that I could use.

[perigee]

Do you feel like you've gotten to the point at which you own pretty much all of the older releases that you want to? If so, how long did it take you to get there?
Yeah, I really do feel like I only need to shop for new releases, and TRSI's ADV sale reinforces that feeling. Of fifteen pages of sale items, I only saw one possible buy.

I think the problem is that I'm very selective. I usually do a lot of research before every purchase in order to avoid disappointment and wasting money. It took me about four years to skim off the cream and work my way down to the low fat content. :) It looks like I might actually catch up with my backlog in the next year.

[something]

Yeah, I really do feel like I only need to shop for new releases, and TRSI's ADV sale reinforces that feeling. Of fifteen pages of sale items, I only saw one possible buy.
Yeah :sd: I was just thinking of this thread when I saw the sale. Granted, I could probably pad to a 25 order if the three series I wanted were present, but they aren't (or aren't fully), which sort of kills it for me.

It's a double edged sword. I was really looking forward to today's sales, but won't likely be able to place and order. On the other hand, that also saves me $50-$100 which is a good thing when I still don't have a job, and the one that looks like a lock pays $SHIT/hr.

[vtr9kvictor]

I still want to get the second and third seasons of Star Blazers/Space Battleship Yamato.

[HitokiriShadow]

Well, the TRSI sale helped me get most of the few series I was still concerned with getting (namely Dunbine and Azumanga Daioh). I finished up Princess Tutu and I decided Gilgamesh and Ghost Stories were worth getting (at least partially, but Gilgamesh should be going to the bargain bin in a couple months anyway) as well. After this, beyond finishing up what I've started, I can't really think of anything else I'm really concerned about getting.