Table of Contents What is a Shitajiki? Types of Shitajiki Shitajiki Distribution and Production Companies Shitajiki in Japan Shitjaiki Print Runs The 'Official' Sticker Is my Shitajki real? What's the Small Print mean? The Mystery "G" Two Different Reverse Sides on the Same Board? Other Oddities Storage and Display of Shitajiki Maintaining Your Shitajiki How to find Shitajiki

Otherwise known as writing boards, pencil boards, or underlays, shitajiki are plastic boards that are used under a sheet of paper to prevent denting the paper underneath, as well as provide a smooth writing surface.

Shitajiki can feature many different images, not just anime alone. Video games, actors and actresses, J-Pop artists have also been known to grace the face of shitajiki.

Most shitajiki measure 7" x 10", although this may not always be the case. I've been informed that there are "mini-shitajiki" of Sailormoon and the Tenchi series has a shitajiki where the board is lengthened by an inch. Because of the very short production time of each style, shitajiki have became valuable collectables and the artwork highly prized. However in Japan, trends tend to be short-lived compared to North America. Shitajiki, along with other trendy stationary items, such as notebooks, pencils, and file folders, are considered to be expendable. So bascially once the fad is over, the shitajiki is literally thrown into the garbage. This is also another reason why out-of-print shitajiki are so difficult to find, especially second hand.¹

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There are various types of Shitajiki that made. Shitajiki have either smooth or rough surfaces or even a combination of both. They generally come in two sizes and occasionally in a larger then normal size. Some are thinner and not as sturdy as the shitajiki you are used to (Final Fantasy VIII). There are shitajiki for Sport Athletes, Singers, Seiyuu (Not to many. There are also "Card Holders", Disney Anime, Movies, Manga, and Anime. Also, there are cards and cel cards² that are similar in the size of pencil boards, but are considered as oversized trading cards.

There are two types of companies that work with shitajiki. First is the company that plans and produces the shitajiki and the second being the company that distributes them.

Companies that plan and produce shitajiki are various, yet the head honcho of all shitajiki companies is MOVIC. MOVIC is on the majority of anime series boards as well as manga series as well. Sometimes two different companies can be involved in the planning and production of a board. For an example, for some boards SEIKA NOTE CO.,LTD. may produce will state that the boards are "planned by MOVIC".

Here are some examples of other production companies other than MOVIC: ANIMETOPIA, SHO-COMI, SHOWA-NOTE, TOEI, CHEESE!, SEIKA NOTE CO.,LTD.

Companies that distribute shitajiki are usually the company that own or share in the rights of a particular anime. Some companys usually "tag" their boards with a company sticker (see "the 'official' sticker" section> to confirm the board's authenticity.

Other examples of distribution companies are: KODANSHA, CAPCOM, STUDIO PIERROT, KADOKAWA, ANIMATE FILM (AMF), COMMUNICATIONS EXCELLENCE DENTSU (CED), BANDAI, KSS, WINGS, TOEI, NAS, BIGWEST, SHOPRO, SHOGAKUKAN PRODUCTION.

Shitajiki runs are apparently not very large. They run from about 4000-6000 large. Unlike the US market where supply is based on the demand of the market, in Japan, shitajki are printed based on the popularity of a series that is currently running. Thus, fan anime magazines can play a role in having a second print run of a shitajiki if the series is popular enough.

Shitajiki in Japan are distributed to various retailers. These retailers range from Stationary stores to Specialty Stores and Lawson's, which is similar to North American convenience stores.

Many shitajiki will come with a sticker on either the board itself or on the original plastic sleeve it comes in. The information on the sticker offers a variety of answers. Some distribution companies, such as Kodansha and Kadokawa will have company stickers. Other stickers will not have the distribution company, but instead may have the sticker of the company/artist who holds the copyright of the series being printed.

Evidence of an "official" sticker does ensure the fact that your shitajiki is real. However, not all companies have stickers so do not panic if your board does not have one. If there was a sticker, it may have simply fallen off or the shitajiki did not come in its original sleeve when you bought it.

Because shitajiki are relatively cheap, demand for bootlegs are not terrible high. However, this doesn't mean that they aren't out there. There are a couple types of "fakies" that I'm aware of. Please keep in mind that these were NOT produced in Japan, but in either Hong Kong or Taiwan.

The first is an image printed on a sheet of thin cardboard and then inserted into a clear plastic envelope. This is the more common of the "fakies". Always check the material. Shitajiki originals were never made of thin cardboard. The very old shitajiki were apparently made with 3 layers of cardboard and then laminated, ³but the diffence here is that the old shitajiki are much thicker than the "fakies".

Another type of fakie imitate a real shitajiki, or at least try to. You'll notice that the plastic is a lot flimsier and there is a lack of copyright information printed on the board. The shitajiki is DEFINATELY NOT legit if there is no © info.

On the back of the board, in small print is some information that ever licensed board should have.

1. All shitajiki should have the © sign followed by the various artists and companies that hold the copyright to the anime/manga series being printed.
2. The copyright info should be followed by a little rectangular box with numbers in it. This is the price of the shitajiki in yen. The price range is usually 200 yen to 300yen.
3. Most of the time, when the board is produced by MOVIC, the Yen price is followed by a series of numbers. For an example we'll use 0760 0020-18 0997. The first four digits are the code for the anime. In this instance 0760 the one for the Ah! My goddess series. 0020 is the code for shitajiki, this is to idenitiy the object from other collectibles such as idols cards (0090) and clear files (0240). The two digits following the hyphen indicate the number of shitajiki made by the manufacturer (apparently MOVIC, animetopia, Showa Note, Seika Note use the smae code arrangement). In the example above, it would be 18 AMG board styles printed at the release the this one. The last 4 digits indicate the month and year the style was release. For example, 0498 is March(04) 1998(98). For most MOVIC boards, if they do not have all the numbers indicated, they will at least have these last four digits indicating when it was released.⁴ Sometimes, these last four digits will be followed by a letter. The letter usually indicates more than one shitajiki released in a month. The Slayers series has a series of shitajiki lettered A-E.
4. Finally, indicated either after the yen price (if there are no indication numbers) or after the indication numbers, the company that produced and/or planned the shitajiki is printed.

Now some people have noticed that some of their shitajiki indicator numbers have the letter G after it. Yet unlike the other letters, there aren't 6 boards lettered A-F preceding it in a series.⁵ There are a couple speculations why the shitajiki are lettered like this. I've noticed that my Slayers "G" shitajiki are all of the Slayers Specials and Movies. It goes the same for my EVA shitajiki as well. I think that maybe the "G" would indicate shitajiki released to promote specials or movies released at the same time. If you can think of another reason this might be so, let me know! ^_^

Some shitajiki, although identical in identification numbers and picture, will have different coloured reverse sides. An example would be the Fushigi Yuugi shitajiki of the individual characters. The back side can come in either a red tone, pink tone, peach tone or orange tone. I've been told that the reason they have different reverse sides is because of reprints. Each different coloured reverse side would indicate different printings, not just one. Unfortunately, we have yet to figure out which colour indicates which printing.⁶

Apparently, Animetopia will have identical pencil boards that have different print numbers.⁷Such is the case for some of the Magic Knights Rayearth shitajiki out there. I have yet to get specific examples of these, so if you have any, please let me know any info about it.

Courtney's Shitajiki Collector's Club has some good suggestions in how to display and store your shitajiki. If you don't have a lot of room and displaying your shitajiki on your wall isn't an option, you can always try using photo boxes, or the trading card shoe boxes to store them in. This helps keep the dust out, especially if you happen to have a fairly large (and heavy) collection.

If your collection is minimal, keeping them in a binder will work as well. You have a couple options concerning the sleeves you use. First there are the ordinary and cheap clear files that you can pick up at any office supply store. These are made for the binder to store loose sheets of paper. Excellent for shitajiki. If you're looking for a higher quality sleeve, you can try trading card stores. They have sleeves for binders that are acid free. Ultra Pro is one of the more popular brands and are usually used to store hockey card magazines or pictures. Also ideal for shitajiki, but be prepared to fork out a little more money.

If you like to carry around your shitajiki to show friends or to trade, an option other than a binder is one of those accordian file folders with the tie down flap. Easy to carry around and you don't have to worry about any of your boards falling out.

The nice thing about shitajiki is that they're much more resilient then other stationary collectables, such as notebooks and trading cards. Since they're made of plastic, cleaning them if they happen to get dusty is fairly easy. Just use a slightly damp cloth and wipe down. Try not to use anything rough as it can leave scratches behing. Try a soft cotton cloth, linen, or lens tissue.

1. If you're lucky, you're in a place that has stores which sell shitajiki. Chinatown, Japantown, anywhere that sells anime; it never hurts to look. It's a start after all. If you don't mind hunting, you'd be surprised what you can dig up at the bottom of a dusty pile, stuffed between binders or in those bargin bins.
2. However, for the rest of us unlucky souls, mail-order is the perfect solution which the wide world web has thankfully made easier for us. Check out my Shitajiki store links to see what online stores have available.
3. Travelling. Ohhh what an idea ^_^ If you have the time and money, Hong Kong and Taiwan are probably the best places to get shitajiki dirt cheap and maybe find some of the harder to find ones too. Of course, you'll have to keep an extra eye out for those "fakies"
4. Japan-Land of Anime. The best place to go for the latest in all shitajiki. Not so good for out-of-print ones unless you want to spend a fortune at shitajiki collector specialty stores. Never been, but I would love to go ^_^