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In the Asking article it says that you can ask about

[...] a piece of merchandise that you or someone you know personally owns.

Further down the same article it says:

Are you looking to ask a question about to identifying a particular anime or manga related media?

Please note that ALL anime and manga identification questions are off-topic and will be put on hold regardless of how much context is provided.

Does this mean we are not allowed to ask for IDs on anime merchandise?

For example, I received a sitting girl figurine from a random grab-bag at a convention and have no idea what anime the figure is from. I wanted to ask for an ID of it, but I was not sure if it would get marked off-topic and be removed after reading the "Asking" help page.

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    Given the wording I don't see why it wouldn't be off-topic, you're still just asking for an ID.
    – Peilonrayz
    Commented May 16, 2019 at 14:27
  • 1
    Since it explicitly said the word "Media" I assumed it meant images, sceenshots, voice clips, etc. I've also looked around this site it mentioned how out of context images and screenshots are troublesome. I don't think of figurines when I hear the word media. This is one of the reasons I was genuinely confused; does merchandise count as "media"?
    – Wimateeka
    Commented May 16, 2019 at 15:17
  • Why does the word media matter? "Please note that ALL anime and manga identification questions are off-topic"
    – Peilonrayz
    Commented May 16, 2019 at 15:24
  • I would then get rid of the first line of that question for clarity. Just be forward and say that Please note that ALL anime and manga identification questions are off-topic and will be put on hold regardless of how much context is provided. This way there is no ambiguity. Thank you for the clarification.
    – Wimateeka
    Commented May 16, 2019 at 15:27
  • @AkiTanaka If you mark this question a duplicate of "Are questions regarding cosplay or anime-related items still on-topic?" instead of the current one, I'll accept it as the solution. It's definitely more related to the second link.
    – Wimateeka
    Commented May 16, 2019 at 17:45
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    @Wimateeka unfortunately I could only retract my close vote but cannot change the target. Try flagging it as a dupe of this question by yourself, sorry...
    – Aki Tanaka Mod
    Commented May 16, 2019 at 17:51
  • It's all good. I will be sure to do that. Thanks (ありがとう) @AkiTanaka
    – Wimateeka
    Commented May 16, 2019 at 18:14
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    @Peilonrayz Because it clarifies a subtle distinction between what is and isn't considered anime or manga for the purposes of identification. Books and videos are media, but backpacks and figurines aren't. Yes, identifying anime and manga is off-topic, but a figurine or doll is technically neither of those, even if it is related, unless you would suggest that staring at a statuette constitutes watching anime. Granted, I'm not sure why the distinction is important, but it's certainly reasonable to suggest that it is there.
    – Tonepoet
    Commented May 18, 2019 at 0:31
  • If the merchandise is clearly based on science fiction or fantasy, ID questions about it are also on-topic on Science Fiction and Fantasy: SE
    – Richard
    Commented Jun 20, 2019 at 22:56

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