kittokatsutsuI will apologise in advance for the amount of reading involved. If you have a suggestion for a tutorial you would like to see, please let me know in the comments! 
With the recent concerns and hesitation I've noted from members wanting to get involved in becoming a contributor to the database, I realised that we in fact, do not have a guide for adding items to the database. I hope this guide will not only assist you but give you the confidence to attempt adding an item if you find one! I've also received a lot of help from the lovely AEONBLUE so thanks to her for her assistance
This guide will explain each of the sections involved in adding an item and include some tips and resources for areas that may trip you up.
MFC contains three Primary or Root Categories - these are Figures, Goods and Media. From these Primary Categories, we can break everything down further to the following Secondary Categories.
[Figures] can break down into:[Goods] can break down into:[Media] can break down into:
This is the absolute base of how the items that can be added are broken down. Quite simple so far, right?
To Add an entry it is as simple as being in the Databases section of the site and hitting the Add an entry button on the right side of the page.
This will bring up the Addition Page. Now this page can look intimidating to a new contributor - I was one of those people at first as well, so don't fuss!
You are provided with the capacity to add any type of item that fits into the above Secondary Categories and this page enables the addition for any of them. This is why it can look so intimidating - you will almost never need to use every section to add an item. Hopefully this tutorial will show you what information you need to be able to add your own item, regardless of what category that item may fall under!
How-To Guide
Firstly - you are required to list the Root Category your item falls under; Figures, Goods or Media:
This will be followed by the Secondary Category. This is the "type" of item you are adding. Typically it is pretty clear-cut which category it should be under however there are some areas which may be confusing. This will be covered in the Tips and Tricks at the end of this guide.
Still super easy, isn't it! Because you have your item and you know what it is, there's not much research involved
The next series of sections relate to the Origins of the item. This can typically be very easy or quite difficult, depending on how much you know about what you are adding. This relates to the Origin, Characters, Companies and Artists. Of these four, only Companies is a required field - this means you have to have a Company listed to be able to add your item! This could result in a lot of research on your behalf if you have no idea who made your item. While Unknown is an available option, it is vastly preferred that you avoid using this option where possible as this is just circumventing the required field.
To add the Origin of your entry, you simply hit that Pick button and the below pop-up window will appear. You use the Search to find the Origin* you need and Pick it.
*Note: An Origin in this instance refers to movies, books, shows, video-games, etc.
The same is required for the Characters, Companies and Artists sections. You will Search for your entry and Pick it.
Note: Yes, it is possible for there to be multiple selections for all of these sections.
To continue on and complete the other 3 areas, you can close the window by hitting the [X] or Close in the top right of the pop-up window or click off the pop-up window. Alternatively, there is the Next button in the top right of the pop-up window (shown below).
To make your searching life easier, KUMASANMK has recently added the fabulous functionality to be able to search Alphabetically or by Popularity. This way a generic name with 3,000 entries will not be difficult to find if there are a lot of options with a similar name.
After these are all completed, you will then find the Classifications and Materials sections. These can be quite difficult for a new contributor as there is minimal information on what is required.
In short, the Classification refers to a more specific listing of the Type* of item. If the Classification Type has a special numbering system - like Nendoroids in the example - this is where you would put their number.
*e.g. Dakimakura, T-Shirt, Opening Theme), Product lines (e.g. Nendoroid, Figma), Series (e.g. Beach Queens)
Materials refer to what the item is made from. Typically for Prepainted figurines, you can expect that it will be made from PVC to some extent. For Garage Kits, you can expect to find they are made from Resin. While this is not a required field, it can be helpful for other members to include this information if you know it.
This is the first main area complete!
Next we are covering areas where specific information about your entry is required. Do note that you will not use all sections in all cases, so don't feel like you absolutely must fill in all details.
A Title is only required in specific instances. This includes:
Titles should be written with the first letter of each word that is not a particle to be in Upper Case and not using all Upper Case. Particles will be covered in the Tips and Tricks section. As would be expected, English characters are expected at the top and Japanese at the bottom. Things that may slip you up regarding titles are also detailed in Tips and Tricks.
A benefit of our lovely Database is that there is a Normalize button which will correct most formatting errors, so don't be shy to click on that once you write your title if you don't think you've done it correctly!
Often, there will be Japanese for your Title so the Japanese section is where you'd throw that bit of information. It's also possible to use this section for the accurate English spelling with All Caps if the Original Title is specifically with All Caps and you want to show this somewhere.
The Version section works the same as Title - it is not always required and the formatting rules are identical. Cases in which you would use the Version section would be for things including Swimsuit ver., Red ver., Limited Edition. It should only be used in cases where there is a specific type of Versioning noted for the item you are adding.
The below details are specifics about your item. As you can very easily see, not all of these parts will apply to every item.
Numbering should only be used in cases where there is a specified numbering from the manufacturer. This could include manga/anime volumes or book series. Do note that this is not used for the numbering of items which are numbered by their Classification.
Scale / Number of parts is a section used for items where a scale or a number of parts is listed for the item. This can include scale figures, model kits/gunpla or Garage Kits (GKs)
The Cast Off check box only applies to figurines which can be unclothed intentionally to a point where the figure is explicit/NSFW. This is better explained in the FAQ.
Counterfeit similarly only applies to items where counterfeits/bootlegs exist that has been made with the intention of imitating that product. Again, this is explained further in the FAQ
The WxLxH / Weight is very straight forward. This applies to the size of the item. Often you will not know these details - only include them if you know for certain what the dimensions and weight are.
And this is yet another section of the Entry complete! Good work if you've gotten this far through my tutorial and still intend to continue on.
Our next section is the Release(s) area. This is where you put in all the information about the release of the item. This can be both simple and difficult, depending on how much information you have to refer to.
Majority of the below is very straight forward - you put in the Release Date in YYYY/MM/DD format to as far as you know.
The Run refers to how this figure is being sold. More details can be read in the FAQ
The Price again is straight forward. You are required to include the price without tax. Often on manufacturer's sites or retail stores, there will be a note for whether the item is including or exclusive of tax. Items released before April 1st 2014 will have 5% tax if included, where after this date is 8%. For our benefit, a tool is included to take out the tax amount, where you simply click on the % you need removed.
The Barcode is either the JAN code or ISBN of your item. Often you will need to search for this information. Similarly, a Catalog ID follows the same basic principles. More details on these FAQ.
*Note: ISBNs/Catalog IDs are required for all Media entries with the exception of Doujin books.
The Additional Information section is for details about specific release types. This can include Convention Exclusives e.g. Wonder Festival, Comic Market, Treasure Festa releases or Magazine/Store exclusives.
There may be cases where you have multiple releases for your item, which is very easy to include! Simply hit the [+] button and another set of Release details will appear for you to populate the same as your first release.
There is another place for you to detail an item as Cancelled. Along with a place to make your item's Rating. If an item is considered explicit or NSFW, this Rating should be marked as 18+.
Our next section is a very useful area to place information about your item which does not apply to any other section. Further Information can include details about how the item is being sold, information about alternate parts or notes of a store exclusive bonus. It is very important to note that you should only include absolutely necessary information.
These last two bits are very specific and easy to work out so not much explanation should be required:
Pages / Paper size is only expected to be for book entries if you know the information. It is by no means required but if you do know this detail, please do provide it as it can help many other members!
The same goes for Episodes / Tracks / Discs / Run time! If you're entering a Media entry such as a CD or DVD and you know the specifications, help us out by including these details! I can assure you that someone out there will really appreciate knowing these details before buying a copy of their own.
Region Free refers to Games entries - since some consoles have region-locked games, it's worth noting whether this Japanese game can be bought and played on a console from a different region. This should only apply to the Japanese copy, however.
Would you look at that, we're almost done!
Our final section is adding an Official image of your item - again, very easy if you found your item online! An Official Image should be one from the manufacturer or another Official source without a watermark. Often you will see Main Images from Magazine Scans or Conventions - these are accepted if there is no Official Image currently available. If there is no Official Image available, you may use an Unofficial Source so long as it does not have a watermark - this can even be a photo of your own if that is the only way you can add an image. I'm certain everyone prefers to be able to see an image of the item rather than nothing - so don't hesitate to do this if it is your only option!
Very simple - you click the Browse button, select your photo and click whether it is NSFW or not to ensure that anyone with SFW mode will not accidentally see explicit material. This will make the Main Image that you see on the page firstly contain a warning: This picture includes content that is not suitable for people under the age of 18.
The Draft button exists for Entries where not all information is yet known. It can also be used for Entries where you are missing information and would like other people to come and help you out afterwards. This function allows any member of MFC to edit the Entry, where undrafted Entries can only be edited by VIBs, MODs, ADMs and the person who originally created the Entry (you!).
Once you've done that (or if you don't need to), you can click Submit and then your Item will be added to the database
hooray yay
Your very last step is to Crop your image. This is done by clicking and dragging the square to show the area of the photo you wish to show in the Thumbnail. Our FAQ requests: If possible, thumbnails must be cropped as a closeup of the character's face. However, if you are cropping Media (in which case refer to the Tips and Tricks section as well), ensure your Thumbnail is not showing anything explicit!
Once you crop your image - hit Crop and you will see a preview of your new Thumbnail. If you're happy with it, select OK and you are done!
Well done if you have managed to work your way through this tutorial and even more kudos if you have managed to Add an Entry to the database by following this guide!
Tips and Tricks
This section is specific to adding Entries to the database and things which may cause you some confusion beyond the standard process. Do not hesitate to ask for additional information!
Useful Resources
This section has a few resources which may help you - there are heaps out there, but these are a couple I use for a few things I occasionally have trouble with, or suggestions by AEONBLUE. You can find a great list of resources on the Database Managers club if you decide you want to be a more dedicated contributor to the database - if you do thank you! By no means is this list exhaustive - if you have an addition, do let me know:
With the recent concerns and hesitation I've noted from members wanting to get involved in becoming a contributor to the database, I realised that we in fact, do not have a guide for adding items to the database. I hope this guide will not only assist you but give you the confidence to attempt adding an item if you find one! I've also received a lot of help from the lovely AEONBLUE so thanks to her for her assistance This guide will explain each of the sections involved in adding an item and include some tips and resources for areas that may trip you up.
MFC contains three Primary or Root Categories - these are Figures, Goods and Media. From these Primary Categories, we can break everything down further to the following Secondary Categories.
[Figures] can break down into:- Prepainted
- Action/Dolls
- Trading
- Garage Kits
- Model Kits
- Accessories
[Goods] can break down into:- Plushes
- Linens
- Dishes
- Hanged Up
- Apparel
- On Walls
- Stationeries
- Misc
[Media] can break down into:- Books
- Music
- Trading
- Video
- Games
This is the absolute base of how the items that can be added are broken down. Quite simple so far, right?
To Add an entry it is as simple as being in the Databases section of the site and hitting the Add an entry button on the right side of the page.
This will bring up the Addition Page. Now this page can look intimidating to a new contributor - I was one of those people at first as well, so don't fuss!
You are provided with the capacity to add any type of item that fits into the above Secondary Categories and this page enables the addition for any of them. This is why it can look so intimidating - you will almost never need to use every section to add an item. Hopefully this tutorial will show you what information you need to be able to add your own item, regardless of what category that item may fall under!
How-To Guide
Firstly - you are required to list the Root Category your item falls under; Figures, Goods or Media:
This will be followed by the Secondary Category. This is the "type" of item you are adding. Typically it is pretty clear-cut which category it should be under however there are some areas which may be confusing. This will be covered in the Tips and Tricks at the end of this guide.
Still super easy, isn't it! Because you have your item and you know what it is, there's not much research involved
The next series of sections relate to the Origins of the item. This can typically be very easy or quite difficult, depending on how much you know about what you are adding. This relates to the Origin, Characters, Companies and Artists. Of these four, only Companies is a required field - this means you have to have a Company listed to be able to add your item! This could result in a lot of research on your behalf if you have no idea who made your item. While Unknown is an available option, it is vastly preferred that you avoid using this option where possible as this is just circumventing the required field.
To add the Origin of your entry, you simply hit that Pick button and the below pop-up window will appear. You use the Search to find the Origin* you need and Pick it.
*Note: An Origin in this instance refers to movies, books, shows, video-games, etc.
The same is required for the Characters, Companies and Artists sections. You will Search for your entry and Pick it.
Note: Yes, it is possible for there to be multiple selections for all of these sections.
To continue on and complete the other 3 areas, you can close the window by hitting the [X] or Close in the top right of the pop-up window or click off the pop-up window. Alternatively, there is the Next button in the top right of the pop-up window (shown below).
To make your searching life easier, KUMASANMK has recently added the fabulous functionality to be able to search Alphabetically or by Popularity. This way a generic name with 3,000 entries will not be difficult to find if there are a lot of options with a similar name.
After these are all completed, you will then find the Classifications and Materials sections. These can be quite difficult for a new contributor as there is minimal information on what is required.
In short, the Classification refers to a more specific listing of the Type* of item. If the Classification Type has a special numbering system - like Nendoroids in the example - this is where you would put their number.
*e.g. Dakimakura, T-Shirt, Opening Theme), Product lines (e.g. Nendoroid, Figma), Series (e.g. Beach Queens)
Materials refer to what the item is made from. Typically for Prepainted figurines, you can expect that it will be made from PVC to some extent. For Garage Kits, you can expect to find they are made from Resin. While this is not a required field, it can be helpful for other members to include this information if you know it.
This is the first main area complete!
Next we are covering areas where specific information about your entry is required. Do note that you will not use all sections in all cases, so don't feel like you absolutely must fill in all details.
A Title is only required in specific instances. This includes:
- Book/CD titles
- Objects (e.g. Haruhi's School Uniform)
- Generic characters (e.g. Neko #1)
- Original characters that do not need an encyclopedia entry.
Titles should be written with the first letter of each word that is not a particle to be in Upper Case and not using all Upper Case. Particles will be covered in the Tips and Tricks section. As would be expected, English characters are expected at the top and Japanese at the bottom. Things that may slip you up regarding titles are also detailed in Tips and Tricks.
A benefit of our lovely Database is that there is a Normalize button which will correct most formatting errors, so don't be shy to click on that once you write your title if you don't think you've done it correctly!
Often, there will be Japanese for your Title so the Japanese section is where you'd throw that bit of information. It's also possible to use this section for the accurate English spelling with All Caps if the Original Title is specifically with All Caps and you want to show this somewhere.
The Version section works the same as Title - it is not always required and the formatting rules are identical. Cases in which you would use the Version section would be for things including Swimsuit ver., Red ver., Limited Edition. It should only be used in cases where there is a specific type of Versioning noted for the item you are adding.
The below details are specifics about your item. As you can very easily see, not all of these parts will apply to every item.
Numbering should only be used in cases where there is a specified numbering from the manufacturer. This could include manga/anime volumes or book series. Do note that this is not used for the numbering of items which are numbered by their Classification.
Scale / Number of parts is a section used for items where a scale or a number of parts is listed for the item. This can include scale figures, model kits/gunpla or Garage Kits (GKs)
The Cast Off check box only applies to figurines which can be unclothed intentionally to a point where the figure is explicit/NSFW. This is better explained in the FAQ.
Counterfeit similarly only applies to items where counterfeits/bootlegs exist that has been made with the intention of imitating that product. Again, this is explained further in the FAQ
The WxLxH / Weight is very straight forward. This applies to the size of the item. Often you will not know these details - only include them if you know for certain what the dimensions and weight are.
And this is yet another section of the Entry complete! Good work if you've gotten this far through my tutorial and still intend to continue on.
Our next section is the Release(s) area. This is where you put in all the information about the release of the item. This can be both simple and difficult, depending on how much information you have to refer to.
Majority of the below is very straight forward - you put in the Release Date in YYYY/MM/DD format to as far as you know.
The Run refers to how this figure is being sold. More details can be read in the FAQ
The Price again is straight forward. You are required to include the price without tax. Often on manufacturer's sites or retail stores, there will be a note for whether the item is including or exclusive of tax. Items released before April 1st 2014 will have 5% tax if included, where after this date is 8%. For our benefit, a tool is included to take out the tax amount, where you simply click on the % you need removed.
The Barcode is either the JAN code or ISBN of your item. Often you will need to search for this information. Similarly, a Catalog ID follows the same basic principles. More details on these FAQ.
*Note: ISBNs/Catalog IDs are required for all Media entries with the exception of Doujin books.
The Additional Information section is for details about specific release types. This can include Convention Exclusives e.g. Wonder Festival, Comic Market, Treasure Festa releases or Magazine/Store exclusives.
There may be cases where you have multiple releases for your item, which is very easy to include! Simply hit the [+] button and another set of Release details will appear for you to populate the same as your first release.
There is another place for you to detail an item as Cancelled. Along with a place to make your item's Rating. If an item is considered explicit or NSFW, this Rating should be marked as 18+.
Our next section is a very useful area to place information about your item which does not apply to any other section. Further Information can include details about how the item is being sold, information about alternate parts or notes of a store exclusive bonus. It is very important to note that you should only include absolutely necessary information.
These last two bits are very specific and easy to work out so not much explanation should be required:
Pages / Paper size is only expected to be for book entries if you know the information. It is by no means required but if you do know this detail, please do provide it as it can help many other members!
The same goes for Episodes / Tracks / Discs / Run time! If you're entering a Media entry such as a CD or DVD and you know the specifications, help us out by including these details! I can assure you that someone out there will really appreciate knowing these details before buying a copy of their own.
Region Free refers to Games entries - since some consoles have region-locked games, it's worth noting whether this Japanese game can be bought and played on a console from a different region. This should only apply to the Japanese copy, however.
Would you look at that, we're almost done!
Our final section is adding an Official image of your item - again, very easy if you found your item online! An Official Image should be one from the manufacturer or another Official source without a watermark. Often you will see Main Images from Magazine Scans or Conventions - these are accepted if there is no Official Image currently available. If there is no Official Image available, you may use an Unofficial Source so long as it does not have a watermark - this can even be a photo of your own if that is the only way you can add an image. I'm certain everyone prefers to be able to see an image of the item rather than nothing - so don't hesitate to do this if it is your only option!
Very simple - you click the Browse button, select your photo and click whether it is NSFW or not to ensure that anyone with SFW mode will not accidentally see explicit material. This will make the Main Image that you see on the page firstly contain a warning: This picture includes content that is not suitable for people under the age of 18.
The Draft button exists for Entries where not all information is yet known. It can also be used for Entries where you are missing information and would like other people to come and help you out afterwards. This function allows any member of MFC to edit the Entry, where undrafted Entries can only be edited by VIBs, MODs, ADMs and the person who originally created the Entry (you!).
Once you've done that (or if you don't need to), you can click Submit and then your Item will be added to the database
hooray yay
Your very last step is to Crop your image. This is done by clicking and dragging the square to show the area of the photo you wish to show in the Thumbnail. Our FAQ requests: If possible, thumbnails must be cropped as a closeup of the character's face. However, if you are cropping Media (in which case refer to the Tips and Tricks section as well), ensure your Thumbnail is not showing anything explicit!
Once you crop your image - hit Crop and you will see a preview of your new Thumbnail. If you're happy with it, select OK and you are done!
Well done if you have managed to work your way through this tutorial and even more kudos if you have managed to Add an Entry to the database by following this guide!
Tips and Tricks
This section is specific to adding Entries to the database and things which may cause you some confusion beyond the standard process. Do not hesitate to ask for additional information!
- For Titles, never use machine translations! You want the English Title to be a romanization of the Japanese. So while you may know that 愛 means love, it should be written in the English section as Ai.
- If your Title is already in English, this is fine to use as-is.
- You can read about Particles here. Each of these Particles should be written in lower case when used in Titles. Using the Normalize button will correct the particles to lower case if required in most cases.
- Specific to Doujinshi entries, Run works a bit differently. Standard run generally applies to any that are sold in major doujin shops, Exclusive run applies to those that specifically sold in a special store that does not count as one of the major doujin shops. Limited applies to items that are limited to events or have a specific number made.
- When adding figures or goods of Original Characters, to avoid flooding the encyclopedia, it's much more preferable to add Original Character as the origin and add the character's name as the Title rather than creating an encyclopedia entry for that character itself.
- Doujin Goods must have a link to a major store which sells this item - this rule does not apply to doujin Books.
- When dealing with the Japanese Origin/Manufacturer, it's important to note that for an entry to apply, either the Origin must link back to Japan in one step (this means an American remake of a Japanese Origin does not count as Japanese Origin) or the Manufacturer must be the Japanese branch for a non-Japanese Origin.
- When adding Media, we aim to include as much of the cover as possible, which is different to that of other items!
- To find the JAN code of an item, do a Google Search with the Japanese name of the item written in it's original Japanese format (that means no romanizations!). If you can't write it by yourself, simply copy/paste it from somewhere. Add "JAN" to your Search and then look for links such as CDJapan, Play-Asia, Rakuten, AmazonJP. These websites often include the JAN code on their product pages Thankfully provided by TAKE
Useful Resources
This section has a few resources which may help you - there are heaps out there, but these are a couple I use for a few things I occasionally have trouble with, or suggestions by AEONBLUE. You can find a great list of resources on the Database Managers club if you decide you want to be a more dedicated contributor to the database - if you do thank you! By no means is this list exhaustive - if you have an addition, do let me know:
- Bookwalker is a very comprehensive site with many book covers in a high resolution.
- For Romanisation, I use Google Translate in conjunction with Jisho.org. J-Talk was suggested by CONAE
