Forum - View topicSpotting Bootlegs
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Kruszer
 Posts: 7994 Location: Minnesota, USA |
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Yeah, the all-regions thing and Chinese subs kind of gave it away, but I'd thought I'd check since since there is a legit company that puts out Asian Dramas with those specs, and Amazon isn't always the greatest at filling in the product details.
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ivorymoose
 Posts: 240 |
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I've been absent or inactive in this hobby for 8 years. So much has changed. I'm shocked that Bandai Entertainment no longer release new DVDs, they can't be serious right?
I downsized my DVD collection many years ago, I keep only Bandai titles. On my wanted list are the following Gundam Region 1 titles: 00, Unicorn, MS08th team, Stargazer (if available in region 1). I reorganized my old collection many years ago and sold off old region 3 VCDs for some of these titles, hence I am now looking to replace them with region 1 disks. But oh.......the bootlegs are such a pain! 
I am scared of 00 Gundam Anime Legends! Is it true that the clear sleeved Anime Legend 00 Gundam sets are bootlegged? Many years ago, I remembered people in this forum said that Anime Legend sets may contain disk errors and the quality may not be as good as the individual disks. Now, it seems that everybody is preferring Anime Legends. I only bought Anime Legends boxseets for titles I don't like, such as Seed and Wing. Now, am I right to assume that I should prefer Anime Legends for Gundam 00? Personally, I had wanted to collect the 2 disks set of 7 DVDs. Can eBay sellers be trusted? 00 Gundam Anime Legends is priced too high on Amazon and I think the 2 disks set is no longer available in full set. Does it mean that all 00 Gundam Anime boxsets that come in black DVD sleeves are authentic? The box sets are expensive, so authenticity is paramount. To make matters more frustrating, I own a legal set of Zeta Gundam (2 disks set 2005) acquired in 2008 from either Canadian retail chains or eBay. I kept all the receipts. The entire set of 10 disks in 5 volumes are cased in clear DVD sleeves and not the usual black sleeves. Does this make it look like bootleg? Should I be considering exchanging this for a set in black sleeves like the 10 disk thin pack? I will NOT collect the Zeta title in Anime Legends. I strongly prefer the 2 disk set or individual DVDs. I see a lot of Rurouni Kenshin boxset photos in this thread. They don't look right. I bought 2 of my sets from Amazon in 2007, I kept all the receipts: The outer sleeves are black (See Photo 1) Photo 2 is a problem. The disk Dreams of Youth from Season 3 is different from all the others, it's a 2001 release while the others 2005 release. I am not sure if this is how it's suppose to be. Season 3 was acquired from a trusted eBay seller, the boxset came sealed with Animeworks brochures and feedback card. I investigated this disk and it seems that it's like that even for individual DVDs. It's unbelievable that Anime Works will keep 1 disk in 2001 release while all the others are 2005 releases. Has anyone notice this? Photo 1 
Photo 2 
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Shiroi Hane
Encyclopedia Editor
 Posts: 7584 Location: Wales |
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I would have thought a bootlegger would do a better job at keeping things consistent. It looks like the discs they used for the collection were just sourced from different runs or something. The logo on the bottom left disc is different to the others, but it does match the original cover (including that chrysanthemum or whatever it is).
It could be that the original owner had the box set and some of the singles and got the discs mixed up? Maybe MB had to reprint some of the discs for some reason (e.g. to reduce disc count) and remade the screen print as well, but that disc kept as-is? |
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ivorymoose
Posts: 240 |
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Season 3 RK boxset was acquired new in 2007 from a trusted eBay seller with retail address in Ontario Canada, the box came wrapped like new but without the white security strip. I was shocked to see that 1 disk is different, I am not able to confront the seller as the box was supposedly new and never opened before. Moreover, I have no proof that the disk is an illegal copy because it looks like the 2001 legitimate disk. I also have no proof that AnimeWorks did not in fact left 1 disk unchanged from the 2001 release. Season 3 box was not popular, so not many people have that box. I would be very grateful if someone with the same season 3 box can verify if that 1 disk is indeed like that. I thought of buying another season 3 box from Amazon to compare but if they are the same, I would be saddled with 2 Season 3 boxes. RK Season 3 boxes are not popular, they are hard to sell. I've decided to move on with my RK collection, I will be ordering direct from Amazon the newly released Rurouni Kenshin Trilogy in Blu-Ray Region A/1 in Japanese dialogue and English Sub. My entire RK collection with the exception of Season 3 boxset is direct from Amazon because I want to support the title. It's ironic that the 1 boxset that's not from Amazon cause so much agony because of 1 disk! 
I am very discouraged with collecting anime DVDs. The market for Bandai titles is now flooded with illegal copies worse than before. I assume that all region 1 Bandai titles are out of print. Region 1 Gundam 00 is very hard to collect at this point. Hazardous. I might acquire the Gundam Unicorn and MS08th Team first and leave out Gundam 00 for now. I feel tempted to acquire another Zeta set although I already have a set. 
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OsamuTezuka
Posts: 51 Location: Metropolis |
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I'm looking at a DVD set on ebay of the Rurouni Kenshin tv series. I'm a little suspect of it, but after looking at the images closely I can't confirm whether or not it's legit.
Is anyone familiar with this particular set? http://www.ebay.com/itm/RUROUNI-KENSHIN-Complete-TV-Series-1-95-DVD-ENGLISH-Dubbed-/172184760921?hash=item281702f259:g:Z5QAAOSwZ8ZW19dX |
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Keichitsu0305
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Hello~
I would highly recommend you head over to the Retail Thread: Spotting Bootlegs. As for this set, in my option it's a fake. Rurouni Kenshin was previously licensed by Media Blasters but, most of the box sets are out of print. Tip: Whenever you're doubting the legitimacy of an eBay listing, check out the anime/manga ANN encyclopedia page. There you will find the information of the previous DVD/BD or manga releases. I would also recommend looking at CDJapan for the original Japanese releases since the covers tend to change from the U.S distributor. Hope that helps! |
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zawa113
 Posts: 7358 |
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imo, definitely a fake, if someone tried to trade this in at my work, I'd be immediately suspicious. Lack of Media Blasters on the case is one thing, but US companies also put their logo on the discs themselves, and this has zero. Even if you didn't know the exact publisher of a title, lacking any legit US publisher on the discs is a pretty major thing. And they don't typically release sets where all the writing for the series title is in Japanese like that either (I'm trying to think of one where they did, only Kyatto Ninden Teyandee comes to mind, but that was mostly to differentiate it from the Samurai Pizza Cats release as well).
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Zalis116
Moderator
 Posts: 6902 Location: Kazune City |
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Other red flags that it's a bootleg: * Being region 0 / Region-free * Wrong technical information - claims to be a "widescreen" edition, for a 1996 anime that was definitely made in 4:3. |
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OsamuTezuka
Posts: 51 Location: Metropolis |
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Actually there are some legit anime DVDs that are region 0/region free. (They are typically more obscure/older/from smaller distributors but they do exist. I have a few from US Manga Corps and such.) I am a bit suspicious, but if they are bootleg they are certainly of high quality! Edit: I found another listing showing similar sets, but it's a lot that includes what looks like a legit soundtrack set plus the Trust/Betrayal OVA. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Wholesale-lot-of-4-Anime-titles-15-DVDs-CDs-NO-duplicate-RUROUNI-KENSHIN-/141971316415?_trksid=p2047675.l2557&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&nma=true&si=LO3N8ZChN%252FBhLCayoKiE5Ex6qSk%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc At a price of $15, I'm willing to take the chance, as the soundtrack is worth the price alone! (Plus I already have Trust/Betrayal) I'll report back when I have the DVDs in my possession for a proper inspection. |
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Shiroi Hane
Encyclopedia Editor
Posts: 7584 Location: Wales |
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That CD has the Sonmay logo so it is definitely NOT legit.
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One-Eye
 Posts: 2267 |
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Ok, but this person is selling multiple lots of DVDs from what should be various companies and they are all listed as region free (Bandai, Viz, ADV/Sentai are obscure and small distributors?). They can't all be region free. That seller has Ghost in the Shell Movie in one of the lots. I have almost every NA version of that movie on DVD (except for Essence of Anime version) and I don't recognize that red cover. They also have Solid State Society which I'm pretty sure only had 2 releases in NA one an LE and they both didn't have that cover (and mine says Region 1 on the back). This seller also has NANA on 2 sets for sale. I'm pretty sure that Viz has only released NANA here in 4 sets, which I own and which says Viz media on front and Region 1 on the back. Frankly, looking at everything that's being sold I'd be surprised if there was anything in all those lots that is legit. Besides ANN's encyclopedia BigDVDList (Michael's Movie Mayhem) is a good resource for researching DVD releases.
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OsamuTezuka
Posts: 51 Location: Metropolis |
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I agree, I am highly suspicious. Still, $15 is low enough to take a chance. The soundtrack set, isn't technically bootleg--just not of Japanese origin. Sonmay has legitimate licenses, but they're specifically for Taiwan. Take that how you will, but they are still known for lower quality products and certainly still inferior to legit Japanese or American releases. If the remaining items are bootleg, I may just eat the $15. It wouldn't be worth the trouble of disputing with someone who clearly does deal in bootlegs. Plus legit Rurouni Kenshin DVDs are insanely hard to get at reasonable prices, so it's at least a temporary fix. It's weird that Aniplex has released everything on DVD/Bluray EXCEPT the actual TV series. |
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Tempest
 I Run this place.ANN Publisher  Posts: 10468 Location: Do not message me for support. |
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Son May became legit over a decade ago... I don't know what year it was exactly, but anything recent from them is legit. |
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Shiroi Hane
Encyclopedia Editor
Posts: 7584 Location: Wales |
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Huh. Going from physically pirating goods to licensing is on a whole different level to Crunchyroll's "going legit".
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Ajc228
Posts: 265 |
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I'm interested in buying Armored Trooper Votoms stage 1 Uoodo city. The DVD is out of print and the cheapest I've seen it is 69.99 (assuming it's legit). I was happy to find it cheaper on Animecastle.com but I've read they sell bootlegs in addition to legit merchandise. Here is the link for the item: https://www.animecastle.com/p-102228-armored-trooper-votoms-dvd-stage-1-uoodo-city.aspx
Does this look legit or am I better off finding it elsewhere? |
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