How to Spot a Bootleg

[BasharOfTheAges]

Sometimes i like to use ebay to save money

I don't know how bad it is now, but at once point over half of all DVDs sold on ebay were bootlegs. Personally, I can't believe the FBI hasn't gotten more involved in ebay, since bootlegged goods often are linked to the financing of organized crime. (Mailing a bootleg through the USPS is actually felony mail fraud as well).

I'm also pretty sure every word i've just typed has shown up in this thread in the past... 5 years since it was created... wow... looked back to the first few pages and saw a lot of names that have gone away.

[mirkosp]

BTW I'll add that with BDs I see an increasing number of japanese BDs being region free and even featuring english subtitles. So these two things are less of a bootleg indicator for BDs:

* If it's described as "Region 0" or "all-region", it's probably pirated; there are a few legit regionless or multi-region anime DVDs out there, but not many
* If there is no English dub track, and the subtitles are in Chinese and English, it's almost certainly a bootleg; there are almost no official licenses for anime in Chinese-language markets

[jenifer111]

What you guys are talking about??

[sircrackpot]

What you guys are talking about??

Grown up things. Now go along and play. *shoos away*

[DarkAngelAMV]

Spot a Bootleg? Thats easy...If the complete set is cheaper than the DVD with a few episodes, Then you got yourself a Bootleg

[mirkosp]

Spot a Bootleg? Thats easy...If the complete set is cheaper than the DVD with a few episodes, Then you got yourself a Bootleg

That is not always true, actually. Depends on the region and country the box was made from, and how old the show is. It is possible for a box with more episode released at a later time when the series has been out for years to be cheaper for single DVD releases from shops that have had the old release of that same anime laying around for years and never bother to lower prices for example.
Also, prices in Japan are quite high, like 80 USD for 2 eps high sometimes, yet BD boxes in the US are quite cheap, much cheaper than the price for the entire series in Japan, yet they are both legal releases.

So price isn't necessarily the only thing to look for to know if it's bootleg or not.

[sportsgirl1391]

I wish i read this before. My cousin left 3 or 4 bootleg anime movies at my house. And then I bought one not knowing it was bootleg until I got home. I was pissed. -_- now they just sit around collecting dust in my room. I bought the Darker than Black Season 2 DVD got home found out its bootleg didnt even really look at the case put in the dvd and saw the watermark in the top corner -_- I was so pissed. I am going to buy it again english dub from FUNimation when it comes out but I know now what to look out for but I wish I saw this sooner. bc now i got some collecting dust. lol.

[TEKnician]

I look for region number (usually number 1 for North America), length (in minutes), rating (Not PG-13, anime will rate it like how they rate manga), sometimes aspect ratio, and legitimate credits (bootleggers won't bother typing in fake stuff). If all else fails, google the dvd image you're looking at. I was duped into buying the entire Eureka Seven Collection and saw friction Xamd on one of the discs. Not only that but what really pissed me off was that the quality of the video was aliased like hell. I then tried to sell it to a video store but they couldn't accept it. (ta da! Official confirmation of a bootleg!)

Even if i wanted to make a bootleg, i'm smart enough to know the difference between Xamd and Eureka Seven.

[Kariudo]

I look for region number (usually number 1 for North America), length (in minutes), rating (Not PG-13, anime will rate it like how they rate manga), sometimes aspect ratio, and legitimate credits (bootleggers won't bother typing in fake stuff). If all else fails, google the dvd image you're looking at. I was duped into buying the entire Eureka Seven Collection and saw friction Xamd on one of the discs. Not only that but what really pissed me off was that the quality of the video was aliased like hell. I then tried to sell it to a video store but they couldn't accept it. (ta da! Official confirmation of a bootleg!)

Even if i wanted to make a bootleg, i'm smart enough to know the difference between Xamd and Eureka Seven.

Yes, region number can often be an indicator...but there is still legit region 0 stuff every now and again.

The rating system used...not so much. About 5 years ago, the majority of animu was rated 7+, 10+, 13+, 15+, etc... but these days I'm seeing more stateside distributors using US/Canada ratings like TV-PG

Cost, Region Code, unofficial artwork, # of disks (or episodes per disk), and Chinese/Taiwanese subs are still the primary indicators.

[BasharOfTheAges]

If it had a theatrical release, it has an MPAA rating, if it had a TV airing in north america, it has a TV-style rating. If it's straight to disc, it really depends on what's easier for the production team to get. If they do a lot of work with broadcasters or may have had a TV deal that fell through, they probably send discs in bulk to their ratings people who do them all at once. They did try to roll their own for a while for a more nuanced feel. I honestly think it was used more to sell than to inform, like the explicit lyrics sticker on CDs ended up being.