Bootlegs - Buyer Beware!



Bootlegs are illegally reproduced copies of material, made without the permission of the original creator. Just about anything can be bootlegged - DVDs, CDs, even artbooks! And according to current statistics, about one third of all anime discs sold in the US are bootleg copies. This article will discuss why bootlegs are bad, how to tell if what you've got is a bootleg, and how to avoid them!

Bootlegs are illegal all around. The people who create bootlegs make enormous profits on their sales, as bootlegs are simple and cheap to produce, while the original creators of the anime make nothing. So when you purchase a bootleg, your money is often going to morally reprehensible people.

Aside from the legal factor, bootlegs simply don't have the quality that legitimate anime has. You sometimes get HALF as many discs as the real copy has, and the compression results in poorer picture and sound quality. The box art may look good, but look carefully - it often has pictures from the wrong season, is fuzzy, or the box is simply put together badly.

We know that bootlegs are bad, and most people probably wouldn't want something illegal and of poor quality lying around. The problem is that most people buy them without knowing they have them. They are sold online as "imports" by a HUGE number of sellers, and people buy them without ever knowing the difference.

So how can you tell if you've got a bootleg copy, or if someone is trying to sell you one? Here are some tips:

Check the number of discs
Real sets usually have somewhere between 3 and 5 episodes per disc, while bootlegs can have somewhere between 6 to 12. This results in less discs, and poorer quality (due to the compression). A typical Sailor Moon boxed set for one season will have 8 discs, while a bootleg has only 4. Before buying, check how many discs the set is SUPPOSED to have, and compare it to what the seller has. If it's less, it's a bootleg!

Check the picture quality
Because bootlegs are compressed to fit on less DVDs, the picture and sound quality often suffer. The picture may seem jumpy at times. Some bootlegs look as though they've been recorded from TV. Some seem good for a while, then spontaneously hit a bad spot. Or you may be lucky, and actually get decent quality. This really seems like a lottery at times.

Check the price
Is the price DRASTICALLY lower than the price in stores? If a Sailor Moon boxed set is usually roughly $140, and you find a copy for just $30-40, it's probably a bootleg. They're cheaper, of course, because they're just stolen copies. Remember, you get what you pay for!

Check the box art
Does it seem kind of fuzzy? If not, is the art correct for that season? For example, on my Sailor Moon R DVD, the discs have art from the SuperS season! It can still look professional, though, so look even more closely at the box construction. In the places where there is glue, has some of the glue run off, leaving little blobs of dried glue? That suggests that it was cheaply manufactured, and is probably a bootleg.

Check the Languages
Most DVDs that come out of Hong Kong will have an option for Chinese subtitles. If the subtitles aren't listed ONLY in the English language, then it probably isn't the North American subtitled disc.

Check the Region
If they are "All Region," "Region-Free," "Region 0," or "All Codes," they are definitely bootlegs! Region codes keep DVDs from one part of the world from playing in another part, where the title has not yet been released. A Region 1 DVD will only play in Region 1 DVD players (in North America), but won't play in a Region 3 DVD player. The North American releases of Sailor Moon DVDs are ONLY Region 1!!

Who is selling it?
Is it from an official site, or is it from a third party? Be very careful of what you buy on eBay, or even from third parties on Amazon. Unfortunately, Amazon.com does very little to stop bootleggers on their site, and VERY many DVDs bought from third parties there are bootlegs. Also, watch out for these companies, which are confirmed sellers of bootlegs: Animation International, Anime Cartoon International, Jade, Anime Studio, DVD Ani, Fx, MAC (Manga Anime Cartoon) and Manga International.

Think you have a bootleg copy? What do you do? My advice is to do nothing. If you send the DVD back, you will probably never see your money again. Don't re-order the same product - you're just risking getting another bootleg. And now that you have it, there's no use spending an extra $140 to get the real copy. Emailing the person who sold you the copy is a good idea, but keep in mind that many sellers don't know that they've got bootleg copies; even they have a hard time spotting fakes! Let them know that you've received a fake, and see what happens from there.

Unfortunately, since Sailor Moon is no longer licensed in the US, getting your hands on a real copy is going to be extremely difficult. When browsing, just keep these tips in mind, and be very careful! Happy shopping!