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Updating the Pirate Anime FAQ
Joe Curzon writes "Over two years ago, I created what is now probably the most comprehensive and detailed guide to spotting bootleg and counterfeit anime/manga related goods - The Pirate Anime FAQ. A special version of the FAQ has also been published at numerous Anime Conventions around the USA. However due to commitments in the "real world" I have not been able to update FAQ almost a year. :( I would like to iron out any creases and update the whole thing in one go, so I was wondering what improvements would the Otaku readers of /. recommend? The DVD section and Fansub section are in need of the most attention and I plan to deal with that soon, but I was also wondering if there were any subtle changes I could make to improve the FAQ as well?"
The improvement most Slashdot readers would undoubtedly like is lots of links to downloads of pirated anime.
The goatse guy for president. Win one for the gaper!
If you see it on eBay and they say it comes on CD-R, then I'd recommend avoiding it ;-)
Why slashdot? Why not?
I enjoy buying bootleg Hong Kong DVD sets. I'm not trying to justfy it, it's still a form of piracy. But so is just about every song and movie you download off the net. The primary difference is that I still get relatively nice packaging and sets at prices that are sane enough for me to afford. I can't justify spending $300 to watch an entire series. And some sets, like Maison Ikkoku that I've gotten don't have good US alternatives. Viz Video was once releasing it at $30 a two episode tape but stopped before they even finished. Even then this is a 96 episode series. Would anyone in their right mind pay $1440 just to watch a TV show? (Although I do believe Viz Video has recently started to release the show in a series of pricey boxed DVD sets - Unsure of how these will be)
There are no karma whores, only moderation johns
One of the things pointed out in the DVD section is that the logos of Anime Cartoon and Video Animation (Animation Video) look the same meaning they're the same company. That's kinda funny considering they actually are two different companes. Animation Video's logo looks like Anime Cartoon's because AC releases better quality sets and so they wanna be associated with that. PS - Another logo in that same section actually IS another name/logo for Anime Cartoon. And it doesn't look similar at all. Just goes to show that you can't recognize piracy with copying for even priates copy wachother. ;)
It might help if you refrained from using the word "Otaku". To you, it may mean "enthusiastic anime fan", but to anyone who actually speaks Japanese, it means "pathetic loser with no life". If you're intending to inform people about a subject, you might want to avoid offending them.
"To you, it may mean "enthusiastic anime fan", but to anyone who actually speaks Japanese, it means "pathetic loser with no life"."
This reminds me of Star Trek fans who get hung up on the difference between Trekkie and Trekker. Once they start to care about this distinction, all hope of obtaining a life is gone with the wind (or, gone with a stream of tachyon particles, as it may be)
Don't blame Durga. I voted for Centauri.
Anime DVDs grossed $700 million domestically last year. They are projected to reach $1.2 billion this year. There are individual anime series that have grossed more than the Matrix worldwide.
Idiot.
"There are individual anime series that have grossed more than the Matrix worldwide."
If it is tentacle rape Hentai, it grosses anyone who sees it.
For one thing, you could change the colors on the web site. The bright green and blue text is very hard on the eyes, try dark blue and dark green instead. You should also consider removing the menu GIF animation.
I agree with you that anime is very expensive, but so are most other TV shows. Unfortunatly I think this is due to the DVD format it's self. It was designed for movies, and as such can only hold 4 or 5 episodes of a half hour show per disc. And with shows running into 6 discs for a single season for some shows (this is from Buffy season 2) at nearly $50 it's very expensive.
This all assumes you can even get it. The Cowboy Bebop collection is no longer sold, so I'd have to buy each disc individualy. The Betterman saga is something like $150 in a full set.
This is why I hope Blu-Ray discs and players appear soon. While they may not add to much for movies (full HDTV or something maybe) but for collection like series, they would probably reduce the cost a ton. Or you could fit all of the Starwars triligoy on one disc (episodes 4, 5, and 6) or any other trilogy. So even if it costs 5 times as much to make a blu-ray disc, it holds as much as about 7 DVDs, making it cheaper (not including the cost of packaging 7 DVDs, labeling them, running that many production lines, etc).
Blu-ray, where are you?
PS: I don't condone privacy. I could download entire series, but I don't think that's right. I'll wait untill I can afford them or they are on TV.
Comment forecast: Bits of genius surrounded by a sea of mediocrity.
A couple hi res examples of authentic goods might be usefull, perhapps an image or two from some of the major series's would be helpfull.
I live in a small town, theres only one place to get stuff, so I lack a basis for comparison on most items. As such, a library of authentic barcode/copyright information would be usefull for a website. I know I am interested in series X and Y, so looking up what the barcodes/info should look like for that exact series would be great.
paul reinheimer
Often the production of unlicensed goods is used by organised crime to launder money made from selling drugs, pornography and prostitution and to generally expand "business" opportunities.
But, as all armchair Slashbots know, buying drugs does not support terrorism.
Video Companies chose to ignore moral fansubbers for many reasons
One of the main reasons is because the Japanese companies can't get the people in America due to licencing laws. If its not licenced in America, its not illegal.
Now there are moral fansubbers who throw their fansubs away when said series becomes licenced, and go but a full quality DVD.
"Some fight for law. Some fight for justice. What will you fight for? One day, you will see."
I have a poster of Card Captor Sakura on my wall because I harbor deeply unnatural feelings for cartoon characters, not because I care about authenticity!
Seriously, this resource has nothing to do with stopping "piracy"; you may claim that's an issue but what this is really about is *fraud* - which you should be opposed to even if you support piracy (as I do.) It does nothing to stop pirating of TMs or whatever, it just stops these pirated goods from being passed as licensed/authentic, which matters a lot to collectors.
The good and new comes from no quarter where it is looked for, and is always something different from what is expected.
I think you should update your pirate anime faq with more coverage of internet fansubs. Specifically you should have lots of ed2k and bittorrent links to good stuff like One Piece and Hikaru no Go.
But seriously, you should point out that lots of fansubbers do better translations than the official ones, and that many people download fansubs because of the greediness of the official distributers, who often put out a dvd with just 3 eps on it, and since anime series tend to be at least 20 eps long that's a lot to pay per series.
You could also mention that official dvd releases of anime in Japan often have the cool extra value of a collectible figure.
Also you should highlight the shift from fansubs on vhs to fansubs on the internet, and how we don't have to put up with rubbishy quality anymore.
Maybe you'd like to include a bit about video codecs and how the Japanese are crazy for their realmedia format, and how xvid is taking over from divx in the west.
graspee
So, what do you all think about fansubs? Fansubbing licensed anime is certainly wrong, though many people still do it to save themselves money (DVDs are expensive). But what about for unlicensed anime, especially titles that will probbaly never be licensed? If it's something that would never be translated anyway, then I don't see anything wrong with letting fans watch it. As for the more popular series that are likely to be licensed, it really depends on the fans. The fans who go out and buy the DVDs or watch it on their local TV are just getting a sneak preview, but the others are getting free piracy. What do you all think?
2) Friends with cable modems/high speed internet access
3) Friends with no life
4) Friends who are total anime junkies, worse than yourself
5) CD-Rs
6) Friends who are KaZaA addicts.
7) A girlfriend who can put on pouty cute faces and stuff for your friends in exchange for all the anime they've stolen.
Mix, and enjoy.
And don't let your girlfriend see the hentai collection.
When I first got into Anime around 3 or 4 years ago (When I was 14 or 15) I found it really interesting that everyone who offered Anime up for download or Anime fansub groups would not promote distribution of licensed Anime, and that's still true today. (Though, it kind of sucks cause Anime is ussually licensed before the fansub group can even finish it) If you request or go around looking for licensed Anime, you won't really find it, or if you do it will be on a P2P network or some other non-fan supportive medium.
The entire FAQ is an interesting success story which shows that not everyone is out to pirate and rip off companies just becuase they can. If you have a good product which people like, it will accumulate a fanbase and they'll help create junior policies and "implied social contracts" against people that would harm your company. It's why I thought FOX made a huge mistake with their "cease and decist" letters against Simpsons fansites which caused many of the best Simpsons fansites to go off the web, all because they had some JPEG's of Bart or a 2 minute video clip of their favorite scene in an episode. Now everyone is realizing that fansites help companies earn more profit (because you have more explosure & a dedicated fanbase, among other things).
Anyway, I think the unlicensed anime images you host on the website count as "anime piracy" anyway unless you have permission from every anime studio to have them there, which I doubt.
graspee
If you call your page The Pirate Anime FAQ: A Guide To Unlicensed Anime and Manga Related Goods, it would make sense to include more detailed information on where to get the stuff (not just say eBay). How about explaining the benefits of different P2P systems, mentioning AnimeReactor, etc. And while you are at it, don't you think your FAQ is too one-sided? I would also add sections on "Why should I buy pirated stuff?", "How should I pirate stuff?", "What can I do for the anime piracy scene?", "How stupid you must be to oppose anime piracy for free, when you can earn some cash opposing movie piracy for MPAA?" etc.
Future Wiki -- If you don't think about the future, you cannot have one.
what the guys out there want to know is... where do I get Hentai for free!?
What you say!!
... way too expensive right now. I know people want to make a buck, but I can totally agree with the fellow who doesn't want to spend $1500.00 or so for a *single* series.
... go away and get a better value for their entertainment dollars.
And with DVDs "pressing" cost being about a dollar and the packaging being maybe a dollar or two more, exactly how can producers really expect to gouge customers this much?
They are almost forcing people to find cheap alternatives. Crappy copies off of file sharing or Hong Kong pirated copies are becoming not just a means to get stuff just "cheap" but pretty much the only way to get more than one series a year.
I own a very neat collection of BGC2040, legal. It didn't occur to me until just recently that I had paid $400 (before taxes!) for it. At $40 dollars of packaging, that's a pretty big profit margin.
And I'm sure the movie/anime/TV people would rather have me buying more of their products!
But people are too short sighted about making money now, instead of making sure their audience doesn't just...
Video games can give you easily 40+ hours of entertainment for about $40 dollar.
Is the price of producing DVDs and subbing/dubbing them really that expensive?
Arthur Hansen
No! It's a *SIG*. Keep the Special Interest Groups away! (Con joke!)
Once they start to care about this distinction, all hope of obtaining a life is gone with the wind (or, gone with a stream of tachyon particles, as it may be)
And they live with his mothers: No_More_Trek.avi (7.26 MB)
I have mixed feelings about anime. On the one hand, it's nice to see the influence of east-Asian art in American popular culture for a change (perhaps as retribution for what we did to Japanese folk music with disco). On the other hand, anime (especially manga) has historically been no better than pornography: it systematically dissects women into their component anatomical parts, except they're just fictionaly women. Now, this may be changing with the times, and there is a new crop of feminist apologists who'll tell you there's nothing wrong, that it is no more degrading to women than to men and that people of all genders are avid consumers. But again, to draw an analogy to pornography, it may just be that women are starting to internalize oppression.
There's nothing inherently wrong with the medium; just in how it's been realized and implemented. If only people were more aware of the intrinsic relationship between art and effects on society as a whole, then we might be a little slower to choose to make that buck at the expense of our common weal.
Slowest day at Slashdot ever?
Sorry, I don't collect anime but this is an important topic for many collectors.
In my case, I collect the labels from bananas, apples, etc from around the world.
How can I be certain that I'm getting the real thing? What would happen to the banana label market if piracy ran rampant? Would my entire collection become suspect? Would I need to defend the authenticity of my colorful stickers with carbon dating or exotic chemical analysis?
All collectors should be concerned. If your hobby becomes devastated by illicit trade, you might have to get a life!
...omphaloskepsis often...
I'm a retired fansubber (Lupin Gang Anime) from the days it was done from LD to SVHS, no digisubbing), so I've studied this a fair amount.
Although Taiwan is not a signatory to the Berne Treaty Convention, it is, technicaly, part of China, who IS a signatory. Of course, the mainland is not in much of a position to impose their will on Taiwan. But even so, it is STILL not legal to sell these bootlegs in Taiwan, despite what the FAQ says.
learn to spell, you goddamn ape.
For all the discussion given to various pirate houses, I think it would be worthwhile to have some in the other direction, perhaps just a list of not-immediately-obvious production companies for some of the most popular products. Most people have probably clued in that Bandai and ADV are legitimate, for instance, but it might not be so clearly known that e.g. Digicube is the 'real' producer for all of the Squaresoft music.
Another clue to legit vs. pirate items that ought to be mentioned is packaging bells and whistles -- examples of this would be things like the 'police tape' wrapped around the Cowboy Bebop CD box set, the reflective paper used for Konami's legitimate DDR soundtracks (is it obvious that most of my anime-related purchases are music?), etc etc.
Nobody cares what you think.
"Taiwan is not a signatory to the Berne Treaty Convention, it is, technicaly, part of China"
Taiwan is a separate country at this time from mainland China. Both call themselves "China" in their names: Republic of China, and People's Republic of China, which causes some confusion.
Everyone treats Taiwan as a separate country from what is typicalled called "China" most of the time (PROC), except when the PROC demands it. Then when the PROC turns its back, it is time to treat Taiwan as a distinct Asian nation, just as Japan and the Phillipines are.
Don't blame Durga. I voted for Centauri.
So what you're saying is that if somebody charges too much for a product you want, it is ok to steal it because you believe they are 'greedy'?
So by your logic, if I feel that the 'greedy oil companies' charge me too much for gasoline for the Trollmobile, it is ok to steal the gas instead of paying what they ask for it?
So go in depth... Many would find it an interesting read
Actio personalis moritur cum persona. (Dead men don't sue)
I've spent years buying legitimate copies of different shows, paying $30 for three-episodes-per DVDs (Pioneer's the WORST about this), movies with 'credits' listed as special features, etc. So, when I got the opportunity to pick up NG:E with both movies on four DVDs for $60, I said yes. Lower quality be damned!
As that was probably the funniest thing I've read in a while.
Too bad most people will miss the HEAVY sarcasm. =P
Goatse is Dutch!
bad japanese alert!
that is the equivalent of: My michel.
You meant: watashi wa micheal!
:)
Strong Bad on anime:
http://www.homestarrunner.com/sbemail57.html
http://www.homestarrunner.com/20x6vs1936.html
And:
http://www.homestarrunner.com/main17.html
Before you all get too excited, it's a guide on how to spot pirate anime, not how to pirate anime.
If your theory is different from practice, then your theory is wrong.
YOU FREAKS!!!!!!!!!!!
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but I'd argue that there is some price fixing. One of the products of price fixing is piracy.
Consider that new CD releases (at least in my city) have been slowly getting cheaper by about a buck every other year since 1999. A lot of new releases try to include something extra, like multimedia files, or a DVD. Why? They're trying to give value to a consumer that won't bat an eye at breaking the law. Offer value, and you can beat free.
Right now, what really strikes me as suspicious is that Canadian DVD prices (I'm Canadian) and US prices are numerically the same. I went to the US and thought I could get the Kubrick DVD box set -- but it was 199$ USD! This shocked me, as the same set was 199$ CDN back home. That (at the time) meant Canada had it for 100$ CDN/64$ USD cheaper. CNL, a Canadian DVD retailer, was the only place I found online that had prices comparable to the local ones, because all the other sites were in USD and thus 1.5x as expensive as buying locally.
Ask yourself why a DVD would have the same numerical MSRP when things like video games and music CDs have different MSRPs in our two respective countries. Ask yourself why CNL says they can't ship to the US.
--
Internet Explorer (n): Another bug -- that is, a feature that can't be turned off -- in Windows.
A good addition to the Fansubs section would be a quick blurb on Digisubs. For the uninitiated, Digisubs are Fansubs which are subtitled on computer and released in computer video format (usually mpeg or .avi(mp4)).
There are four basic anime plotlines:
1) Scantily clad girl uses super powers to save world.(Evangalimoon (sp?), Ghost in the Shell)
2) Group of characters with amusing defining characteristics saves world in their own unique (Sealab)
3) Big fucking robots blow shit up, shitty subplot with overdrawn romantic scenes and ludicrously dumb villains. (Gundam)
4) Brooding dark Swordsman or Vampire does lots of brooding dark stuff, girl falls in love with him cause he's "mysterious", saves world from unspeakable evil. (Samauri X, Vampire Hunter X, D or what have you)
Why is this on /.? Well, why? This is supposed to be a site for smart people, not children addicted to animated porn.
Since there are tons of games produced based ON anime series and other games that most fans will play anyway(eg: Dance Dance Revolution, ), why not a listing of how to spot counterfeit games? I know any CD that's silver and supposedly for the playstation is an instant pirated game, but most people won't figure that out. However, Dreamcast, Saturn, PC, and other CD systems are just as likely to be targeted by bootleggers. In some cases, these CDs won't even boot with out some sort of modification to the console.
And also to keep a look out for horrible 3rd party gear as far as specialty games such as DDR, beatmania, and let's sit around and shoot the cat with airsoft rounds, while not pirated goods, are of an incredibly shoddy construction. Konami softpads for DDR rarely fail, if ever, and tend to stay in one spot while playing. Some beatmania controllers won't even work properly as the keys aren't even properly setup to play beatmania.
Non impediti ratione cogitationus.
I'd recommend a fucking life.
You could rent them, unless your want a rare series.
They often use the term Hong Kong or "HK" DVDs when referring to pirate Anime. Is most of the pirate Anime really made in Hong Kong and isn't that were the highest concentration of SARS cases in the world is currently? It might make some people think twice about getting some cheap Anime that was hot off some DVD press in Hong Kong? Maybe, maybe not?
::droooolsss::
::makes a coy face::
ooh! Heh, sorry, didn't see you there.
THIS THING CAN TURN ON A DIME, MACROSSZERO STYLE ALSO FUCK BETA, ~NYORON
is my journal. It's mainly links to subbing websites and torrent repositories, but it's a good start. If you're looking for commentary on the legal aspect, I'd recommend you read this, it's written by Andy Kent several years ago, but is still basically right. Andy Kent works for ADV films. http://member.newsguy.com/~memoirs/legal.html
fansubs are one of they ideas/innovation that could be emulated else were it's a preview htat is done buy the fans for other fans. they get a free preview of the works and the chance to still have it if it's not released in that area. .
it also give free promotion and a market reacxtion tool for the licence companys who then have to make sure it's suitable for release subs and dubs and extra's . most anime coming out these days atleast in r4 is fairly good value for money esp the box sets . 50$usd for a 6dvd set with bonuses. you can't fault that . what that site is doing is showing how to support the artists and producers for the product they're makeing , not to some one who's taken someone elses work (funsub or official release) and making money of it , it's not saying fansubs are wrong it's saying how not to pay someone who's done nothing instead of the makers.
the cost of a dvd also has production of the content not just the media. those who say oh it's a dollar to make a dvd . you make a series then sell them for that , i'll throw you a stale loaf of bread for your food for a week
in reply to what the site needs is perhaps a few highres scans of official media so people can have a idea of what it is . and maybe some scans of pirated media so people can know what it is.
notice i was refering to the anime industry in this post please don't flame about riaa,mpaa or any of the other stuff it's a totally different area
People mentioning BitTorrent and fansubs don't get the picture. Nobody sane downloading One Piece off of BT believes they are getting an official product, and furthermore they are paying $0.00 for it.
The problem with "pirated" anime is that bootleggers attempt to pass their bootlegged goods as the "real thing." Many anime fans, especially novice anime fans, believe that they are getting a real collector's item when they buy these products.
Of course, there are ways to spot bootlegs. If you are looking for official merchandise as a collectable, you should always be wary of deals that seem too good to be true, and always look out for the warning signs.
The anime itself:
Obviously, a series being sold on eBay as a VCD or CD-R is a bootleg. That goes without saying.
However, most bootleggers use DVDs nowadays, and have done an extremely good job making their product appear to be official. You can prevent yourself from being duped if you are keen on things.
Anything with subtitles in both English and Chinese is a bootleg.
Almost anything that is "region free" is a bootleg.
If the price is too good to be true, it is probably a bootleg. Region 1 (US) anime DVDs range between $20 and $40. Region 2 (Japan) anime DVDs are even more expensive. Someone offering all of Lain (which is released on 4 DVDs in the US) for $20 is either crazy or selling a bootleg.
You can also look to make sure that the DVD packaging displays the name of a known distributor (ADV, AnimeWorks, etc.) or conforms to the packaging displayed on the original web site.
Anime Sound Tracks:
This can be a little trickier. Taiwanese bootleggers like SM and EverAnime often do a great job of making their bootlegs look EXACTLY like the real deal. The CDs are stamped, the sound quality is equal to that of the real thing, and even the packaging and appearance of the disc look exactly like the real thing from Japan. The only real way to tell is by looking at the name of the distributor, and the price. You will almost certainly pay a premium for the "real" thing, which could cost you $30-$50+ depending. SM CDs, on the other hand, are typically $5-$15.
The strange thing about bootleg Taiwanese CDs is that sometimes even reputable, legit. businesses who otherwise wouldn't have anything to do with bootlegs sell them.
Merchandise
Merchandise can be tricky, because there is often so much of it that it is hard to keep track. Obviously, you want to look for the copyright somewhere on the merchandise. If it isn't there, it may be a bootleg. Many "wall scrolls," character cards, etc. are bootleg merchandise.
Ultimately, the only way to probably make sure that you are getting legit goods is to know that it came from a store in Japan (though I'm not sure if that is 100%, since there are doujin-type goods out there that are fan-made).
Comic Books:
I know that bootleg manga are out there as well, but since manga isn't all that popular in the US yet, there are very few manga distributors. Viz an Tokyo Pop are two of the biggest ones. I guess just check to see if the manga is published by an authorized distributor.
And while doujinshi is not "bootleg" material, techinically, many newbie fans buy doujin not realizing what it is. It complicates things if they've bought an ecchi doujin, which is likely since a lot of doujin is pornographic. They don't find out that what they've bought is a "fan comic" until they open it up and see their favorite anime character getting gang raped.
Doujin is usually easily spotted because the art style will be different. However, many doujin artists are actually very good (a lot of pros got their start as doujin artists, and some still make doujin under "pen names") and can copy the original style. Sometimes the artist will be nice enough to write a warning on an ecchi doujin. It also will typically be larger / differently shaped than the manga volumes.
Of course, doujin in itself can be collectable. But I know many people who accidentally bought H doujin from dealers or when they went to Japan for the first time. Many I know who still lived with their parents high got in serious trouble. ^_^;
"You spoony bard!" -Tellah
I've also seen anti bootleggers who seem to be very knowledgable about unreleased anime - they get to see it from downloading it from the net, too.
I was expecting a FAQ about the anime versions of this, this, and maybe this. =)
"Yeah, well, Dracula called and he's coming over tonight for you and I said okay."
I'd take the complaint about "otaku" more seriously if I believed that the Japanese were equally careful to use english correctly. But apparently they're just as clueless as we are. I mean, really.
Cultures (At least interesting ones :-) happily steal words and phrases from other cultures and inevitably screw them up in the process. Smile and enjoy it.
If you're going to be in a business meeting with someone from Japan, perhaps it would be a good idea to steer clear of "otaku" to describe yourself. Of course, it would probably be a good idea to stear clear of any words you "just kinda picked up." Come to thinking about it, if you're in a situation where it would matter, what in the heck are you talking about your little obsession about anyway?
Search 2010 Gen Con events
It might help if you refrained from using the word "Hacker". To you, it may mean "enthusiastic computer guru", but to anyone who actually speaks English, it means "criminal asking to get busted". If you're intending to inform people about a subject, you might want to avoid getting arrested.
something that only virgin dorks can appreciate.
Anyone?
Words mean different things to different people, all depending on context as well. Terms can be a depressing or negative, and still also be used with pride by the group it refers to (see "fag", "nigger", etc.). And as someone else pointed out, we aren't talking about houses here, either. A subculture can use words how it wants. Don't be a language fascist!
There is no excellent beauty that hath not some strangeness in the proportion. -- Francis Bacon
I found that some pirate goods producers can't even spell their own company name right. I really think that the FAQ owners should include a scan of the "Forever Anine" logo along with the other two.
I got said CD from someone who runs a supposedly upstanding anime merchandise company in Australia. All their CDs are from Son May, ALCA, Ever Anime and Ho Son... whatever. At least they finally stopped selling fansubs.
Dammit, anime threads here always inspire rage in me... I got to three comments and stopped reading. ^_^;
Copyright is evil don't forget
If Google really cared they would fix Android Chrome to reflow text, instead of discriminating
Taiwan WANTS to be a separate country, but they have the little problem that Beijing doesn't want to let them. Every time someone in the Taiwanese govenment makes waves about declaring independence"
Taiwan is an independent country in reality; it has separate government, and everyone treats it like its own country except when they don't want to get the mainland angry.
Don't blame Durga. I voted for Centauri.
The words Hiroshima and Nagasaki make me giggle.
What a funny lad. I guess you can say the same for September 11th, huh?
Resin kits (little statues that you assemble and paint) are a niche in anime fandom. There are only a couple stores in my city that sell them.
And good luck finding an original kit, they're almost all recast. Resin kits are a bit different from DVD's or CD's in that if you want to find an original CD or DVD you probably can, however resin kits are usually only cast in small runs of between 100 and 1000 pieces, so sometimes the original in simply not available.
For anyone who cares, however, I offer the following tips on finding the "real deal."
Materials
Recast (pirate) resin kits are often made from different materials that the Japanese originals. Japanese kits are usually cast in white resin which is quite soft (you can score it with your fingernail) and oily. If the kit is heavy, hard and brittle (like porcelain) then it is probably a "cold cast" recast. If the kit is yellowish and brittle (check to see if any fingers snapped off) then it may be "golden cake" and also a recast.
Also, original Japanese kits will be higher quality all around (few bubbles, minimal mold lines, part seams will match better).
Packaging
Original Japanese packaging can vary quite a bit but usually there is a sketch of the kit on the box. If the box contains a photo of the painted kit, or photocopied assembly instructions then it is definitely a recast. By the same token if there is a photo/color copy pasted to the box then it is a recast.
Cost
An original Japanese kit will usually cast between $60 and $200, depending on the size, complexity, and scarcity. A recast will cost between $15 and $60.
Provenance
If the kit is on E-Bay and the seller is from Hong Kong, Singapore, or Thailand, then it is probably a recast. Original kits are easiest to find over the Internet. There are a number of Japanese shops that will do business with gringos. I recommend Hobby Link Japan as starting place.
As for me, all the kits I buy are recast. This is due to cost and scarcity. If I had to choose between plunking down $120 for a little unpainted statue or not making resin kits at all, I would pick the latter. Also, check out Hobby Link Japan's in-stock selection (easily the largest I've found) you still will find most of the kits listed are out of stock and will never be in stock again.
I appreciate the need of sculptors to get paid for their work, but they have to make a good-faith effort to insure supply and price are reasonable.
If you're thinking about building a recast resin kit, however, I should warn you that cleaning up and assembling a poor quality recast is a major headache. There are some reliable suppliers of reasonably high quality recasts though. I recommend Hobby Fan as a start.
I understand that for many of the smaller anime companies (AnimEigo, CPM, etc.) legal action is finscally difficult and logistically unfeasable to puruse, given the location of most 'bootleg' discs (southeast Asia) and the lax copyright infringement laws in place there.
Still, it would be nice to hear from as many representatives of the anime production community possible regarding what a fan concerned about the legality of his/her purchases should do, if anything, when they come across a website selling illegal material.
Along that same vein, perhaps it would be enlightening to find out if the animators, voice actors and musicians get any sort of royalties from sales, or if they are only paid under a one-shot deal contract. For example, musicians (London Philharmonic, I think) were paid a one-time fee for recording the Star Wars soundtrack. They receive nothing else from sales of soundtracks or movies. I'm not saying if that situation is good or bad, that's business.
However, either way, 'bootlegging' can and will affect the animators some way; either the animators won't make as much directly from residuals and/or the animation distributors and studios will have lower sales numbers, leading to less possibilities for new works to be created and licensed. This in turn can hurt fans; if sales aren't good for a series, there is less of a chance that the series spin-offs, extra episodes and related movies will be released.
Losers choose to abuse the use of "loose".
I was so disapointed that this didn't involve eyepatches, hooks or peglegs. I have a love for such things, and a new genre called "Pirate Anime," would have just what a girl needs. :(
"Often the production of unlicensed goods is used by organised crime to launder money made from selling drugs, pornography and prostitution and to generally expand "business" opportunities."
Oh god, not *that* argument again... In my experience 99.9%+ of piracy is kids sharing stuff instead of them all paying to get the same thing. Has anyone got *any* proof that piracy is directly related to drugs, porn, or prostitution at all, let alone "often"? anyone?
I agree with most of the arguments, but let's please try and be realistic...
I mod down anyone who says "I will be modded down for this", regardless of the rest of their comment
Just thought I would clarify. The SM and EverAnime CDs look really close to the original, and can be hard to spot. But once you know what you're looking for, you can simply look for their logos, which they happily display on their CDs. The logo will be the one difference, and is easily spotted if you know what to look for. Many newbies do _not_ know.
Since Taiwan did not sign to the Berne Convention, their "bootleg" CDs are completely legal under Taiwanese law, in Taiwan. However they "become illegal" the moment they enter a country that has signed to the Berne Convention. Many dealers will tell you that SM CDs are "legal" because they were made in Taiwan. They will say that the legality is due to a legal loophole created by the fact that Taiwanese products are not bound to copyright laws of other countries. This is incorrect, however, and Taiwanese bootlegs are still considered to be illegal in the USA.
"You spoony bard!" -Tellah
One Piece
If its not licenced in America, its not illegal.
.hack//sign or chobits or any other fansubbed anime that's liscened in America.
That's the stupidest fanboyism I've heard in a log time. Fansubs are every bit as illegal and unethical as pirating liscensed Anime. This is one of those little noble lies that let people who do it sleep better at night. That and "Oh, I'll get the DVD when it comes out in the US."
Right. You keep telling yourself that -- but don't think the rest of us give a damn when you rant at us for trying to download love hina or
Theft is theft, it's just as illegal and unethical when it's from a Japanese company as it is from a US company. If you really respected the artists, culture, and businesses of the "Anime Scene" you'd go to any of the amazingly easy to find import stores online and buy yourself a cheap Japanese DVD player / modded PS2 and buy the Japanese DVDs, if only for the liscense.
There is no difference except that I'd rather admit to child porn than admit that I watch anime.
The comprehensive thing is nice, but I think that the poster who said it was a drawn success story for antipiracy efforts had it right. Then again, I think Son May license most of their titles properly (but who wants crufty old CD-audio anymore?)
Quality ain't it; maybe you should set up a UDDI server for looking up legitimate, or at least well-subbed Anime (plus the concise relevant buyer data.) And flame RealONE as needed.
There's actually no excuse for not grabbing a good digisub of Mahoromatic if you aren't fastforwarding Sattelite Poemer. (Who would this be then? Hmmmmm. Maybe the gendi who thinks aesthetics has to suffer in lieu of the (now distributed, anonymous and validated) heroine's modesty is somewhere in front of 2 TVs and a hiragana strings hash table....
People please - grow up. I can't imagine why any mature US citizen would give a rat's ass whether any of this crap is pirated or not. Why?
1. It's entertainment. If you're not entertained, then just don't look at it.
2. It's made in Japan. They've been copying everything WE've made for 50 years.
3. HELLO, it's a FRIGGIN' CARTOON. Jeez. Get off your butt and join reality.
"And now, Frank N. Furter, your time has come. Say 'goodbye' to all of this, and 'hello'... to oblivion!"
I'm a fan of anime myself, but as middle-school student with no job, all the anime I can get my hands on are either fansubs... or fansubs. And more often than not, one of my favourite series suddenly gets licensed, and then the fansubber group usually drops it, or it goes underground (if there is an absolutely HUGE fanbase who can't wait, someone will pick it up). Same goes with manga. I'm a webmaster of a manga scanslation group (Manga-Sketchbook), and we have a policy to drop projects once they are licensed... or we remove all traces of it off the site, and it goes underground (Although I swear we haven't done that... yet :p).
When a company licences either a manga or anime, they usually take around 6 months to have anything to show, which is a very long time for whoever's addicted.
As for the threatening-fansites thing that sometimes happens, I think that's a stupid idea. I haven't heard of a case of any Japanese company that threatened a subbing/scanslation group so far, because it actually gives them more exposure.
More often than not, people will usually buy the licensed version of their favourite anime/manga (when they come out, that is), but there are always some selfish people that will never pay, cause they're such cheap bastards.
As for exposure, I often get emails from other scanslation groups from all over the world, asking permission to use our translations to translate to their own language, whether it's French, Indonesian, German, etc. That's a lot of exposure for free, don't you reckon?
I'd like to see more anime-related news on /., and make create a section for manga alone.
End of Rant.
Founder of Mirror Moon - Tsukihime Game Trans