The generic "Is this a bootleg" thread

[xris]

Originally Posted by Subtle Sorrow

Hello everyone, I was just wondering as I've just bought Death Note (Or rather it's just arrived)

How can I tell if it's a fake or not ?

I really hope it's not.

I assume you mean a Region 1 Death Note DVD with English subtitles and not the original Japanese release (R2 with no English subtitles or English dubbed track).

The first post of the thread gives a give pointer

Originally Posted by xris

• Spot check on how to tell if a DVD is a bootleg or not
  Region 0
  Chinese and English subtitles
  6+ episodes per DVD
  Low Cost (under $4 per episode)

Here is an example of what the proper U.S. release should look like.
DVDPacific, Death Note, Vol. 1
Amazom, Death Note - Vol. 1
You will notice the retail price is about $30 but typically you can find it on-line for under $20. It contains the first 4 episodes for a run time of 100 minutes. It's Region 1 with Japanese and English language tracks and an English subtitle track. Released by Viz.

If your copy doesn't match any of this then it's most likely a bootleg.

[Eczema]

Bah, I went on holiday to Malaysia a few months ago and bought a stack of anime DVDs. Now I read this topic and practically every box from the opening post is ticked for whether it's a bootleg or not.

Protip: Don't buy DVDs from Malaysia. Even if it's a proper-looking store in a shopping centre. They're all FAKE.

[Vexx]

eyup... should have asked before you went. That region is like Bootleg Central and where, if the production companies want to call someone "pirates" --- THEY'RE the ones to whom the title might actually apply.

I vote we send BayTSP into their dens. They can even wear cool jackets with BayTSP on them --- that'll stop 'em in their tracks

[Amray]

I simply buy mine from the UK-based, online store Play.com. They are an honest and very big store with amazing feedback and results..They sometimes release some anime in the UK before they are supposed to be released here, such as Death Note. I was keeping a look out for when they were to release it and they did it a week early. I was one of the first consumers there to buy a copy of it. The special two-disc edition with shiny writing on the cover, only just over £10 which was absolutely amazing! I was pleased with that. I often buy Manga from there too, therefore I am one of their greatest customers.

Which raises a question. Is there such a thing as fake Manga? I know that there are fake figures because I have seen images and read descriptions (thank goodness I have never had the misfortune of purchasing one), but what about Manga?

[Eczema]

Originally Posted by Amray

I know that there are fake figures because I have seen images and read descriptions (thank goodness I have never had the misfortune of purchasing one),

How to tell if a figure is a bootleg?

[Amray]

Originally Posted by Eczema

How to tell if a figure is a bootleg?

There is no sign of an original seal or company producer on the statue or packaging. It looks as though it has been hand-painted by some lonely old man, bored in a room. The face is all wrong and certain features are simply just painted on with nothing else. The stance is a tad off from its original. If it does have a company name then it is fake or stolen. The date of the actual figures' production is usually wrong. The in-dented features on the figure are not....in-dented but instead are merely painted on, or not there at all. The box that it comes in is usually broken. It has no trade marked signs and such, and if they do then they are often terribly forged. Wrong materials are used to the original. I know it sounds stupid but also the smell can give a bootleg away.. et cetera...

Mine are purchased from honest stores anyway, sometimes personally, and are expensive. I also view original pictures of the statue before I buy one so I have a rough idea of what they are supposed to look like. If I do buy them online it is either from an honest and popular UK-based store, or on the rare case, if a description states
"No Chinese Fakes!!" then I will buy from them. Not often though but it has not let me down yet.