Man...box sets can be expensive...(RK Kyoto Arc)

[Destroyer2000]

Sheesh....has anyone bought this, and if so, for how much? I'm thinking about getting it off Discount Anime DVD.com, but I'm wondering if those are bootlegged or not...or if they're fansubbed. I've noticed in the fansubbed anime that I've seen, there are alot of bad translations...

[Hitokiri]

i dont have the Kyoto Arc yet, though I have all the episodes in a box set after it for like $40 I think.

[Destroyer2000]

40?! Wow...I paid 89 - 90 for the first one, I believe...or was it 110? The Kyoto Arc is 110 also on Discount Anime DVDs, and it has the Kyoto Arc Boxset and one of the Samurai X movies in it...

[Hitokiri]

yeah, i found the Dubbed Kyooto Arc (6 DVD box set) for $60, thinking bout getting that.

I got the Japanese version of the last box set i mentioned earlier.

I got both Samurai X titles four bout 20 at Target

[cbwing0]

I'm thinking about getting it off Discount Anime DVD.com, but I'm wondering if those are bootlegged or not...or if they're fansubbed.

They are not bootlegged. Most of the Kenshin bootlegs that I have seen go for about $90-$120, and that is for the entire series. In addition, those are 12-disc sets, while this is 8 just for the kyoto arc.

[Hitokiri]

what is the difference from orginal and bootleg?

[cbwing0]

The originals are the legitimate Region 1 sets that are designed to be sold to a North American audience. There are two types of bootlegs of which I am aware. The first are the "fansubs," mentioned earlier. These are subtitled versions of the original Japanese versions, usually of rather poor quality. There are very few places that have the nerve to charge money for fansubs, although I suppose they are out there. You should probably avoid these, unless you like buying junk.

The second type of "bootlegs," are English dubbed versions of the originial series. They should have the same English audio tracks as the standard versions, but there are a few important differences between these and the "real" product. First, they are generally 50% or more below the retail price for the standard versions. This is good for those that don't have the money to pay for the originial product. The second difference is that these are mostly Region 0/Region Free, meaning that they will play in any dvd player from any part of the world. Third, most of these come out of Hong Kong, China, etc., meaning that there is a good chance you will be paying exorbitant shipping charges to receive the product by mail (I don't know of any store that sells them).

Although the video/audio quality of these versions is more or less on par with the standard editions, they generally come in cheaper packaging (with gatefold cases being the most common, as opposed to the hard plastic keepcases of most standard dvds). In addition, they usually have more episodes crammed onto each dvd. In other words, they have no value as collector's items.

If you want to see what these bootlegs look like, you can visit the following sites:
http://www.cookiejarvideo.com/
http://animecollector.com/
http://www.jinkie.com/

Also note that most of these sites sell English dubbed and Japanese only dvds side-by-side. Compare the prices, region, and numbers of discs to see the difference between the different versions; however, keep in mind that I am not familiar with any legal issues that might be involved with these bootleg versions. In case they are illegal, I will add the caveat that these links are for "educational purposes only."

[Destroyer2000]

Hm...I got the first season boxset for around 90 pr 110 at FYE. They're made at Anime Works...are these bootlegged? The subtitles and the speech are not the same. For example, in the opening theme "Freckles" most of the phrases are switched in the subtitles. The song still sounds the same as it does on CN, but the subtitles are different...it's strange like that. On the actual show the characters say something, but in the subtitles, no words come up. Sometimes when they DON'T say something, the subtitles come up...

[Azier the Swordsman]

You think box sets in America are expensive... try buying a boxset from Japan. You will spend a good $700 to $1000 US dollars.

[cbwing0]

Hm...I got the first season boxset for around 90 pr 110 at FYE. They're made at Anime Works...are these bootlegged?

If you bought it at a major retailer like FYE, then I would seriously doubt that it is bootlegged. That is also the standard price for the Wandering Samurai boxed set. I don't know about the subtitles (do you mean the actual text subtitles or the dubbing?), because I haven't watched it with the subtitles.

[Pantakrator]

Hey guys,
I'm new to the CAA... Yay! Anyway...

A few things

1.

They are not bootlegged.

That kinda depends on your definition of bootleg. As far as I know discountanimedvd.com started with so called import DVDs only. I've been going to the site for a couple of years now. An "import" is just a fancy way of saying HK DVD. If your were looking in their domestic area it's kind of useless saying that, but be aware that discountanimedvd.com does sell HK DVDs.

2. The all region DVDs you guys are talking about are also HK DVDs. I currently have some and plan to purchase more in the future. So far I've never had any problems with customs or anyone else. GameStop was actually willing to purchase them from me. I really doubt a corporation would take in illegal goods.

Their are very heated debates on this and I am not trying to troll at all... Just wanted to get the info out to you guys. Later.

[Hitokiri]

k i just don't know him my davds are bootleg or not...I get all my DVD's at this site (I'm sorry but they do sell Hentai but they do have some great prices )

MeganimeDVD.com

[cbwing0]

That site does have some bootlegs, or HK dvds, if you like. Honestly, though, it isn't that bad. Let's take an example from something that many people like.

Standard Trigun set: $150
HK Trigun set: $30

In pure economic terms, it is a no-brainer.

The real problem with buying them is that it takes away money from the companies that are trying to legitimately sell products in the United States. This means less anime comes here, which hurts the anime community as a whole. Of course, it might also persuade the bigger companies to lower their insane prices, which would also be a good thing.

[Pantakrator]

Unfortuanly (I know it's spelt wrong), almost wherever you get your anime there is always going to be hentai. Perhaps if we only buy regular anime they'll start dropping some of the hentai. Hey, it's good to be optamistic. You can also try

http://www.695anime.com for really good prices.

BTW http://www.meganimedvd.com is selling HK DVD's.

[Retten]

um.... you can buy the entire series of ebay for $55 brand new http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3380319140&category=41524
shiping is like $30 though

[cbwing0]

That is the HK version...notice how it has box art nothing like the actual dvds, and it is on 12 discs. As I have said before, the actual series has more like 20.

One more thing. Although his location says "United States," the seller's join info reads, "Member since Jul-03-00 in China." That probably means he is from China, which would explain the $39 for shipping.

If you're going to buy things on Ebay, you should really check these things.

[Yoda47]

The office release of the box set of the Kyoto arc is being release on March 30th by Media Blasters in the U.S. The discs for the release are out, but if they're in a box, it's some bundle deal from a retailer. Price for the box set is $149 (or the box only that will hold the indiviual disks for $19) I don't know about box sets for the whole Kyoto arc outside of the U.S.

TRSI (http://www.rightstuf.com) is rumored to have a sale on all things Media blasters one of these upcoming Thursdays, so if they do, you should be able to get the whole season for well under $100.

[Destroyer2000]

Ok, first off, I don't know the difference between subbed and dubbed. And you were talking about the hard case DVDs...I don't have those in the 1st Season Kenshin Boxset that I have. They are in a box with 3 little folders, each one holding two disks. There are 6 volumes all together...

[Kite]

I don't know the difference between subbed and dubbed.

Subbed=Subtitles
Dubbed=English voices for characters.

[Destroyer2000]

Ah, so, subbed would be still speaking in Japanese with subtitles to translate? And dubbed would be with the optional subtitles but the characters would speak english?

[cbwing0]

That's correct.

And you were talking about the hard case DVDs...I don't have those in the 1st Season Kenshin Boxset that I have. They are in a box with 3 little folders, each one holding two disks. There are 6 volumes all together...

Yeah...I'm almost certain that that is the standard, authentic set. The picture on Amazon.com has the little folders and such, so I'm assuming that is the way it is supposed to be in this case. Amazon.com is a good resource to consult in this matter. They will usually have a picture for you to compare with other sites, and you know that they are selling the genuine article.

[Fsiphskilm]

My

[PXDN Gamer]

Hmm I get most of my stuf from Rightstuf.com they usally sell movie bundles in there weekly specials while they dont usally have the box you can pick up a good full series for 60-70 bucks I picked up a bunch of full sets that way. Just finished ordering neo ranga for 69.99 and Chance pop session for 29.99!

[cbwing0]

Then publishers complain like little Girls about consumers buying HK Bootlegs and Downloading them off the internet...

You are right, of course]for sure[/i] whether or not they are illegal?

If they are illegal, then the case is analgous to downloading copyrighted songs. Of course "free" is less than "$18.99 per CD," but that does not give you the right to steal the songs. The simple fact of a lower price does not justify stealing.

If they are legal, I see no problem. That would probably mean that the parent companies are making some sort of profit from the HK versions. It would also make some sense to sell them this way, as is often done now with PC games. You have the regualr version for a certain price, then the deluxe "collector's edition" that costs considerably more. For those that want the pure anime and don't care/can't afford lots of extras, the HK versions are the perfect solution. Perhaps they could be legalized and sold in this way...

Maybe if the anime companies lose enough money this way, they will lower their prices; then again, they might go out of business.

[Hitokiri]

bieng naive in inetrnet handlings, the box sets i recently got turned out to be bootlegs so i burnt them all





actually i didn't......