Comments | gsj_mods: The GSJ Bootleg Guide

gsj_mods

The GSJ Bootleg Guide

Jan 14, 2009 13:34

BEFORE YOU COMMENT - PLEASE READ THE ENTIRE GUIDE CAREFULLY!!!
Disclaimer: this guide does not say that all region 0 dvds are bootlegs!

It is against GSJ rules to sell bootlegs (illegal anime/manga/Japanese related goods). Sometimes, when you're new to the fandom, its difficult to spot them.

So here's a quick guide of things you should look out for.

( Read more... )

bootlegs

Comments 62

encyclopedicace August 4 2009, 08:00:01 UTC

Does unofficial idol goods (pictures, etc) come under this too?

gsj_mods August 4 2009, 10:40:13 UTC

It depends on what you mean by 'unofficial'. If the item is not a licensed product (i.e. home made or printed copies/replicates of official items that's not endorsed for sale) then yes, it falls under the bootleg category.

encyclopedicace August 4 2009, 11:10:53 UTC

Well, the pictures are either pictures from lives (like the ones that appear on the internet before the official ones do) and pictures from magazines (but not cuttings)

gsj_mods August 4 2009, 19:48:50 UTC

Posters/clippings from magazines are ok, reprints of these are not if they didn't come from an official source.

Thread 6

Quick question on D.Gray-man Anime pliash September 1 2009, 16:03:55 UTC

Is this a bootleg?

So far, just going by your check-list, it seems like it probably is a bootleg D:? (Especially since I couldn't find this version on YesAsia.) I'm not 100% positive though.

Mind giving your opinion?

♥

Re: Quick question on D.Gray-man Anime gsj_mods September 1 2009, 19:33:27 UTC

Yes it is. Legitimate anime from Asia is almost always region coded i.e. not All region. That's the Malaysian bootleg, which they sell on ebay and says its 'authenticated by the Malaysian government'.

Re: Quick question on D.Gray-man Anime pliash September 1 2009, 19:41:51 UTC

Should've expected that, I guess :/

(Is anything from Malaysia legit XDDD;?)

Thanks again <3

♥

usagi_no_hotaru September 4 2009, 03:42:04 UTC

So these dvds are all bootleg? They have both English and Japanese languages with subs, but I was never clear on whether it was official or not. /:

gsj_mods September 4 2009, 06:18:46 UTC

Yes they are bootlegs. They're region free, low disc number and there's titles that are known to not even have an English release.
Always check and compare with the US anime releases, there are very few anime that have English sub that 1 - do not come from the US or 2 - follow the US format (i.e. they sublicense from the US). All anime should have a clear region code. Asian releases should not have any English subs (except for some legitimate R2 and ones released by Odex).

(The comment has been removed)

Re: Dir en Grey (Vulgar, Kisou, Six Ugly) gsj_mods September 26 2009, 09:38:46 UTC

What is the manufacturing company's (label) name? Would the company be Miya Records? If so, then its a bootleg. Slip sleeves and the likes sometimes only come with first press. Also if you purchased the albums secondhand, they may not come with slip cases.

The label for the 3 Dir en Grey you mentioned should be Fire Wall Division/SMEJ (JP).
The following catalog code should be somewhere on the case and CD:
SFCD-21 - Vulgar
SFCD-12 - Kisou
SFCD-15 - Six Ugly

These are the foreign labels that Dir en Grey has released under:
The European label - Gan-Shin
The US labels - Warcon/Fontana or The End

If they are not any of those, then they are likely bootlegs. Also check the ISBN number - would give you some clue as to country of production (or if its a fake, then the ISBN should be wrong).

anonymous October 21 2009, 06:43:35 UTC

I feel like this bootleg guide keeps saying that items from those countries listed are bootlegs, but it is not always true. I want to clarify to everyone that I bought Japanese CDs and DVD on yesasia.com and they are either Hong Kong Version or Taiwan Version, and they are official releases for overseas and manufactured by Sony BMG Music Entertainment. And yes, the DVD is region code 3. Please don't make this guide sound like if the item is not released in Japan, then it's a bootleg. I feel like this guide drives away potential buyers that may be interested in overseas version of the products. Also, it would be nice if this guide is organized a bit more. It gets really wordy and the format is disorganized half way through.

gsj_mods October 21 2009, 19:55:47 UTC

This guide does not state that anything produced outside of Japan are bootlegs. It correlates the region codes to country of origin (of official releases - point 1) and states YesAsia as a reputable source of official releases from both Japan and other countries. Please read it carefully!

Exceptions - some official J- / K- /TW- / C- dramas will have English/Chinese subtitles. These are usually Official overseas releases.
Please verify from sites with good reputations such as Yes Asia.

My apologies if its wordy, but I was trying to put everything of relevance in it. This guide is updated every once in a while. If you find any particular wording that requires clarification/shortening, please point it out. Thank you for your input.