Ask John: How do You Identify Legitimate Asian DVDs?

Question:
How can you tell if an anime release from Hong Kong or Taiwan is legal or not?

Answer:
Personally, I rely on a number of factors in combination to establish the likelihood of a DVD being either an official, licensed edition or an unlicensed bootleg. In the case of anime DVDs, it’s easy to look for known bootleg brand names like Anime Cartoon, Manga Video and FX. Another virtual dead giveaway is optional Chinese and English subtitles. I’m not aware of any authentic, licensed Japanese version anime DVD that contains optional Chinese subtitles. [However, there are official “Asian” version anime DVDs that do contain optional Chinese/Thai/and/or English subtitles.] The presence of English subtitles or dubbing can also help establish authenticity. A Thai or Korean or Chinese DVD that includes English subtitles that were not included on the original Japanese version DVD would probably give me pause. There are examples, such as the Koroshiya Ichi DVD, that do not contain English subtitles on the official Japanese release but do contain optional subtitles on the legitimate Region 3 release, but features such as optional translations included on a Japanese movie DVD that aren’t included on the actual official Japanese DVD are reason for suspicion.

Region encoding is also often a reliable distinguishing characteristic. Official, licensed Japanese DVDs are virtually always encoded for DVD Region 2. Official Chinese release anime DVDs from distributors including Intercontinental Video and Odex Private Limited are virtually always Region 3 discs. So any “import” anime DVD that’s advertised as “Region Free” should arouse some suspicion. Finally, closely examine the retailer you’re buying from. If the retailer doesn’t seem to offer any obvious bootleg merchandise, it may be safe to assume that the DVD you’re looking at is actually legitimate.

Price can sometimes be used as a signifier of authenticity, but unfortunately not always. Legitimate Japanese anime DVDs, on average, contain 2-3 episodes per disc and retail between 3,800 and 7,800 yen, or roughly $35 to $75 per disc. I’ve never heard of an authentic Japanese anime DVD that contained more than 5 episodes per disc. The least expensive official Japanese anime DVD boxed set I’ve ever encountered is the bargain priced re-issue of the Popolocrois Monogatari TV series that retails for a little over a hundred bucks for the 6 disc set. In the realm of import anime DVDs, virtually any region free, subtitled multiple disc or complete series DVD set that retails for under a hundred bucks is a pirated knock-off. Remember that legitimate Japanese anime DVDs are expensive. As a rule of thumb, any “import” anime DVD that seems like an exceptional value is probably a pirated bootleg DVD. Unfortunately, the price scale doesn’t really apply to live action movies. For example, the official Japanese DVD version of Returner (single disc version) retails at 4,800 yen (roughly $45). The official, licensed Region 3 Chinese version can be had for under $20, and the official Region Free Thai version is available for under $10. Likewise, Japanese DVDs including the recent Godzilla movies, Uzumaki, and Juon start at around 4,500 yen each while the official Chinese Region 3 encoded versions can be purchased for around $20 each.

Ultimately, unless the DVD is obviously manufactured by a known bootlegger, telling the difference between a knock-off and a legitimate issue is a matter of gut instinct. And the choice to buy or not buy pirated DVD is a personal one. But ethical consumers interested in collecting only authentic, legitimate DVD releases need only do a little bit of research about the DVDs they’re interested in, and the retailers they’re considering purchasing from, to be able to assure, with relative certainty, the authenticity of particular Asian release DVDs.

For further reading and photographic aids to distinguishing bootleg anime DVDs, visit The Pirate Anime FAQ.

A list of known official, reliable Taiwanese anime DVD producers has been submitted by “W-General”:

Proware Media
E-muse
Power International Multimedia
Pro-Insight
Mighty Media
Win International Multimedia
DELTAMAC – Metropolis only.
Sep International – Fruits Basket and Louie the Rune Soldier only.
EARCHEER RECORDS – Housin Engi/Soul Hunter only.
King’s International Multimedia – Akira, Ys, GitS only.
Animation International – Evangelion only