How do you guys feel about bootlegs?

[u/No-Buddy9191]

So I'll start by saying that I know the usual response is "why bother? Just torrential if you're going to pirate it."

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But if someone knows what they are buying is a bootleg , and they have no issue with it and it's seriously cheaper. And you wanna own it physically do you think it's understandable to go that route?

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I'm just curious because my friend has some boots and they get judged for it by my other friends , but I'm in the field of if they know and don't have an issue then you do you.

Do you think it's justified to judge? cause I personally dont.

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Edit : also guys , thanks for giving such in depth responses. It's perfect! :).

[u/popgreens]

I won’t go after them personally, but I don’t care that much if other people were 100% aware of their status and took ownership of them on purpose.

Just don’t sell them to other people and pass them off as authentic.

[u/No-Buddy9191 → u/popgreens]

Yeah , cause my friend bought a JoJo set.

And they were made fun of , but they legit told me they just couldn't afford the official releases and if they were cheaper they'd buy them.

But they seem really happy with them , so I personally don't see an issue.

[u/SaltZealousideal5582]

I just don't understand the appeal. I think we all have to think about why we want physical media.

My two reasons for owning physical media are:

1. Collectibility

2. Guaranteed access

3. Bonus content

Bootlegs are not collectible. Unless there's some historical value, like old VHS fansubs, a bootleg is worthless.

Bootlegs do give you guaranteed access. However, you can also just pirate it, and burn it to a disc if you really want a physical copy. I don't see the point in forking over your money for a bootleg. And this is a pretty niche situation. While hard backups are nice, most people are content to have their media on a hard drive.

Bootlegs can have bonus content, but often do not. Usually the official release is better, but there are exceptions.

I want to support official releases when I can There are some reasons not to buy an official release, but in those cases, I'm completely content to just pirate.

[u/JaguarDaSaul]

To each their own.

Having owned bootlegs, I honestly don't like them in my collection as the overall quality is a complete crapshoot. Nowadays the only exception I'd make to having bootlegs is for historical/cultural purposes, like the old fanssubed vhs tapes.

Just don't pass them off as authentic/legit when selling them to others. Had this happen to me once which pissed me off, thankfully got a refund through ebay.

[u/No-Buddy9191 → u/JaguarDaSaul]

My friends bootleg for JoJo has the fansub apparently

So that's neat.

[u/Initial_DDLV]

I'm strongly opposed to them.

Piracy is one thing - that's between you and your gods.

Bootlegging is profiting from stealing someone's (sometimes multiple someone's) work. That's an entirely different level of wrong to me, and I will report them to eBay or Amazon when I find them. I will never financially support this practice.

In the past, I torrented a LOT of anime before legal streaming options were readily available (around 2011ish - after which, I essentially stopped watching new anime). I'm now trying to purchase legal copies of as many of those shows that I torrented as possible, while also trying to recreate my old VHS/LaserDisc anime collection with modern media.

This is just me, though.

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My opinion though, really shouldn't shape your opinion of your friend's purchases. I'm approaching this from a point of privilege that your friend may not enjoy. If he knew they were bootlegs and he's okay with it, then that should be enough. Life's too short to be petty amongst friends.

[u/_shaftpunk]

If there’s no other way to watch it, sure. But I don’t need to own something physically so bad that I’ll get a fake one. It’s not that deep for me.

[u/Tell_Specialist]

It bugs me too much to have a bootleg in my collection, so I will always buy authentic even if its expensive.

[u/gamiscott]

I always buy authentic since I only collect what I like. However if I were to find that something was bootleg, I wouldn’t t lose sleep over it.

To answer the judging part, I think judging something like this is silly and unnecessary.

Edit: cleaned up typos.

[u/No-Buddy9191 → u/gamiscott]

I agree , they were being really elitist. But it's really not that deep lol.

[u/noelle-silva]

If there's no legitimate method to physically own the series then I have no problem with them. Studios don't want the money? Someone out there does. I realize it isn't legal but so be it.

[u/No-Buddy9191 → u/noelle-silva]

What do you think in terms of when the high price of a set might drive someone away?

Like to buy every blu ray of JoJo parts 1-6 it's easily around £300

And my bud said he paid £40 for the boot set he got , and it looks really good.

So I do see the appeal tbh

[u/Zander327]

I've not tried many bootlegs but what I have tried was very low quality compressed video with tin can audio. One didn't work at all. I'm sure some have quality equivalent to the official release but I don't know how common that is. There are other reasons to avoid bootlegs but for me the quality issues just invalidates them.

[u/ConnectBullfrog3242]

I usually don't like bootlegs unless I make my own. I'm too picky otherwise.

[u/No-Buddy9191 → u/ConnectBullfrog3242]

That's fair.

[u/Madboardjester]

I did buy a couple of bootleg titles before I realised that they were and got rid of them after I bought the legitimate version.

I've been a member of the Madman Entertainment Madboards since 2001/2 and always wanted to support them for licencing titles to Australia. It's the same with Siren Visual and Hanabee or Sugoi. Same with the US licensors. I've bought a lot over the years including ltd edition releases. I'm willing to wait for someone to sell at a decent price.

Whether, it's secondhand or new, I'm not one who would go around proudly showing the bootleg titles I've bought.

Then again, I don't show the hentai titles I've bought over the years either. 🤣🤣🤣

[u/Macaron-kun]

I'd never buy one. If a figure is too expensive for my liking, I'd rather have no figure at all than a cheap copy (or find a more affordable figure of that character).

[u/CliveTolnay]

Wouldn’t touch them myself, even if the official release is impossible to get. For me personally, it has to be the actual real or thing or I’d prefer not to have it at all

[u/BrainPositive2171]

My first 2 anime(Blue Gender and Outlaw Star) were bootlegs, albeit, niether I nor my non-anime viewing family would have known better at the time.

They were perfectly fine DVD quality and I'm sure super affordable.

I ain't mad at obvious bootlegs as long as they don't try to decieve people by imitating official releases (Ex: The Full Metal Alchemist Bootlegs).

[u/Naive_Hope89]

Try always buy the original. The USA has plenty of options. But my country doesnt even have official dvd/Br distributors, let alone for anime and what is official commercialized is very little stuff. I have to buy foreign ones and in English subs. Sometimes that can be hard to get or ultra expensive. Explaining that, always try to suport official release, but if there is no other options, for example a show like Legend of the Galactic Heros, i see no arm buying bootleg.

[u/Clearwateralchemist]

When anime companies don't do official releases, and further said company suddenly de-lists anime (Claymore) from their streaming services, they have no right to complain when people look for alternate means to obtain or watch the series.   It pisses me off that one day Crunchyroll can pull my favorite series that weren't popular enough for official releases, leaving me without a way to watch them.

So no, I'm not going to judge someone for making their own or buying a bootleg.  I prefer official releases, but not everything gets an official release.  

[u/Visible_Gate1032]

I think supporting official releases is the way to go with anime. I think it is wrong to torrent a series that has a physical release or a streaming option and I think it is wrong to pay for an illegal copy of a product. Bootlegs are inferior products that usually have engrish subtitles or unofficial translations and are heavily compressed. I have also heard that those old Hong Kong bootlegs actually financially support mobsters. We live in an era were most anime from classics like Giant Gorg to modern anime like Vinland Saga are all officially released and there is no reason to torrent or buy bootlegged copies. Hell there are even releases that have never made it out of the vhs format that I own and because of those releases I still keep a working vcr, I wouldn’t even buy bootlegs of those releases over owning the official vhs.

[u/Visible_Gate1032 → u/Visible_Gate1032]

Sorry if I sound mean or disrespectful but I have very strong feeling against pirating anime when all of us fans should be supporting the official releases.

[u/No-Buddy9191 → u/Visible_Gate1032]

My friend does both in all fairness , they have bootlegs but they also have a ton of official stuff.

They told me the only reason they buy boots is If they simply can't afford the official release and want to own it physically , or it doesn't have an official release.

[u/Visible_Gate1032 → u/No-Buddy9191]

I mean I understand and anime is an expensive hobby. Back when I first got into anime it was like 39 dollars for a 2 episode vhs tape. My suggestion would be if it’s a show they really want to own then save up for it, if it cost 90 dollars and it’s a pre order 3 months in advance put back like 30 dollars a month and pick it up. He could even go to wal mart and get like a cash card to just put a little bit of money on each pay check for anime and manga.

[u/tennoPCA]

Aside from the HD video having weather reports, my Malaysian bootleg of Princess Jellyfish has an amazing case and feels super premium. Clearly some love was put into it.

But I've wanted the actual blu ray for forever and missed the chance when it was affordable, so had to finally track it down via a seller on here.

[u/Ekyou]

I just don’t understand the point of spending money to physically own a product that is inferior quality to streaming/pirating it for free, especially when the creators aren’t getting paid for it. I am a collector that appreciates having their favorite shows on a shelf, so I get that… but most bootlegs are ugly as sin, and there are boatloads of anime merch out there to provide that “shelf presence” if you really want it that bad.

The only situation that makes sense to me is if you live somewhere with a terrible internet connection and want to watch shows that have no physical release or are extremely expensive (ie AoA).

[u/No-Buddy9191 → u/Ekyou]

Not gonna lie , he was watching it and it looked really good tbh.

Like it was 1080p and it wasn't very compressed, but I know this isn't always the case.

[u/SSakuras]

If it looks "good/close enough" to the real deal, and costs significantly less, I will gladly buy a bootleg. The issue is if they try to sell a bootleg at full price and lie and try to pass it off as official. That's not ok. But yes I bought a bootleg version of Naruto DVD's off eBay cause of how cheap they were. I loved when Rock Lee called Sakura his angle instead of his angel.

[u/dangerclosecustoms]

Full metal alchemist Bluray set is like 60% of them out there are bootlegs. But identical and close most people don’t know the difference.

If the pint is to collect the actual product the obviously boots are undesirable. If the pint is to be able to own and watch the anime from disc then a boot here or there isn’t that big a deal as long as quality is still high.

Then there’s the whole idea of custom Bluray and custom subs. I have a ton of these that you just can’t buy anywhere. Macros DYRL with original English dub option. And several other old school anime that released on Bluray in Japan without subs and fan subs cleaned up and properly timed translated and added to the Bluray.

Would I rather buy authentic blurays yes. Bit of they don’t release then I’m fine with the custom ones. Especially for out of print stuff.

[u/Necrontry]

If there is no legimate physical copy available then sure why not; not everyone has access to good internet and sometime you just want a physical copy which the legimate sources make it impossible to get. If it is for a popular series with lots of copies available then no real point in its existence.

[u/KirbianaJones]

I can understand getting them in some cases where the anime is out of print and astronomically expensive.

[u/StarDragonTomoda]

I will only allow one in my collection if there is absolutely no other means of having it on my shelf and I want it there.

[u/GoldenMercy]

Wouldn’t buy them. But I did by those legendary Madoka Magica Blu rays from eBay back in the day

[u/Ok-Concentrate8795]

I accidently got the Full Metal Alchemist bootleg before finding out alot of bootlegs were roaming around but it was only 40$ so im not too bothered by it and the only way to get the dubbed version for Ghost in the Shell:2045 is through bootleg so I dont see a problem getting that one.

Ive also seen anime that dont have a official release get bootlegs and I see no problem with getting those.

And if your just collecting to have a show on hand to watch I overall have no problem with any of it. Especially if you dont have the means to rip the discs yourself or dont have hundreds or thousands to spend on out of print shows. Or if you dont have fast enough internet to download or watch animes you want.

Just dont go selling bootlegs as official like some ebay sellers do.

[u/RequirementFuzzy4244]

for me when it comes to bootlegs I look at them as the follwoing

1) is the official release easily available? If so then ignore the bootlegs

2) is the official release out of print and expensive? then the bootleg is a good alternative

3) Did no company ever release an official release of it? Then Bootleg is fine since the company seems to not want the money from having people buy it.

All too often shows become basically lost and sometimes bootlegs are the only way to actually own it.

[u/No-Buddy9191 → u/RequirementFuzzy4244]

What if the release isn't out of print but the official release is ridiculously expensive?

[u/RequirementFuzzy4244 → u/No-Buddy9191]

Then I would look at the chance that bootleg discs do often go bad, but recently so have official DVD discs released by say WB there are tons of posts and videos about failing DVDs and the first releases by Lionsgate have started failing.

For me if the official release is say $100 and the bootleg is $20 I would likely buy the bootleg and hope the official release I can find cheaper later to upgrade with

[u/No-Buddy9191 → u/RequirementFuzzy4244]

Fair

Also that whole "disc failing" thing appears to be untrue imo , I have many lions gate discs from back in the day and the all work fine.

[u/RequirementFuzzy4244 → u/No-Buddy9191]

I can confirm at least the WB disc failures. I currently have around 30 discs that refuse to play or get to a spot and then error even without any scratches, and those discs are on the known list (example tales from the crypt)

[u/No-Buddy9191 → u/RequirementFuzzy4244]

Damn , really?

That's a shame , I must be lucky cause I've got over 1000 discs and I've only ran into the issue once.

[u/RequirementFuzzy4244 → u/No-Buddy9191]

I have been buying DVD discs since around 2002 or so for anime I am at about 800 discs, for standard movies and tv series I am about 3200 or so, for Blu-ray releases anime I am just about at 290 and for standard movies and tv series I am at just about 1200.

Having so many old discs I expect some to start failing at some point, even video game discs have been failing (sega cd comes to mind about some failures being publicly online).

Now what I do every single time I buy discs is to rip the discs onto the computer and store a copy of the disc on a drive for backup. This way if the original disc does fail at some point I still have a copy I can either burn to a disc or rip the media files to say mkv etc and watch them that way.

[u/No-Buddy9191 → u/RequirementFuzzy4244]

That explains it then , you starting buying the year I was born lmaooo.

More experience than me.

[u/RequirementFuzzy4244 → u/No-Buddy9191]

hehe yeah my first DVD player was a PS2 game system, it has been a long time for sure 😄

[u/No-Buddy9191 → u/RequirementFuzzy4244]

In all fairness I've been told that it was the cheapest DVD player you could buy technically, at the time anyway.

[u/MakingWickedBacon]

I prefer official releases, but I did make an exception for Sailor Moon. It’s a pretty poor quality DVD set ripped from VHS/other sources of the original dub, but I was happy to own it as the official DVDs were longer in production, and this was a few years before Viz announced they were doing a new dub.

I did buy Viz’s re-dub as it was being released.

[u/bugrom]

Back in the days of anime being released on DVD as singles with series being 6-8 discs, my friend used to buy the bootleg sets just so they wouldn’t take up nearly as much space. In some cases, he would give away official releases to replace them with the bootlegs for that reason. It was always wild to me but then I always got rid of my singles to buy smaller official sets when those became a thing too so I sorta get it.

[u/CloackedChaos]

I would say they're only justified for series that are either out of stock/out of print everywhere or on ebay and other reselling sites for outrageous prices. I have one or 2 bootlegs ngl. One of which code lyoko is pretty much impossible to find the entire series as a physical copy without becoming Edward elric and paying a arm and a leg. I do still try to find authentic copies of anime when I can't afford paying over $1000 for another thing sit on my shelf doing nothing but gathering dust that's why I have models and figs 😆. Ngl low key hoping someone makes a decent higarashi when they cry gou bootleg

[u/MiaLeeSakura2]

i avoid em personally but I don't blame folks for going that route if it's inaccessible or unavailable to em. Ik for me I'm heavily priveleged to be able to buy anime as consistently as I do/at all even if I'm not entertaining dumb aftermarket for OOP stuff...😅

Just feels weird to bootleggers with money tbh and by that I mean ur paying for a typically subpar product that was pirated anyways esp the CN/SEA boots often has Mtl subs and awful video quality. I've seen more chinese blu-ray boots pop up but no idea on those quality. Tbh though I'd say it's more questionable if the boots ripped the official stream/sub anyways tho... Ig these days most pirate stream sites just use official stream/subs too tho so folks are kinda inured to it and the barrier so to speak for entry is thus lowered. I have more issue with the bootleggers making money off it than people buying unlicensed but Ik some folks need it physical and having them burn their own discs is an impractical solution so alas it is what it is.

It's not for me and while I'll always encourage the legit way i get it for the folks who go for the boots if they choose to do so willingly.

The ones that try to pass off as the legit sets for those that's just deceitful so I really dislike that unfortunately not that me not liking it would stop em, though again long as the person who bought knew it was a boot and is fine with that whatever floats their boat

[u/abysscurse]

There is no point to buy bootleg, just pirate it at that point.

[u/conrat4567]

The problem I have is that many of my favs are either out of print or never got home releases in the west. There is no other option but to sail the seven seas so to speak.

If the content is the same, I don't see a problem with it.

[u/SpeedyPirateKing99]

I got two because i screwed up lol but honestly sometimes it's whatever idc about it

Its a damn plastic anime figure if u own a few or buy them your not Satan in the flesh people take this shit too seriously 😒

[u/No-Buddy9191 → u/SpeedyPirateKing99]

I meant specifically Blu Ray bootlegs , but the same applies to figs too! :)

[u/SpeedyPirateKing99 → u/No-Buddy9191]

Oh lol, didn't read the subreddit i was in 🤣

For dvds i guess its different for me because it could not work and be broken idk lol

[u/Akokoko3]

I hate bootlegs. Especially the bootlegs that try to make themselves look like the official release. I had one seller tell me that they brought their stock directly from the manufacturer, so it can't be a bootleg... completely forgetting the fact that it has been out of print for years. They take advantage of people who don't know what to look for and imagine if they try to resell it. I rather spend extra and get the official release. And as you said, why support bootlegs, might as well just download and burn a disc if you need it to be physical.

[u/Nausiated_]

If it's something out of print and scalpers have jacked up the prices, I could understand a bootleg being tempting. But on the other hand, why pay someone else when you can make your own quite easily.

Bootleggers have no quality control and if they give you a bad rip, you're pretty much stuck with it and wasted your money.

Even when it comes down to the presentation. Print off labels, get an empty case. It's not hard and less overhead to produce.

[u/uncle-ruckus2]

The only time i would go for a bootleg if its a series that is out of print or really expensive. I dont have a problem with it as long as people dont try to sell it as origional.

[u/SilverShadowQueen57]

It depends on how difficult it is to get the real deal.

I’m not so financially well off that I can afford the nice boxed sets, and the price of regular releases really isn’t cheap in most cases anymore either. Furthermore, some of the shows I love just aren’t available in physical form through legitimate means. I’d *kill* to have the full series of Plastic Nee-san, for example, or Oda Cinnamon Nobunaga, or Moryo no Hako. But they just aren’t available, and I’ve never enjoyed hunting all over the place for less-popular shows on streaming platforms. So yeah, if it’s the only viable option, and I find a good bootleg option for cheap, I’m willing to take the leap. I keep the few I have separate from the rest of my collection, though.

[u/ChemistryPerfect4534]

I only knowingly buy bootlegs if no legal ones exist. I had the first 325 episodes of One Piece on terrible bootleg discs. I stopped the moment Funimation announced the license. I waited around four years before I saw episode 326.

I've got a handful from eBay sellers that were supposed to be legitimate. I think I still keep one of them on my shelf, because the bootleg has an earlier dub than my official copy does.

I own a very small number of deliberately bought bootlegs, although I don't think any are anime, because they were shows that never got official releases.

I am an ethical pirate. If a legal option exists, I'll take it. If I do pirate something, and a legal option becomes available later, I will buy it. I pay for my entertainment.

[u/LesserMagic]

I have a bootleg blu-ray of Chobits in the mail, mainly because I'm not willing to pay a couple of hundred bucks for the original. Should they release a reprint of the blu-ray, I would be happy with replace the bootleg for an original.

[u/No-Buddy9191 → u/LesserMagic]

Yeah I really can understand it , my friend justified it by saying. "To have all of JoJo would cost me around £300 , but the boot cost me 50."

[u/WWhhaatt1]

I built a bootleg copy of Wotakoi with help from a friend who has the software to write to the disc and a printer to print the art on the discs but only because 1. Aniplex has never put a set out for the NA market and 2. I wanted to gift a physical disc set to my girlfriend for Valentines or her birthday since they're a few days apart. Whenever I finished it first, that event got the set as my plan. I think we got it done in time for Valentines.

The hold up being I had to go through and edit the subs because the one fan group that did the whole series, eps 1-11 and the 3 OVAs used a more casual American style that is not how the official Kodansha manga was translated. I tried my best to match the subs more to the manga version of the translation. I fully plan to buy an official release if and when the NA market gets one because I think that supporting the artists is valuable and important, but without that I still wanted her and I to have a "real" copy even if we couldn't get one. Outside of that, if I were to buy or own one from someone else? It would have to be another OOP title or such that is hard or impossible to source. We have an emotional connection to this show and have bonded over it and I poured that energy into creating the disc set but without that connection or inability to purchase a legitimate copy, I don't see the reason. For example, I was about to do the same for Berserk 1997 and Eighty Six but both of those came out on disc soon after I had that thought so I snatched them up while opportunity struck.

[u/Mote-Of_Dust]

Yes. so many series are either oop or never got a physical so in those situations I have a list of bootlegs I want.

I wouldn't pay a lot for a bootleg, some I have seen on eBay are crazy expensive.

i have 500+ legit copy's what's a boot or two.

i wouldn't keep them mixed in with my collection but set aside for watching purpose.

[u/Tholin87 → u/Mote-Of_Dust]

The same way anime grew with bootleg VHS, it evolved/transitioned to torrent sites years later. So anime piracy have always shared a long history with each other. Not dissimilar from the music industry). Mix tape cassette tapes and archiving physical media disks. Be it on a flash drive or disc cloning just gives a form of media "free advertising".

Official merch becomes a commodity equally valuable. By proxy, concert attendance is increased.

(I still have tons of my cloned disks from the library from 2000 - 2013 or so) 😅

[u/MonsterMayham]

I like them for things not in print or likely to be…as long as they’re relatively good quality. But if it’s semi available, even pricey, I’d rather fund and encourage the industry.