Official vs. Bootleg
(*Ahem* Just quickly, I added my icon archive, accessible from my goodies page. Not many, but I like making them in my spare time ^^)
Now if you’ve been Twitter stalking me lately, you would have noticed that I’ve been maniacally searching for the Sailor Moon manga/DVDs. Yes, I am that obsessed. I recently bought bootlegs of the entire series (I was well aware they were bootlegs, seller informed me), and I bought half the manga. *Yay me*
In my research, I found that there are a lot of bootleg versions of the anime. I mean, I would have bought the official versions, but they’re about $200/season, and there are 4 seasons with subtitles (they never dubbed the 5th season, so if you want subs you HAVE to get a bootleg, or learn Japanese. I’d actually love to do that)… so that in itself runs $800. Too bad I don’t have that kind of money. >.> At least the one I got was of good quality.
So the point of this post is to tell you how to differentiate between official DVDs and bootlegs, regardless of series/movie. Now, I don’t hate bootlegs, and I see why people are against them, but I wasn’t planning on spending $800 on my favorite anime.
If you’re just getting a movie, don’t get a bootleg. The majority of bootleg movies are bad quality. I know this because a few years back I unknowingly bought some bootleg movies of extremely crappy quality. Just don’t do it. 
Research
You generally find bootlegs online, in other countries, or at Chinatown (if they even sell DVDs?). I did a lot of research in looking for this series. First, familiarize yourself with the official DVD/s. Look at the disc box, the paper slip in cover, and the prices. If possible, look at the actual disc – I bet you could find photos some online. These don’t vary much in movies, so it may be harder to define a bootleg. In boxsets and series, however, bootlegs seem to be more prominent.
R1 & R2 vs. R0/Region Free
R1 stands for region 1, which plays in North America. R2 stands for Region 2, which plays in Asia. There is no such thing as R0 (region zero) or Region Free DVDs. Those are “supposed” to play anywhere around the world. If you find a DVD that says R0 or Region Free, it is a bootleg. You can find where it says this on the back of the disc box at the bottom, where all the names and credits are. I managed to snag a few pictures of some R1 labels (because I live in North America! )
Yay! Sailor Moon (my last official DVD, back when they were on the market and still cheap -.-), Spongebob, and Harry Potter!
Number of discs
This applies to boxsets only. Sailor Moon has 200 episodes. One bootleg had the entire series on 9 discs. That’s about 22 episodes/disc! The official versions have 3-4 episodes per disc. But… 22? Imagine the horrid quality!
Prices
Last but not least, the prices. The price range of a boxset should vary minimally, if any at all. As I said earlier, the price of an average boxset of Sailor Moon is about $175-$200. When a seller has a boxset up for $20-$40, a bell should go off in your head. More importantly, when a seller sells the entire series for $40-$200, an even bigger bell should go off.
Seller feedback
If you’re looking on eBay, check the seller’s feedback. If you’re looking at a bootleg set, odds are they’ve already sold one, so check the feedback and see what other people say of its quality. And make sure the seller has relatively high feedback. I don’t buy from anybody with lower than 98.5%. It’s a weird thing I have.
In conclusion…
There are many more ways to define a bootleg, such as difference in cover slips or the look of the disc, but these are the basic but most important details.
Now, I am all for the official releases. If I could, I would buy the entire run of the anime officially. But they’re really expensive. I heard there might be a re-release (supposedly Funimation may have the rights to SM now? Ah, totally different subject), and if there is, you bet I’m getting it. But I’m going to have to deal with bootlegs for now. ^-^;;
… And there you have it. Don’t get ripped off. ^^
Posted on July 18th, 2010 | Comments (11)
Top 5 irritating songs
(Just a note: never take electricity for granted. I was without it for almost 24 hours, and all my battery powered devices began to die on me. I was on the verge of boredom.)
Imma be, Imma be, Imma Imma Imma be… just kidding, I’m a wasp.
So, after listening to the radio excessively on the road trips I’ve been going on, I’ve compiled a list of the top 5 most annoying mainstream songs. It’s just my opinion, and the fact that I’ve heard these songs multiple times just contributes to the “annoyingness” I get out of them.
1. Imma Be – Black Eyed Peas
I hear this on the radio way too much. They keep saying, “Imma be, Imma be, Imma Imma Imma be,” and I just think, Imma be WHAT?! I know they say it later, but still. One can only take so many bees.
2. Tik Tok – Ke$ha
Now, don’t get me wrong, it’s catchy. But when you hear people humming and singing it wherever you look, it gets right under your skin. I have nnothing against Ke$ha, I just wish she’d sing real songs. She sang, actually, sang, on SNL once and was brilliant.
3. Nothin’ on You – B.o.B
This song was okay the first time I heard it. Then I heard it again. And again. The chorus is okay, but the rapping… feh. I just don’t like rapping, and this got stuck in my head constantly.
4. Airplanes – B.o.B
I absolutely love the part that Hayley Williams sings. Lovelovelove to death. And then B.o.B comes and starts rapping… and I get mad. I wish it was just Hayley Williams singing the entire time! Darn those rappers, messing up songs with great potential…
5. Baby – Justin Bieber
First, let me address that I am indifferent in the Bieber lovers/Bieber haters war. And this song isn’t on the radio that much, but when I hear little second graders singing it… it makes me worry about the future generations. I also heard some kid singing some Ke$ha song, and it wasn’t an appropriate one… but that’s besides the point. It just worries me. And plus, why is Ludacris rapping?! It’s so out of place.
And that concludes my annoying songs roundup. I really do fear for the generations to come.
On another unrelated note, does anybody have a Livejournal? I do! If you’re looking for friends, feel free to friend me! I’ll have some random bits & bobs posts, mostly related to Pokemon & Sailor Moon merchandise