What do bootlegs mean to you?

[magicalgirlme]

Being a sponser to Keep Anime Alive I am ant-bootlegs. I now only buy from bootleg free vendors, on and offline, and support conventions that truely strive to be bootleg free.

I feel like not only am I hurting the industry I love when I get a bootleg item, but I am getting a lower quality product for many times the same price as if I got an official product. But I am just passionate. I was curious...

How do you feel about bootlegged items?  

[Bunai Di]

Strictly series or simply merchandise? Because some bootleg merch can be hilarious buys. I may not have the funds flow I once had, but I do make a point to eventually purchase many shows I am interested in, and thanks to Funimation they have took up the task of distributing once canceled series from other anime-based studios. And compared to what Japan gets at times, the North American releases for anime DVDs is simply spoilerific, so it pains me how many American anime-brats don't realize just how good the licensed product is. They desperately avoid it based on "dubbing"... even though you point out to them that the disk is hybrid, it just plain stupid to think a DVD doesn't have a second language on it in this day-and-age.

There are people who seriously think they are supporting a series they love by watching it on a computer or ordering burned copies from online. Now for a series that will never see the light of day out of Japan, yes, I get it the alternate reasons for wanting to have it.  

[Bleeding Art]

Gonna agree bootleg merchandise can be hilarious. I've gone to flea markets and seen Hello Kitty stuff or something from an anime that's recolored (poorly) with some weird alternate name and then a broken English phrase that has nothing to do with anything. I remember seeing a Sailor Moon backpack where all their uniforms were colored differently and a couple hair colors were switched and I just couldn't help but laugh.

On a serious note I don't buy bootleg anything. I do watch series online but usually from a reputable place like Netflix where it's not just some recording someone did or a DVD rip. Sure you get the dubs automatically (or at least I do because I'm on the stream only plan) but big deal.

I think the problem is not a lot of anime is being made available to the US by legal means. That and when something trends in Japan and people elsewhere hear about it, they want it right now instead of waiting to see if it'll be available to them. It's a childish mindset. But at the same time, if Japan stamps a big ol' NO on exporting it and there's a demand I can see why piracy happens.

For instance one of my favorite video game series, Fatal Frame, had a new release not long ago that was not going to make it to the US because of "low demand." So hardcore fans began buying the equipment necessary or altering their systems with a patch to read the game disc and then bought the game from either Japan or the UK. Some even burned copies to give to friends who couldn't afford the game. Granted in the end they were paying Tecmo, but it's still to me a minor form of piracy especially when you're voiding warranties on your systems by using a fan-made patch or code to override the way the disc is written.