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Grab bags?  Go see Anime Depot.  Tell Bill and Sophie dealerjason sent you. They usually have some fun things.

To get a legit Ghibli item, just check for the Miyazaki copy right.  If it is there along with the other stickers, it should be good.  Once again, research plays a huge role.

Cells, are extremely hard to make sure of.  I have been told legit cells have the following:

1. Good cells usually are drawn rougher.  Remember, they work fast, their work won't be perfect.

2. It comes with a sketch of the cell to prove the cell came from the same artist.

3. It has a Letter of authenticity.

But for cells, this still is not guarantee you a legit item.  Just exercise caution, do your research, and make sure you buy from those with excellent reputations.

dealerjason

i want a region-free copy of V. that is all i want.

V as in the television show or V as in Versus?

V the television show, you might want to try a comic book convention.
V as in Versus, Media Blasters puts out a region 1 copy

Jason

Red Sun DVD has a whole website devoted to the Piracy of Asian Films.  These guys even have this on their website:

If you represent a USA based video distributor and own the exclusive copyright to one of the films we carry, please contact us at: [email protected] or fax to: 800-454-8102 so we can immediately remove the title(s) from our web site. We will honor your request immediately as we have no wish to infringe on your copyright.

Wow!  So, if you see RED SUN on the label, YOU KNOW it is a bootleg!


Sincerely,
Jason Ebner
Dealerjason

Rick Stelow from Drunkenmaster told me just how bad Asian film counterfeiting has become.  A month ago at Wizard World, he counted 15 dealers carrying counterfeits of Asian films.  A short conversation with a sales rep from Media Blasters confirmed what Rick had to say.  Media Blasters had to stop several dealers from selling counterfeit copies of Versus.  The worst part is that Drunkenmaster and Media Blasters are suffering because of this neglect.  Here are two companies trying to give us the Asian films we want to see and they can’t compete against those that counterfeit their legitimate product.  It has gotten to the point that Rick has thought about either carrying bootlegs himself or quitting.  When I went into Amoeba records the other day, I understood Rick’s pain.  I was astounded to find they too carried counterfeits.  Copies of Cutey Honey, Old Boy, Casshern and Azumi were all for sale and all counterfeits.  What is going on here?

Now, why am I calling them counterfeits?  Because they are not really bootlegs.  These are excellent, quality copies of DVD masters that were illegally obtained or they are copies of DVD’s with subtitles added to them..  These discs are made for less than 2 dollars a piece and then sold for upwards around 13 to 20 dollars.  Amoeba sells these titles because they claim not to know any better.  They also claim that they can’t be bootleg since they come from Hong Kong.  It is scary when an American company is so culturally blind to know that not all Asian films come from Hong Kong.

Right now, Comic Con, WonderCon, AX, and even PMX do nothing about Asian Film Counterfeits.  PMX even allows Cine-East, a big distributor of Asian Film counterfeits in Southern California (which can be verfied by looking at their website) to HOST their Asian Film track.  After checking PMX’s site for this year, Cine-East is once again organizing the Asian Film track.

Counterfeits are hard to spot.  Last year at Fanime, Anime Combo had copies of Ichii the Killer that had Capitol Records on the box.  The box looked legitimate because Capitol records is a recognized name.  You have to realize though that Capitol Records does not put out Ichii the Killer, Media Blasters does.  Easier ways to find counterfeits are if they:
 1.Are All Region and the title was only released in Japan or China.
 2.The box says region 2 or 3 but still plays on your region 1 DVD player.
 3.The copyright on the box does not refer to the company that releases
    film.

Industry must step up.  Companies like Media Blasters, Tartan Video, and Columbia need to start punishing these counterfeiters.  We all remember this happening to Anime in the 90’s and to Anime soundtracks just recently.  It was even said that Anime soundtracks would never make it in the US because of the strangle hold Son May and Everanime had on the market.  Now, both are cleaned up.  The same must happen to Asian films as well.

What can you do about it?  Simple, don’t buy these counterfeits, don’t support any store that supplies counterfeits, and certainly don’t go to a convention that allows counterfeiters to sell what ever they want.  These people are ripping off the industry, not giving one dime back to the creators, and are overcharging you, the consumer.

Hello folks!
Dealerjason here reminding you all to protect yourself when it comes to buying merchandise in Fanime's Dealer's room.  Dealerdave and myself can only do so much so we need you to make sure that you are protecting yourselves.  Here are some helpful hints:

1. Before you buy, make sure you know their return policy.
If they say "All Sales are Final", that means you give them your money, that is it!  So, make sure you really want it and you want it for that price

2. Check the merchandise before you hand over the money.
-Don't blindly buy that Naruto headband with out making sure that it
    a. Is what you really want
    b. Has the proper copyrights and stickers so you know you are
        buying quality stuff

3.   Have you have shopped and have gotten the best price you can get?

4. Don't support Bootlegs!
You know that Cutey Honey movie is not out yet and that Kung Fu Hustle is not available in an All Region format, so why buy it?  I would never give someone money for something they copied from a DVD or from the internet especially when they want 9 times more than what it cost them to make it.  So, don't let the bootleggers win!  Check to make sure your DVD's and Merchandise have all the proper copyrights!

I hope this helps you folks.  As the enforcer of Fanime's Policies, I will be putting more up here to help you out!  Spend your money wisely and make sure you are happy with EVERYTHING you buy!

Happy Shopping!

Sincerely,
Jason Ebner
dealerjason

I want you to be able to find these items at  Fanime!  However, where are these dealers?  Oh where can they be?  Help us out!

[email protected]

dealerjason