There's a lot of fake anime DVDs out there that contain fan-subtitles or fake subtitles in English. There are also a lot of recompressed poor quality anime titles out there that can make an anime fan really disappointed in how terrible their video looks. This is a guide for the discerning anime fan who wants to support the studios and not buy bootlegs.

Step 1:
Original Region 1 US Release cover. Find out what the real release has. This is kind of difficult on ebay because so many people claim theirs is the original, so I typically use Amazon.com or DVDplanet.com. I look at the cover, the disc count (how many discs are in the package), the actual title, and the amount of volumes in the series (like 1 of 6, if applicable). Ebay won't let me give an example of a real item so I've attached a picture.

Notice that it is a volume 1 of Cowboy Bebop, contains the same cover, and is listed as containing the same amount of episodes. This is most likely not a bootleg.

Step 2:
Compare to the one for sale on ebay. Does its cover match the US release? Does it have the same amount of discs? Ebay won't let me give an example of a real item so I've attached some pictures.


Here is a good example of a bootleg of Cowboy Bebop. Cowboy Bebop has never been released as a complete set or as a set called "Perfect Collection." However, Cowboy Bebop has had a release of a few episodes in surround sound called "The Perfect Sessions." These similar descriptions are designed to fool you into thinking it is an official release. However, because they are fitting 26 episodes (13 hours) onto 4 discs (3.25 hours a disc), the video is going to look TERRIBLE, it most likely does not have a good translation for the subtitles and it probably won't contain a dub on a separate audio track unless it has been stolen from the original DVDs. Also, the artwork on the DVD will be poorly printed on bad paper (so it will fade very quickly) with plastic that is usually cheaper reground plastic, which contains toxic chemicals and can be absorbed through skin!

Step 3:
Don't buy bootlegs. If I haven't made my point already about bootlegs being terrible quality, please take into consideration that you aren't going to enjoy it as much, you aren't supporting the studios (so your next favorite anime may be a bootleg as well with even worse quality), and you are actually helping some jerk make money off of someone else's hard work. It doesn't take very long to figure out whether or not its real and if you want a good review with it, check out animeondvd.com. They have some pretty decent reviews (and multiple reviews if it is a critical title).