Hi There, Okay, so I thought about this for a while and by no means is this gospel, this is just what I did to get into Anime when I was just starting out.
I really hope my writing this, will give people some advice, the following is just opinion and is no way fact.
The Beginner’s Guide To Anime Collecting
By NovaStar
So you’ve wanted to collect Anime but the thoughts of the money running through your mind are on a rampage, by now you’ve probably been thinking quite a few things as they run through your mind how to get started.
That being said, I’m here to help and not too long ago, I was completely in your shoes and I didn’t know what to do or where to begin so hopefully by the time I finish typing this article, the newbie’s of the forum will have somewhat of a guide to go on(or at least this is what I do when purchasing anime)
Number one, when you look at this guide their will be something that’s very apparent to you, this is a guide on how to purchase anime LEGALLY, this is not a download essay by any means, I will also touch on Bootlegs here and why I think they hurt the industry, hopefully when I finish you will hopefully have learned something and the prospect of buying the big scary series will not be so frightening to you.
First of all, you have a route to chose, think of it as a highway, you have the offline highway or the online highway, why I call them this is both lead down different directions.
let us start off with the Offline Highway If you travel down this road, you have one advantage, you do not have to order online, for people who haven’t, this is usually the safest way of doing things, however though you might be getting a small fix on your newfound Anime cravings, however you should know that while the Anime there is readily available to you, it may not be the cheapest route.
I personally am a pessimist on many things, as a matter of fact a year and a half ago, I had constant arguments with my family about ordering online, fact is the information superhighway is a very scary place.
however there are advantages to it, as is their shopping offline. I’ll break these down in point form.
Offline 1: Offline allows you to meet with the people in person you do not have any worries to what product you are getting, it is there and you can buy it.
2: The Place you are getting your stuff from is probably very close to you, so you will probably prefer it over somewhere else(For Example, I myself have a Music World about 10 minutes away) which sells Anime DVD’s such as Akira, Full Metal Alchemist and Dragon Ball Z.
Now, I bet you’re wondering, that’s really cool, I can dig that I can go and I can get my favorite DVD’s at a local place, and don’t have to worry about a thing, now me being of old school set mind, I am writing this with inaccurate information offline, because I’m basing my opinion only on what we have where I live(which is very small)
I personally order online, I always have ever since I’ve been able to, but ordering online you have to watch yourself very carefully as there are many things known as Bootlegs which are out there to scam you.
Bootlegs are Taiwanese Imports of Anime which have been produced at a very cheap rate and sold extremely cheaply in order to make a quick profit., now I will tell you what I’ve noticed about Bootlegs.
1: Bootlegs Almost ALWAYS are in 3 DVD Sets: For example: One common Bootleg is the Cowboy Bebop TV Series which has 20 some odd episodes, In a regular set, you will see this series broadcast over 6 to 7 DVD’s (In General) In a Taiwanese release or Bootleg they are spread over 3 to 4 DVD’s depending on the series(or are done in part-formed box sets which are never official unless on an official Anime retailer’s website.
2: These DVD’s will always be “All Code Region Free” or “Region 0” which means they will play in any DVD player around the world, this is done so that they can be sold with ease around the world without any problems
3: These DVD’s will always be masked as “Import” This is not true, these are bootlegs Bootleg Anime DVD’s are usually from Taiwan anddon’t go through any quality control what so ever. But enough about the Bootleg talk there’s more to read, if you are TRULY interested in finding more about Bootlegs.
http://www.digital.anime.org.uk/piratefaq.html
Moving on: There are plenty of Online Stores which I have seen, one I personally like to use and have constantly used (So it gets my seal of approval) is Robert’s Anime Corner Store) (Due to Advertising Laws on the forums, I can not post the site Address however if you look it up on Google you’ll find it. But enough of talking about where to get it, let’s talk money.
The biggest problem I see with most Anime Fans or rather, people whom want to get into Anime, is the constant problem of Money, for those of you of which is the case, I recommend you follow what I call my good collection guide. However before I do that I will talk about the Advantages to buying online
Online
1: Has QUITE a bit more of a selection: If you order online you can be sure you’re selecting from a huge list of Anime from A To Z
2: Usually the Prices on Anime online are considerably cheaper than those you’d find in the store Anime specialty retailers have connections in the industry which allow them to sell Items at a cheaper price.
Are you still not convinced? Do you still believe you do not have enough money? Then I think I can help
Number One: As of 2007 there are MANY box Sets Available for Cheap, A box set is exactly what it says it is, it contains a full series, in a collectors box which is completely legal and official.
Now depending on the series will depend on the price ADV Films has released many of their series for cheap in what are called Thin Packs, if you lack money, these are your best place to start, as they usually range from about $30.00 to about 68.00(this is the average, however they can be more or less)
Bandai has also come with what they call the Anime Legends Sets which are classic shows which they release in what I like to call a Book-Pack which is a Simple Book like opening with all of the DVD’s Inside
Common examples of the ADV Thin Packs which are out now include D.N Angel Noir and Angelic Layer
Examples of the Anime Legends Sets Include Gundam Wing .Hack Sign and Saber Marionette J and J To X
Also, there are several rules I like to follow when Purchasing Anime, this is just me, however I stick to my Golden Three Rules
1: If it is not currently in a Box Set, I will not buy The Series usually when an anime is fresh off the market or just got processed for release, it will be brought out in singles(These cost about 23.99 Each) Box sets, when they are released, will cost a lot less in the long run than they normally would on a regular series which has just been released
2: If I am unsure of a series, I will research it first The last thing you want to do, is spend your hard earned money on an Anime series which you know nothing about and then don’t like the series
3: If The Series Costs Over 100.00 In Box Set I will not buy it: Usually I try to limit my purchase of One Item to 80.00 and thus far I’ve been successful The only time I ever purchase an item
Special Rule: If a Series Comes in Two Parts and you are buying them at the same time Bypass Rule Three.
IE: If There are 4 parts to the box set, and they total 25.00 each, and total in all 100.00 I will buy the series as I consider them 4 separate box sets but that’s just me
Disclaimer: This Article was Written in hopes to Help people get into Anime. This isn’t meant to be gospel, this is just how I got into collecting and what I do.
Notice: If this breaks The Rules in ANY Way, I apologize, I tried not to advertise, the only thing I did was post the link to the Pirate FAQ
If there are any comments, or questions you may PM me at ANY Time, This Article is not meant to be gospel
Only to help
I hope you enjoyed reading it.
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