Moral dilemma with Toku DVDs

monkeyjb1988 · Dec 10, 2007

I have a small problem. Okay, big. I'm trying to decide between DVDs from Video Daikaiju and from official sources.

Video Daikaiju has a great selection of titles at awesome prices, but they are bootlegs. Also, I heard burned DVDs don't last as long as pressed DVDs.

The Official DVDs have nice extras and are pressed, so I don't have to worry (as much) about the film being lost. However, anyone who has gone shopping for Toku DVDs usually get a severe case of sticker shock (ie. they're expensive, like about $40 a disc :redface2.

Can anyone give me their opinions about this? It would be appreciated.

Forever Knight · Dec 10, 2007

Only pay for Officials when they include subtitles.

When you are going for raws go for bootlegs or anything you can get ur hands on.

HaiTien78 · Dec 10, 2007

Forever Knight said:
Only pay for Officials when they include subtitles.

When you are going for raws go for bootlegs or anything you can get ur hands on.

Haha no, that may work for you but not everyone :redface2:
According to your logic, TVN should make their fansubs off bootleg DVDs.

Go for Official R2's if you feel like supporting said series and are into collecting, and of course an official R2 is bound to come with good bonus features. Also go for the R2 if you don't care if its subbed or not.

Its always better to go with an Official R1 as well rather than a bootleg, it may cost more (depending on the series), but the quality is ten times better.

If you just want to watch a series, not support or care for collecting, and it hasn't been fansubbed nor uploaded, I guess bootlegs would be your only option.

Exo_Kopaka · Dec 10, 2007

Whoops! I thought your question was which to get: Tokusatsu or Kaijuu films.

MY BAD!

Yeah, subtract one point from Daikaiju or w/e.

Anyways, regaurding non-bootlegs, sometimes DVDs tend to go $5-7 less on some sites than others. None the less, they're pretty ****ing expensive.

Well, I would buy DVDs that are worth it. Obviously an episode or a Hyper Battle Video that runs to about $60 is definately NOT worth it. I would buy collections of DVDs, if I even had that kind of money.

Electronics in general are really ****ing expensive in Japan. A strong misconception circulated when people assumed that since the gaming industry is centralized in Japan that they have cheaper games. THEY DON'T.

However, if you DO happen to be in Japan, used bookstores like Book-Off have DVDs severly slashed in pricing, as DVDs are previously used, but returned in mint condition (unlike America). The Japanese have an issue with used things, so after they buy, they return, hence low costs. We can take advantage of those prices and grab them, especially since they can't be purchased in the US.

Now, regaurding your situation, what I would do is to save my money and purchase a huge box set or something. I would avoid small movies which run 60 minutes long and are $60 a piece. I'm a Toku fan, but I'm not insane. :laugh:

Bootlegs aren't worth the money. If you can do what they can do, then why the hell are you going to pay them? See me? I busted my ass off trying to get episodes burned on to DVDs and slap my own artwork together. I can make a better bootleg than bootlegs made by "professional" bootleggers out there, and still have enormous sentimental value to them. :laugh:

Oh yeah, and regaurding DVD Players, don't worry about them. If you have R2 players, good, but from what I recall, VLC Player runs them without region coding. I was pretty pissed to figure this out when I came home from Japan.

HaiTien78 · Dec 10, 2007

Exo_Kopaka said:
Whoops! I thought your question was which to get: Tokusatsu or Kaijuu films.

MY BAD!

Yeah, subtract one point from Daikaiju or w/e.

Anyways, regaurding non-bootlegs, sometimes DVDs tend to go $5-7 less on some sites than others. None the less, they're pretty ****ing expensive.

Well, I would buy DVDs that are worth it. Obviously an episode or a Hyper Battle Video that runs to about $60 is definately NOT worth it. I would buy collections of DVDs, if I even had that kind of money.

Electronics in general are really ****ing expensive in Japan. A strong misconception circulated when people assumed that since the gaming industry is centralized in Japan that they have cheaper games. THEY DON'T.

However, if you DO happen to be in Japan, used bookstores like Book-Off have DVDs severly slashed in pricing, as DVDs are previously used, but returned in mint condition (unlike America). The Japanese have an issue with used things, so after they buy, they return, hence low costs. We can take advantage of those prices and grab them, especially since they can't be purchased in the US.

Now, regaurding your situation, what I would do is to save my money and purchase a huge box set or something. I would avoid small movies which run 60 minutes long and are $60 a piece. I'm a Toku fan, but I'm not insane. :laugh:

Bootlegs aren't worth the money. If you can do what they can do, then why the hell are you going to pay them? See me? I busted my ass off trying to get episodes burned on to DVDs and slap my own artwork together. I can make a better bootleg than bootlegs made by "professional" bootleggers out there, and still have enormous sentimental value to them. :laugh:

Oh yeah, and regaurding DVD Players, don't worry about them. If you have R2 players, good, but from what I recall, VLC Player runs them without region coding. I was pretty pissed to figure this out when I came home from Japan.

$60? what sites are you looking at!? on play-asia a Hyper Battle video is around $20-$30 (if they still have any) and usually a single DVD of 2000+ series is around $40. Movie DVD's are also around $40. Shipping is only $3.

SaikoDragon · Dec 11, 2007

HaiTien78 said:
Haha no, that may work for you but not everyone :redface2:
According to your logic, TVN should make their fansubs off bootleg DVDs.

TVN is irrelevant because they are subbing the material so they need the best quality. For people who want to watch Toku and cant understand japanese, Knight's suggestion is good. why the **** would you buy official dvds if you cant understand them?

Buy Officials if they come with subs. If they don't, get whatever does come with Subs.

ShadowRider · Dec 11, 2007

Definitely buy Official DVDs when it's in your region coding (these would obviously be subbed/dubbed). But for raws, go with what you feel. I only (try to) buy R2s of shows I like most or feel I'd really like to have in my DVD collection.

With BT, and great trackers that share HQ raws and even DVD isos, I otherwise find it preferable to just download the raws and burn my own DVDs. Well now that I got the burner anyway...Although some shows that I've grown extremely fond of, even after having dl the raws, I may still even try to get the R2s, but when I can afford them. But that's just goes back to wanting to have it in my collection.

If they're Indie Toku that's another story, I would say to always buy the official DVDs.

HaiTien78 · Dec 11, 2007

GrnPsychoGarren said:
TVN is irrelevant because they are subbing the material so they need the best quality. For people who want to watch Toku and cant understand japanese, Knight's suggestion is good. why the **** would you buy official dvds if you cant understand them?

Buy Officials if they come with subs. If they don't, get whatever does come with Subs.

If you prefer collecting, you buy the official R2, lrn 2 read entire post before you make your own quote. A bootleg DVD is worthles in terms of collectors value. If thats the case with TVN, why doesn't TVN buy the bootlegged R2's (same exact thing, just re-encoded and re-burned into a R1) for only $7 instead of buying the official boxset for $600?

Forever Knight · Dec 11, 2007

HaiTien78 said:
If you prefer collecting, you buy the official R2, lrn 2 read entire post before you make your own quote. A bootleg DVD is worthles in terms of collectors value. If thats the case with TVN, why doesn't TVN buy the bootlegged R2's (same exact thing, just re-encoded and re-burned into a R1) for only $7 instead of buying the official boxset for $600?

Maybe to you. But to some getting their hands on anything they can is the entire point of it all. I've been collecting for years I've got official and bootleg. The bottom line is just watching it all, not all of this "l33t pwn all official" crap. No offence to anyone who buys officials, more power and respect to them. But don't denounce those who just want to watch Toku at any cost.

Synch · Dec 12, 2007

bootlegs are really only worth owning if you can't find them anyplace to download IMO & the real stuff is not worth owning unless it has subtitles for whatever you speak which in most cases I think they don't have english stuff...

So again no really worth owning ... my 2 cents anyways...

I download the series & "support" them my own way by buying toys & things like that based on the series I'm sure it does not count for anything but its better than nothing :S

Moral dilemma with Toku DVDs

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