I was looking around for a reasonably priced Haibane Renmei boxset (it's a mind-boggling $200 on Amazon, or about $100 if you buy individual volumes). Eventually I stumbled across this:

http://www.atomicmall.com/view.php?id=373745

It seems too good to be true. Is there something I'm missing here? Is this a trustworthy seller? It doesn't look like a bootleg to me, but I'm far from an expert. If this is legitimate, why on earth would it be so expensive on Amazon?

I appreciate any feedback.

EDIT: After a little more research I've discovered that the original distributor for the series went out of business. The series is now out of print, thus the insane prices. With this in mind, I'm definitely inclined to think this is a bootleg version, despite any real evidence aside from price. I'd still appreciate a second opinion.

__________________
I like tea!

This is one I've seen often on eBay, usually sold from China or Malaysia. I think it's bootleg, as it's region-free. Also, it shares its cover art with the third individual volume, which seems unlikely for a genuine box set.

The UK version isn't especially cheap (most anime isn't), but not as horrifically expensive as the ones you were talking about. If you have a multi-region DVD player, that could be worth a try.

__________________

Definitely pirated at that price. Also anything labelled as 'region free' is also pirated since legitimate DVD publishers will be bound by the trading rules of region encoding.

__________________
Isakaya High School Roleplaying Info

"An old man like me stands no chance fighting against a high school girl in her underwear" - Oshino Meme, Nekomonogatari (Kuro)

Thanks. I noticed the region-free thing as well soon after posting, which removed all hope for me that it might be real.

I guess the focus of the thread could now shift to ethical concerns. If a DVD is out of print and is outrageously priced, is buying a cheap bootleg justifiable? (I don't have a region-free DVD player, unfortunately.)

__________________
I like tea!

That is down to individual conscience.

The quality of images / soundtrack / subtitles of some pirate copies can be significantly poorer than the authorized copy so it isn't just the twin concerns of paying less and breaking the law you need to bear in mind.

__________________
Isakaya High School Roleplaying Info

"An old man like me stands no chance fighting against a high school girl in her underwear" - Oshino Meme, Nekomonogatari (Kuro)

Under those circumstances, I'd probably say a dodgy download is more ethical. That way, even though you aren't giving the original creators anything for it, at least DVD pirates (who may be connected with more serious crime) aren't making financial profit.

__________________

That's a fair point, it's a good argument to go for the lesser of two evils.

__________________
Isakaya High School Roleplaying Info

"An old man like me stands no chance fighting against a high school girl in her underwear" - Oshino Meme, Nekomonogatari (Kuro)

I would also go for fansubs rather than buy bootleg copies.

It's also worth noting that fansubs usually have far better translations than these bootleg versions (which are usually translated from Japanese to another language, usually Chinese, and then from Chinese to English, very poorly).

Thanks for the honest feedback. I think the biggest crime being committed here is that a brilliant series has gone out of print. It's too bad there's no Criterion Collection for anime, although I would argue Haibane Renmei is classic enough to warrant distribution by the actual Criterion Collection.

Anyway, I probably won't be downloading the series, because I was mostly interested in having a physical copy I could lend to friends, etc. It's certainly something I would rewatch in the future, but I would probably want to wait a few years and then absorb the whole thing from beginning to end, like you would with a favorite book.

__________________
I like tea!

quote:

---

Originally posted by Theowne
I would also go for fansubs rather than buy bootleg copies.

It's also worth noting that fansubs usually have far better translations than these bootleg versions (which are usually translated from Japanese to another language, usually Chinese, and then from Chinese to English, very poorly).

---

__________________

And keep looking on e-Bay. A genuine set might come up second hand.

__________________
Isakaya High School Roleplaying Info

"An old man like me stands no chance fighting against a high school girl in her underwear" - Oshino Meme, Nekomonogatari (Kuro)