As
we all know anime popularity is measured in views of the series, how much the
characters are popular (yes there are charts where people vote for the most
popular anime character in Japan)
and there is also the merchandise. The merchandise is a critical point in
supporting the creators of the anime because through licensing the anime to
merchandise companies like; Movic, Kotobukiya, Hobby stock, Bandai, Good Smile
Company, Max Factory, Alter and much more, they can pay for the production of
the anime and if there is enough surplus and popularity of the series companies
such as Aniplex and Toei Animation, will invest in the production of another
season.
Also
the art and dynamics of each episode will be affected. For example if an anime
is not popular enough the production cost will be cut down and thus the crappy
episodes… and this will result in only one season and no continuation of the
series… even if you fell in love with it.
What are Bootlegs?
Bootlegs
are a copy of an original merchandise for example this figure (1). Parts of the figures or whole figures are stolen from
the mother company and copies are made. These stolen figures are generally
rejects from the manufacturing company. Which is the bootleg in your opinion?
Figure 1: Which is the bootleg?( Photo by BagelChan
on MFC)
Bootlegs
won’t at all support the creators which worked hard on the production of the
anime, it will only support the people who took an original figure created by a
figure manufacture and made a copy of it! Simple as that. The money thus will
not go to the licensing Company but to these people. Therefore, when you do purchase an authentic figure, the money not only goes to the manufacturer but also to the sculptor, colour producer, designer, illustrator, the animation and mangaka.
For
example, this Nendoroid #300 Hatsune Miku; The picture to your right is the
original and the other is a bootleg of her.
What’s the difference?
The
difference is clear as clear water when you can see the bottom and the fishes
swimming!!!
First, the cost....
A
figure done by a licensing manufacture will be approximately about €80 and for a
nendoroid it will be about €40 (depending on the quality of the sculpting, the
quality control and the paint detailing). The highest prices are about €500 (Tsume
Company who makes highly detailed figures sometimes with lights…..ahhh so
beautiful!! Have some of the highest prices)
Whereas
figures done by bootleg manufactures are about half the price…. A price that to
experienced collectors will doubt for sure. As an example let’s take Minami
Kotori from Love live! School idol festival done by Alter (see Figure 2). It cost about 13,000
yen approx. €121.13, the bootleg (see Figure 3) on the other hand will cost about €25
approximately.
Figure 2: Minami Kotori original figure (Photo by
Alter)
Figure 3: Minami Kotori copy of original figure (taken
from ebay)
The second difference is the detailing...
When
doing a copy of the sculpting, the bootleg manufacture have to hurt the
original figure. Imagine this beautiful Minami Kotor (Figure 2) ... Broken up to make copies. It
hurts for me to imagine that!!!!!!! Oh my eyes!!!! But usually the figure will
not be completely broken up, thus detailing in the sculpting will be lost!!!!
And also the paint, but that’s the next point.
Figure 4: Connection of joints, different
colour from original (left is bootleg and right is the original) credit owner
(GSC)
As
an example this picture (see Figure 4) shows how the connection of the legs due to
the socks is not right.
Wait
what?? Why are they separated in the first place??
Ahh
yeah a figure is not made only from one sculpt and then mass produced, it is
divided in many parts. Each part is detailed and casted separately. Then each
part is mass produced and then connected to each other with glue. If it’s not
separated when sculpted, the sculpting detailing will be lost. Hence bootlegs
are cheaper. They do not seek detailing of the figure but the profit!!
Another
point is the seam lines. The bootlegs will have the mould lines showing while
the original ones are not there. Why??? It’s because more care is taken in
sanding to make it flawless…. Human craftsmanship cost money!!
The third difference is the sculpt and paint job...
Another
factor that makes collectors like me buy figures is the detail and attention
that is given to paint. The shading that makes the figure
stand out and the crisp lines. Also remember that figures are individually
painted so each one of them varies from another.
As
when it comes to the bootleg the colour will vary greatly from the original and
the quality of paint is not top notch paint (hence the price of the Minami Kotori
in Figure 2)
These following
examples will greatly show the difference from the original art to the bootleg.
Figure 5: Nendoroid #204 Menma (AnoHana) by GSC - The clear difference in colour!!!!! Left is the bootleg and right is the original (credits to GSC). FYI: this is a nendoroid leg
Figure 6: 1/8 Tenshi (Angel Beats!) by GSC - This is a cast off figure. The neck joint on the official version is smooth, while that bootleg version is uneven. FYI: Usagi from Angel beats!
(credits GSC)
Figure 7: 1/8 Tenshi (Angel Beats!) by GSC - The official version makes use of a semi-transparent material for the dress. The bootleg version is a sloid white. Look at the loss of detail in the frills
at the end of the dress. They are supposed to be more delicate and transparent
not to mention those bows!!!
Figure 8: 1/7 Hatsuse Izuna, Jibril, Shiro, Sora, Stephanie Dola (No Game No Life) by Phat Company- The difference in hair sculpting, the
eyes, colour of the collars and the big hands (Credits: GSC)
Figure 9: 1/8 Oshino Shinobu (Bakemonogatari) by GSC- The bootleg figure has the doughnut permanently attached to the figure. (It is removable on the official version.) (Credits: GSC)
Figure 10: SQ - Hatsune Miku -Racing 2014- (GOOD SMILE Racing, Vocaloid) by Banpresto - Left is the bootleg, right is the original. (Credits of bootleg image: EBay)(Credits of original image: AMIAMI)
Figure 11: 1/8 Lucy Heartfilia (Fairy Tail) by Amakuni (Hobby japan
exclusive) - Notice the missing key from the bootleg.
Figure 12: 1/8 Kuubo Wo-kyuu (Kantai Collection ~Kan Colle~) by GSC - Left: Bootleg (Credits: EBay) Right: Original (Credits: Kohatan blog). Notice the different structures in the figure: the canons, tentacle directions, Colours in shading, shape of accessory and base.
Figure 18:
Nendoroid #539 Hatsune Miku -Harvest Moon Ver.- (Vocaloid) - Top: Bootleg (Credits: EBay), Bottom: Original (Credits: GSC).
Figure 19: Figma #SP-018 Strength (Black ★ Rock Shooter) - The joints on the official version go in much deeper and look less visible than the joints on the bootleg version.(Credits: GSC).
Figure 20: 1/8 Kogitsunemaru (Touken Ranbu -Online) by Max Factory - The official product has a specially designed base. The bootleg version often has a simple clear base. (Credits: GSC).
Figure 21: 1/7 Sakura Saber (Fate/Grand Order) by Aquamarine - The official product has the following copyright on the underside of the base: '©TYPE-MOON / FGO PROJECT'. The bootleg often does not include this copyright. (Credits: GSC).
The forth difference the packaging and the company sticker...
Another
way to recognise a bootleg from an original is the box. The box tend to be
completely copied or scanned or a complete different box than the original
design of the box. Another factor is that the licensing companies who made the
anime will also include some type of sticker. For example all the Bandai items
will have the Toei animation sticker (FYI: which is gold for Japan and silver
for the rest of the world)
If a
box does not have a sticker it will give the first indication that it is a
bootleg. But not all companies use stickers…. Here’s where the design of the
box comes out...
Lastly
there will be accessories that are not included with the bootlegs but which are
there with the original figures.
Figure 22: Nendoroid #207 - Hatsune Miku -Snow 2012, Fluffy Coat ver.- (Vocaloid) by GSC - Left: Bootleg, Right: Original. The bootleg version may not include the transparent Miku or the LED stand that the figure should come with.
Figure 23: 1/8 Ultimate Madoka (Mahou Shoujo Madoka★Magica) by GSC - Left: Bootleg, Right: Original. The packaging differs considerably between the bootleg and official versions.
Figure 24: Nendoroid #524 Doma Umaru (Himouto! Umaru-chan) by GSC - Left: Bootleg, Right: Original. The bootleg version often does not include the Good Smile Company logo or Nendoroid logo.
Figure 25: 1/8 - ARTFXJ - Kaneki Ken (Tokyo Ghoul) by Kotobukiya - Top: Bootleg (Credits: TokyocopX), Bottom: Original (Credits: Kotobukiya). There is only ONE and not two of this figure. The standard release is the mask ver. however if purchased from the kotobukiya store (the exclusive ver.), a second head without the mask is included separately. Therefore there is only ONE box and ONE figure.
Figure 26: 1/8 - Portrait Of Pirates 'DX' - Portgas D. Ace -10th Limited Ver.- (One Piece) by MegaHouse - Left: Bootleg (Credits: xueren), Right: Original (Credits: Rikudou). Apart from the different packaging, notice the price tag on the bootleg and lack of licence sticker, in this case the toei animation sticker (see bottom left of original box)
Figure 27: 1/8 Saber -Zero ver.- (Fate/Zero) by Max Factory - Left: Original, Right: Bootleg (Credits: GSC). The holographic sticker is stuck on all official versions as proof that copyright permission has been obtained. It is missing on the bootleg version. (Note that not all products have this, but Saber/Zero will always have this label.)
The fifth difference is where you can find the original and the bootleg ...
The
fifth reason is the easiest part. Most of the bootlegs are sold from EBay at
cheap prices. Prices that are too good to be true. Some may display official
photos whilst showing a cheap price… that’s a big NO. Also in rare cases,
people that sell figures on EBay or other similar sites might think that they
own an original but it is actually bootleg, and give it a price like it is an
original… confusing ha?
So a
good suggestion is that you buy from trusted sellers that the main manufacturing
companies trust!
The sixth difference ... bootlegs in the market before the Original...
The
sixth reason is a very new phenomena…. If an original figure has a future release
date… then, how come the bootleg is already out in the market?! Confused? Don’t
worry, here’s an example;
Take
this 1/7 Saber Alter (Fate/Grand Order) that was announced to be
released in November 2016 by Alter, the official manufacturer. The bootleg
version of this figure was already being sold in July 2016... and look at the result:
Figure 28: 1/7 Saber Alter (Fate/Grand Order) by Alter - Left: Bootleg (Credits: EBay), Right: Original (Credits: Alter). Notice the difference in detail .... isn't it much better to wait than to get that... thing ^^; ...?
The seventh difference is the variety in merchandise’s artwork ….
Most of the merchandise produced and shown on EBay or similar sites may
not be produced by an official manufacturer let alone licensed. Such includes, keychains, can badges,
messenger bags, shirts, playing cards, pillows and posters just to name a few.
Most use official pictures of the series without the official label,
while others steal popular artwork that might have been what you drew and just
mass produce it into different merchandise without giving the artist credit.
Wall Scrolls - Always look at what you are buying, check for
copyright signs as legitimate wall scrolls should have the publishing and
licensing company printed somewhere on the item.
Figure 29: The tapestry on the left is an unofficial artwork, probably stolen from an artwork (Credits: EBay). Tapestry on the right, Sword Art Online -Fairy Dance Arc-, is an original one by manufacturer Broccoli, notice that on the bottom right under the anime title there is the publisher and licence details (Credits: keithgator).
Plushes - Look at the quality of the stitching and see if it
of a high standard. Check the manufacturer on the plush tag and most
importantly the copyright and license details. Also plushes are normal to be on a very high price, even for a small plush.
Figure 30: Left: Bootleg Sebastian (Kuroshitsuji) cost around less than 10 euro on EBay. Right: Original Sebastian by Gift costs over 50 euro.
Conclusion
How to avoid them?
Simple,
always buy from the company or shops affiliated with the company.
How to stop them?
It’s
not easy to stop them because bootlegs are a big profit turnover…. Also all the
companies fabricated mostly all their figures in China….. China is where all
the bootlegs are from (stolen original figures).
But
knowing how to recognise the fake from the original will help the manufacturing
companies win battles in this bootleg wars.
But bootlegs are cheaper for me!!!!
Remember you are not supporting the
artist who made it possible for your favourite character to be your current
favourite.
So in my opinion is useless in buying
a bootleg….. It will not help for a second season or third or fourth or
fifth…..
But if you are too young to buy
expensive figures… there are other merchandise that you can buy like official merchandise
and prize figures. You can always save up for your holy grail and build your
collection slowly….
