Bootleg Belldandy Poster?

[youth]

I got this poster of Belldandy at Otakon & I think it might not be legit. With DVD's & CD's it's relatively easy to tell, but how do you spot a fake poster?

The poster with an image of Belldandy I haven't seen before. The print quality isn't real sharp & the dark blue color show some slight banding. Also print looks like it was offset at the top.
otakon06_ahmygoddessposter.jpg (http://www.angelvoice.net/anime/image/otakon06_ahmygoddessposter.jpg)

The title & copyright only the "3,000" is sharp & looks like it was printed separately.
otakon06_ahmygoddessposterlowerright.jpg (http://www.angelvoice.net/anime/image/otakon06_ahmygoddessposterlowerright.jpg)

Some characters that look like Korean in the lower left corner of the poster.
otakon06_ahmygoddessposterlowerleft.jpg (http://www.angelvoice.net/anime/image/otakon06_ahmygoddessposterlowerleft.jpg)

[The Great Bear]

[ QUOTE ]
youth said:
I got this poster of Belldandy at Otakon & I think it might not be legit. With DVD's & CD's it's relatively easy to tell, but how do you spot a fake poster?

The poster with an image of Belldandy I haven't seen before. The print quality isn't real sharp & the dark blue color show some slight banding. Also print looks like it was offset at the top.
otakon06_ahmygoddessposter.jpg (http://www.angelvoice.net/anime/image/otakon06_ahmygoddessposter.jpg)

[/ QUOTE ]

Does Belldandy ever appear in purple? At least that's what color her outfit looks like to me (could just be my monitor), and I always thought she was in blue.

[ QUOTE ]

Some characters that look like Korean in the lower left corner of the poster.
otakon06_ahmygoddessposterlowerleft.jpg (http://www.angelvoice.net/anime/image/otakon06_ahmygoddessposterlowerleft.jpg)

[/ QUOTE ]

Yeah, that's definitely Korean. I can't read it, but I recognize it.

[Banchan]

What dealer did you buy it from?

[Genesis]

Hard to tell, but I can at least help you with the Korean texts... It says that:

This illustration is exclusive and we have the exclusive contract and right (not sure if I'm using the right word here) to use it "from the company/person/organization that's in Chinese/Japanese letters" and reproduction is prohibited.

It's not a perfect translation, but I hope that might at least give you a clue... /images/graemlins/happy.gif

[Elendil]

I don't know if this will help you, but that image of Belldandy was used for some official reproduction cels by AIC a number of years ago. Sadly copies of those cels are also notorious for being passed off as bootleg.

[Pelianth]

[ QUOTE ]
Genesis said:
Hard to tell, but I can at least help you with the Korean texts... It says that:

This illustration is exclusive and we have the exclusive contract and right (not sure if I'm using the right word here) to use it "from the company/person/organization that's in Chinese/Japanese letters" and reproduction is prohibited.

It's not a perfect translation, but I hope that might at least give you a clue... /images/graemlins/happy.gif

[/ QUOTE ]
I find the copyright line with movic's logo on it somewhat odd from something represented as a Korean copy.

[youth]

[ QUOTE ]
The Great Bear said:
Does Belldandy ever appear in purple? At least that's what color her outfit looks like to me (could just be my monitor), and I always thought she was in blue.


[/ QUOTE ]

It is purple & according to Elendil the image is correct.

[ QUOTE ]
Burning Divide said:
What dealer did you buy it from?

[/ QUOTE ]

Anime Palace
I don't think they're totally legit at least where con policies don't prohibit bootlegs, but I've bought several other posters from them at previous cons & they all seem original.

[ QUOTE ]
Genesis said:
Hard to tell, but I can at least help you with the Korean texts... It says that:

This illustration is exclusive and we have the exclusive contract and right (not sure if I'm using the right word here) to use it "from the company/person/organization that's in Chinese/Japanese letters" and reproduction is prohibited.

It's not a perfect translation, but I hope that might at least give you a clue... /images/graemlins/happy.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

Hmm, so perhaps it's official but for the Korean market?


[ QUOTE ]
Elendil said:
I don't know if this will help you, but that image of Belldandy was used for some official reproduction cels by AIC a number of years ago. Sadly copies of those cels are also notorious for being passed off as bootleg.

[/ QUOTE ]

I suppose that could explain the poster quality if it's just a scan.

[KShinjo]

Many years ago there was a limited release of life-sized posters of Belldandy and her sisters. That looks like a Korean reproduction of the life-size Belldandy poster. By googling 'life-size Belldandy poster'. I found this. (http://www.nekomitech.net/keiichi/Anime/belldandyShrine.html)

I can't tell from the pics whether this Korean version is legit or not. I would bet that it is not. That "3,000" mark looks pretty suspicious. It looks like the place where the year date would normally be placed.
But the giveaway is what you say - you mention imperfections in the image quality. That's a sign of being a boot. A non-bootleg would have crisp image quality.

[ayareiko]

[ QUOTE ]
K_Shinjo said:
Many years ago there was a limited release of life-sized posters of Belldandy and her sisters. That looks like a Korean reproduction of the life-size Belldandy poster. By googling 'life-size Belldandy poster'. I found this. (http://www.nekomitech.net/keiichi/Anime/belldandyShrine.html)

I can't tell from the pics whether this Korean version is legit or not. I would bet that it is not. That "3,000" mark looks pretty suspicious. It looks like the place where the year date would normally be placed.
But the giveaway is what you say - you mention imperfections in the image quality. That's a sign of being a boot. A non-bootleg would have crisp image quality.

[/ QUOTE ]

I agree that the "3,000" is suspicious. Not only is it askew, the font's style doesn't match the "1293" beside it.

Also suspicious is the text in both the second and third images. The second image is printed in Japanese. The third is in Korean. Am I alone in finding that unusual?

[mighty_vespa]

[ QUOTE ]
Aya Reiko said:
I agree that the "3,000" is suspicious. Not only is it askew, the font's style doesn't match the "1293" beside it.

Also suspicious is the text in both the second and third images. The second image is printed in Japanese. The third is in Korean. Am I alone in finding that unusual?

[/ QUOTE ]

*sniffsniff* Smells like bullsh---I mean, bootlegs to me. /images/graemlins/tongue.gif

The mish-mash typfaces, bad image quality and poor cropping are just a few of the signs. But I'd love to be proven wrong though. I really, REALLY do. I'm a die-hard poster collector and things like this just piss me off. It makes it that much harder to give new, [potentially] reputable dealers a shot because I always go in believing they might be carrying bootlegs. How f-ed up is that? Yet, in the past, this cynicism has saved me from exchanging my hard-earned cash for crappy knockoffs.

[RZetlin]

Did you pay for this poster?

If you didn't pay for this poster, do you really care if it's bootleg or not?

[youth]

I guess the consensus here is that it's a bootleg (or a poor quality licensed Korean version?) . I'll keep it though since I paid around $13 for it & it's still a pretty image. I'll just have to examine the merchandise more carefully next time I buy from that dealer. I know they sell posters from magazine as you see the folds & calender cutouts as you can see the uneven cut.

Here are two other posters I bought from the same dealer at the same time which seem original to me because of good print quality.

A ero-game poster.
otakon06_naripuriposter.jpg (http://www.angelvoice.net/anime/image/otakon06_naripuriposter.jpg)

Madoka from KOR. One of their employees said it was from his collection but was being sold to clear space. I only paid around $13 for this too & the only other dealer there with a decent selection had KOR posters priced around $40 & up.
otakon06_kimagureorangeroadposter.jpg (http://www.angelvoice.net/anime/image/otakon06_kimagureorangeroadposter.jpg)

Btw, mighty_vespa since you're a collector do you know how these anime & game poster are distibuted in Japan? Like are they sold or given out as promo items? I've always wondered how the dealers here obtain them & actual cost.

[Klampo]

if you like it, who cares if its a "BOOTLEG" poster or not!

I purchased a Gundam Seed and a WHR poster which I knew were not licensed and their my favorites! As long as you like, who cares!

[KatsuhikoJinnai]

[ QUOTE ]
Klampo said:I purchased a Gundam Seed and a WHR poster which I knew were not licensed and their my favorites! As long as you like, who cares!

[/ QUOTE ]

I'd wager that the show's creators who don't see a penny of the money might care.

[mighty_vespa]

[ QUOTE ]
youth said:
Btw, mighty_vespa since you're a collector do you know how these anime & game poster are distibuted in Japan? Like are they sold or given out as promo items? I've always wondered how the dealers here obtain them & actual cost.

[/ QUOTE ]

Well, the posters are distributed in any number of ways. Same as they would in most other markets. AFAIK, retail shops receive posters directly from companies (or their distributors) to use in advertising their products. Some of those posters are often of the "Not For Sale" variety.

Then, there are the numerous promo posters given away as pre-order items. I've gotten some posters this way from pre-ordering R2 DVDs or games (i.e. FLCL). The Japanese sites usually advertise them as "special/promo sheets". Of course, there are the posters created exclusively for consumer sale.

Most of these "not for sale" posters find their way into the marketplace because of a few retail employees looking to make an extra buck (or yen). Many stores just trash the posters, when it comes time to change their promotional displays. It's not surprising that someone would cop a few and re-sell them elsewhere.

Cost? Well, it varies, like anything else. I've seen a dealer sell something like a Studio Ghibli movie poster for as much as $120. Yet, I've managed to score a LAPUTA movie poster for $30. Also, there are plenty of anime/game posters go as low as $5 or $12.

[Skywise]

[ QUOTE ]
mighty_vespa said:
Cost? Well, it varies, like anything else. I've seen a dealer sell something like a Studio Ghibli movie poster for as much as $120. Yet, I've managed to score a LAPUTA movie poster for $30. Also, there are plenty of anime/game posters go as low as $5 or $12.

[/ QUOTE ]

If they're the ones I think they are, they're the promo posters from when the movie was shown in theaters in Japan. They're usually trashed once the theatrical run is over, and not sold to people like you and me. In addition they're larger than your average poster, so if you combine that with limited availability I'm not surprised the price can get that high.

I actually have 2 copies of the Spirited Away promo poster that was used to promote the movie here, but that's only because our anime club had some contacts with the local distributor. One day I plan on framing one and putting it up in my home theater /images/graemlins/happy.gif.

[vtr9kvictor]

[ QUOTE ]
youth said:
I got this poster of Belldandy at Otakon & I think it might not be legit. With DVD's & CD's it's relatively easy to tell, but how do you spot a fake poster?

The poster with an image of Belldandy I haven't seen before. The print quality isn't real sharp & the dark blue color show some slight banding. Also print looks like it was offset at the top.
otakon06_ahmygoddessposter.jpg (http://www.angelvoice.net/anime/image/otakon06_ahmygoddessposter.jpg)

The title & copyright only the "3,000" is sharp & looks like it was printed separately.
otakon06_ahmygoddessposterlowerright.jpg (http://www.angelvoice.net/anime/image/otakon06_ahmygoddessposterlowerright.jpg)

Some characters that look like Korean in the lower left corner of the poster.
otakon06_ahmygoddessposterlowerleft.jpg (http://www.angelvoice.net/anime/image/otakon06_ahmygoddessposterlowerleft.jpg)

[/ QUOTE ]

I have a wallscroll of that one.