Buying Imported Anime: What to Look for and What to Avoid

Japanese animation is undoubtedly growing and becoming more popular in America. For me, interest started in the late 90s when the English version of Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon -- also known as Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon or Sailor Moon -- debuted in America. Other popular ongoing Americanized anime series include Pokemon or Yu-Gi-Oh!. For someone new to the scene, there are a ton of good (or better) series out there, but many stay in manga (graphic novel) form in America and never make it to the American screen in English. Sailor Moon's fifth and final season never made it to America in English -- it was only released in Japan.

Now, situations like that pose a problem for fans like me: where can I find a copy of something that was never released in America? There are official versions, of course, but after a bit of research, one will find that official versions of Japanese animation tend to run on the higher end of the price spectrum.

There are ways to go around the high prices. Perhaps you have a friend that has a friend that can make you a nice copy of his series for free. But what if everyone you know hates anime? Get new friends! Just kidding. The obvious answer is to search online. That is one reason the internet exists: convenience.

However, I am sure there are many people in search of cheaper anime resources that are afraid of falling into online scams or paying too much for terrible quality bootlegged anime. One might think that an import is an import -- false! Just as there are different countries in Asia, there are different imported versions. Hopefully this guide on looking for imported versions of your favorite anime will save you from the disappointment I have experiences, so you don't have to learn the hard way.