Matt's Guide to Importing Anime
Overview
Although there's quite a lot of anime available in the UK now (over 400 tapes
at the last count) that's still only a relatively small fraction of the amount
that's been made over the years. Also, there's a limited number of genres
available in the UK, few complete TV series and a very limited choice of
whether you can have a particular title subtitled or dubbed. The American
market for anime is about five to ten times the size of the UK market with
a corresponding propotion more titles released. As well as this, it's fairly
easy to import the latest titles from Japan as they are released, although
don't count on getting subtitled or dubbed versions except in a very few
cases.
Important Disclaimer
First off, this is just meant to be a guide. It's not gospel, so don't hold
me down to any guarantees. If you do attempt to take the plunge and find
any horrendous innacuracies in what I've written, do let me know though. This
should be stating the obvious,but I am in no way a representative of any
company I mention on this page, so if you've got any complaints with them,
don't direct them to me. I am prepared to listen to recommendations either
way though.
NTSC Videos, Laserdiscs, DVDs and Televisions
The first thing you will need before you import anime is some suitable video
equipment for the job. Most VCRs sold in the UK can only play tapes in the
PAL format, where most American and Japanese tapes will be in the NTSC format.
Luckily you can buy VCRs fairly cheaply (Prices from around £80 at
time of writing) that can play NTSC tapes back on most PAL televisions from
high street stores such as Currys and Dixons. For the videophiles there are
plenty of fancier models around too. Note that not all televisions are compatible
with these VCRs, although you'd have a good chance with anything less than
ten years old. It's probably wise to check for compatibility first before
you buy though.
People who are only used to VHS video tape will perhaps be surprised to
learn that it's not the only video format you can buy anime on. Although there
are just a handful of DVD releases in the UK, the vast majority of new releases
in both America and Japan are coming out on that format. Also of note is
Laserdisc (LD) which has been fairly long established in both American and
particularly Japanese markets but has largely been dropped in favour of DVD.
Still, if you can find them, they give excellent picture quality.
Dubs, Subtitles and hybrid formats
Unlike the UK, most American releases are available in both subtitled and
dubbed versions. A bonus of getting anime on LD or DVD is that you will sometimes
get both of these on the same disc. Look for the words "hybrid" or "bilingual".
Most LDs achieve this by using seperate sountracks for the English and Japanese
tracks, although you'll need a device called a closed-caption decoder
to read the subtitles. Bilingual DVDs don't require any extra hardware to
play subtitles as all DVD players can handle them.
Places to go shopping
Once you've sorted out your NTSC-compatible video equpiment, you'll need
to find somewhere to buy your tapes from. Unfortunately, it's illegal for
anyone to sell NTSC tapes in the UK as they've not been certified by the BBFC.
(If you think this is a stupid law, try writing to your MP and complaining
about it.) The one place that bucks the trend is
Otaku Publications, although you may find them rather pricy compared
to places in the United States. The can, however, be found fairly easily
at most anime conventions for over-the-counter sales.
Ordering from the USA is fairly simple, provided you have a credit card.
A huge list of outlets over there can be found on the
Anime Web Turnpike. One that I'd recommend in particular is
The Right Stuf.who I've ordered from numerous times. Try to check out
the place you're ordering from is a reputable outfit first by asking in
rec.arts.anime.marketplace and if they don't offer a secure server you
should arrange to fax or phone your credit card information to them.
A few places, such as AnimEigo won't send merchandise direct to addresses
outside North America for reasons of licensing. In these cases, you'll need
to either get the goods from elsewhere or find someone in the USA who can
accept them for you and then ship them over. It's probably a good idea to
do this through friends of friends if you can, but if desperate you could
ask in one of the anime newsgroups for someone who'll help. However, make
sure you check them out thoroughly first before parting with the cash.
Ordering from Japan is rather less straightforward than the USA. Most places
won't accept credit cards, so you'll either have to arrange an electronic
money transfer or send a bankers draught. Both of which offers considerably
less security. Never send cash in the post to Japan, as even with registered
post it isn't insured. I'd generally suggest contacting places in the USA
even to buy Japanese merchandise, at least to start with until you can find
a reputable contact there.
Prices
Most American tapes these days are similarly priced to UK market tapes at
about $20-30 each (that's about £12-18) although with the discounts
some places offer they can end up even cheaper. However you'll also have to
pay for shipping, so do allow for this. It's often cheaper to order in bulk,
but larger orders are more likely to attract the attention of customs so
you will be charged VAT and import duty on them. DVDs and LDs usually only
cost a few dollars extra, so are well worth getting if you have the equipment
to play them.
Japanese tapes are almost entirely aimed at the rental market. So can be
extortionately priced, typically at around Y8000. (That's about £40.)
So, you're most likely to get the LD or DVD releases which offer the much
better quality for the same price. As mentioned before, you're very unlikely
to get subtitles or an English dub (although a few releases such as Memories
or Ghost in the Shell are exceptions.) However it's possible that you could
get a fan-translation or a synopsis by searching on the internet, so don't
be too discouraged by this.
Customs
As mentioned beforehand, any imported videos may be subject to a customs
charge. This consists of VAT (at 17.5%), import duty (4%) and a handling fee
(variable, but can be several pounds for some couriers.) Almost all couriers
will charge this every time, items sent through the post can sometime sneak
through without it. As a general rule, the smaller a package is, the less
likely you are to be charged. Even small packets containing just a few tapes
can somtimes have a fee to be paid for them though.
Customs will also be likely to confiscate any "hentai" anime tapes. As
I'm far too sensible to try and import anything like that myself, I can only
offer second hand opinions on this, but here goes: Although only "La Blue
Girl" and "Urotsukidoji IV" have been banned outright in the UK by the BBFC,
this is a very hit and miss area. It basically comes down to the discretion
of the customs officer involved and many packages also get through because
they're simply not inspected at all. After a video has been confiscated you
could appeal by taking the matter to court, although they're not noted for
leniency in this area. I've heard of cases where people have succesfully
challenged customs seizures, but again it does come down to the discretion
of individual magistrates so again it's a bit of a lottery. If you're in
any doubt as to whether a particular title will land you in trouble, it's
probably best to ask the company you're getting it from for a few more details.
Secondhand shopping
The newsgroup rec.arts.anime.marketplace
is a good place to look for second hand bargains, but do watch out for con-men.
It's a good idea to check out someone's reputation first before you part
with the cash, and you should be certain that what you're getting is genuine
goods rather than cheap imitations or bootlegs. If an offer looks too good
to be true, then it most probably isn't true. Other good places to pick up
second hand video tapes are at anime conventions which often have bring and
buy stalls.
Fansubs
Fansubs are subtitled versions of anime created by fans. Similarly there
are some dubbed versions (mostly parodies) called fandubs. Despite what various
people might tell you, distribution of these is not in the least bit
legal. In practice, fansubs of series yet to gain a release in the West are
usually tolerated though, as there is no license holder to prosecute the
fansub distributors. A list of fansub distributors can be found on the
Anime Web Turnpike. Since there are few fansubbers who will offer tapes
in PAL format, you'll still need a VCR that can play NTSC tapes. Digital
fansubs are also becoming increasingly popupar, where instead of copying
tapes you download episodes off the internet.
Finally...
Throughout all this guide you should see that the watchword is caution. So,
don't send any money off to anyone unless you're sure that they can be trusted,
as you'll have little chance for redress if they can't be. I've done by list
to stick to names that I trust myself, but it pays to do your own research
as well. However, I don't want this to be a discouragement to anyone, as
by importing anime you can open up a whole new world of choice for yourself
so it's well worth the effort.
This document was last updated on 25th May 2001
If you have any suggestions concerning this page, please contact:
Matt_Barber@hotmail.com