HOUSTON, July 13, 2006 —ADV Films, the number one producer-distributor of anime outside of Japan, is pleased to announce several great new titles set to hit the streets on August 15 – including the second volume of Vermilion Pleasure Night and the eighth awesome Gatchaman collection!

VERMILION PLEASURE NIGHT: VOX STIMULI

“It’s the Best Kind of Weird… Sexy Weird.” – IGN.com

ADV is proud to present the second volume in the Japanese avant garde series everyone is talking about! Vermillion Pleasure Night: Vox Stimuli hits store shelves August 15th.

Often sexy, sometimes profane – but always provocative – Vermilion Pleasure Night is a variety show that stands out even by the offbeat standards of Japanese late night television. Directed by Fuccons creator Yoshimasa Ishibashi, the internationally acclaimed artist whose installations have graced New York’s MOMA and London’s Tate Gallery, Vermilion Pleasure Night is a mélange of strange and sometimes disturbing vignettes that holds up a cracked mirror to contemporary culture.

Synopsis: Tokyo pop (and Tokyo pop art) has made Vermilion Pleasure Night an international sensation—and landed its creator in such prestigious places as the Tate Modern in London and MOMA in New York. And now, finally, this cult art smash has arrived stateside. Gorgeous models and goofy mannequins. Claymation and stop-motion. From J-pop music videos to a pee-wee playhouse with violently desperate housewives. You’ve never seen or experienced anything like this rainbow-hued, mind-trip, sonic and sensual assault. A sumptuous visual feast. Comedy with an edge. An orgy of sight and sound. High art as low comedy. Avante garde en garde!

Vermillion Pleasure Night: Vox Stimuli (SRP $19.98 DVD) is a DVD-only release including Nights Three and Four, presented in both English 2.0 and Japanese 2.0 with English subtitles.

GATCHAMAN COLLECTION 8

“Featuring 10 times the action, heart and humor of its ‘Americanized’ versions, Gatchaman is the one that really started it all.” – MTV.com

ADV Films, the number one producer-distributor of anime in North America, is proud to announce an August 15 release date for the fifteenth and sixteenth volumes of Gatchaman as well as the eighth Gatchaman Collection, a box set containing both new volumes and a jam-packed extras disk. ADV’s critically-acclaimed collections have introduced Gatchaman to a whole new generation of fans. As one reviewer put it, “There's no other style like Birdstyle, and you won't want to miss this!” (Underland Online)

Acclaimed comics illustrator Alex Ross provides the artwork for all eighteen volumes of the Gatchaman series, which is being released for the first time in North America in its entirety, uncut and unedited. ADV has recorded a brand new English dub and assembled loads of commentaries, documentary footage, archival material, and other extras for the classic series. This is the most deluxe anime event of the year!

Gatchaman is the seminal 1970s anime series from Tatsunoko Productions (Speed Racer, Robotech), which was recut for broadcast in the US as Battle of the Planets and later G-Force. In whatever form it appeared, Gatchaman introduced fans around the world to the wonders of Japanese animation. The cool character designs, over-the-top storylines, and complex team dynamic set Gatchaman apart from other shows – and set a standard that later programs emulated. It may well be the most influential anime series of all time. More information on the Gatchaman legacy can be found at ADV’s official website here!

ADV’s DVD series has proven to be a critical and commercial success. In awarding the first Gatchaman Collection a rare five-star rating, Anime Jump called it “truly top-notch – it's got good subtitles, a wonderfully accessible new dub, and a collector's package that even casual fans can afford and enjoy. This is one of the finest releases of the year, bar none.”

Series synopsis: In the 21st century, the evil organization Galactor has its sights set on global conquest. Their use of tyrannical terrorism and high-tech mayhem has the world in the clutches of fear! The only thing standing in the way of complete global dominance is the International Science Organization (ISO) and its chief scientist, Professor Kozaburou Nambu. Dr. Nambu’s primary weapon in the fight for freedom is his top secret experiment: the five kids who make up the Science Ninja Team. Bird, Go!

Gatchaman 15: Dr. Finger & Sugar Mountain (SRP $14.98 DVD) is a DVD-only release including episodes 85-90, presented in both English 5.1 and Japanese 2.0 with English subtitles. Extras include an Episode 87 Commentary with actress Samantha Inoue Harte and ADR Director Charles Campbell and a new installment of “Gatchaman Karaoke,” plus clean opening animation, clean closing animation, and previews of upcoming ADV Films releases.

Gatchaman 16: Galactor Strikes Back (SRP $14.98 DVD) is a DVD-only release including episodes 91-95, presented in both English 5.1 and Japanese 2.0 with English subtitles. Extras include an Episode 93 Commentary with Eden Barrera & Bobby Gordon (Recording Engineers) and a “Gatchaman Karoke,” plus clean opening animation, clean closing animation, and previews of upcoming ADV Films releases.

Gatchaman Collection 8 (SRP $34.98 DVD) is a three-disk box set containing volumes thirteen and fourteen plus a disk full of extras. The Collection comes in a chipboard box with breathtaking art by Alex Ross. Video extras include a Narrator Character Profile, an interview with George Manley (Narrator), The Narrator Audition Footage, “Gatchaman at Play: A Gatchaman Game Gallery,” Gatchaman music, episode sketches, character sketches, and a new installment of Gatchaman Manga, “The Bracelets Exposed.”

About ADV Films:

In the 14 years since its inception, ADV Films has become the #1 producer-distributor of Japanese animation (“anime”) outside of Japan and has the largest English-language anime library in the world. With best-selling titles such as Neon Genesis Evangelion, RahXephon, Robotech, Full Metal Panic, Hello Kitty and Azumanga Daioh, ADV Films' extensive catalog is fueling the popularity of anime around the globe. Always on the forefront, ADV is introducing North America to bold new anime franchises such as Gantz, Elfen Lied, Chrono Crusade, Peacemaker and DNAngel. ADV Films' library also includes popular live-action science fiction programs such as The Jim Henson Company's Farscape, the nationally syndicated Gene Roddenberry’s Andromeda and the Saturn Award-nominated Mutant X. In 2005 ADV Films was voted “Best Anime Company” in the SPJA awards, presented at Anime Expo, North America’s largest anime convention. The readers of Anime News Network designated ADV Films “Overall Favorite Anime Company” in both 2004 and 2005.

Parent company, A.D. Vision, Inc., encompasses a multitude of complementary media divisions, spanning publishing, television, licensing and merchandising and continues to expand into new areas. Its Anime Network™ is America's first and only television network dedicated to bringing anime and anime-related programming to consumers nationwide via digital cable 24 hours a day. The company has two publishing arms: Newtype USA, the premier anime and manga monthly magazine, and ADV Manga™, dedicated to publishing graphic novels. Headquartered in Houston, the company has offices in Europe and Japan. For more information, visit www.advfilms.com.