Press Release

MANGA ENTERTAINMENT AND BANDAI ENTERTAINMENT PROUDLY PRESENT
THE SECOND SEASON OF SMASH HIT TELEVISION SHOW
Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex 2nd Gig

VOLUME TWO COMING TO DVD NOVEMBER 22, 2005
 

Chicago, IL – Bandai Entertainment and Manga Entertainment are proud to announce the launch of Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex 2nd Gig. Volume Two of the second season of this smash hit Japanese animated television series will be released in both a Standard Edition DVD as well as Special Edition on November 22, 2005.

Following closely on the heels of the extremely successful DVD release of the entire first season, GITS: SAC 2nd Gig will enjoy a simultaneous DVD launch in the US, Canada and Great Britain via Anchor Bay Entertainment. In addition, individual episodes of the 2nd series began airing on Cartoon Network’s “Adult Swim” in November. As with the first season, each episode of GITS: SAC 2nd Gig was created to be enjoyed and appreciated on its own merits, or to “stand alone,” while still contributing to a larger, more “complex” story arc.

In 2nd Gig, Section 9 - Japan’s high-mobility anti-crime unit, is back in action. Despite the successful resolution of the “Laughing Man” case, team leader Major Motoko Kusanagi’s got her work cut out for her as she leads her team on a series of new cases and investigates an insidious new plot against the Japanese government perpetrated by a team of terrorists know only as “The Individual Eleven.”

Synopsis for Volume Two- The Emerging Threat- On her first visit to one of the refugee areas, the Prime Minister receives a bouquet of flowers, and in it is a death threat. Section 9 is called in to provide round-the-clock security for her as they work to catch the would-be assassin. As they do their legwork, more and more links to the mysterious “Individual Eleven” are uncovered. Meanwhile, Togusa is trying to unravel the reason for a man’s suspicious death, and it leads him into the bowels of Tokyo and a government cover-up. Then, Section 9 is ordered to transport some dangerous plutonium out of one of the refugee districts, and the creepy Gohda is once again given command of the operation. When it’s all over, the Major and the rest of Section 9 try to figure out exactly how all of these things are linked together. These strange happenings can’t all be coincidence.

Based upon the original Ghost in the Shell manga by Masamune Shirow (Appleseed, New Dominion Tank Police) and a story concept by Mamoru Oshii (Ghost in the Shell), GITS: SAC 2nd Gig features the return of series Director and Chief Writer Kenji Kamiyama and Composer Yoko Kanno. They are joined by a host of incredibly skilled animators previously unavailable to work on the series’ first season due to their involvement with the phenomenal Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence feature film. The result is a cybernetic epic which challenges the viewer and meets, if not exceeds the production quality of the ground-breaking first season of Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex.

REGULAR EDITION:

DVD Features: Mastered directly from Hi-Definition Masters; English Dolby Digital 5.1 Audio; Japanese Dolby Digital 5.1 Audio; English Stereo Audio; Japanese Stereo Audio; English Subtitles

SPECIAL EDITION:

Disc 1 Features: Mastered directly from Hi-Definition Masters; English Dolby Digital 5.1 Audio; Japanese Dolby Digital 5.1 Audio; English Stereo Audio; Japanese Stereo Audio

English Subtitles; comes with Playing Card and Mouse Pad.

Disc 2 Features: Mastered directly from Hi-Definition Masters; English DTS Digital Surround Audio; Japanese DTS Digital Surround Audio; English Stereo Audio; English Subtitles. Special Edition DVD comes with a playing card and mouse pad.

DVD Extras included with Both Volumes:

Interview with Takayuki Goto and Tetsuya Nishio (Character Designers) Part 1

Interview with Takayuki Goto and Tetsuya Nishio (Character Designers) Part 2

Manga Entertainment Inc. specializes in the production and distribution of Japanese animation for theatrical, DVD and home video release worldwide. Manga's cutting-edge film collection also features Asian live-action, cult, pop-culture and international animation. The Manga film library is marketed and distributed in the U.S. through Anchor Bay Entertainment. Manga is headquartered in Chicago and has offices in London and Tokyo. www.manga.com

Manga Entertainment is an Anchor Bay Entertainment Company. Anchor Bay Entertainment is an established leader in the field of home entertainment. The company offers an expansive selection of award-winning, notable theatrical films including “Time Bandits” and “Halloween,” classic television programming such as “3rd Rock from the Sun,” “Three’s Company,” “Highlander” and much of the Stephen J. Cannell library, traditional children’s fare featuring the ever-popular Thomas & Friends collection and Mister Rogers Neighborhood, the impressive Manga anime line and chart-topping fitness titles including the "Crunch" and "For Dummies" series. Anchor Bay Entertainment is aggressively developing a wide range of original programs and concepts in addition to licensing existing brands and films.

Anchor Bay Entertainment is a subsidiary of IDT Entertainment. IDT Entertainment is a vertically integrated entertainment company that develops, produces, and distributes proprietary and licensed entertainment content. IDT Entertainment is a subsidiary of IDT Corporation (NYSE:IDT, IDT.C), an international telecom, entertainment, and technology company.

Bandai Entertainment Inc. is the premier distributor of Japanese animation on DVD home video in North America. The company has distributed notable titles like Mobile Suit Gundam SEED, Cowboy Bebop, Wolf’s Rain, and Witch Hunter Robin. Bandai Entertainment Inc. is a subsidiary of Bandai America Inc., who makes the toys for the hit television series, Power Rangers, Digimon, and Mobile Suit Gundam. Bandai Co., Ltd is the third largest toy company in the World comprising 53 subsidiaries in 18 countries. In addition to toys and children's entertainment, Bandai Co.'s global interests include video game software, multimedia, music and full-length feature films, vending machines, trading cards, candies, and licensed apparel. Additional company and product information is available through our website at www.bandai-ent.com.