Press Release

ADV ANNOUNCES OCTOBER 18 RELEASES

New FUMOFFU, GATCHAMAN, and GILGAMESH Lead Off Strong DVD Tuesday
 

HOUSTON, TX September 15, 2005—ADV Films, the number one producer-distributor of anime in North America, is pleased to announce four great new DVD titles hitting stores October 18 – the fourth and final release in the hit comedy series Full Metal Panic? FUMOFFU, the third Collectors Box of Gatchaman, volume three of Gilgamesh, and an affordable new thin-pack, Jing: King of Bandits Complete Collection!

FULL METAL PANIC? FUMOFFU: Full Metal Mania!

“Great artistry, excellent theme songs, lots of laughs, and a touch of romance – what more could you ask for from an anime comedy?” – Anime News Network

ADV is pleased to announce an October 18 release for the fourth and final volume in the summer’s best selling DVD series, Full Metal Panic? FUMOFFU: Full Metal Mania!

Full Metal Panic? FUMOFFU is only the latest face of the Full Metal franchise, which includes the original prose novel, two successful manga series, and the first hit anime series ADV Films brought to America in 2003. But whereas the first Full Metal Panic! anime series was a sci-fi drama with bits of comedy mixed in, this new series doesn’t even pretend to be serious! Featuring more explosions, more high school drama, and a batch of hilarious new characters, FUMOFFU really is a whole new Panic!

Directed by Kouichi Chigara (Gate Keepers, Phantom Quest Corps), Full Metal Panic? FUMOFFU reintroduces anime’s favorite odd couple: the popular (if fiery) Kaname, and Sousuke, the teenaged commando sworn to protect her – from high school? Sousuke has a little trouble telling friend from foe, but you can count on Kaname to set him straight! FUMOFFU features loads of slapstick humor, leavened by romantic misunderstandings and the occasional round of gunfire.

Synopsis: Here it is: the full-on, all-out-crazy finale to Full Metal Panic? FUMOFFU! And it seems that EVERYONE has gone completely mad! First, a laugh-out-loud yakuza war brings gangster stereotypes to life, risks the lives of Kaname and Sousuke, and enlists an unlikely army of Bonta-kuns to save the day! Next, there’s a turf war on the school campus, and it’s nerd against nerd, in an ill-inspired contest to see which group of misfits can seduce the most girls! And finally, it’s scandal, scare, skin, and screamin’ hilarity – as a whole classroom of students discards common sense... just before they unwittingly discard their clothes! It’s a fitting finish to a frenzied frolic in full-metal frivolity – and you definitely don’t want to miss it!

Full Metal Panic? FUMOFFU: Full Metal Mania (SRP $29.98 DVD) is a DVD-only release including episodes 10 through 12, presented in both English 5.1 and Japanese 2.0 with English subtitles. Video extras include character artwork and a new installment in the “Mysteries of FUMOFFU,” plus clean opening animation, clean closing animation, and previews of upcoming ADV Films releases.

Collectors Edition Still Available!

The Full Metal Panic? FUMOFFU Collectors Box is still available. This special collectors edition contains the first volume of Full Metal Panic? FUMOFFU in a stunning custom series art box with full color artwork sized to hold the entire four volume series (SRP $39.98).

GATCHAMAN Volumes 5 & 6

“A series no anime fan should be without!” – Anime on DVD.com

ADV Films is proud to announce an October 18 release for the fifth and sixth volumes of Gatchaman as well as the third Gatchaman Collection, a box set containing both new volumes and a jam-packed extras disk. 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 summer.

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 5: Guillotines & Witches (SRP $14.98 DVD) is a DVD-only release including episodes 25-30 presented in both English 5.1 and Japanese 2.0 with English subtitles. Extras include a commentary track with voice actor Andy McAvin (Dr. Nambu) and “Gatchaman Karaoke,” plus clean closing animation and previews of upcoming ADV Films releases.

Gatchaman 6: Devil Stars & Rocket Squid (SRP $14.98 DVD) is a DVD-only release including episodes 31-36 presented in both English 5.1 and Japanese 2.0 with English subtitles. Extras include a commentary track with voice actor George Manley (Narrator) and “Gatchaman Karaoke,” plus clean closing animation and previews of upcoming ADV Films releases.

Gatchaman Collection 3 (SRP $34.98 DVD) is a three-disk box set containing volumes five and six plus a disk full of extras. The Collection comes in a chipboard box with breathtaking art by Alex Ross. Video extras include a Jun the Swan Profile, original character sketches of Jun, an interview with voice actress Kim Prause (Jun), and footage from the English voice actor audition for the part of Jun. Other goodies include episode sketches, Gatchaman Japanese Voice Actor Profiles, and the Gatchaman Publishing Gallery Part II. Rounding out this jam-packed extras disk is a video version of the Gatchaman manga, “The Super-Transforming Machine: Mechanika.”

GILGAMESH: A Wake For The Undead

“The loveliest unpleasantness we’ve ever seen.” – gothic.net

ADV continues to redefine anime August 9 with Gilgamesh: A Wake for the Undead, the third volume in the innovative new DVD series with a cool Goth edge.

Gilgamesh is the sci-fi masterpiece from Shotaro Ishinomori (Cyborg 009, Kamen Rider). Ishinomori has created a dark, post-apocalyptic world where the sky has been turned into a psychedelic mirror, and civilization is only a shadow of its former self. Where beautiful assassins transform into terrifying winged creatures. Where children are born with amazing powers. And where a brother and sister are hunted by organizations with shadowy agendas. Gorgeous animation, breakthrough character designs, and stunning visuals make this suspenseful, addictive tale of mystery, magic, and espionage the first gothic masterpiece of the new millennium!

Synopsis: After a raging battle in the Core Settlement, the young psychics of Orga are haunted by questions about their Countess—and themselves. But when they sneak into the mysterious Mitleid Corporation’s archives, a pack of terrifying cyborgs quickly ends their search for answers. The Countess, meanwhile, has discovered priceless information about Tatsuya and his sister. Still, the young psychics under her control demand answers. So the Countess invites them to a suspiciously public ceremony for the dying leader of Mitleid. There, the group meets “a monster from the previous century,” the aging monster’s manipulative henchman, and his creepily ethereal daughter who, like everyone else in this twisted, macabre world, hides more than she reveals. And what of the gothic assassins of Gilgamesh? They crash the dark party to give the faux funeral real purpose.

Gilgamesh: A Wake for the Dead (SRP $29.98 DVD) is a DVD-only release including episodes 10 – 13, presented in both English 5.1 and Japanese 2.0 with English subtitles. Video extras include production sketches and the special featurette, “Whispers & Sex & Slices of Violence: Gilgamesh at The Alamo Drafthouse,” plus clean opening animation, clean closing animation, and previews of upcoming ADV Films releases.

Collectors Edition Still Available!

The Gilgamesh Collectors Box is still available. This special collectors edition contains the first volume of Gilgamesh in a stunning custom series art box with full color artwork sized to hold the entire seven volume series (SRP $39.98).

JING: KING OF BANDITS Complete Collection

An Affordable Thinpack Collection of the Famed Anime Series

ADV is pleased to announce a new Thinpack collection containing every episode of the acclaimed shojo anime series Jing: King of Bandits.. The Jing: King of Bandits Complete Collection will be available everywhere anime is sold October 18.

Jing: King of Bandits is a fun-filled adventure story based on the popular manga series by Yuuichi Kumakura and animated by fan-favorite Studio DEEN (Mythical Detective Loki Ragnarok, Tactics). The series follows the adventures of Jing, a young boy whose remarkable skills make him one of the most feared thieves on the planet.

Synopsis: Hide your coin pouches! No priceless bauble or exquisite jewel is safe from the leering eyes and stealthy hands of Jing, the King of Bandits. With a heart of gold and a wisecracking, girl-crazy bird sidekick, Jing steals his way through one exciting adventure after another!

Jing: King of Bandits Complete Collection (SRP $39.98 DVD) is a DVD-only release including the entire Jing: King of Bandits series, presented in both English 5.1 and Japanese 2.0 with English subtitles.

About ADV Films:

In the 13 years since its inception, ADV Films has become the #1 producer-distributor of Japanese animation (“anime”) for the North American market and has also developed a leadership position in the UK. 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.

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.