ADV Announces May 4 Releases
ADV ANNOUNCES MAY 3 RELEASES
HOUSTON, May 5, 2005 —ADV Films, the number one producer-distributor of anime in North America, is pleased to announce three new DVDs set to hit the streets on May 3, 2005: Gravion Zwei: Esoteric Truths, The Return of Daimajin, and Gantz: Terminal Dispatch.
GANTZ: TERMINAL DISPATCH
Your lives are now over, you bastards.
What you do with your new lives is for me to decide.
So there you have it.
With these lines, the unwitting “players” of Gantz are sent out on their first mission to find and kill a green alien But the black orb that controls their lives might as well have been talking directly to anime fans nationwide! Described as “gruesome” (Anime Source), “sadistic” (Anime Daze), and “one of the best things to come out of Japan in the last few years” (DVD Vision Japan), Gantz is the must-see event of 2005. And when the fourth volume, Gantz: Terminal Dispatch, is released on May 3, anime fans must obey!
“GANTZ is one addictive series!” — Active Anime.com
“addictive to watch” — DubReview.com
“I suppose you could say I'm hooked” — ToonZone.net
“I haven't seen a show that has hooked me this well in quite some time.” — animated bliss.com
“Once you press play, it's easy to keep begging for more.” — Anime News Network
“It is like watching a train wreck, but, strangely, I'm curious to see more.” — Sequential Tart
“I want to see more of this, a lot more.” — Anime Daze.com
“Blood and breasts. Lots of both. … definitely worth seeing” — Anime News Network
“moves beyond simple fan service and into material that's quite degrading.” —Opus Zine.com
“shocked me so much that I forgot to read the subtitles.” — Way Jeng, Anime on DVD
Directed by Ichiro Itano and produced by GONZO Digimation (Chrono Crusade, Full Metal Panic!) and (Megazone 23, Macross Plus), Gantz is based on the ultra-violent, totally twisted manga series by Hiroya Oku (HEN, Zero One). If anything, the anime series surpasses its source material for sheer spectacle – so much so, in fact, that it had to be heavily edited for broadcast on Japanese television. ADV Films has restored Gantz to its original, uncut form for its DVD release. As one reviewer wondered, “It features so many graphic scenes, violence, nudity and adult situations that I'm curious exactly what was shown on television.” (J-Ent.com).
Gantz is almost as notorious for its packaging as its content. ADV adopted an innovative monthly release schedule, featuring a lower than average price point but only two episodes per disk. Many fans were skeptical, but the experiment worked: The second volume of Gantz debuted at #4 on the anime sales charts, selling twice as fast as volume one. Terminal Dispatch will be the fourth Gantz DVD since February.
Synopsis: As Kato struggles to maintain control, Kishimoto realizes that with her new body comes new hope. Unfortunately, before she can act on those options, the second game begins! As a new group of players is initiated into the world of the sphere, the survivors of the first game are confronted with an entirely different breed of opponent — one that's smarter, more aggressive and more organized — and that's before the real game even starts!
Gantz: Terminal Dispatch (SRP $17.98 DVD) is a DVD-only release including episodes 7 and 8, presented in both English 5.1 and Japanese 2.0 with English subtitles. Extras include a cast talk featuring Masashi Osato (Kato), Hitomi Nabatame (Kishinoto), and Rakkyo Ide (Suzuki Alien), plus clean opening animation, clean closing animation, and previews of upcoming ADV Films releases.
Limited Collector's Edition Available!
The first volume of Gantz is also available as a Collector's Edition, which includes the Gantz: Game of Death, Volume 1 DVD and an attractive custom series art box to house the first six volumes of the series (SRP $27.98).
Running Time: 50 minutes
Age Rating: TV MA (V, L, S)
CAT: DGZ/004
UPC: 702727116520
Pre-Book Date: 4/5/05
Street Date: 5/5/03
Format: DVD
SRP: $17.98
Product specifications and content configuration subject to change.
GRAVION ZWEI: ESOTERIC TRUTHS
Giant Robots + Pretty Ladies = Titillating Adventure
Towels go flying and karaoke maids abound when the latest installment of the Gravion saga, Gravion Zwei: Esoteric Truths hits stores May 3!
Gravion Zwei is directed by Masami Obari of Bubblegum Crisis fame and produced by the incomparable GONZO Digimation (Chrono Crusade, RahXephon). Gravion Zwei picks up right where the original hit series leaves off – only this time with more fan service! Comedy, adventure, and thrills all come together in this fan-favorite series.
Synopsis: The Gravion team is in total disarray. Two of the Gran Knights turn up missing and one has fallen into a deep coma. And, there seems to be no promise of improvement. Even Sandman seems to be on the edge of a breakdown. He's discovered who is behind the Zeravire attacks, and it isn't a pretty picture. All we can hope for is that the team can overcome all the challenges that are associated with protecting the Earth.
Gravion Zwei: Esoteric Truths (SRP $29.98 DVD) is a DVD-only release including episodes 5 -8 presented in both English 5.1 and Japanese 2.0 with English subtitles. Extras include profiles of the Maids of Gravion, complete with art gallery, Zeravire Mech profiles and art gallery, an episode art gallery, and an “Inside the Actors Head” interview with the voice actors, plus clean opening animation, clean closing animation, and previews of upcoming ADV Films releases
Collector's Edition Still Available!
The first volume of Gravion Zwei is also available as a Collector's Edition, which includes the volume 1 DVD and an attractive custom series art box to house the entire series (SRP $39.98).
Volume: 2 of 3
Running Time: 100 minutes
Rating: TV MA (VS)
CAT: DGV/005
UPC: 702727064623
Pre-Book Date: 4/5/05
Street Date: 5/3/05
Format: DVD
SRP: $29.98
Product specifications and content configuration subject to change.
THE RETURN OF DAIMAJIN
Look Out, Godzilla – There's a New Sheriff In Town!
Rubber suit shenanigans reach their apex in the final installment of the Daimajin trilogy, The Return of Daimajin, coming out on DVD Tuesday May 3.
Considered by many experts to be among the finest giant monster movies of all time, Daimajin has been described as “flawless” (StompTokyo.com), “awesome” (Anime Jump), and “stunning” (Films In Review). It is a genre-bending cocktail of rampaging giant monster film and samurai epic that stands alone. “Beautifully photographed and lavishly produced, the story plays like a classic fairy tale” (DVD Talk).
The story takes place on a mountaintop in feudal Japan, where there rests a giant stone statue. Whenever the oppressed cry to the heavens for salvation and innocent lives are threatened, their champion is there to mete out stone cold justice!
Synopsis: Once again, evil has come to plague the peasants of Japan. As a vicious overlord brutally crushes the life from a tiny village, only one group of young warriors remain to seek salvation for their people. Stalked and hunted like animals, the youngsters make a desperate trek across a blood-stained landscape of ice and stone seeking the legendary God of Vengeance, Daimajin!
The Return of Daimajin (SRP $19.98 DVD) is a DVD-only release presented in Japanese 2.0 with English subtitles. Extras previews of upcoming ADV Films releases.
Running Time: 90 minutes
Rating: TV PG (V)
CAT: DDMJ/003
UPC: 702727126727
Pre-Book Date: 4/5/05
Street Date: 5/3/05
Format: DVD
SRP: $19.98
Product specifications and content configuration subject to change.
About ADV Films:
In the 12 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. 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.
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.
HOUSTON, May 5, 2005 —ADV Films, the number one producer-distributor of anime in North America, is pleased to announce three new DVDs set to hit the streets on May 3, 2005: Gravion Zwei: Esoteric Truths, The Return of Daimajin, and Gantz: Terminal Dispatch.
GANTZ: TERMINAL DISPATCH
Your lives are now over, you bastards.
What you do with your new lives is for me to decide.
So there you have it.
With these lines, the unwitting “players” of Gantz are sent out on their first mission to find and kill a green alien But the black orb that controls their lives might as well have been talking directly to anime fans nationwide! Described as “gruesome” (Anime Source), “sadistic” (Anime Daze), and “one of the best things to come out of Japan in the last few years” (DVD Vision Japan), Gantz is the must-see event of 2005. And when the fourth volume, Gantz: Terminal Dispatch, is released on May 3, anime fans must obey!
“GANTZ is one addictive series!” — Active Anime.com
“addictive to watch” — DubReview.com
“I suppose you could say I'm hooked” — ToonZone.net
“I haven't seen a show that has hooked me this well in quite some time.” — animated bliss.com
“Once you press play, it's easy to keep begging for more.” — Anime News Network
“It is like watching a train wreck, but, strangely, I'm curious to see more.” — Sequential Tart
“I want to see more of this, a lot more.” — Anime Daze.com
“Blood and breasts. Lots of both. … definitely worth seeing” — Anime News Network
“moves beyond simple fan service and into material that's quite degrading.” —Opus Zine.com
“shocked me so much that I forgot to read the subtitles.” — Way Jeng, Anime on DVD
Directed by Ichiro Itano and produced by GONZO Digimation (Chrono Crusade, Full Metal Panic!) and (Megazone 23, Macross Plus), Gantz is based on the ultra-violent, totally twisted manga series by Hiroya Oku (HEN, Zero One). If anything, the anime series surpasses its source material for sheer spectacle – so much so, in fact, that it had to be heavily edited for broadcast on Japanese television. ADV Films has restored Gantz to its original, uncut form for its DVD release. As one reviewer wondered, “It features so many graphic scenes, violence, nudity and adult situations that I'm curious exactly what was shown on television.” (J-Ent.com).
Gantz is almost as notorious for its packaging as its content. ADV adopted an innovative monthly release schedule, featuring a lower than average price point but only two episodes per disk. Many fans were skeptical, but the experiment worked: The second volume of Gantz debuted at #4 on the anime sales charts, selling twice as fast as volume one. Terminal Dispatch will be the fourth Gantz DVD since February.
Synopsis: As Kato struggles to maintain control, Kishimoto realizes that with her new body comes new hope. Unfortunately, before she can act on those options, the second game begins! As a new group of players is initiated into the world of the sphere, the survivors of the first game are confronted with an entirely different breed of opponent — one that's smarter, more aggressive and more organized — and that's before the real game even starts!
Gantz: Terminal Dispatch (SRP $17.98 DVD) is a DVD-only release including episodes 7 and 8, presented in both English 5.1 and Japanese 2.0 with English subtitles. Extras include a cast talk featuring Masashi Osato (Kato), Hitomi Nabatame (Kishinoto), and Rakkyo Ide (Suzuki Alien), plus clean opening animation, clean closing animation, and previews of upcoming ADV Films releases.
Limited Collector's Edition Available!
The first volume of Gantz is also available as a Collector's Edition, which includes the Gantz: Game of Death, Volume 1 DVD and an attractive custom series art box to house the first six volumes of the series (SRP $27.98).
Running Time: 50 minutes
Age Rating: TV MA (V, L, S)
CAT: DGZ/004
UPC: 702727116520
Pre-Book Date: 4/5/05
Street Date: 5/5/03
Format: DVD
SRP: $17.98
Product specifications and content configuration subject to change.
GRAVION ZWEI: ESOTERIC TRUTHS
Giant Robots + Pretty Ladies = Titillating Adventure
Towels go flying and karaoke maids abound when the latest installment of the Gravion saga, Gravion Zwei: Esoteric Truths hits stores May 3!
Gravion Zwei is directed by Masami Obari of Bubblegum Crisis fame and produced by the incomparable GONZO Digimation (Chrono Crusade, RahXephon). Gravion Zwei picks up right where the original hit series leaves off – only this time with more fan service! Comedy, adventure, and thrills all come together in this fan-favorite series.
Synopsis: The Gravion team is in total disarray. Two of the Gran Knights turn up missing and one has fallen into a deep coma. And, there seems to be no promise of improvement. Even Sandman seems to be on the edge of a breakdown. He's discovered who is behind the Zeravire attacks, and it isn't a pretty picture. All we can hope for is that the team can overcome all the challenges that are associated with protecting the Earth.
Gravion Zwei: Esoteric Truths (SRP $29.98 DVD) is a DVD-only release including episodes 5 -8 presented in both English 5.1 and Japanese 2.0 with English subtitles. Extras include profiles of the Maids of Gravion, complete with art gallery, Zeravire Mech profiles and art gallery, an episode art gallery, and an “Inside the Actors Head” interview with the voice actors, plus clean opening animation, clean closing animation, and previews of upcoming ADV Films releases
Collector's Edition Still Available!
The first volume of Gravion Zwei is also available as a Collector's Edition, which includes the volume 1 DVD and an attractive custom series art box to house the entire series (SRP $39.98).
Volume: 2 of 3
Running Time: 100 minutes
Rating: TV MA (VS)
CAT: DGV/005
UPC: 702727064623
Pre-Book Date: 4/5/05
Street Date: 5/3/05
Format: DVD
SRP: $29.98
Product specifications and content configuration subject to change.
THE RETURN OF DAIMAJIN
Look Out, Godzilla – There's a New Sheriff In Town!
Rubber suit shenanigans reach their apex in the final installment of the Daimajin trilogy, The Return of Daimajin, coming out on DVD Tuesday May 3.
Considered by many experts to be among the finest giant monster movies of all time, Daimajin has been described as “flawless” (StompTokyo.com), “awesome” (Anime Jump), and “stunning” (Films In Review). It is a genre-bending cocktail of rampaging giant monster film and samurai epic that stands alone. “Beautifully photographed and lavishly produced, the story plays like a classic fairy tale” (DVD Talk).
The story takes place on a mountaintop in feudal Japan, where there rests a giant stone statue. Whenever the oppressed cry to the heavens for salvation and innocent lives are threatened, their champion is there to mete out stone cold justice!
Synopsis: Once again, evil has come to plague the peasants of Japan. As a vicious overlord brutally crushes the life from a tiny village, only one group of young warriors remain to seek salvation for their people. Stalked and hunted like animals, the youngsters make a desperate trek across a blood-stained landscape of ice and stone seeking the legendary God of Vengeance, Daimajin!
The Return of Daimajin (SRP $19.98 DVD) is a DVD-only release presented in Japanese 2.0 with English subtitles. Extras previews of upcoming ADV Films releases.
Running Time: 90 minutes
Rating: TV PG (V)
CAT: DDMJ/003
UPC: 702727126727
Pre-Book Date: 4/5/05
Street Date: 5/3/05
Format: DVD
SRP: $19.98
Product specifications and content configuration subject to change.
About ADV Films:
In the 12 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. 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.
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.
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