ADV UK DVD Releases For March 2005

Date: 2005 February 04 14:06

Posted by Spike

ADV Films UK have just sent us details of upcoming UK releases for Febuary. A fantastic month of anime including:

- Lady Death: The Motion Picture
- Chrono Crusade volume 1
- Gad Guard volume 2
- Get Backers volume 2
- Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi volume 3
- Rune Soldier volume 5
- Final Fantasy: Unlimited - Phase Seven

The Otaku News Crew like the look of the next installments of the hilarious Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi and Get Backers.

Full Story

Press release as follows:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

ADV FILMS ANNOUNCES RELEASE DATE FOR US DVD SMASH HIT LADY DEATH: THE MOTION PICTURE

ORIGINAL ANIMATED HORROR FEATURE UNLEASHED ON UK 21st MARCH 2005

LONDON, UK, 1st FEBRUARY 2005 - ADV Films, the leading producer-distributor of anime in the U.K., today formally announced a 21st March 2005 street date for the DVD release of Lady Death: The Motion Picture, the original animated production from ADV Films, in time for the character's tenth anniversary. The DVD release follows a limited national theatrical run throughout February as part of Sci-Fi-London 4's national tour.

The epic tale of a young woman's betrayal by the arch-demon Lucifer marks the first adaptation of a western comic book character by the UK's largest producer and distributor of Japanese animation. Brian Pulido's cult comic has been hot property since its first publication in 1994, and the character returns to her 4-colour roots this April, in the wake of her phenomenal US success on DVD. The Motion Picture tells the origin story of the First Lady of Gothic Horror, the ultimate Bad Girl, a woman not afraid to take on the Prince of Darkness himself - Lady Death!

The Story:
Set in 15th Century Sweden, Hope, the beautiful daughter of Matthias-believed to be a skilled mercenary, but who in actuality is Lucifer, the Lord of Lies-is accused of being the devil's consort following a hellish incident witnessed by local villagers. Ultimately, Hope is sentenced by the town priest to be burned at the stake. Writhing in pain and unable to think clearly, she accepts Lucifer's offer of life in Hell-presented by the malevolent Pagan-over a hideously painful death. Lucifer's grand plan to corrupt a soul of pure innocence meets unanticipated resistance, as Hope rejects Lucifer's scheme and eventually, transformed into the powerful warrior LADY DEATH, challenges the Lord of Lies for control of Hell itself. A powerful story of innocence lost, savage betrayal and glorious rebirth.

Lady Death: The Motion Picture (RRP £19.99) is a DVD-only release, comprising the complete 80 minute feature presented in 16:9 anamorphic widescreen, with English 5.1 Dolby Digital sound and English Subtitles for the Hard of Hearing. Extras include: Visions of Hell and Animating Death featurettes, director's commentary, and an ADV trailer gallery.

Lady Death: The Motion Picture
Running Time: 80m approx.
BBFC Classification: 15
Street Date: 21/03/05
Cat#: DLD-001
Format: DVD
RRP: £19.99


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
ADV FILMS ANNOUNCES RELEASE DATE FOR DEBUT OF NEW ACTION-HORROR EXTRAVAGANZA CHRONO CRUSADE

FIRST VOLUME IN NEW SERIES FROM HELLSING CREATORS OUT 21st MARCH 2005

LONDON, UK, 1st February 2005 - ADV Films, the leading producer-distributor of anime in the U.K., today formally announced a 21st March 2005 street date for the DVD release of Chrono Crusade: A Plague of Demons, the first volume in the unique and thrilling new anime series that merges spectacular action with graphic horror.

Based on the hit graphic novel series created by Daisuke Moriyama, available in specialist stores from ADV Manga, Chrono Crusade already had a huge fan following, affectionately known as "Nuns With Guns" by the online community. An "A" list of production talent, including heavy hitter GONZO (Hellsing, Last Exile, Full Metal Panic!), stepped in to make the animated version, and, to compliment this potent list of talent, ADV Films' DVD release will contain numerous bonus features, as well as both the original Japanese version and an all new 5.1 English language version produced by top-ranked dubbing studio ISM.

The Story:

The year is 1928. Jazz is hot, bootleg liquor is king and the idle rich of a nation have discovered a horrifying new past time: summoning demons! To combat this growing threat, a new order of Holy Warriors has arisen. This is the story of Sister Rosette, an elite Exorcist in the Order of Magdalene, whose soul has been bound by alchemy to that of the devil Chrono. Armed with Sacred ammo, they form an unstoppable team, ready to wage war at a moments notice... because when the gates of hell are opened, someone has to put the devils back!

Chrono Crusade volume 1: A Plague of Demons (RRP £19.99) is a DVD-only release, including four complete episodes in both English 5.1 and Japanese 2.0 language versions, with English subtitles. Extras include: clean opening/closing animation, production sketches, Azmaria's Extras Classes, original on-air openings, the Chrono Crusade Chronicle, episode commentary with Hilary Haag (Rosette) and Greg Ayres (Chrono), and ADV previews.

Chrono Crusade volume 1: A Plague of Demons

Running Time: 100m approx.
BBFC Classification: 15
Street Date: 21/03/05
Cat#: DCHC-001
Format: DVD
RRP: £19.99


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
RELEASE DATE SET FOR GAD GUARD VOL.2: CORRUPTION

SECOND VOLUME OF ELECTRIC FANTASY AVAILABLE 21st MARCH 2005

LONDON, UK, 1st FEBRUARY 2005 - ADV Films today announced a 21st March 2005 release date for Gad Guard Volume 2: Corruption, the second volume in this atmospheric and original electric fantasy.

With signature 2D and 3D animation and a stunning attention to fantasy detail, GONZO give us a fantasy take on the mecha genre, a story that mixes metal and magic, where the city is another character, and 80s skateboards mix with 60s scooters amidst the traffic. Directed by Hiroshi Nishikiori (Angelic Layer, Azumanga Daioh), the original character designs are from Masahiro Aizawa (Zone of the Enders: Idolo, Slayers Gorgeous), the mechanical designs from Toshiharu Murata (Hellsing, Colorful, You're Under Arrest, Get Backers) and scripts from Reiko Yoshida (Samurai X: Reflection, King of Bandit Jing, Kaleido Star).


The Story:
The mysterious Gads... Everyone desires them and believes that they will fulfill all their dreams. However, each person will soon come to realize the nightmare that is hidden inside them. A monster woman, a dragon train, a flying fortress, and the beasts said to have destroyed Unit Cobalt... Whether they are known as Techodes, Atechodes, or Gadrians, they still develop from a single Gad with the potential to destroy entire cities...

Gad Guards Vol.2: Corruption (RRP £19.99) is a DVD-only release, containing four complete episodes, and includes English and Japanese 2.0-language versions, with English subtitles. Extras include: promotional trailer, clean opening, promo art gallery, and ADV Previews.

Gad Guard Vol.2: Corruption
Running Time: 100m approx.
BBFC Classification: PG
Street Date: 21/03/04
Cat#: DGAD-002
Format: DVD
RRP: £19.99


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
RELEASE DATE SET FOR ACTION-COMEDY GET BACKERS VOL.2: FIND THE FINE ARTS

2nd VOLUME OF YOUR NEW FAVOURITE ANIME AVAILABLE 21st MARCH 2005

LONDON, UK, 1st FEBRUARY 2005 - ADV Films today announced a 21st March 2005 release date for Get Backers Volume 2: Find The Fine Arts, the second exciting and comical volume in this action-packed series. The Get Backers volumes are based on the hit manga by Rando Ayamine and Yuya Aoki as seen in Weekly Shonen Magazine (Japanese), and now available in UK stores. The high stakes action scenes were animated by Studio Deen, who have brought fans popular series such as King of Bandit Jing and Cowboy Bebop.

The Story:

It's nice to know people take the arts seriously, but what do you do when people just TAKE them?! In the second installment of this exciting series, the Get Backers are risking their very lives for the sake of art. Now that takes the meaning of art connoisseur to whole new level.

Get Backers Vol. 2: Find The Fine Arts (RRP £19.99) is a DVD-only release, containing five complete episodes presented in widescreen anamorphic format, and includes English 5.1-language and Japanese 2.0-language versions, with English subtitles. Extras include: episode commentaries, behind the scenes, clean opening and closing animation, and ADV Previews.

Get Backers Vol. 2: Find The Fine Arts

Running Time: 125m approx.
BBFC Classification: 12
Street Date: 21/03/04
Cat#: DGBK-002
Format: DVD
RRP: £19.99

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
RELEASE DATE SET FOR MADCAP COMEDY MAGICAL SHOPPING ARCADE ABENOBASHI VOL.3: IMPRACTICAL MAGIC

3rd VOLUME OF NEW GAINAX COMEDY CLASSIC AVAILABLE 21st MARCH 2005

LONDON, UK, 1st FEBRUARY 2005 - ADV Films today announced a 21st March 2005 release date for Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi Volume 3: Impractical Magic. Fusing thrilling action, slapstick comedy and a bit of family drama with uproariously clever parodies of anime, video games and any other pop culture target that stumbles into its crosshairs, the series is the latest creation of GAINAX, the mega-talented production studio that revolutionized the anime industry in the nineties with Neon Genesis Evangelion, and the early 21st century with FLCL. Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi was directed by Hiroyuki Yamaga (Neon Genesis Evangelion, Wings of Honneamise) and co-produced by Madhouse (Vampire Hunter D, Trigun, Ninja Scroll).

The Story:
They've begged. They've pleaded. Heck, they've even threatened bodily injury. But for Sasshi and Arumi, getting back home to the real world ain't as simple as saying "abracadabra!" So once again, the pair plunges headfirst into strange, new worlds loaded with hyperactive girlfriends, magic, murder, and enough syrupy cuteness to choke the Sugar Plum Fairy! Will Sasshi find true love before an angry Arumi's sniper bullet finds its way to his fluttering heart? What really goes on in Eutus' spellbound bachelor pad? And what is Sasshi trying so desperately to hide from Arumi? Don't miss a second of the hilarious hocus-pocus in the third outrageous volume of Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi!

Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi Vol. 3: Impractical Magic (RRP £19.99) is a DVD-only release, containing three complete episodes presented in widescreen anamorphic format, and includes English 5.1-language and Japanese 2.0-language versions, with English subtitles. Extras include: exclusive twelve-page color booklet, AD Vid-Notes(tm); clean opening and closing animation, and ADV Previews.

Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi Vol. 3: Impractical Magic
Running Time: 75m approx.
BBFC Classification: 15
Street Date: 21/03/04
Cat#: DMSS-003
Format: DVD
RRP: £19.99


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
ADV FILMS ANNOUNCES RELEASE DATE FOR RUNE SOLDIER VOL.5: FISTS OF FOLLY

ROLLICKING FANTASY ADVENTURE-COMEDY CONTINUES ON 21st MARCH 2005

LONDON, UK, 1st FEBRUARY 2005 - ADV Films today announced a 21st March 2005 release date for the DVD release of Rune Soldier Vol.5: Fists of Folly. This fifth volume contains four complete episodes, and debuts complete & uncut on region 2 DVD.

The talented crew behind this animated version of the original manga by Ryo Mizuno (RECORD OF LODOSS WAR) include writer Katsuhiko Chiba (Gundam Wing, Outlaw Star, Inu Yasha), animator-turned-director Yoshitaka Koyama (Dirty Pair Flash, Dragon Ball Z - the Movie 3), character designer Kazunori Iwakura (Burn up Excess, Slayers Great), animation director Takashi Wada (the upcoming Azumanga Daioh) and prolific composer Kenji Kawai (Dai-Guard, Zaion: I Wish You Were Here, Ghost In The Shell, Patlabor and the Ring movies). The varied humour will be appreciated as much by sitcom fans as role-playing aficionados, running the gamut from verbal wit to slapstick.

The Story:
Louie enters the ring once again! This time, it's for a tournament pitting fighters against each other in true hand-to-hand combat. Conrad and Leonard join in on the party, but the party turns to panic when it's found out that the host is a target for assassination.

Of course, Louie still has plenty of time to practice his punches. Whether it's fighting ghosts in Merrill's new home, or sparring against Genie in a wine-carrying foot race, he has more than enough to keep him busy. But a storeroom full of magical items becomes the devil's playground for busy hands, and when Louie's hands latch onto an item that can change a person's shape, he learns that some things are better left untouched!

Rune Soldier Vol. 5: Fists of Folly (RRP £19.99) is a DVD-only release, containing four episodes in English and Japanese language versions, with English subtitles. Extras include clean opening and closing animations, and ADV previews.

RUNE SOLDIER VOL. 5: Fists of Folly
Running Time: 100m approx.
BBFC Classification: PG
Street Date: 21/03/04
Cat#: DLR/005
Format: DVD
RRP: £19.99


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
ADV ANNOUNCES RELEASE DATE FOR FINAL FANTASY: UNLIMITED - PHASE SEVEN

FINAL VOLUME OF VIDEOGAME TIE-IN SERIES AVAILABLE 21st MARCH 2005

LONDON, UK, 1st FEBRUARY 2005 - ADV Films today announced a 21st March 2005 release date for the seventh volume of Final Fantasy: Unlimited, the companion anime television series to the popular Final Fantasy role-playing video games. Phase Seven includes three complete episodes and is loaded with extras.

In addition to its tie-in to the spectacularly successful video game franchise, Final Fantasy: Unlimited's production team speaks to the quality of the title. Final Fantasy: Unlimited is directed by Mahiro Maeda, one of the most acclaimed anime directors in Japan. Maeda was handpicked to direct two of the animated shorts included in The Animatrix, the anime side project based on the hit feature film The Matrix.

Producers for the series are SQUARE TV Tokyo (NOIR) and Dentsu (Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex), with animation produced by Gonzo Digimation, animators of Hellsing, Full Metal Panic!, Last Exile, and the upcoming Gad Guard and Chrono Crusade.

The Story:
The goal is in sight. A chance meeting in a forest brings back old friends and leads to the home of a skilled craftsman. And on his loom, he weaves the Flying Water. With this, the twins and Lisa know that Teros is not far away. Wonderland the Outside Worlds...everything is at stake in this stunning conclusion to the spectacular series!

Final Fantasy: Unlimited-Phase 7 (RRP £19.99 DVD) is a DVD-only release, containing three complete episodes. Includes both English- and Japanese-language versions, with English subtitles. Extras include: voice actor commentary; production sketches; key animation backgrounds; reversible cover; ADV previews and more!

FINAL FANTASY: UNLIMITED - PHASE SEVEN
Running Time: 75m approx.
BBFC Classification: PG
Street Date: 21/03/04
Cat#: DFF/007
Format: DVD
RRP: £19.99

About ADV Films:

ADV Films is the leading producer-distributor of Japanese animation ("anime") in the United Kingdom, with the firm's holdings including such premier titles as Neon Genesis Evangelion, Spriggan, Samurai X, RahXephon, Hellsing, Martian Successor Nadesico and Full Metal Panic! In addition, ADV Films distributes select fine programming in other genres, including live-action science-fiction titles such as the legendary updated Gamera trilogy. Aside from moving-picture content production and distribution, ADV Films' U.S. parent company, A.D. Vision, Inc., is the publisher of Newtype USA, the premier anime and manga monthly in the English-speaking world, and is the operator of North America's Anime Network cable channel. In addition to the London office, A.D. Vision, Inc. maintains world headquarters in Houston, Texas, USA with additional studios in Austin, Texas and offices in Tokyo. For more information, please visit ADV Films on the web at http://www.advfilms.co.uk.