Otakon 2007

Bandai Entertainment

Company representatives: Ken Iyadomi, Robert Napton

Bandai Entertainment's director of sales and marketing Robert Napton opened the panel by going over their release schedule for the rest of 2007 and the first months of 2008. Zegapain and Flag are the two new titles Bandai will be working on in the fall. Galaxy Angel X and the two-episode Galaxy Angel S special are coming early in 2008. These two titles will be joined during the first months of next year by Agent Aika and its prequel Agent Aika: Virgin Mission, the two Silent Möbius movies, and the re-release of Clamp School.

After talking about these, Iyadomi began revealing Bandai's four new acquisitions. Towards the Terra, which premiered earlier this year, is a TV adaptation of Keiko Takemiya's classic science fiction manga that ran in Manga Shonen magazine from 1977 to 1980. Its anime film adaptation is available in English from The Right Stuf International, while the manga itself has been licensed by Vertical Publishing.

Ayakashi Akashi, which began airing in Japan in October of last year, is a supernatural action title set in feudal Japan. It features character designs by Toshihiro Kawamoto (Cowboy Bebop). Continuing its involvement with the My-HiME property, Bandai will be bringing out the four-episode My-Otome Zwei. And finally, Bandai has acquired Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion. In mid-2008, Geass will be broadcast on a major nationwide TV network.

Two more announcements made at at the panel had to do with the upcoming fourth (and final) volume of The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. The tie-in item for the special edition of this DVD will be a Haruhi/Yuki/Mikuru pillowcase. The two songs Haruhi sings in the twelfth episode of the series will be redubbed for the English-language track, and sung by Wendee Lee, Haruhi's voice actress. However, Bandai is only handling DVD production and distribution for Haruhi. If any decision to broadcast Haruhi on television is made, it would have to come from Kadokawa Pictures USA, rather than Bandai.

A new dub is being created for Clamp School, one of Bandai Entertainment's first titles, which is coming to DVD for the first time in October. Another back-catalog series they are working on is The Big O 2 complete collection, due out next month. And, after first announcing this license at last year's Otakon, Bandai is now able to set a date for the humorous Yukikaze spin-off Mave-chan. This $9.98 DVD is scheduled for October 2.

This report has been verified by a company representative