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ADV Announces February 21 Releases

ADV ANNOUNCES FEBRUARY 21 RELEASES

HOUSTON, December 20, 2005 —ADV Films, the number one producer-distributor of anime in North America, is pleased to announce five exciting new titles hitting stores February 20, beginning with the sixth volume in the fan-favorite series Maburaho. Also appearing Feb 20 are new editions of Ghost Stories and Samurai Gun, the latest Starburst Farscape Edition, and a brand new thin-packed Saint Seiya Collection.

MABURAHO: DIVINE INTERVENTION

“A great-looking, fresh show… fun and full of suprises!” – PLAY

ADV Films conjures big up laughs February 14, when the sixth volume in the sexy magical comedy series Maburaho: Divine Intervention, hits stores everywhere. This is the breakout hit everyone's been talking about! “Entering the world of Maburaho is like enrolling in a naughtier, less politically correct Hogwarts” (Zap2it.com).

Maburaho is the magical comedy series directed by Shinichiro Kimura (Cosplay Complex, Burn Up! Excess). Kazuki ranks at the bottom of his class at wizard school. Worse, he can only use his magic eight times in his entire life before turning to dust. But while Kazuki's magic may not be top notch, his future child is destined to be the greatest magician of all time, making him the target of three hotties determined to bear his child.

Synopsis: Kazuki Shikimori is having a tough time dealing with life as a teenage ghost. But leave it to a group of girls to run to his rescue... Yuna, Kuriko, Rin and Chihaya are determined to give him that one thing he's been missing – a body! A class trip to a hot springs makes the teens of Aoi Academy sizzle! Kazuki better watch out for things that may pop up -- Shino the ghost catcher still has her own agenda, and she could be around any corner! In the end, Kazuki winds up as Kuriko's date at the Cinderella Ball. Will Kazuki finally fall under her spell? Beware the mysterious moonlight, Kazuki!

Maburaho: Divine Intervention (SRP $29.98 DVD) is a DVD-only release including episodes 19-21, presented in both English 5.1 and Japanese 2.0 with English subtitles. On disc extras include “Art of Maburaho,” plus clean opening animation, clean closing animation, and previews of upcoming ADV Films releases.

Collectors Edition Still Available!

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

DVD Product Details
Volume: 6 of 7
Running Time: 75 minutes
Age Rating: TV 14 (S, D)
CAT: DMB/006
UPC: 702727123924
Pre-Book Date: 1/17/2006
Street Date: 2/14/2006
Format: DVD
SRP: $29.98

Product specifications and content configuration subject to change.


GHOST STORIES: JUNIOR JITTERS

“Fast and funny with a twisted take on pop culture… Ghost Stories just might be the most fun you're going to have with anime this year.” – DVD Verdict

ADV Films, the number one producer-distributor of anime in North America, is proud to present the third volume of the internet's most talked-about anime series! Ghost Stories: Junior Jitters hits stores February 14, and it's sure to have fans rolling in the aisles. “Ghost Stories is one of the funniest things to come out of any anime studio in quite a while!”(Anime News Network)

The series has sparked a fair amount of debate among anime enthusiasts. Just to be clear, ADV's English dub of Ghost Stories follows the plot of the original exactly. But in place of a written script, ADR director Steven Foster simply blocked out scenes and let the actors go. It's the anime equivalent of Curb Your Enthusiasm, where the actors have freedom to riff of one another instead of simply following a prewritten script. The result is a fresh, lively, funny dub with a spontaneous energy that stands apart. “I'll readily admit that I did not like this show in its raw Japanese form. The English version however, is actually quite funny, and it's really made me excited about Ghost Stories” (Anime Frontier).

Of course, it's the performers that make the series sing. The voice credits read like an anime dream team! “Ghost Stories is definitely something English dub voice actor fans will eat up. … In other words if you're a fan of the ADV regulars (Chris Patton, Christine Auten, Greg Ayres, Hilary Haag, Illich Guardiola, Monica Rial and Rob Mungle), it becomes a run out and buy purchase” (Ain't It Cool News).

Synopsis: When Hajime volunteers Satsuki for pet duty at school, she raises the ire of a fellow student—who, in turn, raises a certain rabid rabbit from the grave Good thing there's a cabbie to get them the hell out of there! (Though, it'd be even better if that cabbie wasn't some life-sucking ghoul with a nasty skin condition.)

Add to these elementary menaces, demonic dolls with a really perverted idea of playtime, and a ghost nurse with a disturbing bedside manner, and you've got a pretty good idea of the insane, spooky, and hysterical hijinks that await you in the most gleefully controversial and gut-bustingly funny anime you've ever seen.

Ghost Stories: Junior Jitters (SRP $29.98 DVD) is a DVD-only release including episodes nine through twelve, presented in both English and Japanese with English subtitles. On disc extras include “Ghost Profiles,” with pictures and background text on the Japanese ghosts and demons that populate the series, plus clean opening animation, clean closing animation, and previews of upcoming ADV Films releases.

DVD Product Details
Volume: 3 of 5
Running Time: 100 minutes
Age Rating: TV PG
CAT: DGHS/003
UPC: 702727130724
Pre-Book Date: 1/17/2006
Street Date: 2/14/2006
Format: DVD
SRP: $29.98

Product specifications and content configuration subject to change.


SAMURAI GUN: THE BITTER END

Gun-Toting Warriors Fight For Their Lives Against the Shogun's Evil Minions!

ADV Films is pleased to announce a February 14 street date for Samurai Gun: The Bitter End, the fourth and final volume in anime's answer to the spaghetti Western. “Think anime-scheme Kill Bill ultra-violence meets Tokugawa pulp Shadow, meets 70's mod private eye.” – Ain't It Cool News

Samurai Gun is a blood-drenched tour of the bakumatsu years, a turbulent time that ultimately brought an end to Japan's feudal system. A special breed of samurai stands against the corrupt Shogunate, armed with superior strength, speed, agility… and guns! Morally ambiguous “heroes,” razor sharp dialogue, and hair-trigger violence give Samurai Gun the feel of a taut Western. When one lone gunman takes on an army of samurai, they don't stand a chance.

Based on the popular manga by Kazuhiro Kumagai, Samurai Gun was produced by Studio Egg and Avex, Inc. (Initial D) in association with ADV Films. It was first aired on Japanese television less than a year ago. The final volume in this DVD series includes a never-before-seen 13th episode.

Synopsis: Ichimatsu's past is as dark as his future. Not only has it come to light that a member of the Shogunate may have been responsible for his sister's brutal rape and murder, but now it appears other disturbing relics of Ichi's past are here to haunt him once again. Old friends and old enemies confront Ichimatsu and force him to question both his mental stability and his loyalty to the Samurai Gun. He will be tested against the rigors of his disturbing childhood training. He will struggle with his sister's memory. He will be trapped into choosing between his ingrained instruction and his emerging ideals. Ohana will be in danger. A friend will betray him. The Shogunate will take advantage. And Ichi will be caught in the middle.

Samurai Gun: The Bitter End (SRP $29.98 DVD) is a DVD-only release including episodes eleven and twelve plus an un-aired episode, presented in both English 5.1 and Japanese 2.0 with English subtitles. Video extras include production sketches and a “Fun With Audio” segment, plus clean opening animation, clean closing animation, and previews of upcoming ADV Films releases.

Collectors Edition Still Available!

The Samurai Gun Collectors Box is still available. This special collectors edition includes the first volume of Samurai Gun plus a stunning custom series art box with full color artwork, sized to hold the entire four volume series (SRP $39.98).

DVD Product Details
Volume: 4 of 4
Running Time: 75 minutes
Age Rating: TV MA (V, S, L)
CAT: DSMG/004
UPC: 702727153525
Pre-Book Date: 1/17/2006
Street Date: 2/14/2006
Format: DVD
SRP: $29.98

Product specifications and content configuration subject to change.


SAINT SEIYA COLLECTION 1

“Saint Seiya Is Anime Gold And Should Be Checked Out By All Anime Fans!”

– Japan Hero

ADV Films is pleased to announce a February 14 street date for the Saint Seiya Collection, an attractive new thin-pack collecting 30 episodes of the fan-favorite series for just $49.98.

Produced by TOEI (DragonBall Z, Fist of The Northstar), Saint Seiya is a tournament saga with cosmic scope.

Synopsis: The cosmos is bound together by an incomprehensible web of strength, power and (some would even say) magic. And only by a select few may these forces be harnessed! Seiya is a mortal from Japan who has been trained and has excelled. The time has now come for him to test his skills in battle and to claim the sacred cloth: cloth that will change the order of the universe; armor that will earn Seiya a place in the cosmos; cloth that will establish his rank among the Saints. Through a series of tournaments and trials, Seiya must not only defeat some of the most powerful fighters ever to set foot in the ring, but he must also defeat the demons within himself Long live the Saints! Long live Saint Seiya!

Saint Seiya Complete Collection (SRP $49.98 DVD) is a DVD-only thin-packed release including episodes 1-30, presented in both English and Japanese with English subtitles.

DVD Product Details
Running Time: 750 minutes
Age Rating: TV PG (V)
CAT: DSE/BX100
UPC: 702727147128
Pre-Book Date: 1/17/2006
Street Date: 2/14/2006
Format: DVD
SRP: $49.98

Product specifications and content configuration subject to change.


FARSCAPE STARBURST EDITION 3.2

“Sophisticated, Steamy, Truly Bold” – Newsday

ADV Films is pleased to announce the eighth installment of its wildly successful Farscape: Starburst Edition series, with an expanded and updated volume that takes us through the midpoint of the third season in the classic sci-fi series. Farscape: Starburst Edition 3.2 will be available everywhere DVDs are sold on February 14.

Farscape is an adventure as broad and weird as the universe – full of strange creatures, bizarre twists, irreverent humor, raucous action, passion, and romance! Produced in Australia by The Jim Henson Company and Hallmark Entertainment, Farscape has been called “The Best Sci-Fi on TV,” by TV Guide, and hailed as “TV's Best Space Series” by USA Today. Farscape also received the Saturn Award for Best Syndicated/Cable Series three years in a row (2001, 2002, 2003).

Synopsis: It's a big, crazy universe out there. And American astronaut John Crichton (Ben Browder) is about as lost in it as he can be! The poor guy's been through a lot. He's been probed, prodded, framed, frozen, and frelled by alien life forms more bizarre than anything he could have imagined. Now, our long-suffering hero has been cloned against his will. And it's double-trouble as two Crichtons go on separate adventures! Throw in an dysfunctional crew of quarreling alien ex-cons, a bio-mechanoid ship with a neurotic Pilot, a sadistic military leader with a secret agenda, a beautiful ex-commando who's learning how to love, and it's no wonder that… John Crichton is losing his mind!

Praised by TV Guide as one of the “25 Top Cult Shows Ever,” Farscape is an adventure as broad and weird as the universe – full of strange creatures, bizarre twists, irreverent humor, raucous action, passion, and romance! Produced in Australia with the incredible talents of Jim Henson's Creature Shop, Farscape is the fantasy-scifi-drama-romance-comedy-adventure you will always remember!

The dream series of every sci-fi fan continues with the release of Farscape: The Starburst Edition 3.2. (SRP $24.98 DVD). Farscape: The Starburst Edition 3.2. is a DVD-only release including the middle eight episodes of Farscape's exciting third season, complemented by extensive special features on four DVDs. Episodes in this collection: “Green Eyed Monster,” “Losing Time,” “Relativity,” “Incubator,” “Meltdown,” “Scratch ‘N’ Sniff,” “Infinite Possibilities, Part I: Daedalus Demands,” and “Infinite Possibilities Part II: Icarus Abides.” Audio is presented in English 5.1 and stereo. Each episode is subtitled for the hearing impaired.

With almost seven hours of the three-time Saturn Award-winning Farscape, this collection is one of the hottest entertainment bargains anywhere!

Farscape: The Starburst Edition 3.2 is loaded with all the extensive, behind-the-scenes special features sci-fi fans want. In fact, the fourth disc is exclusively devoted to extras! There are four cast interviews – Ben Browder (Crichton), Wayne Pygram (Scorpius), Gigi Edgley (Chiana), Paul Goddard (Stark). Two full-length audio commentaries enhance this edition. The episode “Green Eyed Monster” has commentary from actor Ben Browder – who wrote the script – and Director Tony Tilse. The gripping episode “Relativity” also has commentary featuring Lani Tupu (Captain Crais & the voice of Pilot) & Director Peter Andrikidis. Rounding out this packed collection are deleted scenes, the original Farscape TV promos, “Cool Farscape Facts” by Paul Simpson (author of Farscape: The Illustrated Companion), “Alien Encounters,” an extensive production design gallery, updated character histories, and previews of other coming attractions from ADV Films. Farscape: Starburst Edition 3.2 is the definitive edition of this amazing sci-fi series for new and established fans alike!

DVD Product Details
Volume: 2 of 3
Running Time: 400 minutes
Age Rating: n/a
CAT: DFSR/008
UPC: 702727105029
Pre-Book Date: 1/17/2006
Street Date: 2/14/2006
Format: DVD
SRP: $24.98

Product specifications and content configuration subject to change.


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.

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