ADV Films has released the final volume in animes #1 girls-with-guns thriller, MADLAX: REALITY, set to hit stores March 28, 2006. The series was produced by BEE Train, the makers of NOIR.
The show is the saga of two lives and the dark circumstances surrounding their mysterious connection. When the three books come together, the doorway is opened. It is a doorway that leads to reality. There, Madlax and Margaret Burton can not only discover their collective past, but they can also experience something much more powerful the essence. It is what Friday Monday has fought so long and hard to reveal. It is more than a simple glimpse into the human psyche it is the unrestrained embodiment of human nature. It is the will of mankind acting without question. It is what we are. It is the truth.
MADLAX: REALITY ($29.98) is an anamorphic DVD-only release including episodes 24-26, presented in both English 5.1 and Japanese 2.0 with English subtitles. Extras include design sketches, a Japanese packaging gallery, an Im Here music video, Im Here karaoke version, an Elenore memorial video montage, the alternate preview to episode 26, the original Japanese DVD commercials and Conversations with SSS, plus clean opening animation, clean closing animation, and previews of upcoming ADV Films releases.
The MADLAX COLLECTORS BOX is still available. This special collectors edition contains the first volume of MADLAX in a custom series art box with full color artwork sized to hold the entire seven volume series ($39.98).
In March, ADV Films also released new volumes of UFO ULTRAMAIDEN VALKYRIE, SHADOW SKILL, GENE RODDENBERRYS ANDROMEDA, MACROSS, KALEIDO STAR: NEW WINGS, HAKUGEI LEGEND OF THE MOBY DICK, WEDDING PEACH, GODANNAR, PRINCESS TUTU, YUGO THE NEGOTIATOR and ES OTHERWISE.
UFO ULTRAMAIDEN VALKYRIE created by Kaishaku (STEEL ANGEL KURUMI) with characters designed by Maki Fujii (STRAWBERRY EGGS). When Princess Valkyrie of the planet Valhalla crashes her spaceship into Earth teenager Kazuto Tokino, she saves his life by giving him half her soul. Of course there are side effects, foremost being her ensuing transformation from mighty princess warrior to mischievous eight-year old dependent on Kazuto for bed and board. Now this pair of unlikely soulmates must withstand an ever-increasing barrage of intergalactic suitors, servants and rivals and somehow find a way to keep the Tokino family bathhouse in business.
UFO ULTRAMAIDEN VALKYRIE: BEDLAM, BATHOUSE AND BEYOND ($29.98) is a DVD-only release including episodes one through four, presented in both English and Japanese with English subtitles. Extras include Valkyrie World Notes, messages from the original Japanese actors, a music video segment, the on-air opening for episode three and the original Japanese TV commercials, plus clean opening animation, clean closing animation and previews of upcoming ADV Films releases.
SHADOW SKILL: THE CALL OF THE BLACK HOWLING is set in the warrior kingdom of Kuruda is home to the fiercest fighters in the world, men and women who live solely for the chance to fight and become the greatest in the world. Young Gau Ban dreams of becoming the warrior of his generation. The series is produced by Studio DEEN (MYTHICAL DETECTIVE LOKI RAGNAROK, GETBACKERS).
SHADOW SKILL: THE CALL OF THE BLACK HOWLING ($29.98) is a DVD-only release including episodes nine through thirteen, presented in both English and Japanese with English subtitles. Extras include a commentary track with Greg Ayres (Gua) and Christine Auten (Folli), plus clean opening animation, clean closing animation and previews of upcoming ADV Films releases.
GENE RODDENBERRYS ANDROMEDA SEASON 5 COLLECTION 4 collects episodes fifteen through eighteen of the award winning sci-fi series fifth season and including more than an hour of exclusive special features on two DVDs.
Starring Kevin Sorbo (HERCULES: THE LEGENDARY JOURNEYS) as Captain Dylan Hunt and based on an original concept and unproduced stories found in the papers of STAR TREK creator Gene Roddenberry, the show features i stories of genuine heroism laced with humor, action and spectacular visual effects.
Captain Dylan Hunt has never had it easy. Hes been trapped in time near a black hole for 300 years, struggled with a less-than-cooperative crew of renegades, aliens and androids, seen the Commonwealth government he sought to restore fall into the wrong hands and betray him. Now, he faces perhaps his greatest challenge understanding his own past and ultimate destiny. On the meteor-scarred planet Seefra-1, Dylan and his crew uncover a mysterious secret merging past, future, space, and time.
GENE RODDENBERRY'S ANDROMEDA SEASON 5 COLLECTION 4 ($39.98) is an anamorphic DVD-only release with extras, including a Meet the Cast segment with Gordon Michael Woolvett (Seamus Harper) and Behind the Scenes mini-documentaries with Production Designer Brian Kane and Makeup Artist Francesca von Zimmerman. Other extras include Visual Effects: From Concept to Completion, plus TV promos, an image gallery, deleted scenes and bloopers.
MACROSS: UNDER CRIMSON SKIES is the second of seven DVDs representing the classic series in its entirety and for the first time ever with an English dub. This deluxe package, featuring digitally-restored video and a brand-new 5.1 soundtrack.
For many Americans, ROBOTECH was their first exposure to anime. That classic series, which was first aired on American TV in 1985, is a sprawling epic that showcases the complex storylines, morally ambiguous characters, and sheer spectacle that are hallmarks of anime.
Before ROBOTECH, however, there was MACROSS one of three Japanese anime series that were spliced together with a whole new script for an American audience. The original MACROSS has only been available to American fans in Japanese language only with subtitles.
This watershed release is made all the more special with the inclusion of Mari Iijima, who is reprising her role as the Lynn Minmay, one of the central characters in the MACROSS saga. This is one of the few times a voice actor from the original Japanese cast has participated in the English dub . Ms. Iijima is a professional singer-songwriter with numerous top 10 albums in Japan and has only appeared as a voice actress in limited fashion, with her only anime role being Lynn Minmay.
Locked in mortal combat with the attacking Zentradi fleets, the Macross has finally fought its way across the solar system to Mars, where an abandoned base may offer temporary safe haven. But this planet is named after the god of war and the hoped for sanctuary proves to be a deadly trap. With the lives of 56,000 human survivors hanging in the balance, Misa Hayase must put her own life on the line in a desperate gamble that will most likely cost her everything. As the crimson sands of the red planet demand an offering of blood, newly promoted pilot Hikaru Ichijo must find the courage to meet the ultimate test.
MACROSS: UNDER CRIMSON SKIES ($29.98) is a DVD-only release including episodes seven through eleven, presented in both English 5.1 and Japanese 2.0 with English subtitles. Extras include an interview with Mari Iijima, an interview with series translator Javier Lopez, a commentary track with Mari Iijima and Vic Mignogna (Rick), liner notes, plus clean opening animation, clean closing animation and previews of upcoming ADV Films releases.
KALEIDO STAR NEW WINGS: A TALE OF TWO RIVALS is directed by Junichi Sato (PRINCESS TUTU, SAILOR MOON). At Kaleido Stage, the competition to become Leons partner heats up when Dracula is turned into an ice-skating show. Sora and May give it their all, but neither is sure what will satisfy the fickle Leon. Then, tired of being typecast, Rosetta startles Kalos with a promise: Shell learn the trapeze in three daysor quit Kaleido Stage. Even with Soras help, the odds arent good.
KALEIDO STAR NEW WINGS: A TALE OF TWO RIVALS ($29.98) is a DVD-only release including episodes six through nine, presented in both English 5.1 and Japanese 2.0 with English subtitles. Extras include production sketches, plus clean opening animation, clean closing animation and previews of upcoming ADV Films releases.
HAKUGEI LEGEND OF THE MOBY DICK: THE MOAD TRAIL is the first volume in LEGEND OF THE MOBY DICK and was directed by Osamu Dezaki (THE ROSE OF VERSAILLES). Set in the far distant future, this series relocates the search for the great white to a crew of space borne scavengers and the doomed planet they must rally to protect.
As Ahab and his crew finally arrive on Planet Moad, Luckys home planet, they are greeted by none other than Moby Dick, himself. Facing off with his old adversary, Ahab is once again humbled and barely escapes with his life. The situation on Moad seems much worse than Lucky let on, as the crew finds the planet on its dying breath. As they march across a scorching desert to meet with the Moad Civilian Movement, tempers flare and friendships are tested in the sweltering sun. To make matters worse, the Federation forces, lead by the fearsome android Murato, pursue them at every turn.
HAKUGEI LEGEND OF THE MOBY DICK: THE MOAD TRAIL ($29.98) is a DVD-only release including episodes eleven through 14, presented in both English 5.1 and Japanese 2.0 with English subtitles. Extras include character sketches and a Space Whalers Lexicon, plus clean opening animation, clean closing animation and previews of upcoming ADV Films releases.
WEDDING PEACH SEASON 2 is directed by Kunihiko Yuyama (POKEMON). The Love Angels play cupid as they try to hook their friends Akiko and Tajima up on a double date with Momoko and Yosuke. But the fire devil Igneous has other plans and unleashes a devil-wolf on our unsuspecting heroes. And as if fighting the devils wasn't hard enough, Momoko's got some new competition for Yosuke's love from the new transfer student... and boy is she jealous. Will she finally admit her true feelings? And who's that dressing up as Wedding Peach? Have the secret identities of the Love Angels finally been discovered?
WEDDING PEACH SEASON 2 ($39.98) is a DVD-only release including the entire second season plus the four sequel OVAs, presented in both English and Japanese with English subtitles.
GODANNAR: TWOS A COMBAT TEAM, THREES A CROWD is a genre-bending mecha anime series. Five years ago, as the Mimetic Beasts laid waste to Japan, Dannar Pilot Go saved young Anna Aoi's life. As they prepare to march down the aisle, a new Beast appears and Go is summoned into battle once more. But he's not going alone, not if his blushing bride-to-be can help it. If they can mate their robots' interlocking parts, they'll form the ultimate marriage of man, woman and machine.
GODANNAR: TWOS A COMBAT TEAM, THREES A CROWD ($29.98) is an anamorphic DVD-only release including episodes fourteen through seventeen, presented in both English 5.1 and Japanese 2.0 with English subtitles. Video extras include character profiles, mech profiles, production sketches, a swimsuit gallery, Top Secret Case Files, and a special segment, The Seven Mysteries, plus clean opening animation, clean closing animation and previews of upcoming ADV Films releases.
PRINCESS TUTU: PRINZ UND RABE was directed by Junichi Sato (SAILOR MOON, KALEIDO STAR) and Shougo Koumoto (YOURE UNDER ARREST! SEASON 2) and produced by HAL Film Maker (KALEIDO STAR) and TBS (CHOBITS). The once pure prince is undergoing a change of heart or simply going under. The Raven, though still imprisoned, has begun to flex his talons, directing Kraehe to render unto him a heart that he can devour. Tutu must preserve the hearts of the innocent, but she will have to contend with her nemesis and her beloved.
PRINCESS TUTU: PRINZ UND RABE ($29.98) is a DVD-only release including episodes fourteen through eighteen, presented in both English and Japanese with English subtitles. Extras include a staff commentary with translators Sarah Lindholm and ADR writer Mike Yantosca, an In the Studio segment with the English-language voice actors, Chapter of the Egg Suite, the first of three Princess Tutu specials, this one recapping the first season, Etude, a video extra with information on the classical music selections used in the second season, split episode previews for the second season, the special on-air opening and ending used for the second season, plus clean opening animation, clean closing animation and previews of upcoming ADV Films releases.
YUGO THE NEGOTIATOR: RUSSIA 2 REBIRTH is based upon the original manga by Shinji Makari and Shu Akana. In a harsh and frozen land, the prayer of a child will guide a dying nation to rebirth. Surviving snowstorms, betrayals and mind-numbing torture, Yugo has managed to infiltrate a KGB military base. Manipulating the organization from the inside out, he constructs a plan to negotiate with Major General Garrachova. Feared by enemies and allies alike, Garrachova would sooner see Yugo dead than meet his demands. Subjected to an interrogation that makes the rest of his trip seem like a vacation, Yugo must unlock the mystery of the Romanovski rings or be sentenced to death. His only hope lies in the hands of Nadenka, the rightful heir to the Romanovski fortune. Russias past, present and future collide as the age-old mystery of the rings is finally unlocked in the dramatic conclusion to Yugo the Negotiator.
YUGO THE NEGOTIATOR: RUSSIA 2 REBIRTH ($29.98) is a DVD-only release including episodes five through seven, presented in both English 5.1 and Japanese 2.0 with English subtitles. Extras include an interview with Director Hanai, an interview with Kenichi Imaizumi (Character Designs) and Kenichi Kanemaki (Series Planning), an interview with Scott McClennen and Eddie Shannon Jr. on the Japanese depiction of Russia, a Russia Music Video, and a Character Relationship Chart, plus clean opening animation, clean closing animation and previews of upcoming ADV Films releases.
ES OTHERWISE: CALVARIA THE WILL OF THE PLANET, THE FATE OF THE CHOSEN is the sixth and final volume of the sci-fi series. Based on the hit comic series that original appeared in G FANTASY MONTHLY, the series was directed by Masami Shimoda (MACROSS 7, SABER MARIONETTE J) and produced by Studio Pierrot (SAIYUKI, NARUTO).
Just when you thought it was safe to go back into Gald, all hell breaks loose as Kai, Sherry, Kyou, Maxim, Maria, and the rest of the psychics turn the heat up full blast. Kai is trying to save Hikaru. Shen-Lon just wants his sister, Shin-Lu, back the way she was. Meanwhile, Eiji is realizing his evil plan is coming to fruition. He wants to rid the world of humans and have a population of only psychics...of which he is now one. Kai still believes the two races can co-exist, but Eiji will have nothing to do with that concept...no matter the cost. The secret of the Sacrament of Calvaria is finally revealed. Will it mean destruction for Gald? Will Eiji and Ashurum finally succeed in their diabolical plan? Can Yuuki, Kai, and Asuka save the world from what seems to be its inevitable doom and fate?
ES OTHERWISE: CALVARIA THE WILL OF THE PLANET, THE FATE OF THE CHOSEN ($29.98) is a DVD-only release including episodes 23-26, presented in both English 5.1 and Japanese 2.0 with English subtitles. Extras include an interview with English-language voice actors John Swasey and Chris Patton, Actor PSI Profiles and production sketches, plus clean opening animation, clean closing animation and previews of upcoming ADV Films releases.
In the 14 years since its inception, ADV Films has become the #1 producer-distributor of Japanese animation for the North American market and has also developed a leadership position in the U.K. 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. Headquartered in Houston, the company has offices in Europe and Japan. For more information, visit www.advfilms.com.
Bill Desowitz, former editor of VFXWorld, is currently the Crafts Editor of IndieWire.
