Bandai Visual USA Inc. announced it will be participating at Anime Expo 2007 at the Long Beach Convention Center in Long Beach, California, June 29-July 2, 2007. Bandai Visual USA will be offering FREEDOM VOLUME 1, which will mark the first commercial availability of a high-definition anime title in North America. Bandai Visual USA will be located at booth #1605.
Shuhei Morita, the director of FREEDOM, is expected to be on-hand at the Bandai Visual USA booth, and is scheduled to appear on an industry panel.
"We are extremely pleased to be bringing the first high-definition anime DVD in North America to Anime Expo," said Tatsunori Konno, president/ceo of Bandai Visual USA. "And we are honored that Shuhei Morita will be joining us for this important moment in U.S. anime history."
FREEDOM VOLUME 1 ($39.99) will be simultaneously released in HD DVD/DVD Twin Format (HD DVD layer & DVD layer on single side in one disc) in Japan and the U.S. on June 26, and will be the first introduction of the title in North America. FREEDOM will be released in HD DVD, including HDi network function that allows viewers to watch extra features. The DVD has already sold more than 100,000 in Japan, and won top honors at the Tokyo International Anime Fair 2007 for its high-quality animation combining 2D and 3D graphics. The complete series to be released in six volumes.
Anime fans will be able to purchase popular Bandai Visual USA titles such as GUNBUSTER, GUNBUSTER 2 VOLUMES 1-3, DEMON PRINCE ENMA VOLUMES 1-2, THE WINGS OF REAN VOLUME 1, PATLABOR THE MOVIE and PATLABOR 2 THE MOVIE. In addition, Bandai Visual USA will be making GALAXY ANGEL RUNE VOLUME 1 available for purchase before the official July 10 release date.
Bandai Visual USA Inc. (www.bandaivisual.us.) was established in 2005 as a wholly owned subsidiary of Bandai Visual Co. Ltd., a leading company in animation industry in Japan, with a mission to facilitate stronger, more active involvement in positioning, marketing and distribution of Bandai Visual programs in North America.
Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks
