Bandai News

Bandai revealed at Anime Weekend Atlanta that Gundam Wing: Endless Waltz on VHS and DVD will debut in the US in February. Both will feature chromium covers, and the DVD will include a Dolby Digital 5.1 audio track and the 3 OAVs plus re-edited movie version. The summer of 2001 is being billed as a Gundam DVD blockbuster release season; the original Gundam TV Series and the 0080, 0083, and M.S. 08th team OAV series are all planned for DVD release then.

On the television front they report that Gundam Wing continues to do well on Cartoon Network and can be expected to air on Cartoon Network through March of 2001. On the topic of Fox’s edits of Escaflowne, namely the change from Yoko Kanno’s score to other music: Escaflowne leaves Bandai in its original form; Fox Kids then edits the music to maintain the tone of the edited footage. Bandai reports that the Fox television broadcast of Escaflowne is receiving respectable ratings, and that rumors of its impending cancellation are false. It was also stated that reports of the original Gundam TV series and Outlaw Star coming to Cartoon Network are not definite, but still a strong possibility.

Bandai also announced that the Saber Marionette J story will be released on DVD chronologically, from the Saber Marionette J TV series followed by Saber Marionette J Again then, finally, Saber Marionette J to X.

Bandai is currently preparing their first live-action release, Dark Soldier D. No detail has leaked out yet, but your editor is assuming that this will be the recent Japanese special-effects laden sci-fi/action film released in Japan with the simple title “D.” The film is reminiscent of the Zeiram films, featuring a high-tech swat team fighting a monstrous dragon/lizard alien in down-town Tokyo.

Source: Anime News Service