Anime Expo 2007

Bandai Visual USA (Updated)

Studio representative: Takanai Maeda (Vice President)

Since Bandai Visual has been one of the most active among all US anime companies in embracing high-definition video formats, Maeda began the panel with an informal survey, asking attendees to raise their hands if they either owned or planned to purchase a next-generation DVD player.

He then showed trailers for several BVUSA upcoming releases. Gunbuster vs. Diebuster, the compilation Gunbuster/Gunbuster 2 feature film is coming out in November, although no exact date has been specified. The full title for it will be Gunbuster vs. Diebuster: Aim for the Top! The GATTAI! Movie. This trailer, which interweaves scenes from the two OVA series, does an excellent job of highlighting the similarities in both style and content between Gainax's classic 1989 effort and their 20th anniversary project.

The next trailer introduced Bandai Visual's first new acquisition - the 2005 Super Robot Wars - The Animation OVA series. Bandai Visual will release all three episodes of it on one DVD in October. The follow-up Super Robot Wars TV series has also been licensed, but no release date has been set yet.

At A-Kon, a Bandai Visual representative mentioned that a high-definition release for Wings of Honneamise: Royal Space Force is being planned. Bandai Visual is now able to confirm the details of this release. On September 11, both HD-DVD, Blu-Ray, and standard DVD versions of Gainax's first full-length movie will be made available.

The next two trailers Maeda showed were for high-definition versions of the first and second Patlabor movies. Update: This was followed by a short trailer for Bandai Visual's final new acquisition, the all-CG Gundam side story Mobile Suit Gundam MS IGLOO. This license covers both the three-part Hidden One Year War movie, which is also scheduled for an October release, and the follow-up three-episode Apocalypse 0079 OVA

This report has been verified with the studio representative.