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Kai Doh Maru PR

Over the past two years Manga has come under fire for a number of DVD releases deemed sub-par by fans, any perceived problems with their upcoming Kai Doh Maru release could be the final straw with many fans.

Excerpts from Press Release:

Skypilot Entertainment, producers of films and revised versions of international film properties, has announced the completion of audio and video post-production on the English language adaptation of the highly anticipated "Kai Doh Maru", the forthcoming DVD release from Manga Entertainment on June 24th. "Kai Doh Maru" is the brand new anime production from Japan's Production I.G studios, creators of "Ghost in the Shell" and "Blood: The Last Vampire". The story is set during Japan's Heian era and follows the tale of Kai Doh Maru, a strong woman who is enlisted as a warrior with 'the four knights' to protect the capital city of Kyoto from warring enemies. The anime film combines traditional animation with stunning computer generated imagery.

Skypilot producer Peter Bavaro was chosen by anime distributors Manga Entertainment to spearhead the English production. "A variety of excellent source materials were made available to us" say Bavaro, "and the project remained 100% digital throughout production, preserved at 1:1 resolutions". All audio services were performed using ProTools Mix 24 and video post was performed on Avid Symphony systems. Bavaro adds, "We chose to post on the Symphony to keep multiple methods of color correction available, allowing us to accurately preserve the original image and eliminate even the most subtle shifts in color when creating text treatments and other necessary paint-outs".

For fans of the DVD format "Kai Doh Maru" contains a variety of significant extras. In addition to the main program Skypilot revised character trailers, interviews, and spectacular 3D fly-throughs of rendered models used in the film. According to Mr. Bavaro "This is one of those works that subtly resets the frontiers of the art form, and the additional material helps exemplify the talent involved."

Kevin Wilson, Skypilot's audio engineer on the project adds, "When [Mr. Bavaro] first showed me the film I was completely blown away. The action scenes are incredible. With this kind of imagery it was essential to create custom tonalities for the voice performances. For the final mix we combined a variety of ambient "surfaces" within the digital environment to ensure the dramatic accuracy of voice placements and proximities". Wilson continues, "Even the title track by Yutaka Fukuoka is in surround, and it's one of the best examples to date of what's possible with 5.1 music mixes. Basically, if you sprung for a surround setup at home, get this disc."

According to Margo Coughlin, Production Manager for Manga Entertainment, "We are very excited about this project. Meshing 21st century animation technology with traditional artistry and story elements has resulted in a spectacular film. IG PLUS and Production I.G have once again pushed the boundaries of imagination". Additional information about the release can be found at www.manga.com.

Skypilot Entertainment continues to supply film dubbing, territory revision and placement services for entertainment released around the world. Skypilot has provided services on over 100 titles including previous releases by Manga Entertainment such as "Virus", "Ghostsweeper" and the "Rayearth" series and continues to expand its reputation as a premier service provider for exceptional programming destined for release in North America.

Skypilot Entertainment is located in New York and is contacted at 1-212-248-7600, by e-mail at [email protected] or by visiting their website, www.skypilotentertainment.com.