I'm currently terrified that Puella Madoka Magica will be released like this.

Bandai Announces Tales of the Abyss Part 1 Release Date Change

Posted on: Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Bandai Entertainment announced both the regular and limited editions of Tales of the Abyss Part 1 are now scheduled to street October 11, 2011. This change has been noted in our system and will be automatically reflected in customer orders.

Flower Mound, TX (July 21, 2011) – FUNimation® Entertainment is announcing that it is bringing the first installment of the anime phenomenon Dragon Ball Z to Blu-ray disc for the first time this fall.

Among the most prized in the FUNimation catalog, the studio has used the newest technology available to remaster in high-definition and digitally restore the 291 episode series.

FUNimation worked with Dallas-based AND TRANSFER for the digital film transfer. FUNimation previously worked with the post-production house to remaster the series for the season set releases on DVD. The transfer was performed by nationally-recognized colorist Steve Franko and supervised by FUNimation, which then finished the rest of the restoration process.

Today’s state-of-the-art systems offer tools that allow restoration teams to make a wide range of repairs and focus on more difficult tasks which, in the end, deliver a clean product that faithfully presents the original version and measures up to the high-quality standards of HDTV and Blu-ray.

Once again, the Dragon Ball Z series was digitally transferred from the original Japanese 16mm film frame by frame at 1080p. Developments in restoration software gives mastering artists more to work with when they apply tools to even out film grain and remove fading, film cuts and other visual anomalies. As a result, the viewer will see brighter, clearer colors, less variance in quality between scenes, and a sharper image.

“Working with a very old and fragile source film presented a number of challenges for the restoration process,” said Gen Fukunaga, CEO and president at FUNimation Entertainment. “Our purpose was to restore the series as accurately as possible, to what it must have been like to see it when it was originally mastered, and preserve the charm of the animation. After all, it is of a particular time and place.”

After debuting in 1989, Dragon Ball Z has become an iconic anime series. The franchise has sold more than 25 million DVD and Blu-ray discs in its lifetime, becoming the best-selling anime series of all time.

Dragon Ball Z is the explosive sequel to Dragon Ball. The series follows the adventures of Goku and his son Gohan as they team up with their friends to battle evil forces throughout the universe to protect their beloved planet Earth. The first season covers the Vegeta Saga and chronicles the introduction of one of Dragon Ball Z’s main characters, Vegeta.

This restored edition also features the original U.S. voice actors as well as the original FUNimation soundtrack – all in lossless Dolby® TrueHD.

Dragon Ball Z Level 1.1 includes the first 17 episodes on two discs with over 400 minutes of action and among the extras included on this release is a feature that looks at the restoration and remastering processes.

Dragon Ball Z Level 1.1 will be available at major retailers nationwide on November 8, 2011.

Visit the official Dragon Ball Z website at http://www.dragonballz.com/

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE




SAN DIEGO, CA, July 21, 2011 - Long before the current live-action Transformers franchise took over the box office and introduced giant alien robots to a new generation, there was a sweeping animated sci-fi epic that delivered "mecha" to the masses: Robotech. Arriving on U.S. airwaves in the mid-80s via syndication, the legendary space opera - one of the very first anime imports -- helped to usher in the multi-billion dollar anime industry and now, through the cult classic curators at A+E Networks Home Entertainment, the influential series will be reborn on DVD. Working in close conjunction with original Robotech producer Harmony Gold, the franchise will be available in a handsomely-designed collector's set featuring all 85 re-mastered episodes of the engaging and dramatic anime classic. Available for $99.95 SRP, the specially-priced 17-disc set ROBOTECH: THE COMPLETE ORIGINAL SERIES will also feature four exclusive bonus discs with more than 10 hours of bonus content - much of which is new to DVD. The deal was brokered by Content Media Corporation, the worldwide distributor of the series.

A sweeping science-fiction anime epic, ROBOTECH was set at the turn of the millennium, when a mysterious spacecraft crash-landed on a South Pacific island. The secrets of alien knowledge aboard this vessel were unlocked, leading to the development of "Robotechnology" and the creation of a vast arsenal of robotic "mecha" to defend the Earth against the alien threats that would eventually strike, attempting to lay claim to the mysterious power source known as "protoculture." Told through the eyes of characters caught in a successive series of three extraterrestrial invasions, the saga was the first anime series that many fans had seen, and is often credited with the explosion of anime fandom that continues to grow in the U.S. today.

The cornerstone of a blockbuster franchise that has spawned dozens of movies, books, toys, video games and comic books, ROBOTECH was originally licensed from Japan's Tatsunoko Studios, adapted from three different series and re-edited and re-dubbed into English. Because ROBOTECH hailed from three completely different anime series, Harmony Gold joined them into a cohesive narrative by splitting them into three distinct chapters, each representing a different generation of the saga: THE MACROSS SAGA (36 episodes), THE ROBOTECH MASTERS (24 episodes) and THE NEW GENERATION (25 episodes). These are also informally referred to as "The First Robotech War," "The Second Robotech War" and "The Third Robotech War" respectively.

Aside from featuring all 85 half-hour episodes of the original series (re-mastered from original elements for this release), ROBOTECH: THE COMPLETE ORIGINAL SERIES also includes over ten hours of bonus programming:

• The Making of Robotech Documentary - NEW to DVD
• Robotech Music Videos - NEW to DVD
• Robotech Overview - NEW to DVD
• Alternate versions of select Robotech episodes - NEW to DVD
• Robotech: The Movie supplementals (including several sequences NEW to DVD)
• Macross Original Pilot - 70 minute extended version - NEW to DVD
• Promotional reel of Robotech Launch in China - NEW to DVD
• Over an hour of deleted scenes
• Robotech: The Sentinels (with optional audio commentary)
• Robotech: The Sentinels promotional video
• Macross Original Pilot - Parts 1, 2 and 3
• Mospeada Original Pilot - Part 1
• Original opening and closing animations
• Galaxy of the Stars - Harmony Gold promotional reel
• Toy Commercial and Videogame presentation reels
• International clips for all three Robotech Wars
• A vast stills appendix containing character bios, model sheets, pre-production art, comic book covers, and merchandise galleries
• And much, much more!

Voted #34 on the "Top 100 Animated Series of All Time" by IGN.com, ROBOTECH will also be released day-and-date in several additional configurations. THE FIRST ROBOTECH WAR (THE MACROSS SAGA; 5 discs), THE SECOND ROBOTECH WAR (THE ROBOTECH MASTERS; 4 discs) and THE THIRD ROBOTECH WAR (THE NEW GENERATION; 4 discs) will also be available for fans both new and old.

With interest in "mecha" at an all-time high, don't miss out on this landmark in anime history from the guardians of classic TV DVD at A+E Networks Home Entertainment.


Formed in 1983, Harmony Gold is a leading production, acquisition and distribution company of quality international television programming, producing some of the most classic and history-making programs in the industry. Harmony Gold is a division of The Harmony Gold Companies, whose interests range from theatre management, real estate and finance to film and television production.

About Content Media Corporation:
Content Media Corporation plc ("Content", formerly ContentFilm plc), is a publicly traded, global entertainment media company based in London with offices in Los Angeles, New York and Toronto, which owns and distributes a significant library of film, television and digital assets. Content Film (formerly ContentFilm International), the film sales division, holds the rights to 200 titles and helps producers secure financing, marketing and distribution. The division also acquires top-tier documentaries. Content Television (formerly Fireworks International) is the television sales division, which holds the library rights to 3,200 hours of TV programming incorporating major drama series, non-fiction entertainment, special event programming, kids' series, TV movies and mini-series. Content Digital licenses over 300 hours of bespoke digital properties, in addition to the existing library, to digital media platforms worldwide, including on-demand, broadband and mobile.

A+E Networks Home Entertainment, part of the Consumer Products Division of A+E Networks, is a video distributor of non-theatrical programming, featuring collectible DVD editions of the high quality programming from A&E Network, HISTORY, and Lifetime, as well as acquired classic programming and sports. A+E Networks Home Entertainment brings the best of critically acclaimed entertainment presented in award-winning packaging to the special interest category.


ROBOTECH: THE COMPLETE ORIGINAL SERIES
Street date: October 18, 2011
Sug. Retail Price: $99.95
Running Time: 32 hrs., 30 mins. + bonus
Format: DVD/ 17 discs

THE FIRST ROBOTECH WAR (THE MACROSS SAGA)
Format: DVD/5 Discs
Running Time Approx. 15 hrs.
Sug. Retail Price: $49.95

THE SECOND ROBOTECH WAR (THE ROBOTECH MASTERS)
Format: DVD/4 Discs
Running Time Approx. 10 hrs.
Sug. Retail Price: $39.95

THE THIRD ROBOTECH WAR (THE NEW GENERATION)
Format: DVD/4 Discs
Running Time Approx. 10 hrs.
Sug. Retail Price: $39.95