News

ADV Comments on Relisted Titles, New Release Schedule (Updated)

In late January, the North American anime distributor A.D. Vision, ADV Films' parent company, in 2006. The titles were licensed in conjunction with ARM Corporation, a subsidiary of the Japan Contents Investment fund that was co-founded by Sojitz.

A leaked article on the ICv2 retailer news resource indicated that the hiatuses were a result of a suspension of certain aspects of ADV's alliance with ARM. However, ICv2 went on record Mike Bailiff explained that Sojitz is still an investor in A.D. Vision and stated, "There have been no changes in ADV's corporate structure."

Bailiff also explained why the company made no official statements regarding the removed titles. "There are a lot of parties involved in any anime production, and that can complicate even the best of negotiations. Frankly we had to keep quiet in the interest of resolving this situation as quickly as possible. My staff and I have been in touch with most of our retail partners, who have been remarkably patient and understanding.

"I understand fans' frustration — particularly those who follow the business of anime so closely. But this wasn't a situation that could be worked out over the Internet. I just hope fans understand that we're doing what we must to get back to the business of delivering first-rate anime. That's our focus. We'll be issuing further updates as we work through this backlog and establish fresh delivery dates for additional titles."

As Kanon Volume 3 will ship on March 4, only seven days after Volume 2. Regarding the shipping schedule, Bailiff stated that the company is working through the titles scheduled for release earlier this year and added, "Our goal is to get fans' favorite titles out to them as soon as possible, and that means a few weeks of heavier than normal shipments."

In regards to titles that have yet to re-appear on ADV Films' release schedule, Bailiff told ANN that the company is working hard to get all its removed releases re-scheduled. "We're working with all of ADV's licensing partners to get our titles back on track and into fans' hands just as soon as possible. Obviously we can't comment on ongoing negotiations, but I can assure you that a lot of people are working very hard to deliver all the titles fans have been asking about."

While the shipping schedule announced earlier this week made no mention of removed catalog titles (for example, Guyver), all of which had been licensed with ARM's involvement, Bailiff explains that his company is already filling back orders for those products.

Finally, Bailiff stated that not only is the company working through its backlog, but it is also preparing to announce new titles. "We're readying a few announcements for the not-too-distant future. Of course, I can't tell you what they are until negotiations are complete!"

Update: ADV Films did make an earlier statement that indirectly referenced the removed titles on January 30.