ADV FILMS SETS RELEASE DATE FOR NOIR: SHADES OF DARKNESS

FIRST VOLUME OF ONE OF 2003’S MOST ANTICIPATED TITLES TO BE AVAILABLE FEBRUARY 18, 2003

HOUSTON, November 20, 2002—ADV Films today announced a release date of February 18, 2003 for NOIR: Shades of Darkness, the first of six DVD volumes of the acclaimed 26-episode thriller.

The series, which premiered in Japan in 2001, was directed by Koichi Mashimo (Dirty Pair, Dominion). Viewers praise NOIR’s spectacular animation, the use of music, its exotic settings (largely in western Europe) and an enduringly complex storyline, based on a relationship between a duo of female assassins who cannot trust one another, but who need each other to survive. Critics have favorably compared NOIR to such genre-defining live-action suspense titles as “The Professional” and “La Femme Nikita.”

The story:
A mysterious email; a haunting melody. Professional assassin Mireille Bouquet’s world is knocked askew by an unnerving contact from a young amnesiac, Yumura Kirika, whose killing skills are as deadly as Mireille’s, and whose missing memory may unlock the mystery of Mireille’s life as well. With their pasts inextricably linked, Mireille conditionally admits Yumura into her confidence. In uneasy partnership, the two—as NOIR—face a conspiracy that quickly calls on all of their lethal resources. It is a journey through the darkness, searching for a truth that they know will mean their deaths.

Special Edition available!
ADV Films is releasing NOIR: Shades of Darkness in two editions: as a disc in a standard DVD case, or in a Special Edition including the disc and its case, plus an exclusive slipcover designed to hold all six volumes of the series, plus a special-edition T-shirt, available only in the Special Edition package!

Sneak Preview in Newtype USA!
The DVD insert in the January 2003 issue (Issue Three) of Newtype USA will include Episode One of NOIR!

NOIR: Shades of Darkness (SRP $29.98 disc only; $44.98 Special Edition) is a DVD release containing five complete episodes in both English- and Japanese-language versions, with English subtitles. Extras include production sketches, clean opening and closing animations, Japanese promo spots and ADV Previews.

About ADV Films:
In 1992, ADV Films (ADV) began to forge the international market for Japanese animation (“anime”) by combining unique titles, outstanding production values and efficient large-scale distribution. Today, ADV is the #1 producer-distributor of Japanese animation to the North American market, with the firm’s holdings including such premier titles as Spriggan, Sailor Moon, Samurai X, Medabots, Robotech, Gasaraki and Neon Genesis Evangelion. ADV has also expanded into other forms of genre programming, including live-action science fiction programs Gene Roddenberry's Andromeda and Farscape, and classic science fiction such as Gamera: Guardian of the Universe. ADV’s corporate parent, A.D. Vision, Inc., publishes Newtype USA, the premiere anime and manga monthly in the English-speaking world, and operates The Anime Network, broadcasting anime and anime-related programming via digital cable, 24 hours a day. Headquartered in Houston, Texas, USA, with additional offices in the EU and Japan, and distribution on four continents, ADV is fast becoming an international entertainment powerhouse. For more information, visit ADV on the web at http://www.advfilms.com.