Pioneer has announced the July release of Heat Guy J Volume 1, with the first four episodes of the series, both as a single DVD ($29.98) and with a collector's box ($39.98).  The creative team is the same as the one that produced the Escaflowne feature and series:   director Kazuki Akane and character designer Nobuteru Yuuki (see 'Bandai Readies Escaflowne Releases').    DVD menu designs are by Nightjar, who did the same duties on Akira, Hellsing, Trigun, and Vandread.  The series is airing in Japan early this year, perhaps setting a record for the shortest window between release in Japan and in the U.S.  The lead character, Heat Guy, is an android built by the government as a special agent to combat crime in the oceanic city-nation of Judoh.